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Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar: User Reviews

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Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar

111 Memorial Road - West Hartford
860-232-5000

Breath of Fresh Air
By westhartlaw from West Hartford, May 2, 2008

Overall rating:

Ate at Rizzuto's in Blue Back Square in WH Center last night, and as told by a colleague, it was very enjoyable. First, the place feels like a sophisticated NY restaurant - very cool design, yet I was in jeans and felt very comfortable. My wife and I were seated in a nice booth in the center of the room, we felt private but there was an intangible sense of energy going on that really took us from a tired 'can't wait until Friday is over' mood to laughter and a nice 'date' if you will.

We had a sampler of the cured meats and cheeses. The prosciutto was melt in your mouth The cheeses were served with 3 (I think that is the amount) different condiments, my favorite was honey with black truffle shavings. I never experienced cheese served this way, and it was delicious. BREAD - we tend to shy away as we are (or attempt to be) conscious of carbs, We asked for seconds - it was chiabbata (sp?) with fennel and rosemary baked into it - the server told us it is baked in Rizzuto's kitchen daily, and pointed out the baker who was working at the fired oven. My wife had sea bass which was fresh and cooked just right - had some sort of orange rind as a garnish that was a great contrast to the fish. I went for it and ordered pasta - papardel with osso buco. Amazing is the word. The sauce was an intense veal sauce that was like velvet. I mean it was the best pasta dish I have had since dining in Bologna 2 years ago.
We loved the wine list - all Italian, good variety, great presentaion - we were ipressed that our $40 bottle of red wine was decanted for us!
We had no room for dessert, next time.
The service was just right - attentive but not 'in your face'. Our waiter was friendly, walked us through the antipasti section of the menu, and pointed us to the right wine. We would have liked to linger longer, but we both had early mornings ahead.
Overall, this is a great restaurant. The bar was busy when we left at 10. Just a real good vibe when you are there. It is not stuffy like some other places in the area. We will be back!

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Big let-down
By MOB Queen from West hartford, April 30, 2008

Overall rating:

Although I never try a new restaurant within the first month of opening, once my friends and I heard that the new Rizzuto's was "better then Bricco", we were eager to try.
Not only were our palettes left unsatisfied, but our wallets were left empty. I have no problem paying a lot for good food, but I do have a problem paying a lot for mediocre food and service.
It is not the fact that the pasta machine was broken, nor is it the fact that we were seated next to a drafty window, nor is it the fact that my food was bland and I could have done a ten times better job at home, but it was the apparent lack of training of our server which will keep me from returning to dine here.
He was a very nice, pleasant fellow, whom had an okay sense of humor. His mistakes were not his fault, it is very apparent that Rizzuto's failed to train him well. In a town famously known for excellent service, this place will soon falter if they don't ship into shape. Not only was the wine service painful (not offering to taste the wine and just pouring, never refilling our glasses so we had to do it on our own), but he never cleared our plates between courses, and he didn't know items on the menu that were common knowledge. Being in the service industry myself, I often make excuses for an incompetent server, i.e. full section, busy night, etc., but not in this case. He should have been on the ball.
On the plus side, the decor was cool, with a very big-city vibe. I will definitely be back for a drink in the very cool, trendy bar.