Friday, September 22, 2017. Sometimes it seems to me that we Orleanians are more interested in restaurants that have ceased to exist than we are of restaurants where one can actually show up and dine. A vivid current example involves Rizzuto's, the restaurant which, four months ago, took over the holy site where for forty-five years Tony Angello's served his famous multi-course Italian dinners in an environment of regular customers.
Rizzuto's is not unknown. For some ten years it was Amici, an interesting Italian-hip trattoria in the part of Magazine Street with a greater population of restaurants than any other stretch. Nor do we have to tell about the end of Tony Angello's career and the rent issue that made his family decide to leave the business, at least for now.
It was Mary Ann's idea to go there tonight, even though Rizzuto's is in the category of new restaurants that I believe will become better as time goes on.
Both of the Marys talked about the appeal of a steak here. Indeed, Rizzuto's, bills itself as an Italian steak house. Prime beef, the familiar sides, and the prices will be familiar to those who like the top-ranked beef pushers. But we have a classic Fitz-Family contretemps that makes everybody change every dish we'd thought about, and leave the steaks behind, no matter how many good things the server has to say about it. The girls have spaghetti and meatballs and another wedge salad. As for me, I have just about beaten the gout for this time around, and I don't want to encourage it to jump back right now. I have something the menu calls chicken Scarpariello. In its appearance and its flavor set, it will remind most New Orleans-based Italian fans of chicken a la grandee, with its potatoes and garlic and olive oil and Italian sausage, and the standard deviations in all that. It certainly was filling.
Next time I will have a steak.
Returning to my earlier theme: when Rizzuto's opened, the customers flowed back immediately, filling the curbside parking in the neighborhood and the gravel lot across the street. Tuning in to these people, it's clear that many of them were hoping for some reminders of the old restaurant. The big main dining room is more or less the same in shape, but there has been a thorough renovation.
Even though we had a reservation, our table was in one of the many good-sized private rooms. We shared it with several other tables we didn't recognize. But that's nothing new here. Mr. Tony's regulars had favorite tables all over the place.
I will visit Rizzuto's a few more times before trying to sum up its merits. This I know: expectations of eggplant Tina, oysters Rockefeller and Bienville, the lobster cup and other Mr. Tony's signature dishes will likely be dashed. One must move on and get to know the place, or be disappointed for a long, long time.
Rizzuto's's. Lakeview: 6262 Fleur de Lis Dr. 504-300-1804.
Written by Tom Fitzmorris September 25, 2017 12:01 in
