When I went to Rico’s Ristorante, all I could think was family, family, family. The whole place just screamed, “Enjoy a family dinner here and make it a weekly tradition!”

The restaurant is known for its grandma-style homemade dishes which come in big portions. The two entrees I tried were exactly that. But most importantly, Rico’s was delicious, and might just be my new go-to restaurant for Italian-American cuisine.

The lighting was dim and even across the restaurant. Dark oak wood outlined the walls, ceilings and corners. Black and white family portraits were evenly spread out across the ivory-colored walls of the whole dining area.

Every entree on the menu can be enjoyed a la carte, for a lower price, or as a full course dinner, for a higher price. I had the full-course Eggplant Parmigiana, which came with antipasto and soup, and then a coffee or tea and a house dessert after the entree. If I had gotten the Eggplant Parmigiana a la carte and paid $11.95 instead of $14.95, it would’ve only gotten me a garden salad before my entree.

The course size you order depends on how hungry you are. Worth and cost are two different things, and for me the cost of the full course dinner was worth it.

The size of my first course, the antipasto, was very generous. It was a plate piled with iceberg lettuce, salami, a few big pieces of mild cheddar cheese and diced black olives, with an indulgent amount of crumbled blue cheese topping the mound.

I could’ve asked the waiter to take away my salad when the second course came, the soup, but I wanted to finish it.

The soup I ordered was their homemade chicken soup with pastina, a rice-sized pasta, and what you get is all in the name: the shredded chicken, the chicken broth, and the pastina. The soup was a bit too salty for me, and I didn’t care to finish it like I wished for the antipasto.

By the time my Eggplant Parmigiana came, I was already half full, because by then I had already ate the complimentary bread, antipasto and soup.  Before taking my first bite of the Eggplant Parmigiana, I first thought, “I need to leave room for dessert and tea.”

The Eggplant Parmigiana was a huge size portion set right in the middle of a wide white plate. It was drowned in a plentiful amount of marinara sauce, which I liked very much. The eggplant was tender and I could easily slice through. What I love about Eggplant Parmigiana is how the breaded eggplant, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce come together so well after it cooks in the oven. Rico’s did this dish justice.

The marinara sauce was thick with tangy tomatoes, which balanced the savory herbs, oregano and basil. The flavors were well-developed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they simmered the sauce for a whole day before serving it.

Even though I failed to save much room for dessert and tea, I had the cannoli, which was delicious. I could taste the subtle tang of its lemon zest through the creamy vanilla-flavored mascarpone filling. The outer shell was slightly crispy when you first break in a bite, and then became pleasantly chewy as the rich and smooth texture of the filling mixed with the soft crispy shell. The tea was a satisfying, comfortable ending to this full dinner.

Everyone eating around me appeared to be laughing over their hearty meals. The whole ambience was friendly, warm and comforting, from the scenery to the food.

You could hear soothing classical Italian music over the buzzing atmosphere, which added to the homey-yet-elegant feel.

Having Eggplant Parmigiana at Rico’s is my new tradition, and it should be yours too.

Published on March 2, 2014 at 11:59 pm

Contact Vekonda: vluangap@syr.edu