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Friday, November 08, 2002

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

You made it!" a friendly voice called out after we pushed open the doors to Rico's Restaurant.

It had been one of those nights. We hadn't intended to go anywhere near the North Hills at all, but Monday Night Football at Heinz Field meant no parking anywhere in Downtown Pittsburgh. So there we were, driving north across the Allegheny River in the rain, not sure where to go.

Then I remembered that Rico's was open on Mondays, so when I called for directions, there was that friendly voice (the coat checker, as it turned out) who later greeted us so warmly in person that our stresses melted away. No snooty staff here, even if the prices were said to be high falutin'.

What followed was a series of surprises and revelations, some happy, some not. Rico's decor is comfortable and welcoming, if a bit inelegant in places: two beat-up plastic lawn chairs were plopped right in front of the entrance, ostensibly for the valet parkers. Inside in the hall there were the obligatory pictures of celebrity diners (Terry Bradshaw, et al.), a big, dark bar to the left, thick dark carpeting, '70s-era brass and amber-glass sconces, some nice artwork in the non-smoking section.

A dignified waiter seated us with ceremony, unfolding my napkin and placing it on my lap. That was nice. After we were seated, though, a full-throated string version of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" began wailing out of the Muzak box, making it hard to concentrate on the menu, which featured pecan balls for dessert.

Uh oh.

And the bread was cold, even if it was from BreadWorks. At Rico's prices (mostly twentysomething dollars and above for the entrees) the bread should be hot and crusty. And there was no herb-infused olive oil for dipping, no little pots of an interesting tapenade or a little herbed whipped something, just demure pats of butter. Shades of Sunday lunch with Grandma.

But then the prosciutto appetizer with fresh melon ($9.50) arrived, a generous serving of broad rosy ribbons of the best quality Prosciutto di Parma for me to wind around my three slices of melon. Wow! My mood began to lift. There were more surprises: a predictable-sounding dish of calamari and grilled sweet Italian sausage in tomato sauce ($7.95) was actually perfect in its simplicity, the flavors peppery and robust. A portobello mushroom blanketed with crab meat and Roquefort cheese appetizer ($10.50) came piping hot, even if the mushroom seemed somewhat flattened under its pungent topping.

Rico's menu is traditional, no doubt: besides an appetizer menu that included fried zucchini, stuffed banana peppers, fried provolone, escargot and oysters on the half shell, there were three fillets of sole dishes in the seafood entree section alone, along with the steaks and lamb chops. But on the list of Entrees of the Day, which is updated daily, and usually features about 15 items, it gets more interesting, with Virginia spots, Chilean sea bass -- and sometimes, I'm told, although not on the nights I was there, osso buco, the classic braised veal shank (if only!).

My dining companion, a tired, hard-working mother of four young children, was sorely tempted by the filet mignon stuffed with crab meat, a massive tower of perfectly cooked filet topped with, again, the best lump crab meat and nicely steamed spinach on the side. This is the dish Arnold Schwarzenegger must have ordered the night before winning one of his "Mr. Universe" championships. It was $38, though, so we justified the cost by deciding to share it.

On another visit, I decided to try something lighter, so, after perusing the 11 (11!) veal dishes on Rico's menu and being briefly tempted by the restaurant's popular Veal and Lobster Piccata ($28.95), I went for the Veal Piccata ($21), just to see what the kitchen could do with something simple. It was fine but not spectacular, the veal tender but the lemon sauce a little gluey, the capers a predictable garnish.

The Chicken Bocconcini ($18.95) was more successful, three tender mounds of sliced chicken, each topped with fresh mozzarella and bathed in a silky tomato basil sauce. A seafood special featuring petite lobster and swordfish seasoned "Cajun" style was a mixed bag -- the swordfish was excellent, with just enough spicy heat, not blackened beyond recognition as Pittsburgh interpretations of Cajun sometimes are. The lobster was a bit rubbery, though -- and I'm not sure any meat of that delicacy is ever improved by much seasoning.

Now about those pecan balls. Many people love them, which is why Rico's offers them, but luckily there are plenty of other good choices on the dessert menu, some in-house, some not, from cheesecake to various gooey chocolate selections to a nice simple little creme caramel ($2.95 to $5.25). And Rico's wine list is vast -- with some 250 labels ranging from $26 to $365. My only caveat: For those of us by-the-glass drinkers, it would have been nice to see a listing of the 12 choices (at $6 a glass) rather than hear them hastily recited by a waitress.

Don't expect to see elaborate "cuisine" being committed here. There's no raw tuna, no pomegranate glazed this or that; Rico's offers high-quality fish and meat, simply and expertly prepared by longtime chef Dennis DeLuca, and for the most part, you'll get what you pay for. Rico Lorenzini, the restaurant's courtly owner, is a native of Tuscany and goes back often to his home country to check up on what's happening in Italian cuisine (his sons, Dave and Rico, run Piccolo Mondo in Green Tree). But he is unapologetic about his relatively staid menu -- his business is mostly 80 to 85 percent repeat customers, and he knows as well as anyone how Pittsburghers dislike change. After 23 years, people can come to Rico's and still know that they will get what they had last time -- and it will taste just as good as it did last time.

And whether it's a quiet Monday or a bustling Saturday, chances are they'll probably always get a nice friendly hello from the coat-checker when they come in the door.

Rico's Restaurant
1 Rico Lane, Ross
412-931-1989

Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner, Monday through Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m. Closed Sundays. Wheelchair accessible. No-smoking section. Entrees range from $17.95 to $38.95, but most are above $20. Reservations only accepted for parties of six or more. All major credit cards accepted.

The basics: Non-trendy, special occasion restaurant, featuring excellent quality meats and fish and a traditional, American/Continental-style menu.

Star System:
(POOR);
to (SUPERB).

The last word: