Trying all the igloo restaurants in CT brought us to Rizzuto’s in West Hartford.
Pane all’aglio
Garlic bread.
You have to like Gorgonzola to like this.
The cheese topping is nice, but there is far too much dough.
It’s a huge ciabatta loaf half, which means you’ve got this deep dough and only a covering of cheese.
It’s good, but doughy.
The Rating: Pane all’aglio
6.5/10
Calamari Fritti
Standard fried calamari with fried cherry peppers.
The breading is wonderfully seasoned, even if it is a little thin.
The calamari is perfectly cooked.
Not rubbery, but soft meat.
Overall, very nice.
The Rating: Calamari Fritti
7.5/10
Fries
These happened accidentally.
Wasn’t expecting fries, but there they were.
They are great.
They almost taste like duckfat fries.
Thin and extra crispy.
Nicely salted.
Really just an amazing example of a simple french fry.
They have a truffle version at happy hour, which is going to have to be tried.
The Rating: French Fries
8/10
Dolce e Piccante Pizza
All the pizzas here have the toppings under the cheese.
While this can be nice, it prevents any toppings from being charred, at the benefit of the cheese getting charred.
The pizza has Soppressata, spicy coppa, red onions, cherry peppers, cheese, and a drizzle of honey.
The honey adds a nice sweetness, and the cherry peppers a very mild heat. I wish it were spicier.
The dough is very thin but surprisingly doughy.
An odd point that this pizza is really helped by all the nice fresh basil clipped on top.
Meaning, without this little granish, the pizza wouldn’t be as great as it is.
But with everything together, this is a wonderful pizza.
The Rating: Dolce e Piccante Pizza
8/10
Rizzuto’s
Address: 111 Memorial Rd, West Hartford, CT 06107
Hours: Open everyday at noon