THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407070073
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F7 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: CHAIN REACTION
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BROWN CARPENTER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
RAGAZZI'S, in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach, is a chain restaurant disguised as family night out in a middle-class Italian-American neighborhood in New Jersey. The staff is courteous and the menu isn't intimidating.
The interior is divided into several rooms adorned with shelves bearing containers of olive oil and pasta. Recorded music (accordion tunes, Dean Martin singing ``Amore'') over the intercom is quiet enough to permit conversation.
Diners will find the food familiar and plentiful. More than a score of pasta dishes are divided under Red Sauce, Cream Sauce, Stuffed and Specialty and Seafood. These entrees range from $5.99 to $8.99, rising above $10 for the seafood plates.
Dinners also feature the tried and true: Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Parmesan, Shrimp Scampi, Veal Piccata, Shrimp Scampi. ``Lite Bites'' are for the diet-conscious; steaks (from $8.99 to $12.99) for the red-meat crowd; and there are pizzas, too, if that's your mood.
After appetizers of fried calamari - ample for three people - and an average-tasting minestrone, our party of four opted for Pasta Primavera, a sauteed roughy, Shrimp Fettuccine and Veal Ragazzi.
The Pasta Primavera ($7.99) - vegetables and linguine tossed in a marinara sauce - was light and laden with garlic. It got a high score from all of us.
The roughy ($10.99) was tender and flaky, although underseasoned. It was accompanied by Italian Hashbrown Potatoes - which definitely were not underseasoned. They tasted like Santa Fe. Hot. We liked them.
Shrimp Fettuccine ($11.99) rated high. They don't scrimp on the shrimp, which tasted fresh, and concoct a very good Alfredo sauce.
The Veal Ragazzi ($10.99) was excellent. The meat was fork-cutting tender and the Marsala sauce was hearty, with chunks of green pepper, onions and tomatoes. Linguine was the accompanying pasta.
Salad is self-serve from a large bowl with a house Italian dressing. Oil and vinegar are also available. The breadsticks were tasty, perhaps a little too salty, but the bakers are generous with the garlic.
One innovation at Ragazzi's is the wine honor system. A bottle of imported Italian table wine, red or white, is offered to diners who pour their own and keep track themselves of the amount consumed. Settle up with the waiter.
We thought the red was a pretty good vin ordinaire; the white mediocre.
Desserts are usually decadent at chain restaurants, and Ragazzi's lived up to the billing. The Fudge Brownie for Two easily satisfied three. It was gooey and good. The spumoni was a pleasant surprise with a splash of rum giving the ice cream a hint of the Caribbean.
Ragazzi's is a popular restaurant. We waited 15 minutes for a table on a recent Friday evening. Some patrons have compared it to the Olive Garden, one of the most popular American chain restaurants.
The menu prices are similar but both the entrees and ambience at Ragazzi's evoke that of a comfortable neighborhood dining spot. If the menu provides no surprises, it satisfies the no-nonsense appetite and won't deplete the checking account. MEMO: Editor's note: We're beefing up our restaurant coverage! Chain
Reaction is a new biweekly feature of Sunday Flavor, in which we take a
look at chain-restaurant fare offered locally. Bill of Fare, by Donna
Reiss, will continue to appear in Sunday Flavor on alternate weeks.
Reviews are based on a single, unannounced visit by a party of two to
four, unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star
pay for the reviewer's meal and those of the guests.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROY A. BAHLS/Staff
Ragazzi's is a chain restaurant disguised as family night out in a
middle-class Italian-American neighborhood in New Jersey.
by CNB