Dining at Radicchio, a Ridgewood Fixture

Seventeen years is a long time to run a successful, upscale restaurant with no liquor license or good parking. But Aldo Cipolat has managed to do just that.

Cipolat, who started out as a waiter in the restaurants of his native Venice, as well as Paris and London, opened Radicchio in 1992 on the site of two previous restaurants that failed to attract many diners. One, we recall, had particularly bad food.

When he first came to the United States in the 1970s, Cipolat went into the air conditioning business, a trade that served him well after he decided to return to the restaurant business and open his own place on Franklin Avenue in Ridgewood.

He does his own maintenance work on refrigeration units and the air conditioning system. "I know that it is done right," he says.

He's also a good decorator as the lighting and some of offbeat paintings on Radicchio's walls show. Check out the original Peter Max. It is a very interesting and pleasant space.

But finding a good chef was another matter. "The first two years were a disaster," he recalled. "I could not find a good cook around here."

So he went to New York and lured Daniel Montoya from Sant Ambroeus in Manhattan. The Peruvian born chef has been running the kitchen at Radicchio ever since. 

And now for my own confession, my partner and I have been going there for 17 years, have had parties in a side dining room, and even used the space as a location for a video set in a fictional restaurant. 

We have never been disappointed, even during the first years Cipolat called a disaster.

On a recent visit I started with one of my favorites—the spinach salad with shaved fennel and Parmesan cheese. In recent years, the kitchen has started putting a ring the plate with cherry tomatoes sliced in half, which is a nice addition to bring some color to the plate. But it is the fennel that makes the dish.

For the main course, I tried a special: black ravioli stuffed with lobster meat and finished with vodka sauce. It was excellent. The ravioli was tender—not tough or doughy—and filled (not half filled) with lobster.

My partner had the risotto with asparagus, one his favorites, and at the waiter's suggestion had grilled chicken added on top. It was another winner.

In the old days, before we had to spend quite some much time worrying about waistlines, we always had dessert at Radicchio.  The tartufo is very nice as is a lemon stuffed with lemon sorbet.

There is a side room for private parties or an overflow crowd from the main dining room as well as a backroom that also can be used either way. Radicchio does not do catering, but the staff does accommodate children and we've had many family dinners there.

As an ex-waiter, Cipolat apparently takes good care of his wait staff.  Some stay on for years, know the regulars and provide careful, courteous service to everyone.

Radicchio is open for dinner Saturday, Sunday and Monday and both lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday.

It is a bring-your-own-bottle place, but Cipolat asks that you not walk in with a cooler full of beer as a diner once did. Waiters and other diners don't appreciate tripping over coolers. They just don't go with the décor or the atmosphere.

Food: Excellent

Service: Excellent

Entrée Price Range: $25 - $31

Atmosphere: Pleasant

BYOB

Credit Cards Accepted