Note to my parent-friends who lament the lack of kid-friendly dining options: Try Ricetta’s. Note to my parent non-friends who insist upon bringing cranky kiddos to adult-oriented establishments during peak dining times: Really, try Ricetta’s.

I expect to catch heat for that observation, but I stand by it. My parent-friends complain about the lack of non-chain, kid-friendly restaurants with decent food, and I offer Ricetta’s as a fantastic option.

Additional Photos

Sous chef Jeffrey Smith removes a Bolto pizza, which features pesto sauce, roasted chicken, broccoli, red onions and Fontina cheese, from the wood-fired oven at Ricetta’s in Falmouth. Photos by John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Ricetta's, Falmouth

The Falmouth location is convenient to Portland suburban living, and the big parking lot means a very swift trip from car seat to door. The lobby is large, and parties are accommodated quickly with time-specific reservations as well as via a call-ahead option to place names on the waiting list.

In addition to well-spaced tables with much visual activity to entertain the young ones (an open view of a brick-oven fire), bathrooms include ample diaper-changing surfaces.

Lighting is good — dim enough for ambience, but bright enough to read the epic menu that features an extensive section for kids. More evidence of kid-friendly status came when my party was positioned at a table near a large cluster of wooden booster seats.

But make no mistake, Ricetta’s is neither mall-area sensory overload nor chain-food quality. Nor is there a tub of broken crayons on the table with a “connect-the-dots” placemat. The walls, painted deep red, are decked with local art, the wine and beer list has all the fundamentals, and the recipes are all homemade, the server explained, up to and including the desserts.

There are dairy and gluten-free options that suit a variety of palates, and best of all, the food tastes good — especially the epic brick oven pizzas.

I found Ricetta’s South Portland location as an undergraduate, back in the days before the Internet. Raised on pepperoni pizzas from Aroostook County gas station convenience stores, I learned from Ricetta’s that I love fried eggplant on pizza.

I discovered that pizza cheese could include ricotta, and that mushrooms need not be canned. Their “best of” pizza awards seemed to list for miles, so I was dismayed when the South Portland location closed.

Then I was confused when the Falmouth location opened shop with the revised name of Ricetta’s Brick Oven Ristorante. I heard their radio advertisements and kept reminding myself to check it out, if for no other reason that the pizza nostalgia factor.

The Melanzana Diavola (“Devil’s Egglant,” large for $20.99), with pepperoni, eggplant and hot cherry peppers on mozzarella and tomato sauce, did not disappoint my memory. It was just as crusty and chewy and full of fiery flavor as I recalled.

There is something magical that happens when eggplant is fried up crunchy and added to a party of spicy pepperoni and homemade tomato sauce. Invite cherry peppers and just the right amount of mozzarella, and the party evolves into a crazy fiesta of sensation.

But don’t take my word for it. Try the pizza yourself as a dine-in option, takeout or via the regularly scheduled pizza buffet lunches. It is worth it.

Ricetta’s does salads well too. The Insalata Gorgonzola ($10.99) might actually be my new favorite. At a dinner-sized portion, it featured Romaine lettuce, shredded chicken, black olives, scallions, hard boiled egg, tomatoes and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. The best part were the bits of crispy fried prosciutto sprinkled liberally on top.

Ricetta’s also offers a cost-conscious appetizer, entree and dessert combination for $16.99 — smaller portions, but a terrific value. Buffalo wings and garlic bread arrived as described with no surprises, but the mozzarella fritte was the night’s memory maker — four triangles of fresh mozzarella, lightly breaded with enough melted gooeyness to satisfy any cheese-seeking palate.

The Penne Al Ricetta included chicken breast, broccoli florets and garlic served in a lemon cream sauce over penne. The Chicken Marsala (chicken breast sauteed with white mushrooms with linguine in a marsala wine and butter sauce) was fine, as was the linguine with traditional meat sauce. Portions, even from the special smaller-sized menu, were enormous.

While the other entrees are good — even very good — Ricetta’s lasagna ($15.99) is outstanding. Billed as a homestyle tribute to Mama Ricetta, the lasagna combines mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and romano cheeses with homemade sausage and ground sirloin, slow baked in the same brick ovens that produce such epic pizza. Ricetta’s meat-filled lasagna is straight-up old school comfort food, and during this cold stretch of winter — so, so satisfying.

Between the homemade tiramisu, cannoli and gluten-free chocolate cupcake, it was hard to choose a dessert winner. The tiramisu was rich, thick and creamy. The cannoli was sweet without being cloying with its marscapone cheese filling. And the gluten-free cupcake did its best to taste like a traditional chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting.

The thing is, even while picking at the dessert choices, I was still thinking about that lasagna. I was thinking about that lasagna, as well as the eggplant pizza. A few weeks later, I cannot wait to return. 

Shonna Milliken Humphrey is a Gorham-based freelance writer.

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