San-chome Rigatto is a beautifully renovated, two-story Italian restaurant with attractive woodwork throughout the interior and plenty of open space. The aroma of food cooking on the grill of the long open kitchen greets you at the entrance before it wafts up to the quaint second-floor loft. Your mouth will be watering before you even take your seat.
While the cuisine is Italian-focused, there are also many fusion creations dreamed up by the chefs. We got the meal started with Gobo (burdock root) Balsamico (¥580) followed by Kani (crab) Cream Croquettes in American-style sauce (2 for ¥1280). Both were rich with flavor, prompting our taste buds to clamor for more delights. For the main meal our choice was Gorgonzola Cheese Cream Penne (¥1400), which was equally flavorful and will surely satisfy any cheese addict. We also happily ordered the Braised Lamb Shoulder Topped With Cilantro Salad (¥1780) from the daily specials menu.
Of course, any Italian meal wouldn’t be complete without some wine. In its first-floor wine closet, San-chome Rigatto stocks over 50 imported bottled wines (¥3500~) on a balanced menu of red, white and sparkling with a good portion from Italy and France. Options for a single glass (¥700~) are available for some selections. Cocktails, whisky and beer are also options if you aren’t a wine lover.
The restaurant is a great place to impress business clients or that special someone. There’s seating for about 30 overall with smoking not allowed in the first floor counter area. It’s a short five-minute walk from Sakuragicho Station in the Nogezaka area. Note that it also has an equally impressive sister shop located along the river nearby called Wines Kitchen Rigatto.