A Simple, Lovely Lunch at Rizzo's

In looking for a local Italian eatery for this week's go-round, popped into my head. It is located off of Interstate 270 next to Grandview Plaza. Their dishes did not disappoint as they were full of flavor.

As one of several Italian restaurants in Florissant, Rizzo's food stands up to the rest, with the only complaint being that they were a little heavy on some of their ingredients.

My guest and I went for an early lunch one Monday, and we were not the only ones who had that idea--several other people came in to enjoy Rizzo's food before noon.

Rizzo's offers up several meaty Italian dishes, but it was no problem to find a few items that are vegetarian-friendly, including appetizers, pastas and pizzas.

The meal started with the standard complimentary basket of sliced bread, which was fresh and soft.

My guest received a salad with her entrée, which came before the meal with Italian dressing. From its appearance, the salad was obviously a little heavy on the dressing, but otherwise a good, standard salad that you would expect at an Italian restaurant.

For my entree, I decided to go for the 14-inch cheese pizza ($11.99). The rich, creamy provel cheese on the pizza was exactly what I was craving, and it definitely left me satisfied.

The acidity of the sauce and the perfectly crisp, thin crust rounded out the pizza to make it one of the best ones I've had in a long time. The richness did make the pizza very filling, allowing for the leftovers to last for another meal.

My guest ordered the "Spaghetti con Melanzane" (spaghetti with eggplant, $10.99). The eggplant was fried, and the dish was slightly overloaded with mozzarella cheese on the top, which made it filling and probably not the healthiest meal in the world. She also had enough leftovers to bring home for another meal.

I also made sure not to eat too much of my pizza, so I could try a dessert. I ordered a slice of tiramisu ($4). It was delicious, and the hint of coffee flavor was not too overpowering.

It was a perfectly light, sweet dessert after a filling and flavorful meal.