Ronaldo's Italian Restaurant

Ronaldo's Italian Restaurant

real estate Ronaldo's
69 Lafayette Road
at the intersection of Rts. 1 and 111
North Hampton.
964-5064
Food **** Home-made flavors, great use of herbs and a tremendous amount of food.
Service **** Seasoned, efficient and attentive. Cool under pressure.
Ambience **** Homey, rustic, fun and comfortable. Everyone''s having a great time.
Overall **** Everyone walks out full and smiling.

About the Ratings Five stars - Excellent Four stars - Very Good Three stars - Good Two stars - Fair One star - Poor


Become a regular at ronaldo''s your first time out

By Rachel Forrest
About the Food Critic
ip@seacoastonline.com

I get anxious when a restaurant doesn''t take reservations. I prefer the comfort of knowing I''ll be sitting at a table looking at the menu within a few minutes of arriving, rather than trying to will someone to down their last bite of cheesecake, finally pay their check and leave.

And at Ronaldo''s in Hampton in the summer even on a Wednesday as early as 6 p.m. there''s an hour wait for a table of four, or even for two. Yet everyone takes the wait in stride, content to hang out at the comfortable bar in the back, mill around outside, or take a quick drive to the beach. Even the efficient hostess is calm, and as I watched and waited I began to relax as I realized that no one cares how long they have to wait, some said two hours if they had to.

This must be good.

Once seated with our party of four (and two squirming kids) I immediately felt comfortable. The room is dark yet festive, with curtains covering the front windows (the restaurant is in a strip mall not a great view). Dried flowers hang on the walls giving it a farmhouse feel, and candles flicker near families with kids and couples teasing other people''s kids. The waitresses are real pros who enjoy the work and seem to know most of the people here. Everyone looks happy. With good reason. Once you get in you''re a regular even if it''s your first time.

The soft, warm bread served in a small loaf is freshly baked and comes with both olive oil and butter. The appetizers we ordered came out almost immediately (the wait-time empathy factor). Crispy, fried ravioli ($5.95) were piping hot and the ricotta inside melted on the tongue. Our plate of fried calamari ($8.95), heaping with small rings and a few tentacles, was tender on the inside, not a chewy one in the bunch. Both came with marinara sauce for dipping, the sauce seasoned so perfectly I had to taste it with just a spoon and couldn''t stop.

Best of all was the Bruchetta Italiano ($6.95). Expecting the usual slices of Italian bread topped with chopped tomato and herbs, we were very happy with four huge, fluffy pieces of fresh bread topped with garlic butter and mozzarella cheese with little surprises throughout. Sweet caramelized onion and tangy sun-dried tomatoes lurked beneath the cheese. Diced proscuitto and fresh shredded basil leaves topped the cheese.

After either a salad or soup (the minestrone with tortellini was tomatoey-rich and nicely flavored with basil), there was a bit of a long lull before our entrees came out the only fault I saw with the service. Servers have generally worked here awhile so they know the drill. They''re incredibly busy but never seem rattled as tables keep turning all night, and still seem to have time to joke with the customers and deal with kids. They''re also very knowledgeable about the food and make recommendations expertly.

After a bottle of nice Montepulciano from the small and reasonable wine list (wines by the bottle range from $16-$44, most around $25) our entrees arrived a tremendous amount of food. At first I wondered if people were so keen on the place simply because they do give you so much food, but the dishes are pure "home-cooked" Italian. Nothing really fancy, just fresh ingredients in familiar and some surprising and combinations.

Trilogy of Parmagiana ($15.95) included lightly breaded veal, chicken and eggplant layered over penne pasta and covered with mozzarella and that rich, home-made marinara. It came in a large black bowl dusted on the edge with parmesan cheese. The chicken breast was plump and moist and the veal was sliced thinly. It was sort of a scavenger hunt to separate everything, but that added to the fun, authentic atmosphere. The eggplant is cut to order and was a bit soft, but tasty.

The rest of the entrees were served in slightly battered saut pans, which is a real kick and adds to the rustic charm of the restaurant. Food is piled high over your pasta of choice, and while I was surprised that most diners weren''t doing this, you must get some extra plates and share.

Chicken and Shrimp Piccata ($16.95) is tart and garlicky. Capers and herbs were plentiful, but there was a bit too much parmesan cheese mixed in for me. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, firm and flavorful.

Shrimp Fra Diavola ($18.95) lived up to its name. The spicy-hot marinara complemented the large, mild shrimp over linguine, which was cooked just right as were all the pastas we tried.

I especially liked the Veal Venezia over linguine ($16.95), fresh veal sauted with green and red pepper with sweet Italian sausage. A very robust combination, the tender veal was so thin it seemed shaved. The peppers were cooked perfectly to still-firm and the thickly sliced sausage was extremely flavorful, sweet and spicy at the same time. Fresh basil and other herbs dotted the dish throughout and created a fresh, vibrant taste.

The menu is extensive and you really need to bring more than two people (or go back again) to try dishes from the variety of styles, which cover both Northern and Southern Italy. Try Italian Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu, Cioppino with lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels, and Shrimp Carfore with artichoke hearts all recommended by regulars.

Chef Peter Iwanicki, a CIA grad who co-owns Ronaldo''s with Donna Dewsnap, also offers specials each night like Fried Lobster Ravioli with Jumbo Shrimp and an Italian Crusted Haddock Tuscano anything, according to Iwanicki that celebrates the items of the season. If you get a table near the back, the open kitchen can be quite entertaining as Iwanicki shouts out the orders.

Desserts, if you can manage it, included Creme Caramel and Chocolate Mousse Cake, but the restaurant makes its own cheesecake and tiramisu. We shared homemade Bailey''s brownie chunk cheesecake ($4.95) and a tiramisu($5.25). The cheesecake was creamy and unique. The tiramisu had the usual lady fingers, but they were placed throughout rather than in layers making the dessert more "cakey" than creamy.

If you have kids in tow or need to eat right away get there by 5 p.m. or after 8 during the summer. Waits aren''t as long in the winter during the week. And be prepared to bring food home with you for the next day and even the day after, and to walk out a happy member of a new family.

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