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Ristegio’s introduced its first outdoor dining experience this past weekend, about 15 months after the sparkling, gold-trimmed, multi-room restaurant opened on Route 112 in North Patchogue.
Chef Richard Lanza, who owns the restaurant with his brothers, Steve and Joe, all Patchogue-Medford High School graduates, said the patio was a huge hit.
Well, with the exception of Saturday.
“Friday was great but then Saturday was just too hot and humid,” he said.
That back patio consists of stone pavers, columns and lanterns, a wrought iron wraparound fence and walls of arborvitae.
The idea is allow guests to feel “they were transported somewhere else,” Richard Lanza said.
The Ristegio’s owners also hope to capture some of the nicer-weather traffic that might otherwise head north or south on Route 112, toward waterfront establishments, he said.
The chef said people should look for lobster nights and Sunday morning brunches to come next spring.
Another next step for the restaurant is to build an outdoor bar, so the owners can move some of their musical acts, which play Ristegio’s every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, onto the patio as well.
Click here to check out Ristegio’s menus, though Lanza says he does change them with the seasons.
Check out the restaurant’s Facebook page for updates on special evenings and offers.
Photo: Chef Richard Lanza in Ristegio’s new outdoor patio Wednesday. (Credit: Michael White)
Photo 2: Ristegio’s is located on Route 112 in North Patchogue. (Credit: Ristegio’s courtesy photo)