Lopercio brings taste of Little Italy to desert location

By David M. Ward Staff Writer	Staff Photo by Michael Jewart     Michael Lopercio and Susie Adams stand in front of RigaTony's on Arizona Avenue and Knox Road in Chandler.
While most people saw a rundown building surrounded by chicken wire, Michael Lopercio held visions of a quaint Italian eatery.    A traditional venue similar to the establishments his family used to frequent in New York City’s “Little Italy.”    It was through this vision that RigaTony’s was born.    Back in 1994, Lopercio purchased a closed Mexican cantina and transformed it into one of Chandler’s most popular eating establishments.    “People told me this location was cursed,” he said.    “They told me that nothing ever made it here, but Ijust kept looking at the building and visualizing a really cool little Italian place on the corner.”    Today RigaTony’s, 1374 N. Arizona Ave., boasts a devoted following that includes former World Wrestling champion Billy Graham. Twice each week Graham travels from his home in Paradise Valley to enjoy the pasta, sandwiches and salads offered at RigaTony’s.
“I really like the consistency of the quality of food they have here,” Graham said during a recent visit. “I’ve traveled all over the world, and nothing beats the food here. It’s an awesome place.”    Lopercio named RigaTony’s after his father, Tony. His goal is to provide Valley customers with a taste of the ambiance he so enjoyed as a child in Little Italy. Working alongside manager Susie Adams, and head chef Corey Boettcher, Lopercio said he believes RigaTony’s captures the feel of an authentic Italian diner.    “That’s our vision. We want to take Little Italy and slap one of those places down right here in Chandler,” Lopercio said. “This is like nothing you’ll ever see out here in the desert.”    Plush booths fill the dining area, and old photographs line the walls at RigaTony’s. Customers waiting for a table can peruse the elevated bar, offering happy hour specials, such as half-price appetizers and $1.95 domestic beers, 3:30 until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.	RigaTony’s is open for lunch from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.    Highlights include an “express lunch,” offering a featured entrée each day with antipasto salad for $5.75. Featured entrées include chicken Parmesan with spaghetti marinara on Mondays and baked rigatoni with sausage on Wednesdays. Additional lunch items include house specialties cappelini checca for $5.95, chicken Florentine for $5.95, and grilled chicken linguine for $6.95.    “The three things people remember us for is our house salad, our baked RigáTony and our chicken picatta,” Lopercio said. “It sounds like a cliché, but by the time we put our homemade sauces and spices into the dishes, the results are spectacular.”    RigaTony’s is open for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 4 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.    Prices for dinner entrées range from $6.95 for a traditional bowl of spaghetti, to $13.95 for veal picatta.	The vast menu ranges from baked lasagna ($9.95), to margarita pizza ($8.85), to shrimp scampi ($13.95).    Fresh off the popularity of RigaTony ‘s in Chandler, Lopercio recently opened a second location in Mesa at 223 E. Brown Road.    “The real story to me was to listen to everybody tell me how crazy I was to do this,” Lopercio said. “Sometimes you have to start with a rough canvas, but it’s been more than worth it.”    RigaTony’s offers takeout service for lunch and dinner. To find out more about the restaurants, call (480) 899-1111. Reach the reporter at (480) 898-4906 or by e-mail at dward@aztrib.com