Rita

3681 rue Wellington Verdun, Montréal
ritarestaurant.ca

Every month my girlfriend’s and I go out for a standing Pizza dinner date.
There are a few places that we frequent, and on my past birthday they wanted to take me to Rita. I had never been to this Verdun gem, and it was a such a treat to be taken out. With a menu featuring an assortment of pizza’s (including weekly/monthly special’s) and different Italian dishes, Rita is restaurant that pays homage to family, food and that wonderful feeling of feeling at home in someone’s kitchen.

I personally love when a restaurant incorporates a family story with a bit of history into the experience. Whether it be the family pictures on the wall or the genuine warmth from the open kitchen/dining room, there is definitely a family-feel in Rita. The lighting is nice, the amount of tables great and thankfully this is one of those rare restaurants that understands the importance of encouraging conversation at the dinner table. (Bless the restaurants that keep their music choices intentional and at a volume that doesn’t compete with the conversation.)

Since heading Rita with the ladies the first eve and trying their pizza’s, I have since been back to venture outside the ‘za to try some of their other many items. While the menu looks great, the food is only nice because it isn’t hot enough. This is a general bit of feedback. Everything nice, but in order to be great that dish needs to be dropped on the table the second the food is plated for it to be great.

I understand this can be tough, especially when you are dans le jus and busy af. When I used to work in restaurants, to be a great server meant not letting the kitchen down. If it’s meant to be served hot, by hell or high water, screw the people waiting in line, skip the table waiting to pay, forget the lady who wants a wine refill and get that hot plate to the damn table and make your chefs proud!

The dishes were more room-temperature and the rigatoni pasta I had one evening was just slightly overcooked. Ever so slightly. I am an al dente freak and pride myself on kicking total A when I make a pasta, so this is something I look for. Rita makes excellent seasonal ingredient choices and isn’t afraid of playing around with traditional dishes adding their own flair. When they made this delicious tortelli with turkey in a light broth, it was like eating a thanksgiving meal in one bite. So cool. Basically like what Willy Wonka tried to do with bubblegum for Violet only way better, more enjoyable and totally yum. Another highlight were the sweet potato rings with a honey glaze and pumpkin seeds… Super cool.

If you haven’t been to Rita, go.
If you want to mix up your Pizza date nights, go.
If you want to try out a Montreal restaurant that plays with seasonal ingredients, go.
It’s a place to try, once or seasonally, but isn’t going to blow your socks off in all the ways. For a chill evening in the Verdun hood though, it’s just fine.