White table linens. Waiters dressed in matching uniforms. Menu items adorned with ingredients such as basil vinaigrette, feta cheese and yogurt dressing, and a lemon/butter white wine sauce.
Sounds like the kind of place that might break the bank, right? Not so. Rigatoni Italian Cuisine, located in a neighborhood strip mall at Skillman and LBJ, is not only delicious and elegant-if-not-extravagant, but reasonably priced, with most dinner entrees averaging between $9-$11.
Though owner and Lake Highlands resident Carlos Trejo was born in Mexico City and grew up in Spain, it’s Italian food that he loves (his mother is Italian). And he takes great pride in serving up authentic, mouth-watering plates of food with pretty presentation, as evidenced by the Chicken Pesto – a house specialty – shown below.
RIGATONI ITALIAN CUISINE
9090 Skillman, Ste. 174A
214-553-1543
HOURS: Lunch, Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dinner, Mon 5-8:30 p.m.
Tue-Thu 5-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 5-9:30 p.m.; Closed Sundays
$$
Chicken Pesto (Serves two)
Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons mustard
2 eggs
2-3 cups Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup sliced red onions
¼ cup mushrooms
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Mix milk, mustard and eggs together. Coat chicken breasts in mixture, and cover in bread crumbs. Pan sear in a little olive oil, two minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place chicken breasts in an oven-proof pan, sprinkle with onions, mushrooms and cheeses and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
Pesto Sauce:
12 basil leaves
1 bunch parsley
4 teaspoons chopped walnuts
½ cup champagne vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and blend well until they form a paste. Dot the pesto over the top of baked chicken and serve with angel hair pasta aglio olio (pasta sauteed with olive oil, basil, garlic and a touch of lemon juice and white wine) and grilled vegetables.
