Pasquale's Rigoletto Restaurant

Italian / $$

2311 Arthur Ave., Belmont (Bronx)
2, 5 trains to W. Farms Sq. - E. Tremont Ave. - Boston Rd.
(718) 365-6644, -6133

7 days, lunch noon-3 PM, dinner 5-10 PM
Reservations suggested for large groups
Takeout available, no delivery
Visa, MC, Amex, Diner's

This is one of several eye-openingly magnificent Italian restaurants in the Bronx. Pasquale's gets you started with a free appetizer consisting of bruschetta, chunks of hard cheese, and bread. Clams, steamed or baked, come from markets just a few blocks away and are astonishingly fresh. An appetizer with lima beans and chopped shrimp is often found on the specials menu, along with one of our favorite entrees: a simple cheese ravioli with marinara sauce, a meatball, and a richly flavored piece of Italian sausage. That dish alternates with an even more fabulous crab- and shrimp-stuffed ravioli with smokey basil-tomato sauce. For the cheese lover in you, Pasquale's serves its pasta dishes with most generously proportioned bowls of grated cheese we've ever seen in an Italian restaurant. And the pink zinfandel, ordered by the glass, goes well with everything.

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