Ridotto Grand Cafe — Restaurant in Bossier City

I am not a gambling woman. I don’t even put my money in a shifty looking coke machine. I don’t even like to say “you bet!” Because this life doesn’t come with guarantees.

So I don’t get to the Casinos much other than to take photos of storms rolling in from the tops of their garages, or occasional friends from out of town that book the nicest cheapest motels in town. So when Live Casino & Hotel Louisiana let me know it was restaurant week where they offer a set menu (you have options) with everything from apps to drinks to dessert for a lower than normal price I decided now was the time to try Ridotto Grand Cafe, Louisiana.

This modern contemporary space oozes a comfortable opulence from the painted framed light fixtures to the cushy velvet high backed booth chairs, which I needed… because woah baby I had no idea what was about to happen in that seat.

FIRST I ordered the meatballs, our lovely waiter, Mark (but some people call him James) said it was the most popular thing on the menu, and I can see why. I know we’re all missing the “old” meatballs from ahem a few of our favorite Italian places in town… but these were big and round and juicy and herbaceous. They’re covered in a non-sweet non-spicy but flavorful marinara (I’m told the vodka sauce has a little more spice to it) and they bring you 3 of them.

We also got the fried mozzarella as an addition to our $49 resturant meal deal, crispy squares of fresh mozzarella that’s chewy and gooey and topped with Parmesan and giardinera which adds a tangy picker kick to the cheese pull-tastic bites.

But the REAL jackpot from the penny slots is the garlic bread

WORTH EVERY BIT OF ITS $8 price tag… or more … Wow. This house made focaccia is airy and crispy without being crunchy or chewy and it is drenched… and I mean absolutely drenched in the most delicious red pepper garlic butter I have ever had… the last time I had something similar it was the shrimp scampi I ate once a week from Campisi’s in Dallas… one of my favorte dishes.

This lump of loaf and those meatballs are going to be my lunch tomorrow…

BUT WAIT… there’s more…

The restaurant week entree we got was the chicken parmesan. I was hesitant to get it because I get more bad ones than good ones, and I really wanted a winner. Then the manager who came by and asked how we were doing and. I couldn’t even describe it to him without holding my belly like I’m pregnant, confirmed this was a “can’t miss”.

He’s not kidding. The chicken was perfectly tender, pounded flat and breaded and fried covered in marinara and again, a thick layer of hot melty good quality cheese. It took up a whole plate. Then he sat down ANOTHER large bowl of al dente spaghetti covered in sauce and cheese.

I was already full but I managed a couple of bites while I adjusted myself in my seat and again wondered why I couldn’t be a cow with 6 stomachs that I could just open and close when the food is this good.

I’d forgotten about dessert when Mark, who was remarkably knowledgeable about each dish, asked which one we would like. I was already ready to waddle out of there and packing up food in to-go boxes and just said “you pick.” He said “the cheesecake!” And inferred that was to-go too.

It’s lemon ricotta cheesecake topped with blueberries and mint. I’m eating it now watching Thursday night football in my fat pants after just an hour ago saying I’d need a crowbar to fit a bite in….

There’s always room for lemon ricotta blueberry cheesecake.

I am not a gambling woman, but I bet with my two-cents that you’re going to find Ridotto to be a real winner for higher end dining and solid Italian food.

Now… I need to try their breakfast (I hear the fruit covered ultra thick French toast is a winner too.)

Live! Restaurant week lasts till September 18! Link to all four of their restaurants special menus in the...

Tried this place out one night with my wife and son. Atmosphere is ok, about what you would expect. Everything costs money, even bread. How you can charge $8 for a loaf of bread and expect not to be laughed at I have not figured out yet. I have had better waitstaff at McDonald's. We got sat down, brought water. After we ordered, someone else brought our food (they were not busy, as there were only 3 out tables in the entire place that had someone sitting at them). I took one single bite of my alfredo and pushed it away. It had absolutely zero taste. It was like someone took a jar of Ragu, watered it down, and poured it over pasta. The waitress came up and asked if everything was ok. When I replied no, that the food was disgusting, she literally laughed and walked away. My wife and I were floored at this point. A waiter saw and overheard me ask my wife if she thought I was joking. He came over, asked if everything was ok, and when I said the exact same thing to him, he apologized, removed the plate and left. They asked me if I wanted anything else to eat. I was not going to get anything else, because at this point, and burger sounded better than anything I was going to get from this place. My wife ordered me the Chicken Parnassian. The chicken was ok, the spaghetti was as disgusting as the alfredo. A woman with her breasts half hanging out with what appeared to be a Peanuts cartoon strip tattooed on one of her breasts comes to the table and says "oh, you are who they told me about." When I told her what I thought, she said she would tell the Sous Chef and walked away. Before writing this, I did leave a review on Live's website. I was contacted by a gentleman who identified himself as the GM. He stated in his email that he wanted to make things right and asked us when we could come back. While I was taking a few days to even determine with my wife if we even wanted to go back, he emailed me again asking to follow up on his original email. I emailed this person twice, and tried calling him several times. Left messages, but I am not feeling all warm and fuzzy about hearing back from this guy, the switchboard did not even know who he was.

Save your money, go right down the street to Lil'Italiano in the East Bank. Great food, great service, and they do not charge $8 for bread.

Updated 7.1.25 After speaking with a very nice lady named Sara from Live Casino & Hotel, she talked me in to giving the restaurant another chance, and assured me that initial visit was not normal for this restaurant. My wife and I went back this past weekend, and I can tell you that there was a significant difference. The waiter we had was very attentive and addressed every need. Not only with us, but with the other tables he had as well. I do not know where the original waitress was, and I don't care as long as she isn't waiting on my table. I ordered the steak & my wife ordered the salmon. I can tell you that we both enjoyed our meal. I even saw that the manager with the cartoon across her breasts, she was dressed in appropriate attire this evening, and there were no signs of Charlie Brown or Lucy. I would have appreciated it if she would have come to the table and apologized, but that is water under the bridge. It is amazing how several small things can make a visit horrible, but correcting those small things can also make it very enjoyable. We will return, but will stay only if we do not see the first waitress and there is no sign of Charlie Brown and Lucy...

Disappointing Service Despite Beautiful Atmosphere and Great Food

I visited Ridotto Grand Café for a birthday brunch celebration. My reservation was for 11:30 AM, and I arrived at 11:25. Unfortunately, there was no host at the front upon arrival, and it took 20 to 30 minutes before anyone even acknowledged us. Despite having a 15-minute grace period, we were not spoken to until well after that. Ironically, this delay worked out for two of my guests who were running late — but that shouldn’t be the case at a restaurant of this caliber.

After we were finally acknowledged, we had to wait another 15 minutes to be seated, even though our party of nine had a reservation. A party of six was seated before us, which added to the confusion and frustration. There weren’t even tables being cleaned — it just felt very unorganized.

Once seated, our server greeted us with an attitude. She didn’t smile, didn’t introduce herself, and the only thing she said was, “How can I help you?” — very flat and rude. We had to ask her if she was okay because her tone and demeanor were so off-putting. She never shared her name (we only got it by reading her name tag), and she lacked even the most basic customer service skills.

It took about 10 minutes to get our drinks, and although the food and drinks were delicious, the service deteriorated quickly — especially after a large wedding party arrived. Our server completely forgot about us. No check-in, no refills, no offer for to-go boxes or additional orders. We were simply ignored for the rest of the meal.

When we were ready to leave, it took over an hour just to get our receipts, and an additional 30 minutes to get our credit cards back — after they had already been processed.

Overall, the food and ambiance were excellent, but the service was completely unacceptable. It felt like they rushed to hire anyone just to open the doors, without proper training or standards. I wouldn’t recommend Ridotto Grand Café for anyone expecting good service, especially for a...