Risibisi — Restaurant in Petaluma

My family and I decided we wanted to go out to celebrate, and had heard amazing reviews about Risibisi, so we found ourselves in the small dining room which was incredibly inviting, and one of the best parts of the night. We were seated, given menus, and told the specials, and decided on our choices in a few minutes, though we had to wait 15 minutes before our waiter would return and take our orders.

We ordered the mussels, fried calamari, garlic bread and olive oil bread as appetizers, as well as a selection of pasta dishes. All these dishes came quickly, but a Cesar salad we ordered never appeared throughout the entire dinner, which was apologized for profusely when it was brought up.

The food itself swung back and forth on a pendulum of flavour, with the appetizers being incredibly salty, the calamari in particular, and the main courses being bland. The beef bolognese had fine flavour, but was undercooked nearly to the point that the noodles would stick straight out on my fork. On the flip side, the pesto gnocchi was incredibly overdone, being so mushy that the few I tried stuck to my throat on their way down.

While the service was polite and kind, the food failed to impress. For an expensive dinner like this one, I expected a variety of complex flavours that made use of a wide variety of ingredients. This wasn't the case, and while I may not be back to eat dinner, I may be back for a drink and a conversation with the wait staff that were the saving grace...

We’ve been here twice. And unfortunately we don’t plan on returning. The first time we were there was in 2021 and we ordered two specials, the lasagna and the pumpkin sage ravioli. The lasagna was excellent and we don’t remember having any complaints about the service, but there was so much sage in the ravioli I started to get nauseous before I could finish it. I tend to enjoy excessive amounts of herbs and spices but there is a limit and looking back I should have sent the dish back. Despite that, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and have talked positively about going back ever since. We recently went back for my birthday dinner, we had the beef carpaccio and prosciutto bruschetta (special) appetizers, both of which were very good. For entrees we had the tagliatelle al maiale and the gnocchi wild boar. The tagliatelle was good, but the wild boar was very, very dry. Again, should have sent it back. On top of that there was a dinner rush shortly after we arrived and while the appetizers and entrees came out very quickly, the time between finishing our meal and closing out the check was around 45 minutes. That may have been partly due to them writing happy birthday on our dessert plate and adding a candle, which was a very nice touch. But it was nevertheless an inordinately long time.

We held Risibisi in high regard after our first dining experience there, but unfortunately our most recent experience has changed...

We enjoyed our dining experience, for the most part. I would mainly suggest making reservations if you can. We did not, and although we were seated right away, it was in the back outside under a tent. They did have heaters, but it was still a bit chilly and because we were outside, service seemed a bit slower than I'd have expected.

Between the 4 of us in our party we tried the Carbonara, the Wild Boar Gnocchi, the Pesto Gnocchi, and the King Salmon. The Carbonara is an easy choice, if you're between picks; creamy and delicious. The King Salmon was the favorite between the 4 dishes; cooked beautifully and full of flavor. I personally ordered the Wild Boar Gnocchi. It was hearty and the sauce had the most perfect flavor. The Pesto Gnocchi was exactly what it is named; gnocchi covered in a pesto sauce. Great flavor, but a lot of the same exact taste and bite continually. We decided that it might work better as a side, complimenting a main dish.

Two of us had drinks which was a glass of pinot Grigio and an espresso martini, both lovely choices. The burrata appetizer was also tasty, but I believe that was a special.

Overall I would recommend Risibisi to anyone who wants a great Italian dinner, and I would return. I think we just missed out on the feel of the overall atmosphere having...