Rikasa — Restaurant in Pittston

This is a hard review to write, because in most ways (the ways that really matter) the restaurant was excellent, but in other ways it was unacceptable given the price. We had diner for 4 on a Saturday (the 7th) and we paid about $55 per person. When we arrived we asked the hostess if she had a dessert list, because we were celebrating a birthday. We she had no idea what they were, or how to find them. She told us the server would be able to tell us. We then went to the bar and the bartender couldn't have been nicer. She was knowledgeable, helpful and truly demonstrated a love of her chosen profession. We asked her if she knew what the desserts were and she gave us a dessert menu. When the time came we indicated to the hostess we were ready to go to our table and a server came over. She told us we were going to the roof. I asked why. That's where your reservation is, she said. I told her we didn't want that. I had my 80 year mother coming, she would be uncomfortable there. She huddled up with the hostess and asked how we made our reservation. I couldn't remember; we made the reservation weeks ago. The server very abruptly told us there was only 1 table left in the bar area. We said we'd take it. She walk us over and started taking away some of the table settings. We said, we are a party of 4. She slammed the table settings back down and left in a huff. Then our server came over. She was polite, competent and friendly. We had a lovely meal. I had the spaghetti carbonara with the peas on the side, it was fantastic. My wife had the chicken Milanese and it was perfect, Both my mother and my sister had the chicken marsala and they were both very happy. The wine was great. The list was comprehensive and after dinner the server brought over a Tiramisu with a candle in it as we asked. After dinner she gave us tokens for the club upstairs. Having never been there before we didn't know where to go. We walked up the steps and a server came running down. "I'm sorry but I have to go to the bathroom" he cried, so we moved out of his way. We went up to the roof bar and ordered drinks. The same person was the bartender. "just so you know, the stairs are for the staff only." is the first thing he said to us. We replied that we didn't know, had never been there before and we saw no signs saying that. We were given the drinks and I asked for a tray to carry them onto the outdoor tables, he replied " I would never give a tray to a customer." Somebody came over and took our drinks outside. They were good and the view was lovely, but as I said, it was very contradictory. It's as is there are 2 different groups of people working there. The restaurant staff who are very professional and roof top people who are not. My suggestion? Stick to the restaurant and maybe keep a copy of our reservation with you for...

Rikasa is a fine dining restaurant on South Main Street in Pittston, Pennsylvania. It offers many Italian dishes, along with beef and seafood selections as well.

We arrived on time for our 7 p.m. rooftop reservation and were escorted to an elevator that took us there. Once the doors opened, we were greeted by our hostess who then guided us to our table. The rooftop overlooks the cityscape and a portion of the Susquehanna River.

We ordered several small plates and a soup for our meal. The first two that reached our table were a rich Tomato Herb Bisque with a dollop of Creme Fraiche, and a bowl of Shrimp Scampi. The scampi included garlic, wine, butter, lemon, tomato, and spaghetti. The meal was supposed to come with pepperoncini, although I didn’t see any. The shrimp was fresh and firm, the wine sauce incredibly savory, and the pasta served al dente. Both dishes were delicious and left us anticipating our other arrivals.

The Wild Mushroom Arancini consisted of five fried risotto balls, wild mushrooms, parmesan, herbs, and a delicious roasted red pepper Creme Fraiche. The plate was very tasty, filling, and enjoyable. The Palmero Ravioli was also delightful, with large ravioli stuffed with beef and topped with blistered tomatoes and bread crumbs. Both meals were magnificent.

For dessert, we ordered the Tiramisu and a triple-layer chocolate cake, both served with a bit of whipped cream. The former was very creamy with a light taste of coffee. The cake was moist and decadent. Both choices proved to be a most fitting conclusion to our incredibly satisfying meal.

My only recommendation is this: the rooftop dining area was truly a romantic setting, with couples (and groups of couples) enjoying the pleasant outdoor temperatures. There was no need for the very large television screen placed against the wall to be broadcasting a college football game, especially since there was an adjoining bar ten feet away televising the same game. This was truly tacky, and took away from the fine dining experience. The television could have been put to better use displaying idyllic Italian scenery or better yet, not turned on at all.

Patrons should also be aware that the Rikasa adds 3% to the bill when using a credit card. For those wishing to avoid the surcharge, bring cash.

Rikasa also has a main dining room on the first floor. Joint 53, on the second floor is a 1920s-style speakeasy which features live music. Although we didn’t visit, this would be perfect for pre- or post-dinner cocktails.

Overall, Rikasa is definitely worth one’s time and money. Ensure that a reservation is made. Once you arrive, lose yourself in the atmosphere and...

We went to Rikasa on Friday, September 26 for our anniversary, and were expecting it to be a really nice dinner with perfect food and excellent service. While none of it was "terrible," it certainly wasn't great. First, one of the reasons we chose Rikasa was for their mocktails menu. Well, they debuted their new fall menu the day we went, and there were no mocktails. When we asked the server about it, he told us they don't have any until Monday when they debut their new mocktails menu. Ok, that's disappointing. Our appetizers were outstanding. We got the arancini and the Italian bread board. For our meals we ordered the salmon and the filet mignon. My husband said the salmon was good, but not great. The portions were small. The veggies looked sad and wilty. The filet was not cooked properly at all. I asked for medium. The outside was burnt. Like, hard. And the inside was totally raw. It was also incredibly tough and chewy. I'm not even sure it was filet. I was going to mention it to our waiter, but no one stopped back to ask us how everything was or if we needed anything. (Our waiter did about 1 minute after we got our food, which certainly wasn't enough time to tell, but the we didn't see him again until dessert time.) My husband wasn't even asked if he wanted another beer. Our waiter was incredibly busy, to be fair, but still, we just expected more. We were not even asked how everything was or if we needed anything else when the check came. Even when someone came to refill the water, we weren't asked if we wanted another drink. The young gentleman (very tall with curly brown hair) who brought the food out was an absolute sweetheart, though, and very attentive when bringing our food. We ordered dessert and it was delightful. I got the chocolate cake and my husband got the tiramisu. We also ordered espresso. It was excellent. One other small peeve is that we were sat directly next to the kiosk where the servers entered there orders and some were very loud, banging on the machine and the counter, and some cussing explicitly and loudly. We would probably try again one more time to see if it was a fluke, but definitely not for an occasion when we were looking for an intimate dinner that we could count on being excellent. Again, nothing was over-the-top terrible (except maybe the "filet"), but we really expected more. Especially for the price. When you're paying almost $200 for dinner, you want it to be worth it. It was not. We probably would have spent more money, too, if they had a mocktails menu or if anyone asked if my husband wanted another drink. Overall,...