Syracuse, N.Y. — Here’s the thing about ordering chicken riggies at a restaurant: Most versions are not very good. The signature dish of nearby Utica is often duplicated for its seemingly easy use of ingredients, but the finished product is either too spicy or not spicy enough, and the chicken is either dry or bland.
And then there are The Original Chicken Riggies ($23) from Attilio’s Restaurant & Bar in Syracuse. The sauce has a base of chunky tomato, garlic, cherry peppers and onions, achieving just the right balance of vegetable to heat. The cherry peppers are subtle, coming in close to a medium-style chicken wing on the spice scale, but impart just enough vinegar to the sauce to differentiate themselves as their own individual flavor. It tasted as if it was made fresh for our order and wasn’t sitting on a prep line all day. (We have no idea if it was.)
The chicken’s texture told us it had been floured and pan-fried, but it absorbed the sauce’s flavor like it had stewed in it for hours. Together it was served over al dente rigatoni pasta and topped with parmesan cheese, creating one of the best presentations of the dish we have enjoyed locally in a long time.
It was an absolute highlight of a somewhat inconsistent culinary journey through the local mainstay.
Attilio’s began its run in 2010, opening in the space formerly inhabited by Antonio’s on North Salina Street. Owner Lou Santaro brought the business to the ground floor of the Regency Towers on James Street in 2017 following the closure of Julie’s Place and the death of its owner, Karen White. Santaro renovated the space, introducing a more casual bar setting and redesigning the dining spaces to be brighter and more intimate.
We were greeted at our table by a plate of grated cheese, herbs, crushed red pepper and minced garlic. A hostess soon delivered a basket of warm garlic bread and swirled olive oil from a bottle. It was a nice accompaniment to our cocktails — The Royal Blue ($15), a fruit punch-flavored drink served up with vodka, blue curacao and fruit juices, and The Godfather ($10), made with vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime juice and club soda. Though we stuck to cocktails, Attilio’s offers a short, but impressive, list of Italian and domestic wines by the bottle and glass.
Fried calamari ($15) is an appetizer you can get anywhere, but Attilio’s exceeded expectations. Each piece was cooked just right to avoid being too chewy with just enough cornmeal dusting to add a crunch. Served with a side of marinara, it was an excellent starter to accompany conversation.
Contrasting was the soup. Entrees come with a choice of soup or salad, and we each opted for the menu standards: pasta fagioli and greens and beans. Both started with the same tomato and bean soup base, and went in different directions from there.
The greens were watery, as if they had just been blanched and added to the cup without fulling ringing out excess water. As a result, the soup was diluted and mostly flavorless. In pasta fagioli, we look for a slight mushiness in the ditalini pasta, signs that it absorbed the flavor of the broth. Instead, it was cooked to order and tasted like pasta cooking water. There was simply too much disconnection with the added ingredients.
Veal marsala ($29) featured a cutlet sautéed in a wine and mushroom sauce and served over linguine. The veal itself was flavorful and tender, having been pounded thin and cooked until it would split with just the slightest bit of pressure. Had it been served alone, it would have been fine. Unfortunately, the kitchen didn’t drain the pasta it was served over very well, which went a long way in weakening the intensity of the mushroom and marsala flavors. Once the veal was gone, we were left with a bowl of watery pasta and flavorless sauce.
Equally as disappointing was the meatball. It was baseball-sized but bland with no discernable meat or cheese flavor. We ate it a day or two later as leftovers, thinking it needed some time for flavors to meld and still found nothing.
Risotto is available in starter/side ($9) or meal ($16) sizes, compensated for the meatball. Rich and creamy, the rice was soft with a little bit of graininess to give it a homemade feel. The parmesan and herbs offered robust flavor and added a filling density.
Lemon mascarpone cake ($8), the evening’s featured dessert, brought together a layer of sweetened soft cheese between two tiers of soft, candied lemon-flavored cake. White chocolate shavings added some sugary sweetness but the bitter lemon and creamy cheese reminded me of desserts served in my own Italian-American family.
Service was exceptional. Our waitress was a regular, quiet presence. Drinks would appear and dishes would disappear without prompting, dishes were paced properly from the kitchen, and never once did we feel as if she was interrupting or getting in the way.
It was our first visit to Attilio’s, and the warm atmosphere was most evident to us through a mostly-full dining room during our entire stay, as well as the groups of walk-ins in the lobby and bar. Add together its hits during dinner with the friendly service and it’s evident how Attilio’s has endured for more than a decade.
The Details
The Restaurant: Attilio’s Restaurant & Bar, 770 James St, Syracuse, NY 13203; (315) 218-5085.
Takeout/Delivery? Takeout orders can be placed by calling the restaurant.
Reservations? Yes, and they are recommended by calling the restaurant.
Credit cards? Yes.
Noise level: Moderate, thanks to high ceilings.
Access to the disabled: Entry through the main entrance is at street level as are a number of tables. Restrooms have ample space.
Parking: Private parking lot at the building.
Special diets? Meat-free and dairy-free options are available. The menu advertises gluten-free dishes.
Children’s menu? No.
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
Cost: Most entrees range between $16 to 30, with steaks priced more than $40. Dinner for two with alcoholic beverages, starters, entrees, dessert, tax, 20% gratuity and 3% credit card surcharge was $221.24.
Jared Paventi is a restaurant critic for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. You can reach him at jaredpaventi@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Sign up for our free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
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