Cicero Says Rigoletto Has Great Potential But Needs Better Service

This week, just one new review from the city's restaurant critics: The Seattle Times's Providence Cicero on South Lake Union's Osteria Rigoletto in the century-old Supply Laundry Building (420 Pontius Ave. N). At owner Enrico Ambrosetti's (Il Fornaio) latest Italian eatery, Cicero found dinner portions to be significant and mostly solid in flavor and technique, despite a few oversights. It was the service she found to be more lacking, though an earnest spirit is there:

"Most pastas are ample for two. On the lounge menu, available from 3 p.m. to close, you’ll find some of them scaled down in portion and price. Try the excellent cannelloni stuffed with a nutmeg-spiced mixture of roast chicken, mortadella, spinach and ricotta ... Rigoletto has enormous potential, but unless Ambrosetti can clone himself it needs a larger, more professional staff ... Yet it’s hard to leave disgruntled when they make amends so winningly. At lunch I wanted to take home the little bit of linguine al pesto left on my plate. The waiter returned with a large box, heavy and warm. 'I accidentally threw out your linguine,' he confessed, 'So we made you a fresh order to go.'” 2 stars. [ST]