Li'l Rizzo's Italian Restaurant

Each year, July 29th is recognized as National Lasagna Day. This wide flat pasta is possibly one of the oldest kinds of pasta around. It's typically used to create a layered dish with meat, sauce and lots of cheese. There's no better place to enjoy a delicious lasagna than at the best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks ! Keep reading to learn more about this tasty dish. The Origins of Lasagna No one really knows where exactly lasagna came from, but there are varying theories. One theory states that the history of lasagna can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece. The Greek word, laganon , used to describe flat dough sliced into strips, is believed to be the origin of the word lasagna. While the Greeks didn't create the hearty pasta dish we know as lasagna today, they at least inspired one of the oldest pastas in the world. The modern day layered lasagna dish wasn't created until the Middle Ages in Naples, Italy. The dish was savored on special ...

While it is estimated that there are approximately 350 different types of pasta around the world, there are almost 4 times that many names for them! From long, skinny noodles to tubes or spirals, you could eat a different type of pasta almost every day for a year if you wanted. At Li'l Rizzo's , we're happy to provide you with not only a variety of pastas to choose from, but homemade, fresh sauces to accompany them. Keep reading to learn more about some of the different types of pasta we have here at the best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks . Why All the Different Shapes?  Different shapes of pasta are used by chefs for various purposes because certain shapes hold different sauces better than others. Thin pasta works well with oil-based sauces, while thicker sauces work better with thicker, heavier pasta shapes. Flat pasta pairs well will cream sauces and tomato-based sauces seem to cling better to round pasta. What type of pasta you get will depend a lot ...

An appetizer is a small dish of food or a drink taken before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one's appetite. Who decided we needed food before more food? Keep reading to learn about the origins of appetizers! Then take a look at what delicious pre-meal snacks we have to offer here at Li'l Rizzo's . Appetizer History Virtually all cultures have indulged in pre-meal morsels designed to whet the appetite. The ancient Greeks and Romans sampled bits of fish, seasoned vegetables, cheese and olives prior to their meals. Italians often ate thin rolls of grilled veal to stimulate the appetite for the meal to come. Wealthy Frenchmen picked at hors d’oeuvres throughout fancy meals from the late 17th through the mid-19th centuries. These snacks ranged from oysters and stuffed eggs to slices of beef tongue or braised quails. Americans began emulating that french dining model, by placing these bites of food on the table to be served throughout the meal as a pala...

Pasta Eating Etiquette  Have you been eating your pasta wrong all these years? Today's blog from your favorite Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks discusses pasta eating etiquette. While your fellow lake residents and visitors may not care how you eat your pasta, things might be different when you visit other places. Give these pasta eating tips a try next time you dine-in at Li'l Rizzo's  and start preparing your eating habits for that trip to Italy you've been dreaming of. Not only will this pasta eating etiquette make it easier to enjoy your meal, it can improve the taste as well! Fork or Spoon? At most restaurants, you are provided with both a fork and a spoon when you first sit down. Which do you use for pasta though? Some people believe the answer to be both when it comes to eating spaghetti or some other long strands of pasta. You use your spoon to help twirl the pasta onto the fork, right? Wrong. An Italian would never use a spoon when eat...

Everyone loves a home-cooked meal, but not everyone likes preparing it or cleaning up after it. Dining out has its benefits, and Lake of the Ozarks' best Italian restaurant wants to share with you some reasons to come dine out with us! 1. There's No Messy Clean Up.  While some people may enjoy cooking, does anyone actually like doing dishes? The worst part about preparing a home-cooked meal is the cleanup afterwards. Not only do you have the dishes you ate off of, but you have the pots and pans and utensils that you used to cook everything. After you've slaved away creating a great meal for your family to enjoy, the last thing you want to do is spend more time in the kitchen cleaning up that mess. When you come to our Lake of the Ozarks restaurant , we take care of the dishes and the mess for you. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy your meal! 2. You Can Please the Picky Eaters.  Do your children seem to always complain about what's for dinner? Do you ...

June 21st is the first official day of summer! Along with the summer season comes hot, humid weather. What better way to celebrate the start of summer than head over to your favorite bar at the Lake of the Ozarks for an ice cold beverage? From beer to refreshing cocktails, we've got something to help you cool off after a long day in the summer sun! Refreshing Drinks at Li'l Rizzo's Satisfy your thirst this summer with something from our bar! Try cooling off with one of these refreshing drink choices at Li'l Rizzo's: Ice Cold Beer  You can never go wrong with an ice cold beer! At Li'l Rizzo's, we've got a wide variety of beers on tap and by the bottle. Grab one of the popular favorites, such as Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, Blue Moon, etc. Or try one of our seasonal selections. You're sure to find a beer to quench your thirst when you step up to the bar at Li'l Rizzo's. Refreshing Cocktails  If you're looking fo...

Father's Day has arrived, and Li'l Rizzo's wants to help you celebrate Dad this weekend! Tell him how much you appreciate him with some of these thoughtful Father's Day quotes. Then show him your appreciation by bringing him out for a delicious meal at the best Italian restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks . Father's Day Quotes  "When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry." "A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow."  "Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers and singers of songs."  "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad."  "Dad: A son's first hero. A daughters first love."  "I have a hero, I call him dad."  "A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way."...