Ricciardi's reinvents itself with new sports bar

By Ethan Smith - Leader Staff

One of the valley's best known restaurants is reinventing itself, but don't worry, you can still get great food there.

You can also watch the mother of all flat-screen, high-definition TVs downstairs at Ricciardi's Italian Seafood House, after the Ricciardis converted about 3,000 square feet into the valley's newest sports bar, which opened last week.

The sports bar isn't intended to replace the restaurant, but complements it, owner Chris Ricciardi explained. It gives customers a smoke-free, upscale environment that the Ricciardis feel is a step above your average watering hole, and they made the investment to position it that way.

"That's a huge draw — the non-smoking thing. It's coming down the pike anyway," Ricciardi said, referring to the 2009 state law that will eventually force all bars to be smoke free. "I'd rather have a clean bar, a clean restaurant, and a clean area to eat in."

And Ricciardi sunk some bucks into it, too. The sports bar — accessible via the parking lot behind the restaurant — features a 9-foot-wide, 6-foot-high, high-definition TV, an 8,000 watt stereo system, and pool and shuffleboard tables, too.

The TV came from Bluestone Productions out of Kalispell, the same company that put together the IMAX theater in Spokane, Ricciardi said. Bluestone even integrated it with the bar's lights. When the TV goes on, the lights dim to enhance the viewing experience, he noted.

Perhaps most unique is the bar top itself, which features shattered safety glass packaged under a glass countertop. On the ceiling, fiber optic-type lights shine down. While the bar has a more upscale feel than the standard Montana watering hole, it's definitely a sports bar, with a half dozen other TVs, and its own pizza kitchen located behind the bar.

The only bad news for patrons is that they'll have to eat upstairs if they want the full Ricciardi's menu, but the sports bar will eventually feature roasted chicken, ribs, hot dogs, and a chicken picnic to go, plus some "sliders" — those mini burgers a la the White Castle restaurant chain.

The Ricciardis started thinking about it in 2005, when they remodeled the original restaurant upstairs, and Chris got to thinking about the untapped potential downstairs, which up until 2005, was his living area.

"We started thinking about it, and I moved out and we decided to gut it," he said. "My [business] partners and I talked about it and we said 'There's no reason why we can't use this space.'"

Long-time fans of the restaurant, located about six miles down Highway 35, shouldn't have cause for alarm. The sports bar has its own staff, and although a stairway connects the two areas, the sports bar has a separate entrance, parking lot, and feel to it. Upstairs, folks will still find the same family-friendly restaurant, while downstairs, the Ricciardis have invested in what they hope to maintain as an upscale, but relaxed, pub atmosphere.

The expansion will also allow Ricciardi to get back into more catering business, he said, along with his favorite hobby — ice sculpting — now that the family has more refrigeration and food prep space downstairs. Carryout pizza is available downstairs now, too.

But quality seafood and Italian meals are still the family's main bread and butter. Ricciardi estimates that the sports bar will only account for about 25 percent of the business.

Ricciardi acknowledged that drawing a sports bar crowd out to Highway 35 could otherwise be a tough sell, but he envisions that many customers will come from the east shore, Finley Point, and closer places. Additionally, he wants to work out a special rate for Polson's taxi service and market that to customers — a guaranteed safe ride home at a reasonable rate for those who venture out from the city limits.

The sports bar opens at 5 p.m. daily, and, like the restaurant, will have expanded hours once the weather gets warmer. For now, the family is working out the kinks, just in time for a big New Year's Eve bash last Monday night.

"We're just happy with the fact that we can offer this as another alternative to those smoky bars. We want this to be an upscale place where people can enjoy themselves, that is another part of our restaurant business," Ricciardi said.