By Stephen Edmonds
Florence is a small, but busy college town with many choice places to eat that I believe do not get the recognition they deserve, so I wanted to take a minute of my time to write about my experience with one of our favorite restaurants. This past week, Florence experienced a rare amount of snowfall keeping my wife and I cooped up for a few days on end, so when we were finally able to emerge from our hole and stretch our legs the first thing we wanted to do was enjoy a meal at one of our favorite local downtown spots: Ricatoni’s. 
This is one of our favorite places to go for quite a few reasons. First and foremost, before the great food is even brought into consideration, their atmosphere is so pleasant and relaxed. Employees interact with each other in such a way that encourages guests to loosen up and enjoy their time in the establishment. The décor adds to the previously mentioned atmosphere in a very subliminal way, making anyone who steps in the door to dine more at ease and more susceptible to a good time. Even their menus seem to draw you further into the atmosphere. 
In my personal opinion, a business’s food is their strongest weapon for convincing customers to return, and in Ricatoni’s case this is doubly true. From a purely statistical standpoint, the portions are perfect and their food tastes like it should cost more than the affordable prices they have on their menu, and buying good food at affordable prices will make any restaurant goer feel like they are scoring a great deal. From a personal opinion standpoint, their entrees, appetizers, and desserts are appealing, fun, and they taste great. 
I feel like a blog post review of a restaurant needs to have at least some valid criticism, but after racking my brain and thinking about all my past experiences in this establishment (all the way back through high school!) I can’t find a single instance where I was anything less than satisfied. The track record of this restaurant speaks for itself; the food is great, the mood is great, and more than anything else, Ricatoni’s is a consistent dining experience that delivers time after time.
Sweet Home FloAla: Date Night
Since my boyfriend and I both go to school in Tuscaloosa, nights out at home can be few and far between. For that reason, date nights almost exclusively begin downtown. I’ve already expressed my love for Trowbridge’s as the perfect lunch spot. However, since the beloved soda fountain closes at 5:30, it always comes down to Ricatoni’s, City Hardware, and Rosie’s for dinner dates. I am classically indecisive, so narrowing down my options to these three choices sometimes makes things easier...but not always. Ricatoni’s, my all-time favorite restaurant and the location of our first date in 2013, wins me over easily with Fettucine Alfredo and Ravioli Ricatoni. However, City Hardware’s Crab Cake Sandwich and Rosie’s Pollo Loco are also mouth-watering options, and all are so equally tempting that we’ve had to “pick a number between one and three” many times. Thankfully, neither of us is ever disappointed in the winner of that game.
After dinner, Carson and I like to walk down Court Street, often seeking out live music (which is thankfully abundant in the Shoals) or simply enjoying the peacefulness of downtown before finishing out the night with dessert and a $5 movie from Target. Date nights downtown are one of our favorite traditions, and downtown Florence has so much to offer when it comes to delicious dining and local talent.Emily Strickland, Communications Intern
Florence Main Street Announces Nominated Charities for Florence Restaurant Week 2016
For the last four weeks Florence Main Street has been collecting on-line and mail-in nominations from the community for their favorite charity to be on the Restaurant Week ballot. After sorting over 750 nominations submitted between September 15-October 13, Florence Main Street finally has the top three most nominated charities and the two wild-card picks who will compete for the coveted $5,000 from our Presenting Sponsor, McDaniel Window & Door.Last year, Presenting Sponsor Mike McDaniel awarded the $5,000 check to winning charity Shoals Sav-A-Life, and this year he is looking forward to making another charity very happy.This year, we are thrilled to announce a second sponsor – Alabama Outdoors! During restaurant week be sure to go and visit Alabama Outdoors to see their fall inventory and cool specials. When you make a purchase show them your receipt from a participating downtown restaurant and they will donate 10 percent of your Alabama Outdoors purchase toward a check for the second place charity! In no particular order, the five charity finalists are: Room In The Inn, Salvation Army, Heart of Alabama Save Rescue Adopt, Meals on Wheels and Sidney’s Safe Foundation. All five charities will be competing for the communities’ vote during Florence Restaurant Week, October 21st - October 30th. Whether you buy a cup of coffee from Rivertown or have dinner at Odette, every purchase will come with a ballot for the opportunity to vote for the charity of your choice.Join Florence Main Street for our preview of Florence Restaurant Week during the Taste of Downtown event on Tuesday, Oct. 18th at Singin’ River Brewing Company! Get to know the nominated charities you will be voting for from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, while tasting samples of dishes prepared by all participating restaurants. Admission: $10 in advance and $15 at the door (while supplies last). Tickets can be purchased online at www.dineoutflorence.com and www.florencemainstreet.org or at the Florence Main Street Office ~ 301 N Pine Street.FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK IS OCTOBER 21st-30th. Please help us do good where it counts by voting for one of the five charities by dining at any of the participating downtown restaurants and shopping at Alabama Outdoors! Participating Restaurants: On the Rocks, Pie Factory, Woodpecker Café, Wildwood Tavern, Rivertown Coffee, FloBama, 306 BBQ, Odette, Legends, Ricatoni's Italian Grill, City Hardware, Singin River Brewing Co., and Rosie's Mexican Cantina.Florence Main Street is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to working with business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence, culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org.