Photo by Renee Hansen
Photo by Renee Hansen
Photo by Renee HansenColleyville restaurant serves up romance
Morris Gambino moved from Calabria, Italy, to the United States in the late 1960s. The Italian bought his first restaurant, Mario's Restaurant, in Dallas 20 years later. After that, Gambino decided to settle in Colleyville, where he purchased and took over Ruggeri's Italian Ristorante in 2004.
His daughter, Julie Gonzalez, joined the team and divides her time as the general manager and as a waitress, serving customers a range of dishes crafted in a way its owners call Italian seafood. Gambino and Gonzalez did not want to deviate from the original owners' design of the restaurant, including the menu.
"We did not change anything, we kept everything the same," Gonzalez said.
Dimmed lighting reflects off glass goblets that decorate each table, providing the atmosphere. Each week, Gonzalez buys six dozen red roses for the women who walk through the restaurant's doors on Friday and Saturday, and the roses are often delivered by Gambino himself. When Frank Sinatra isn't playing faintly over the speakers, diners can listen to live piano music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is no children's menu, but Gonzalez said children are not discouraged from dining.
