Fresh Pasta and Big Calzones at Perrett's | Italian

A plate that brings together lasagna, chicken Alfredo and bread is a pleasant way to understand the menu at Perrett's | Italian in Riverton. The Taste of Perrett's | Italian is a generous Italian combination plate, delivering two familiar comfort dishes without making a diner choose between them.

This is a restaurant built for a proper sit-down meal, but it also has the ease of a useful stop when the day calls for lunch instead of a long production. Homemade pasta, substantial calzones, warm garlic bread and an unfussy local atmosphere give the place plenty of range.

The restaurant's namesake combination is worth ordering when the table has indecisive appetites. A portion of lasagna sits alongside chicken Alfredo, with bread included, so the plate moves between baked, layered pasta and the creamy comfort of Alfredo.

It is also a sensible introduction to the kitchen's fresh Italian cooking. The dish arrives hot, and its appeal is straightforward: familiar food, made with care, in portions that make a full dinner without needing a complicated order.

Lasagna remains one of the recurring favorites on its own, especially for diners who want to stay with that classic baked-pasta route. Chicken Alfredo has its own following as well, making the combination plate less of a novelty than a compact tour through two dependable house specialties.

Perrett's | Italian puts homemade pasta at the center of the menu rather than treating it as an afterthought. That gives even familiar dishes a more personal, restaurant-made quality, particularly when they come to the table freshly prepared and piping hot.

Shrimp scampi offers a change of pace from the richer baked and cream-sauce dishes. It is served with a distinctive house sauce, a small detail that keeps the order from reading like a generic scampi plate.

A fresh side salad can lighten the meal a little, though nobody needs to pretend that is the main event. Garlic bread is a recurring companion to the pasta dishes and well worth having on the table for catching the last bit of sauce.

The specialty calzones are a signature here, and they have the sturdy, homemade character that makes a calzone more than folded pizza dough. They are substantial enough to stand in as a full lunch, particularly handy for someone coming through Riverton and looking for something more satisfying than a quick snack.

Subs share that practical lunch-stop role. The menu can accommodate a casual, faster meal without losing the restaurant's Italian focus, while the pasta and combination plates make it easy to settle in for dinner with friends or family.

That flexibility matters for mixed groups. One person can go for a hearty calzone, another can choose pasta, and nobody has to negotiate the meal around a narrowly focused menu.

Inside, the seating is comfortable and the room has a generally conversational restaurant energy. Glass garage doors and visible decor elements give the interior a more distinctive appearance than a standard red-sauce dining room.

The garage doors are an especially memorable touch, though the room can get loud during busier visits. It is a lively detail rather than a hushed special-occasion setting, especially if the dining room is full.

For a little fresh air, there is also a small patio with a cheerful, quaint feel. It is a nice alternative for outdoor dining, although its limited size means it is not a sprawling patio setup.

Perrett's | Italian has the useful versatility of a local restaurant that can handle several kinds of occasions: a family meal, dinner with friends, or a stop made on the way through town. The food is approachable, but the menu offers enough individual choices to keep repeat visits from becoming routine.

Service is commonly friendly and attentive, with staff ready to answer questions about the menu. That is particularly welcome when deciding between a pasta specialty, a calzone and the restaurant's combination plate.

Indoor dining and the small patio give diners two seating options. Parking includes a free lot, and free street parking has also been available nearby.