Passion, possibilities,
persistence meet pasta,
pizza, prosciutto

THE Riga Tony's Italian restaurant, opening soon below the former Players space at 1192 Alakea St., is the culmination of more than a decade of dreaming and practicing and schooling and planning for 35-year-old Tony McBride. He registered the restaurant name on his birthday earlier this year.

McBride's background is in the health-care industry but being the chef-owner of a restaurant "has been my dream for about 15 years," he said.

No business would ever be established without a leap of faith.

McBride has also served in the Army and has a master's degree in business. His friend, Lisa Choi, has let him practice and assess his own equipment needs in her kitchen at Cafe Olive in Wahiawa.

He has no official training as a culinarian or restaurant operator, but is "smart enough to know" he needs a right-hand person who does. He's got one on the payroll along with most of the rest of the staff, hired for a summer opening that was delayed by the building's need for a new grease trap, now installed.

The opening has been moved to the first week of November.

The Honolulu restaurant bears no connection to Riga Tony's in the dining commons at Penn State University, Riga-Tony's "Cool Bar" in Chicago, Riga'tony's in New Hampshire or either of two RigaTony's in Arizona.

McBride had no idea there were similarly named eateries. He was tossing about a couple other names when a friend, poking fun at him, suggested Riga Tony's as a play on his name and the pasta known as rigatoni.

"That's it!" he said.

McBride found only two other Italian restaurants in the area -- Che Pasta Cafe and Catania Ristorante Italiano -- both on Bishop Street.

The restaurant's tentative hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday. Saturday service will be dinner-only and Sundays he will rest.

Yeah right.

Riga Tony's menu will be Italian-American and its signature dish might be the baked rigatoni with meatballs, "but my manicotti's really good too," made with homemade crepes that "melt in your mouth," McBride said.

There is likely to be a market for pizzas, calzones and other dishes among the bar patrons at Detox upstairs, for which Riga Tony's will also serve food.

As for the standard warnings about the large number of restaurants that close in the first year of operation, McBride has heard it a few times. Only a few times.

"I surround myself with people who support each other," he said. "People say 'you're living your dream, I'm so happy for you and I wish you the best.'"

Some new and new-ish restaurants are so well-loved that lines of patrons form outside the door, waiting for service.

"I'm praying for lines, but I'll come and talk to you," during the wait, he said.