LET'S EAT: That Italian Place constantly evolving

One Ahwatukee Foothills restaurant located at 3941 E. Chandler Blvd. has seen a lot of change in the past few months.

Formerly known as Mary Ann and Richie's, the restaurant changed hands, changed names, and changed its look.

Following her dream to have her own restaurant, Mary Ann Laser changed career paths, went to culinary school in her early 40s and opened Mary Ann and Richie's. The recipes go back more than 50 years, passed on from generation to generation of her family.

"When you walk into this door it's like walking into your mother's house. The smells, the personalities, people that greet you, it's really about being home," manager Jamie Santoro said.

About six months ago, Laser expressed her desire to just be in the kitchen rather than running the business. Enter Larry Hughes, who assumed ownership and transformed Mary Ann and Richie's into That Italian Place.

With the new name came new decor, a tweaked menu and an upgraded wine list. That Italian Place also recently rolled out a lunch menu and have begun a variety of promotions.

"With more people not being able to travel, we thought we'll try to give people something to do," Hughes said. "If you can't go to Italy I guess you can always come here."

On Wednesday nights the restaurant features half-price wine night, in which all of its nearly 85 bottles of wine are half price. They also have an acoustic guitar group called Ambiance, which can play anything from Top 40 songs to classical and Italian.

Hughes said the live entertainment provides a light, calm atmosphere, and they're not too loud so customers won't have trouble carrying on a dinner conversation.

That Italian Place is also planning to have wine tastings twice a month this summer. Four varieties of wine will be paired with different foods, and wine vendors will be there to explain things and answer any questions. Cost is $35 to attend.

The food at That Italian Place is made from scratch daily. The restaurant's specialty items include classic Italian dishes like lasagna and spaghetti with meatballs, as well as New York dishes like braciola. Some customers have commented they haven't seen braciola on a menu since they left New York.

"We just like to have a good time," Hughes said. "We constantly remind our servers, people have a basic expectation for good food. So it's all about good service," Hughes added.

For more information, call (480) 759-4459 or visit www.thatitalianplace.com.

Contact writer: (480) 898-7911 or ebehrendt@ahwatukee.com