Finding this old menu made me go down a rabbit hole of missing Ricetta's Brick Oven Pizza.

The thing I remember about the original Ricetta's in South Portland was their buffet lunch. Co-workers and I would head there for such a filling lunch! I'm pretty sure it was all-you-can-eat, and super cheap.

Then they opened in South Portland in 1989, according to the Portland Press Herald. Then came Falmouth in 2000, and they were even in Kennebunk for a brief moment in 2008. The menu I found was from the last remaining Ricetta's in Falmouth, Maine.

What I loved about Ricetta's is what a great value it was! When Ricetta's was only one location in Falmouth, they were rocking! They even had their own sauce at grocery stores in the area. But it was the buffets that set Ricetta's apart. Is there a pizza buffet anywhere in Maine?

All you can eat for 11 bucks? Unheard of! You can't even get a cocktail for $11 in most places. And this buffet was impressive, with pizza, pasta, salads, soup, and dessert! Please tell me that you took advantage of this! I lived on that buffet for a while! My favorite part is that the Caesar salad they offered came with croutons and anchovies! There was big bowl of them, and lucky me, I always had my fill!

On top of great prices, kids ate free too?

You got two kids per adult free if you bought a meal for at least $8.49 on Sunday and Monday for a few hours those two days. That was a huge help. The staff worked so hard on those days. It was a mad house! I remember on several occasions saying,

Thank you! This is a zoo and you are doing a great job!

There are lots of great choices for pizza these days, including Portland Pie, which is now where Ricetta's once was. But I'll always miss Ricetta's.