Russillo's Pizza & Gelato

QUICK TAKE: A neat place, but going down hill from when they first opened.

I decided it was too hot to do any cooking for lunch the other day so I stopped into Russillo's for some lunch time pasta while supporting an independent, locally-owned restaurant. Sounds like a win-win situation...or so I thought. It would have been nice to sit outside, but it was really too hot for that so I found a table inside, waited for the waitress to bring me a menu, and promptly ordered the penne with their maranara sauce with fresh basil and bell pepper.
My order was ready in a relatively short amount of time, but it felt like much much longer because it was so hot in the dining area it was ridiculous. I probably should have just left, but I was pretty hungry and thought I'd tough it out. Having to "tough it out" while you wait for your food is probably not the best way to pull in customers, but hey, that's just my opinion. The fly that would not stop dive-bombing my hand didn't really help matters either.
When my food came, I was rather disappointed. The pasta was just a tad overcooked and the marinara was thick and hearty, but left a dull bland taste in my mouth and sat heavy in my stomach.
I really wish Russillo's the continued success they have had in the past and I know they have been packing the seats on the weekends with a place where you can sit down to a meal and maybe listen to some live music, but I am afraid that in the rush to expand, not only the menu but to other locations, they have lost site of what made them worth visiting. Great food, service and atmosphere is what brought me to Russillo's in the beginning.
Bigger is not always better.

Russillo's Pizza & Gelato
Track 29
Yakima, WA
(509)469-0516