Local restaurant chain Rico’s Pizzeria & Pasta House recently opened its seventh restaurant, and its first in west Bradenton. Brothers Sal, Gregory and Maurice Dentici own the restaurant at 5408 26th St. W., in the Saddle Creek Plaza. The Dentici brothers grew up in their father’s restaurant business in New Jersey and New York. They thought they would go into the trades, but started working together and building their own restaurant business in Florida in 1996.

The family is originally from Sicily. Naturally, the emphasis is on a southern Italian style of cooking. “We do hand-tossed, thin-crust pizza,” Sal said this week. “I cook every day, and prepare our orders fresh from start to finish.”  In addition to a variety of 12- and 18-inch pizzas, Rico’s offers stromboli, calzone, hot subs, cold subs, soups and salads, appetizers, pasta dishes and baked dishes.