RUFFINO’S ON THE RIVER
921 Camellia Blvd.
Lafayette
337.706.7333
ruffinoslafayette.com
On the banks of the Vermilion River in Lafayette, you’ll find Ruffino’s on the River blending Italian and Creole culinary traditions. Passion is said to be the focal point of everything at Ruffino’s, including its own private reserve wine “Passion” from St. Helena in Napa Valley.
The restaurant of ers monthly cooking classes with Chef Peter Sclafani and his brother Gino, occasionally on the patio overlooking the river. Peter says this is just one more way to dive deeper and experience the passion of Ruffino’s.
A New Orleans-born Italian American, Peter works his magic with a focused use of local and seasonal ingredients, filling the menu with delights like the savory Crabmeat Cheesecake and Cedar Plank Redfish, topped with Creole tomatoes and then cooked in a wood-burning brick oven. In his opinion, these two dishes are the greatest representations of what Ruffino’s does in combining Creole and Italian food.
“Across Louisiana, but especially in Lafayette, the people just have a love for life that makes every day feel like a celebration,” says Peter. “Going out to eat is the entertainment, and that’s what makes it a little different [at that location].”
