Ricci Di Mare brings authentic Italian dishes to Worman’s Mill

Fredy Argueta has been involved in a number of restaurants around Maryland, and this spring he brought his latest to Frederick, with the opening of Ricci Di Mare in the Worman’s Mill neighborhood. The restaurant, serving upscale Italian and seafood dishes, opened in May on Mill Pond Road. Dishes, including wood-fired steak and Neapolitan pizza, are made from scratch, with ingredients imported from Italy. Argueta has worked at or helped open restaurants in Baltimore and Annapolis and on the Eastern Shore, mostly working with his mentor, Gianatto DiBenedetto. But he’s also lived in Italy, where he worked with butchers and became certified in curing meats and making cheeses. He learned how to butcher and prepare meats including pork, beef and lamb, and how to prepare seafood. Seeing the satisfaction of his customers is the most rewarding part of his job, he said, when people tell him his dishes make them feel like they’re in Italy. “This is why I cook. I cook for my customers.”

— Ryan Marshall

Ricci Di Mare

1021 Mill Pond Road, Frederick 240-578-4273 ricciitalianrestaurant.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Price: Lunch entrees range from a $16 margherita pizza to a $20 crab cake sandwich, while an expansive menu of dinner entrees range from around $18 to $50.

Chef Fredy Argueta recommends: The tortellini Giancarlo. The stuffed pasta combines with spinach, chicken, smoked bacon, smoked mozzarella and a butter sage parmesan sauce.