It's not checkered table clothes. It's off-white with muted pink and gray pastels. The hand-woven cane-back chairs are a nice touch.

Appetizers are not what I expected. Three different plates with three different sauces: meat, cream and marinara. The Sausage and Peppers ($6) were much better than I expected. Baked Artichoke Hearts with Broccoli ($5.50) were prepared perfectly. I was afraid they would be spongy, but they weren't. Clams Marinera ($10.00) were a special surprise and a lot of fun.

Now, I love Veal Parmigiana ($15.00), but this was so good I had to fight with my friends to get my share. We also had Veal & Scampi ($19.00) and Veal & Peppers ($15.00). Each was completely different from the other and both were delightful.

The Chicken Veneziana ($13.00) comes sauted with peas, cream sauce and mushrooms, topped with melted provolone and prosciutto. Can you imagine, just from reading this, how good it tastes?

Somewhere in the middle of all of this we found room for a dish of breaded, deep fried Shrimp Giuseppe ($15.00), not too dry, not too greasy.

If anything was disappointing it was the Gnocchi ($9.50), not just because my dinner companions insisted on obvious and questionable jokes, but also because it was a little chewy and bland. Oh, well. Wasn't it DaVinci who said true perfection must be flawed? The Gnocchi proved the point.

Our Selected Desserts ($4.25 each) included Chocolate Blackout Cake and Snicker Bar Cheesecake.

A cup of black coffee and a snifter of Grand Mariner topped off a just about perfect evening.

Finding Rillo's is worth the time. But just where is Rillo's? Most people think it's in Claremont. I sure did. There are several fine dining establishments along Foothill from Indian Hill west. But technically Rillo's is not one of those. LaVerne would love to claim it, but it's not far enough west. Believe it or not, Rillo's is in a short stretch of Foothill Boulevard that is in the corporate limits of Pomona. If Rillo's was a Claremont restaurant it would be a great one. For Pomona, Rillo's is outstanding.

Rillo's is at 510 East Foothill Blvd. in Pomona. Call for reservations.