Sit down to enjoy a meal in the diner-like front room space at Rinaldi's (there's also a second "back room" dining area), and you'll experience that establishment's connection to the community. A cross section of Longmeadow residents move in and out of the restaurant, exchanging greetings with to the staff behind the counter.  Others arrive to pick up orders to go, sometimes evening bringing in their own baking dish to be loaded with the restaurant's signature eggplant parmesan. Rinaldi's Italian Specialties is part eatery, part community resource.

Rinaldi's popularity is, of course, partly a function of the restaurant's focus on the Italian-American culinary idiom. Listings include the likes of Chicken Cacciatore ($16.95), Veal Marsala ($18.95), Shrimp Parmesan ($21.95), and Steak "Rita" Pizziola ($22.95). The kitchen prepares the obligatory array of baked specialties - Manicotti ($12.95), Baked Ravioli ($12.95), Meat Lasagna ($13.95), and Eggplant Rollentini ($16.95), to name a few.