Iona Leaderboard, up Jan 8. 2025
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Karen Talbot, Dining Out: Scalini Osteria Offers Fine Authentic Italian Cuisine

Karen Talbot, Dining Out: Scalini Osteria Offers Fine Authentic Italian Cuisine

Jul. 16, 2014:  On a beautiful summer evening, my husband and I ate in the charming courtyard of Scalini Osteria--a remarkably authentic Italian experience tucked right around the corner off Pondfield Road on Garden Avenue. The courtyard has a brick floor, vine-covered stone walls, and orange umbrellas, and it oozes with ambience with tiny white lights adorning the trunks of birch trees. There is a smaller outside eating space in the front of the restaurant as well as indoor dining.

After we sat down, we enjoyed warm Italian bread garnished with a saucer of red beans in olive oil with garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. We chose as appetizers lamb polpette with spicy pomodoro, Montepulciano and Vento d'estate formaggio, and grilled octopus with olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion, and olive tapenade (quite an interesting combination of flavors). Both were delicious.

Angelo Di Rosa, who is the owner, came over to our table after the 1st course to inquire how we liked everything. When I asked who the chef was, Angelo explained that he was in charge of every detail in running the restaurant, including deciding on the menu and buying all of the food and all of the wine that is served. The wine that we ordered by the glass was very good.

We then ordered appetizer portions of pasta--we chose fettuccine con lobster puttanesca with olives, capers, red chile, and pomodoro. I love lobster, and this dish contained nice-sized pieces and a lot of it. My husband had saffron-infused pappardelle with braised lamb shank ragu, fontina, and mint oil. These were both outstanding and much more affordable than some of the entrees--one of the specials that night was soft-shell crabs, but at $36 we decided to pass.

The service was a bit slow and supposedly it was a slower night than usual, and the waiter was a bit abrupt. We were considering splitting a secondi main course, but he frankly did not give us a chance. We passed on dessert, of which there were seven choices, such as strawberry panna cotta and tiramisu.

This is a first-class restaurant in many respects, but somehow we came away wishing that we had felt more welcome!

Pictured here:  Courtyard of Scalini Osteria.

Photo by Karen Talbot

Restaurant & Food Guide

American
Asian
Bistros
Delicatessen & Bagels
Greek
Italian
Indian
Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches
Wine & Cheese

Restaurant Reviews: Thirty Most Recent

Quick Links

Home | Calendar | Galleries | Obituaries | Advertise With Us | Contact Us

Terms of Use | Posting Rules

Newsletter

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

MyhometownBroxnville reserves the right to monitor and remove all comments. For more information on Posting Rules, please review our Rules and Terms of Use, both of which govern the use and access of this site. Thank you.

The information presented here is for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to present accurate information, myhometownBronxville, LLC, does not in any way accept responsibility for the accuracy of or consequences from the use of this information herein. We urge all users to independently confirm any information provided herein and consult with an appropriate professional concerning any material issue of fact or law. The views and opinions expressed by the writers, event organizers and advertisers do not necessarily represent those of myhometownBronxville, LLC, its officers, staff or contributors. The use of this website is governed by the Terms of Use . No portion of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed, either in whole or part, without the express written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © 2009 myhometownbronxville.com, All rights reserved.