CASA BRUSCO is a find. This classy new Eastchester restaurant provides warm service and accomplished Italian food, from antipasto to dessert.
The restaurant’s hands-on executive chef, Alberto Ricci, has designed an intelligently compact menu that echoes, in large part, the great dishes of the Emilia-Romagna region. They include internationally acclaimed staples of its provinces, Parma, Bologna and Modena among them, rich sources for Chef Ricci, whose dishes are mostly solid, carefully made classics. No shortcuts here.
The fine olives and warm, squashy roasted garlic brought to every table went well with Brusco’s small but choice antipasti selection. The presentation of the cold meats was stunning, reflecting skill with the kitchen’s high-end Berkel slicer, we were informed. The cuts were exceedingly fine, making almost transparent wafers of delicate, superior prosciutto di San Daniele, mortadella, salame and coppa. Mollescent taleggio and sweet Tuscan pecorino were also on hand.
Other ways of beginning a meal should not be discounted. Poised on a slice of serious Tuscan bread, whole, remarkably tender octopus picked up an appealing whiff of smoke from the grill and a bit of dash from a brisk sheer sauce of tomato and oregano. Carpaccio di manzo was all tradition and simplicity, as it should be: thin slices of filet mignon and shavings of parmigiano draped over a handful of arugula, the whole sprinkled with lemony dressing. Can’t improve on that.
It’s hard to find whole-wheat pasta that doesn’t taste like fodder, but Brusco found one and tossed the thin spaghetti strands with chopped roasted vegetables — zucchini, eggplant, sweet peppers, onions — and olive oil, topping the mound with melting mozzarella. Sprigs of rosemary, loads of forest mushrooms and a shot of truffle oil enriched the sauce for tiny gnocchi, capped by nutty Italian Fontina. A deep-flavored mahogany duck ragout on slippery pappardelle made another winning dish.
Most entrees, from the handful offered, continued to reach the standard set by the other courses. The acidity from a Barolo sauce balanced perfectly the sweetness of three riblets of lamb; skinny new asparagus and mashed potatoes garnished the dish. One quick and almost foolproof way to cook fowl is to press it under a brick. Here the bricked, bronzed Cornish hen arrived with all its inner succulence intact. A generous piece of oil-rich, soft king salmon, grilled medium-rare to our order, came flanked by sautéed spinach and a large dice of roasted potatoes.
The many successes of this kitchen call attention to a few missteps that might elsewhere have gone unnoticed. Ordered medium-rare, grilled sirloin was overdone; and while the broth for classic Romagnola seafood soup was terrific, its fresh seafood components seemed cooked out, having perhaps released all their flavors to the broth.
A wood-burning oven bakes the half-dozen splendid pizzas offered here. Fragile in appearance, these pizzas packed mighty flavor. In balance with their amazingly thin crusts, delicately sliced toppings, like prosciutto, tomato, salami or mushroom, skim the surface.
Luscious desserts are made in house. The tartuffo — creamy chocolate ice cream captured in a curl of vanilla — was light-years from the icy knob found in the supermarket freezer. Nor should diners ignore warmed apple torta, vanilla ice cream melting gently into fragrant apples and soft, rich cake.
Considering the splendid service, high-quality ingredients and integrity of preparation, dining here is a delicious bargain.
Casa Brusco Ristorante
And Wine Bar
219 Main Street (at Jackson Avenue)
Eastchester
(914) 346-5170
VERY GOOD
THE SPACE Flowers and, in the evening, soft candlelight grace tables in large, stylish and handsome dining areas with tall windows and a roomy bar on a corner of a tree-lined street. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD Mainly adults, but a few children there for early dinner. Excellent service; warm welcome. A singer entertains on Tuesdays from about 7:30 p.m.
THE BAR Full bar. Wine list of mostly Italian bottles represents almost all regions of Italy. Wine by the glass, $8 to $12.
THE BILL Special lunch, price-fixed at $12. Dinner: entrees, $19 to $28; pasta, $14 to $18, with some half-orders available for starters; pizzas, $13 to $16.
WHAT WE LIKE Antipasti salamis and cheeses, carpaccio of filet mignon, grilled octopus, whole-wheat pasta with roasted vegetables, gnocchi in coperta, pappardelle with duck ragout, lamb riblets with Barolo sauce, Cornish hen under brick, grilled king salmon, pizzas, tartuffo, apple torta.
IF YOU GO Lunch: every day, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner: Monday to Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 to midnight; Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Valet parking.
Reviewed on June 8, 2008
