Caffe Azzurri in Hartsdale -- Sure To Be a New Favorite


Café Meze, a perennial Hartsdale favorite on Central Park Avenue closed its doors in the spring of 2007, followed by Piave which met a similar fate. Now some newcomers have reinvented the site, with Caffe Azzurri, an elegant yet well-priced venue that will appeal to their neighbors in Hartsdale and draw diners from throughout the area.

To accommodate those who wish to meet and mingle the new owners have opened up the bar area and installed comfortable seating. Inviting couches and plushly upholstered chairs should bring in the crowd for drinks and appetizers. On Wednesday nights, drinks are half price for ladies and on Thursdays and Fridays half price appetizers are available at the bar.

The dining area has also been spruced up and beautiful wood work, a banquette that circles the room and soft light, give the restaurant an elegant ambience. 
 
The menu is Italian featuring homemade pastas, risotto, fish, veal, chicken and beef.  We went for lunch and were pleased to find an extensive three-course meal offered for just $21.95. Before we could look at the menu the waiter brought out a selection of warm breads with a tray of three purees…basil pesto, chickpea and roasted pepper. 
 
There are so many options, including a soup of the day, crab cakes, fried calamari tuna tartare, buffalo mozzarella and an array of salads including Caesar, arugula endive and apples, plus another with spinach and pear and blue cheese. I chose the lobster bisque and it was flavorful and definitely made from a fresh fish broth. Fellow site contributor, Betsy Cadel, opted for the beet, goat cheese and haricot vert salad followed by a tuna tartare, with seaweed salad, and avocado. The two “starters” were more than satisfying, and made a terrific light lunch.

For pastas, there are too many to list, but among the most popular are the pappardelle with veal, beef, pork ragu and ricotta and the squid linguine with calamari, clams, mussels and tomatoes. The rigatoni with vodka, brandy, prosciutto, plum tomatoes, scallions and cream sounded good to me, and the dish that arrived was rich, tasty and spiked with a splash of liquor. There was enough served to take home for dinner as well.

Another popular item on the menu is the whole fish of the day -- Branzino on the day we visited. For entrees there was a good selection of fish including jumbo shrimp, Ahi tuna, seabass, sea scallops and an Italian seafood stew.  And the Turf section listed chicken, several cuts of steak, pork chops, rack of lamb, veal chops and chicken or veal Francese, marsala, Milanese,paillard, parmigiana or piccata.

Though we had no room for dessert, the special was poached pears in red wine with a sweet glace and it was tempting indeed.
 
Clearly there is something for diners of all palettes and too much to sample in a single visit. However, we can attest that everything we tried was appealing, fresh and delicious.

Eat local and check out Caffe Azzurri. We bet you’ll like it.

Caffe Azzurri

20 North Central Park Avenue
Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530

914-358-5248
www.caffeazzurri.com
Open for dinner 7 days a week and lunch Wednesday – Sunday

Price per person – dinner $31-$51

$25 Prix Fixe Menu Available Wednesday – Sunday