Hip Enough to Eat

If you're craving wood-fired pizza, meatballs and roasted vegetables but don't have the patience to wait for a table at Poppeltina or Burrata, here's your best bet. La Fortina of Armonk has opened a second large new venue in the Rye Ridge Shopping Center – and the good news is they take reservations.

The vibe is the same as their place up north – young, hip and a bit loud. The millennial staff is eager to please and greets you with plenty of smiles, advice about the menu and a high-tech ordering system that should guarantee quick service.

Similar to the Armonk venue the restaurant has a long bar, open ceilings and rustic furnishings that feel more like Williamsburg that suburban Rye. I was happy to find a place that felt far away but was only a short drive from Scarsdale.

So what is there to drink and eat? They offer an impressive selection of beers on draft and by the bottle from Germany, Australia, California, Colorado, Maine and more. Mixed drinks include cocktails, and even mocktails for anyone wishing to avoid alcohol. The wine list is extensive with whites, reds, Spumantis and rose from Italy, France and beyond offered by the bottle and the glass. It's worth taking a little time to study the list on the back of the oversized menu before making your selection.

Though at first glance you may think this is just another pizza parlor, you'll be surprised to find an extensive menu with salumie e formaggi, anti-pasti, wood-fired vegetable, pasta made on the premises and entrees including chicken, fish, pork and beef.

We started with an arugula salad with lemon, sweet candied pistachios and shave parmesan and the wood-fired baby carrots with walnut cream and pecorino. All the dishes were large enough for our party of three to share. Our waitress recommended the Luigi Bianco pizza and it could not have been better. The hot, crispy crust was smothered in burrata, robiolona and parmesan cheese and drizzled with black truffles. A rich, earthy delight.

Pasta selection include fresh ravioli, pastasciutto with tomato, basil and parm, baked ziti, fusilli with tomato, onion, smoked bacon, chili and pecorino. We ordered the wood-fired paccheri, which are large tube-shaped noodles with vodka-béchamel sauce, baby veal meatballs and parmesan. That dish went quickly!

Since there was a problem with our service– (perhaps the waitress did not hit "enter" on her iPad after she input our order?), we were unexpectedly served a full array of complimentary desserts – all good. If you have room, go for the brown butter bread pudding with maple marscapone. It's a sweet treat that reminded me of Christmas. Also delicious was their homemade soft-serve gelato and the tiramisu.

Prices are reasonable, tables are plentiful and the mood is seriously casual.
It's no wonder why La Fortina is rapidly expanding; they have plans to open in Brooklyn soon!

La Fortina
136 South Ridge Street
Rye Brook, NY
914-937-0900
http://fortinapizza.com/rye-brook/
Monday – Friday 12 pm – all night long
Saturday Dinner starts at 5 pm
Sunday Brunch 12 – 5 pm
Dinner starts at 5 pm