Dining Review: Lanterna Tuscan Bistro

by The Wesfoodie

(September 14, 2006) Sometimes it seems like there are more Italian restaurants in Westchester than in Sicily. Even putting aside the ubiquitous pizza parlor, scores of red sauce and meatball joints are speckled across the county, mid-market pasta mills abound and then there are the old war horses of traditional Italian dishes. Choosing one from another often has more to do with a convenient location or portion size than more nuanced culinary considerations. The sheer volume of such restaurants makes it difficult to sort through the clutter and find one that is true to its source - a cuisine based on fresh often local ingredients cooked with care and an emphasis on native flavors and the inherent nature of the foods being prepared.

Lanterna Tuscan Bistro is one such find. The second home to Chef Rossano Giannini’s kitchen – the first is in Nyack – Lanterna recently opened on Larchmont Avenue just off the Post Road in the space that once housed the Larchmont Oyster House (another local effort to rise above the Burban restaurant din). Lanterna sets out to please with a menu that gently stretches beyond the usual Westchester Italian fare. This, however, is no Babbo, Mario Battalli’s foodie paradise in lower Manhattan famous for its most unusual cuts of meat and authentic Tuscan preparations. Chef Giannini stops short of challenging diners with yet unknown culinary delights of Tuscan cuisine (like Chef Battalli’s beloved beef cheeks). But what he does offer is well worth indulging in and clearly a cut above the ordinary.

The Tartelleta con Granchio e Asparagi (lump crabmeat and asparagus tart) is succulent, all richness and slightly briny crab meat in a dense and buttery dough with tender asparagus lending a layer of subtle vegetable flavor to an otherwise extravagantly luscious tasting treat.

The gnocchi are served in a rich sauce of tomatoes, herbs and ground wild boar meat. Each gnocchi is nicely firm to the bite and easily succumbs under tooth with a soft finish that coats the tongue with the warm potato pasta and a quick burst of spice from the sauce. The wild boar sauce is also served at dinner with pappardelle in a popular pairing of wide noodle and succulent meat.

Strong flavors abound in the entrees as well. The slices of rolled chicken breast with prosciutto and smoked mozzarella cheese – Pollo ala Valdiniovole – are moist spirals of smoke, gentle cheese and skinless chicken. The wide cuts of stuffed chicken are presented in a light but palate-enthralling cream sauce. The sauce captures and carries the pork and smoke from the cheese and ham. The effect is pure pleasure and indulgence.

Lanterna pays attention to detail. The toasted bread served upon arrival is accompanied by a mild herbed ricotta. The parmesan offered with each dish is aged and beautifully enhances the pastas.

In other ways Lanterna has the feel of an operation where nothing is left to chance, or perhaps an effort to duplicate success found elsewhere. The draped cloth on the beams and modern Italian language rock music playing on a recent visit seemed calculated to lend a contemporary Italian feel. Publicity materials touting the chef, his restaurants and cook book are prominently displayed. But the service is excellent, professional and attentive without being at all intrusive. The staff seems ever ready to take an extra step to please the diners. As does Chef Giannini.

Lanterna knows how to deliver Tuscan dishes that are current and offer a measured indulgence that edges taste just a bit higher. It is certain to please many diners seeking elevated Italian cuisine close to home.

The WesFoodie, named “ Westchester's No. 1 Foodie” by Westchester Magazine, lives in Larchmont and edits Eating in the Burbs (www.wesfoodie.com), When not eating his way round the Burbs, he can be found bemoaning the exponential growth of waistlines in direct proportion to sleepless nights of childrearing and other immutable laws of mid-life in the suburbs.

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