46°
What's the Best Italian Restaurant in Westchester?
- Fortina, Armonk, Rye Book
- Little Sorrento, Cortlandt Manor
- Scaramella's, Dobbs Ferry
- Trevi, West Harrison
- Zero Otto Nove, Armonk
Sounds straightforward, right? But with a dizzying array of options – everything from old-school red sauce joints to modern takes on Grandma’s homemade cooking to trattorias with gourmet pizzas -- the answer can be hard to answer.
We asked for your favorites; five have been narrowed down as part of our contest and those finalists are being profiled this week.
Voting continues until 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28. You can vote multiple times, albeit once per day.
Grab a fork, read on, and let your fingers do the clicking. The winner will receive a framed DVlicious certificate as well as the pride in knowing it offers a taste of Italy close to home.
Little Sorrento. 3565 Crompond Road, Cortlandt Manor, (914) 736-6767
What Makes It Pasta Perfect: Besides mussels and steamed clams, Little Sorrento’s appetizers include a fancier Portabella Napoleon with layers of zucchini, squash, eggplant, roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella. And it tries to go the extra culinary mile with its pasta-based dishes, too.
Its ravioli are stuffed with smoked mozzarella and asparagus and float in a creamy pool of gorgonzola sauce prettied up with more asparagus and diced tomatoes. Its signature dish, Pasta Sorrento, has sautéed chicken, sweet peas, onion and mushrooms. The penne is made out of whole wheat, which gives it a more rustic, toothsome, feel. Carnivores will be relived to know that there are plenty of fish, steak, chicken and veal dishes on the menu too. Yelpers praise its friendly waitstaff, “amazing” homemade bread and light and tender fried calamari.
Worth Special Mention: Owners Paul and Gina DiPaterio also own Savannah’s Southern House right down the road. Little Sorrento was named after Sorrento’s, a beloved Peekskill institution that was opened by Gina's grandfather, "Pops" Scaramellino in the late 1940s and then run by her father, Salvatore (Sal) Scaramellino, and mother, Margaret.
Generations of Peekskillians grew up either snarfing down eggplant parm and veal piccata at the restaurant, which was conveniently located right across the street from the train station, or working there clearing tables and making pizza. There was nary a dry eye in Hudson River community when Sorrento’s closed but the congenial family atmosphere, say Sorrento's fans, has happily carried over to the new incarnation, Little Sorrento.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.
