Inspired by the success of his almost four-year-old Bronxville restaurant, owner Spencer Pingel wanted more of the Westchester community to experience La Casa’s upscale Mexican fare. We chatted with Pingel about his new Purchase outpost.
What spurred the expansion to Purchase?
Being a restaurant in Bronxville, you get to know other owners and managers pretty well, comparing notes and bouncing ideas off each other. Because of that, I know Michael, tredici SOCIAL’s manager, and he let me know that the Purchase location was becoming available. We love what we’re doing so much that when this outstanding space hit the market, we decided to go for it. The primary benefit of the expansion was making ourselves convenient for all of Westchester and southern Connecticut. It allows us to have access to a wider customer base. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback so far. Many of our customers are from those areas and are happy we did this, because now they can enjoy a night out with us more frequently.
Will the new location’s menu differ from Bronxville?
Right now, we’re really focused on replicating the quality and consistency we have in Bronxville. There will be little tweaks as we go along, but diners can expect their tried-and-true favorites, just transplanted. We still have the vegan menu and the gluten-free menu, and we just rolled out our weekend brunch. The plan for the coming months is to be open for lunch and dinner all seven days.
Did you renovate the Purchase space?
Yes. We tapped Bronxville firm Salisbury & Manus Design, who are behind the look and feel of the first restaurant. Alexander Furman, our designer and the company’s president, led the revamp. For anyone who knew the space before, they’ll remember it was a lot of black and red elements, the second floor had velvet wallpaper—it was very different from what we are. We’ve transformed it into our signature “Coastal Mexican” vibe, opting for rich blues and straw accents. We rebuilt the bar but kept the terra cottatiled wall behind it; and we whitewashed it to go with the aesthetic. Unlike the Bronxville space, Purchase has a second floor. While we’re serving on both, the additional space gives us flexibility to host private parties and gatherings.
La Casa Purchase 578 Anderson Hill Rd
lacasabronxville.com (the site supports both locations)
Reservations are suggested.
