Accompanied by a baby-grand piano and carved wooden seating with plush cushions in the lounge, it’s all the better to broker your next deal over aperitifs at this classic Westchester institution. Mulino’s has consistently garnered the attention of Zagat’s excellence rating and our Best of Westchester lists—winning multiple times for especially unobtrusive, professional service. We’ve come to expect the time-honored tradition of this Frank Sinatra-style restaurant with white linen napkins folded like fans at each place setting. The maroon geometric-patterned carpet buffers chatter, and nerves are soothed by the cream-colored walls grounded by chair-level wooden wainscoting and tastefully framed artwork.
Antipasti could be the cold poached asparagus with roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes, chopped egg, and creamy house dressing. And it wouldn’t be fine Italian without clams with garlic and white wine. Of course there’s Caesar salad, but also a salad of seven mixed organic greens with pignoli. You can get half orders of pasta and risotto as an appetizer, too, including black linguine with baby lobster tails and garganelli pasta tossed with pancetta, eggs, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Seafood spans the globe with Florida red snapper, New Zealand clams, and Norwegian salmon. Chicken breast, aged prime filet, and veal are all given the classic treatment. Especially charming is the Berkshire Farm pork chop stuffed with prosciutto di Parma, roasted peppers, Gruyère cheese, and sundried tomatoes served in a light pesto sauce. Your vegetable sides are all green and garlic here: spinach, asparagus, haricots verts, and broccoli rabe.
Digestives will combat all that richness. Choose among 18 Grappas or sip a 20-year-old tawny port by Sandeman. Then again, your server can spike your seedless Florida oranges with Grand Marnier, tableside. Besides the tiramisù, crème brûlée, sorbet, and tartufo, there are biscotti and amaretto cookies to dip into your cappuccino.
99 Court St, White Plains (914) 761-1818
www.mulinosny.com