Nestled in
Upon arrival, warm and fresh crusty bread is brought to the table, accompanied by kalamata olives and olive oil infused with red peppers. Starters include the pan-seared scallops over watercress with a sherry wine reduction and lasagna made with escargots, spinach and walnuts and served with a Roquefort sauce. My dining companion and I chose the specials of light and flavorful ravioli stuffed with lobster and ricotta cheese served in a piping hot and delicate tomato concassé broth and salmon carpaccio, smoked salmon served with lemon slices, capers, minced onions and large wedges of parmesan cheese.
Freshly-prepared pasta, such as the fettucine with lobster, plum tomatoes and fresh basil and spaghetti with braised scallops, are must-tries as is the restaurant’s daily risotto: On the night we visited, the creamy and rich rice dish was topped with luscious black truffles.
Entrées include an array of beef, poultry and seafood choices. The filet mignon with black truffles in a shallot and red wine sauce was a hearty, satisfying meal on a cold winter’s night, while the jumbo shrimp sautéed with garlic, olive oil and white wine was perhaps somewhat more simple yet just as flavorful. The roasted half-duck, topped with a wild cherry and calvados sauce, should please anyone who loves poultry as will the chicken breast with leeks and spinach in a morel mushroom sauce.
While it may be difficult to save room for dessert, it is worth- while to make the effort. The tartuffo, a scoop of hazelnut ice cream dipped in chocolate and covered with hazelnuts, is a wonderful end to any meal. So are the profiteroles au chocolat filled with vanilla ice cream and topped by warm chocolate ganache, and the gateau St. Nizier, a rich, flourless and deliciously decadent chocolate cake.
DaPietro’s, teeny and cozy, is well worth visiting more than once.
DAPIETRO’S RESTAURANT
36 Riverside Ave., Westport, Connecticut
(203) 454-1213
