For decades, Mario Faustini was a co-owner of Alex ‘n’ Henry’s, a popular restaurant and wedding facility in Eastchester. Recently, with his son, J.R., and Peter Pizzuti, who has worked with him for years, he opened just down the road Mar D’s, featuring continental cuisine with Italian flare. Heading the kitchen is his versatile chef, Anthony Delfino, who has 14 years of experience working with the family.
As you enter the restaurant, you can’t help but admire the beautifully tiled floor reminiscent of a Romanesque ristorante. Gaslights, indirect lighting and candlelit tables add to the intimate feel of Mar D’s.
The menu changes seasonally. For an appetizer this fall, try the stuffed portabello mushrooms with tomato and mozzarella, served over field greens and topped with goat cheese. Or try the beefsteak tomato and red onion salad swathed in a balsamic dressing. The popular warm spinach salad, served with fresh mushrooms, bacon and topped with gorgonzola cheese, is also a good choice.
Celebrated for his pasta dishes, Chef Delfino offers linguine, fusilli, penne, fettucine and capellini with a sauce of your choosing. Vegetarians might consider the grilled vegetable primavera, a mix of grilled fresh vegetables sprinkled with fresh herbs.
For the health conscious, organic free-range chicken is a popular entrée. The half broiled chicken is served with garlic mashed potatoes and julienne vegetables. Farm-raised salmon in a crust of pecan nuts, bathed in a beurre blanc sauce over a bed of spinach, is a crowd pleaser. If you’re not counting calories, there is a tender Black Angus shell steak, topped with roasted onions. And the sautéed veal scaloppini, accompanied by flavorful plum tomatoes, mushrooms, peas and white wine, is sure to please. For dessert, try the tiramisu with a hot cup of steaming cappuccino.
MAR D’S
219 Main St., Eastchester
(914) 961-1111