Most hamlets with a population of less than 4,500 could only dream of Armonk’s foodie cred. It’s a newly(ish) bloomed dining out destination that includes worthy stops such as Amore Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen, Fortina, Restaurant North, Marc Charles Steakhouse, Beehive, and Moderne Barn. The latest addition is Zero Otto Nove (089 in Italian), named for the area code of Salerno, Italy, where Chef/Owner Roberto Paciullo grew up. And, yes, he’s the same Roberto of Roberto’s on Arthur Avenue, the celebrated Southern Italian restaurant that helped open up Bronx’s Little Italy in the mid-’80s to those looking for superior Italian dining and not only genuine Italian cooking ingredients.
Neapolitan-style pies, wood-fired (don’t bump your car into the cords of wood surrounding the parking lot), are the signature items at Zero Otto Nove (pies range from $11 to $16). Try the patate e porcini (fresh mozzarella, potatoes, and porcini mushrooms), La San Matteo (fresh mozzarella, sausage, and broccoli rabe), La Riccardo (butternut squash purée, smoked mozzarella, spicy pancetta, and basil), or the cheese-less Majorinara (tomato sauce, capers, anchovies, olives, oregano, and basil).
The dining room at Zero Otto Nove features a view of the wood-burning pizza oven.
As authentic and appealing as the tender-crusted pies are, don’t neglect the rest of the menu of plated selections such as mafalde (ribbon pasta) with sausage meat, smoked mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes; baked whole branzino with capers and a lemon sauce; and free-range breaded pork chop topped with mozzarella and marinated tomatoes (entrées range from $20 to $29).
For those residents living in Southern Westchester who refer to Armonk as “upstate,” you might like to know there’s a Zero Otto Nove at 2357 Arthur Ave in the Bronx, plus another on West 21st Street in Manhattan (Gramercy Park North).
55 Old Rte 22, Armonk
(914) 273-0089
www.roberto089.com