Pelham is a small, everyone-seems-to-know-each-other kind of town, and Jordan Hall 10803, which opened in July in the space that was Bistro Rollin, is a restaurant that’s built on community. The people of Pelham have become like family, says co-owner Florio Rugova, who previously worked at nearby La Fontanella before opening this Italian steakhouse. The other owners — Chris Fink, Stacy Gaines, and Guy and Kerry Wildman Sansone — are also Pelham residents. Pelham wine importers helped build the list of international wines, and Eric Mauro, who spent the last eight years as the executive chef at Bistro Rollin, is in the kitchen.
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“It’s not a crazy transition for me,” says Mauro. “The big challenge was really embracing the simple Italian dishes.” Look for plates like a standout grilled zucchini carpaccio with arugula and shaved fennel served on a schmear of basil pesto; eggplant stuffed with ricotta and rich wild boar ragù; and lobster ravioli in Champagne-butter sauce with crisp, toasted walnuts. There’s also classic steakhouse fare, like shrimp and lobster cocktails, creamed spinach, baked potatoes, stacks of onion rings, and six wet-aged prime steaks that are simply prepared with just salt and butter.
Everything is elegantly plated. “At a lot of Italian steakhouses, the plating is a little more rustic,” says Mauro, “but we try to do something a bit more artistic.” That includes desserts, about half of which are made in-house, while the rest come from Michele Domenici’s bakery, Simply Sweetz Boutique, next door.
In the dining room, smartly dressed servers employ the old-school doting philosophy that seems to have gone by the wayside in many of the county’s trendy hipster joints. “Eric is a great chef,” says Rugova. “Why not try to complement what he’s doing in the kitchen [with great service]?”
The space itself is much the same as when it was Bistro Rollin, though the bar has been expanded, so diners can commune over drinks or grab seats for live music from the baby grand piano on Friday and Saturday nights. “It’s a crazy industry, so we do it for love,” says Mauro. “I love to see people happy.”
10803 142 Fifth Avenue, Pelham
914.222.5494; www.jordanhall10803.com
