The Racanelli family has transformed their circa-1974 Pizza & Brew in Scarsdale into Racanelli’s New York Italian (851 Central Ave 914-472-1032; racanellisnewyorkitalian.com), a 175-seat modern restaurant where Chef Patrick D’Andrea (a native of Florence, Italy) cooks up artisan pizzas, house-made pastas (strozzapretti with short-rib ragu; orechiette with broccoli rabe and sausage), and signature cutlets. A beverage list is available that includes Italian, New York, and California wines; specialty cocktails; and Italian and local craft brews on tap. Racanelli’s is open Mon to Sat for lunch and dinner and Sun for brunch and dinner.
Local, organic, sustainable, free-range: All the buzzwords that are great on the page are great on the plate at newly opened Organic Planet (107 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 203-992-1800; organicplanetct.com). The pea sprouts and broccoli shoots for the spring salads? From the restaurant’s own farm. The flatbreads and sourdough loaves are from artisan Berkshire bakers. The cheeses are from a biodynamic farm in ColumbiaCounty and the poultry is from Cortlandt’s Hemlock Hill Farm. Says CIA-trained Chef Gerry Herrfurth, “We use the most wholesome and least refined products.” And many of them are gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Expect dishes such as crispy-skinned salmon, local pasture-raised strip loin steak, and North Carolina sunburst trout on the frequently changing menu. “You can eat it every day and feel good about it,” says Herrfurth about his cooking. “We have customers that do.” It’s open daily, so now you can be one of them. Organic Planet is open Tues through Fri for lunch and dinner; Sat for brunch, lunch, and dinner; Sun for brunch, and Mon for lunch only.
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