For fans ofAurora in Rye and the since-closed Mediterraneo of White Plains there's good news. The Z Hospitality Groupopened CaprettaSept. 15 in Scarsdale.
Z Hospitality has multiple restaurants in Fairfield County, Conn., including Terra Greenwich, East End and Mediterraneano in Greenwich, Solé and Blackbird in New Canaan and Terra Danbury in Danbury.
This is the group's eighth restaurant and its second in Westchester. Like its others, it leans Italian. In this case, the menu is less chicken parm and fried calamari and more twists on classics.
"We wanted to be a little more creative than your standard Italian menu," said the group's executive chef and partner Albert DeAngelis. "So we kept things relatively familiar but also approachable."
That means
entrées like Braised Boneless Short Ribs (with potato pave, horseradish mascarpone and pickled shallot), Roasted Chicken Agnolitti (with button chanterelles, lemon thyme and cracklings), Sweet Potato Raviolini (with brown butter, sage, pecorino and walnuts), Allen Brothers Brisket burger (with fontina, slice tomato, arugula, pepperoncini remoulade) and Grilled Butterflied Branzino (with peppers and artichokes, preserved lemon, salmorigilio).
Since Matt McNerney, another executive chef and partner, is a big fan of pizza, there's also a few personal pies, made in a Marra Forni oven (a first for the hospitality group), which sits front and center at the end of the bar. Along with a San Marzano tomato option, diners will find wild mushroom; prosciutto di parma; sweet fennel sausage and a Detroit pie with pepperoni, cherry peppers, roasted garlic and spicy honey.
Unlike the Double zero versions offered at Z's other restaurants, Capretta's are made with different semolina varieties.
"We're always trying new stuff," said managing partner Adam Zakka, whose father, Ramze (along with DeAngelis) started the group in 1991. "Every day we wake up and say, 'What new are we going to do?'
"You don't stay relevant for 35 years if you stay the same."
Capretta has a modern yet nostalgic vibe
The décor speaks to that with an eclectic blend of contemporary and retro. "With every restaurant launch there’s an evolution of each concept," he said. "In this moment, the concept is comfortable and sophisticated but leaning towards culinary techniques that are important now."
The goal was to offer a palette that reads modern and light while also being reminiscent of your grandparent's house. The dining chairs are meant to evoke those you'd find at their home along with patina silverware that looks worn but is brand new. That's the same for the art and the glassware, which Zakka admitted is "kind of all over the place."
Some of the design elements include an array of olive oils in the shelving behind the hostess stand, a rustic whitewashed drop ceiling (reminiscent of an old home), cushioned banquettes with mint green striping, a gray, light blue, mint and cream tiled floor, and an arched tiled wall near the bar with an illustration of a hare.
There are also floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the street (with heat lamps just above them), strategically placed greenery, a shelf displaying jars of lemons, a smattering of artwork that looks straight out of the Old Country and an overall muted mint green and cream hue that carries throughout the space.
You'll also find two archways behind the bar, accented by green and white tile, which were built when the Group gutted what had been the old Akai Japanese Sushi Lounge. The reimagined bar area — lined with wicker chairs in brown and cream and a long marble bar — is slightly separate from the dining room and features two high-tops.
"I feel like some of our elements, the basket lights, the colorfully tiled floor, the banquettes, the mirror, are things you might not pick out individually," Zakka said. "But when you put them together it works."
The patchwork style adds an inviting playfulness that charms from the get-go. It's as if the owners are throwing a nightly dinner party and want you to be part of the action. The invitation extends to whatever suits the mood: a leisurely three-course meal, a seat at the bar with a pizza, or keeping things light with a salad and one of the restaurant's inventive cocktails like the Oro di Sicilia (vanilla-infused Tito's, Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur and prosecco), La Pergola (Caravedo Puro Piso, basil, cordial, egg white) or Brezza al Timo (Malfy Originale Gin, Thyme Cordial, Oregeat, lemon, seltzer).
That sense of fun translates to the name, which means little goat. Zakka said they chose it because "it's cute and Italian" but also because, along with McNerney and Director of Operations Emim Brika, it represents the second generation of ownership. "For a long time it was my dad and Albert as the greatest of all time, but now the baby goats are here and we're doing our own thing," he said.
This is the second eatery the threesome have developed; they opened Blackbird in New Canaan two years ago next door to the long-established Solé.
And who knows if more spots are on the radar? Zakka said Westchester has lots of good markets. "We try to be selective," he said. So, time will tell.
If you go
Address: 57 Spencer Place, Scarsdale, 914-202-6900, caprettascarsdale.com
Hours: Daily for lunch and dinner. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday; to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Brunch may go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (still being decided at presstime).
Good to know: Lunch started Sept. 22; with brunch starting Sept. 26 (it will be offered Saturdays and Sundays). Also good to know: There are plenty of alcohol-free and half-strength cocktails.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New modern Italian restaurant opens in Scarsdale
