Sixteen months after introducing Italian fine dining to Sparkill with Lanni’s Cucina Verace Italiana, veteran restaurateur Vittorio Lanni has opened a new place in Piermont, complete with (at least for the moment) a red Ferrari parked outside next to signs pointing to Amalfi, Salerno, Positano, Napoli and Procida.
Trattoria Da Vittorio, which premiered Sept. 16, has the same Italian focus — the chef hails from Benevento, a province of Naples, and is big into educating diners about his country’s regions — but with a more casual vibe that’s more in tune with what he calls “a happening town.”
The focus, said Lanni, who runs both spots with his wife Kimberly Auth Lanni, is on appealing to everyone.
“Lanni’s is more upscale and so with this, we wanted to offer something different and extend our options,” said Lanni. “Trattoria in Italy means very casual.”
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Italy rules
That means a menu with price points that cater to a wide variety of diners interested in a wide variety of experiences. It could be a night of beer and pizza. Or a glass of wine and antipasti. Or maybe something more substantial like a whole fish or a ribeye Tomahawk.
The lunch and dinner spot is heavy on stuzzichini (appetizers and snacks), pastas, salumi, formaggio, and pizza Napolitano. Among the menu items: Nonna’s meatballs; Vongole Al Forno (a dozen clams oreganata style); Arancini Siciliano (Sicilian-style rice balls); housemade roasted peppers; fried stuffed zucchini flowers and six types of olives marinated with fennel, garlic, Calabrian chili and sharp Provolone; in addition to lots of charcuterie choices and 13 pizzas, six red and seven white.
Like his dinner-only Sparkill restaurant, which celebrates the 20 regions of Italy, Lanni is authentic to a “T” when it comes to showcasing his birth country’s food and drinks. A wood-burning stove imprinted with the restaurant’s name just to the left of the bar was imported from Naples and took five guys to assemble it (it weighs 4,500 pounds). Also visible when you first walk in is a large hand-slicer (just like you’d find in Italy), which, under a wait staff’s guidance, expertly carves the 30-day aged meats that are a hallmark of Italian menus.
All of the pastas are handmade as is the mozzarella, one of which is fior di latte (meaning it’s made with cow’s milk). The pizza dough is 00 flour, and the wine and beer lists celebrate Italy in a way few restaurants do. There are 40 Italian beers — “We want people to understand there’s more than Peroni,” said Lanni — in addition to 50 wines, 20 whites and 30 reds. (Auth Lanni, who has a background in beverage, curated the list.)
All bottles of wine are $50 — Lanni calls it “Cinquanta per cinquata” — which means “50 for $50.” He also sells his own homemade jug of Barberone, the kind of wine he made with his father growing up (it’s $40 a liter aka 33 ounces).
What about the atmosphere at Piermont’s Trattoria Da Vittorio?
Expect an L-shaped bar to the right, similar to the set up when the eatery was DVine Pie, but with a lighter look thanks to renovations that include new wood beams on the ceiling, white and gray striped banquettes, dark wood tables and small cooper pans Lanni grew up with.
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The couple also had walls knocked down to increase space in the kitchen and added slate elements that showcase the pizza making process, now visible from the bar.
Adding a sense of whimsy, there’s a large boar’s head hanging above the entrance to the part of the kitchen you can’t see, as well as a rotating screen behind the bar highlighting Italy’s wonders. (Warning: You may want to book a trip after seeing these images.)
In another nod to the chef’s home country, you’ll find Italian plates near a bowl of tomatoes behind the hand slicer, as well as a line of Italian beers that decorate a shelf nearby. The result is a hodgepodge of homey touches that make you feel like you’ve been whisked away to where Lanni grew up and clearly still loves.
If you go
Address: 453 Piermont Ave., Piermont, 845-259-1122, TrattoriaPiermont.com.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily
Prices: Pizzas range from $15 to $22; pastas are $18 to $22 with appetizers in the $10 to $16 range.
Good to know: Aside from the homemade jug of wine to go, the restaurant features a bruschetta tasting (four for $20). Pizza and pasta can also be made gluten-free.
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: Rockland NY restauranteur opens new trattoria in Piermont
