Dining Destinations by Train I: The Blue Dolphin

Editor's Note: Every fortnight starting today, Karen Benvin Ransom will bring you a scrumptious restaurant series, "Dining Destinations by Train" (part cultural tidbits and part food). As you may already have sussed out the title, it will showcase eateries in and around the two train stations in our town—Bedford Hills and Katonah. 
 
We've heard of Destination Weddings and the like, but I thought how easy and fun it would be to explore great restaurants a short walk from public transportation, without the need for a GPS device, MapQuest or even old fashioned road maps. Just take the Metro-North.

We have two train stops, Bedford Hills and Katonah, both of which fall on the Harlem Line of Metro-North Railroad (between Grand Central Station and Brewster.)

The Blue Dolphin Restaurant at 175 Katonah Ave. in Katonah, is a former diner/train car restaurant that's reminiscent of the 1930s.

Once inside, you are transported to what I remember of the restaurants nestled in northern Italy's Tyrol region, with its wood-barreled ceiling and great warmth and charm. 

The restaurant has been here, for 23 years and is a local landmark. It is owned by brothers Alfredo (who manages The Blue Dolphin) and Antonio (who manages the larger, Le Fontane in Somers, on Rt. 100 at Rt. 139). Their latest addition, Trattoria Bacio is a welcome addition in Cross River.

The duo came to the U.S. from the Isle of Capri via the restaurants of the Front Street area of Bermuda. They did not learn to cook at a culinary academy or hotel school, but honed their palate at their mother's table in Capri. She was famous for sustaining the village during lean times with her culinary talents.

The Blue Dolphin is very popular. So, a wait is expected, but the one doesn't mind that.

In the warmer months, it is wonderful to have your apperitivo out at the bistro tables in front of the restaurant facing Katonah Avenue, while waiting for your name to be called.

The train whistles by and one is lulled by the rumbling of passing cars behind shops and the stately Victorians of Katonah.  If dining in the evening, office lights may still be on in the upstairs offices and shopkeepers may be behind locked doors, checking their inventory for the next day. The glow of lights into the attractive shop windows creates a wonderful evening walk to and from the restaurant.

I become wistful just thinking how lovely it must be to have an apartment over the inviting shops, as I spy walls lined with bookcases and lamps at the windows.

There is a great deal of bonhomie among the waiting patrons. You see neighbors greeting one another. No one is too shy to ask a neighboring table what they'd just been served!

Once you are summoned to a table, you are in for a delicious experience. It is use of the freshest (and seasonal) of ingredients that makes the meals memorable. The aroma is wonderful. The seafood is fresh. The pasta is homemade, as are the desserts.

There is a full bar and wine service, either by the glass or bottle. How they pull this all off in so small a space is a miracle. It is a little tight, but is still a great way to bring people together.

My favorite dishes are the veal stuffed ravioli "Quadrifogli" that is served with one sauce at lunch and another, at dinner and the "Fusilli Aum Aum" which is a pasta and pieces of eggplant dish,   with fresh mozzarella. Perhaps the sound of pure enjoyment creates the "Aum Aum" sound? 

The mussel dishes are great. The "Penne al Salmone," (penne with salmon), in a cream sauce is pure comfort food. "Pasta Night"—a selection of only pastas at special prices on Wednesday nights—is a local favorite.

I have also enjoyed their meat "carne" dishes, the veal chop a favorite. New dishes on the menu are the seafood risottos. My father used to enjoy their fresh octopus salad. 

For dessert: there's a delectable ricotta cheese cake, tiramisu, and a lemon sorbet stuffed into a hollowed out lemon with its own top. Children enjoy the large chocolate covered ice cream ball tartuffo.

The restaurant tries to accommodate its patrons' varied tastes and preferences as best it can: kids are served smaller portions if desired, whole wheat pasta is available without sacrificing flavor, gluten-free pasta can be made to order with an additional $2 charge.

To polish off the evening, savor a glass of their delightful Limoncello.

No need to worry about driving—you are hopping right back on the train.

The Blue Dolphin
Location: 175 Katonah Avenue
Phone: 914-232-4791

About the writer: Karen Benvin Ransom is a longtime resident, business leader a realtor with Houlihan Lawrence. Her Web site is: Karen from Katonah.