A Burst of Flavors Awaits You At Chat 19

Having lunch with friends? Meeting your colleagues for a late afternoon discussion? Taking your spouse out to dinner? Chat 19 is your place.

The red brick building, with its wood paneling, tall windows and rich and bold red canopies, stands out compared to the other businesses on Chatsworth Avenue. 

An added bonus? Patrons have the option to dine al fresco during the warmer months. Once inside, they can choose to sit at the sleek, well-stocked bar or the chic, round tables.

Along the exposed brick walls hang large, black and white photographs of Hollywood's famous from the so-called Golden Age, such as Natalie Wood, Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart, to name a few.

If you prefer a quiet and private dining experience, grab a table toward the back of the restaurant. Sit in the front - near the windows - for a more social atmosphere and a view of shoppers. 

I was quickly seated at an elegant table with a classy upscale setting. The narrow menus offered a variety of delicious starters, entrées, sandwiches and burgers.

Torn between the Fried Calamari and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for a starter plate, I decided to order the latter to save enough room for an entrée and dessert. 

The crab cake was plump and crispy on the outside, and hot and moist on the inside. It paired nicely with the lemon beurre blanc sauce drizzled on the plate. On the side, a colorful corn relish and roasted pepper coulis in an edible red romaine lettuce bowl was a burst of unexpected flavors. 

I then moved on to the Lobster and Crabmeat Ravioli with asparagus in a chive buerre-blanc sauce. The plate had a spring green and pearl color palate. The asparagus were fresh and crunchy, and the chive buerre-blanc sauce was thick and creamy. The Lobster and Crabmeat Ravioli was a well-seasoned delicious mixture of seafood. 

I concluded my lunch by ordering Chat Bites. The dessert seemed to almost summarize all the desserts on the menu. It was deep-fried chocolate and banana cakes with raspberry and chocolate dipping sauces. The bite-sized cakes were sprinkled with powdered sugar. They were hot, luscious and yummy. The banana cakes were filled with, well, banana and brown sugar. Its various textures set off a firework display of flavor sensations; a crunchy outside, a moist inside, and a velvety sauce trickled all over.

Overall, my lunch experience was very satisfying. The average price for an appetizer is $13, $10 for a salad or soup, $20 for an entrée, $12 for a sandwich or hamburger, and $8 for a dessert.

Additional restaurants in the Fava-Lusardi family include Lusardi's in Larchmont, and Chat and Moscato in Scarsdale. Lusardi's in Larchmont was Mario Fava's first restaurant venture. He opened it in 1994 with business partners Mauro and Luigi Lusardi. Before the Larchmont location, Mauro and Luigi Lusardi opened a Lusardi's in Manhattan back in 1982.

Chat 19 is located on 19 Chatsworth Ave. in Larchmont. (914) 833-8871. Find it online at http://www.chat19.net.