Why Order Take-Out? Italian Specialty Stores Are a Delicious Option

We're working longer hours, kids need to get driven from school to games, and there's never enough time for anything else. Overscheduled and overwhelmed, it makes sense that convenience is a priority for us when it comes to food shopping and meal preparation.  But we're fortunate that in Mamaroneck, convenience can also mean wonderful and delicious options.

Cosmo & Alex Pisano Brothers, 252 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543/(914) 381-4402

Tour the narrow aisles and you will think you've been transported to Rome. Shelves packed with cans of D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes are perfect when there's time to make your own sauce. When there isn't time, pick from a wide assortment of imported jars. Cellophane bags of unusually shaped and sized dried macaronis tumble from the shelves.  Alongside the spaghetti, ziti and penne are shells the size of your fist beautiful lagane ribbons, delicately twisted strozzapretti made from semolina flour and garganelli, the small tubes resembling ribbed cannoli shells. 

But before you take on the packaged foods, stop first at the long deli counter to admire the dried salamis, aged cheeses and huge, salty hocks of prosciutto di Parma hanging from the ceiling and the metal pan of freshly grated Parmesan sitting beside chunks of aged provolone. Stunningly large heads of fresh garlic fill a barrel below, skins white and properly papery.  Nearby ceramic bowls offer tangy bean salad, glossy roasted vegetables and tuna salad made from tuna packed in olive– no mayo here.  You can't miss the huge, golden arancini. The cheesy rice balls fried in breadcrumbs are dense, decadent and definitely not on anyone's diet, but arguably worth indulging in, as is the pizza rustica, a thick double crusted pie filled  with ricotta, eggs, mozzarella and prosciutto.

Don't want to do any cooking at all? At Cosmo & Alex Paisano Brothers, Areti Efthymiou is more than happy to do it for you. "I love what I do.  I love to cook, love to please, love to do things right," she told me.  The Cyprus native attributes her mastery of Italian cooking to instinct.  Areti's repertoire is large and the offerings varied.  Whether it is the juicy meatballs and ziti, the rich, thickly layered lasagna, the eggplant parmigiana or the sausage and peppers, Areti puts heart in all she makes.  Customers are devoted to her, but Areti's biggest fan may be Cosmo & Alex owner Pascquale Colallilo, who bought the store from the Pisano brothers 20 years ago. Asked what Areti makes that's especially good, he proudly says, "Everything.  Everything is wonderful."  It's hard to disagree.

Mercurio Fresh Pasta, 363 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck 10543/(914) 698-4127

Just up the street from Cosmo & Alex is Mercurio Fresh Pasta, where for more than forty years, fresh pasta, soups and sauces have been made on site every day. Opened in 1973, partners John Caraca and Danny Mercurio were committed to offering personal service and products made with the finest and freshest ingredients.

Not much has changed. Now partnered with Danny's son Greg (Danny passed away), one owner or the other is behind the counter every day and both are more than happy to tell you all you need to know about everything in the store.

Mercurio offers a full line of plain and flavored pastas and stuffed pastas like ravioli and tortellini.  "We make all the pasta and the sauce here every day," John told me.  Greg pointed out the butternut squash ravioli as one of their specialties, but we couldn't resist the fresh, orange-hued roasted red pepper and garlic fettuccini and the containers of thick, white impastata ricotta nearby. Mercurio purchases the impastata from Polly-O, the creamy fresh cheese light as whipped cream with a flavor reminiscent of sweet butter.

Almost faster than dialing the phone, that night's dinner was an improvised sauce made with impastata, parmesan and some of the pasta cooking water, a perfect accompaniment for the flavored fettuccini.  Another good combination is Mercurio's own-made Bolognese with the house-made cheese tortellini. Although not the traditional, extra thick meat sauce of Bologna, Mercurio's version was tangy and fresh, just rich enough without being heavy.

In addition to their pastas, Mercurio offers a wide variety of store-made frozen dinners available in both large family-size pans and smaller portions.  Among the many to pick from are eggplant rollatini, baked ziti and customer favorites chicken marsala and lasagna, all wonderful to keep on hand for those busy weeknights.

Villarina's Pasta & Foods, 20 Chatsworth Ave., Larchmont, NY 10538/914-833-1212

While not homey or as personal as Mercurio, the incredible variety of different ravioli in Villarina's is worth a look.  Have a hankering for asparagus, eggplant or broccoli rabe ravioli?  How about cinnamon butter? There are twelve independently owned Villarina's locations offering pasta made at a central location, distributed each day.

Next time you're going to pick up that phone or grab a meal from the supermarket while you're buying paper towels, don't forget about the fresh, homemade Italian specialties just a few minutes away.