La Catena Brings Tuscan Food to Ardsley

La Catena, a Tuscany-influenced Italian restaurant, was opened by Emilio Delija five months ago in Ardsley. This is his first venture as a restaurant owner after working 25 years in the restaurant business at the front of the house. 

During his career he was employed by three upscale steak places including Spark Steak House on the East Side of New York City—he was there in 1991 when the New York Post called Spark "the greatest steak house in Manhattan." Professional boxer Ali Muhammed, three-time world heavyweight champion, was one of his regular customers.  

Delija worked for six years at the famous Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn whose Porterhouse steak has been described by The New York Times as the best steak served in America. On his first day on the job, he waited on ABC's Barbara Walters. Closer to home, he worked at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Tarrytown and spent 13 years at the front of the house at Scaramella's Ristorante in Dobbs Ferry.

At La Catena, he can be found helping out in the kitchen on occasion—cooking his favorite dish veal chop Campangola. 

Popular non-menu specials

About two months after La Catena opened, Delija introduced two specials (an appetizer and an entree called Trilogy) that have become best sellers.

Buffalo mozzarella, the appetizer,  is the restaurant's most popular starter. Delija describes it as "very, very sweet," and says, "we import the buffalo mozzarella cheese from Italy and add slices of vine-ripen tomato, fresh sweet pepper, Dijon mustard, fresh basil and Modena balsamic wine reduction. It was a favorite dish in my home town when I was a child."  Buffalo mozzarella is priced at $12.95.

Trilogy, likely to become the restaurant's signature dish, is a combination of: 

• Filet mignon cooked in a Madeira wine reduction
• Veal (domestic) scallopini with wild mushrooms and truffle butter sauce
• Two shrimp Francese 
• Mashed potatoes with chopped scallion. 

Another popular special, expected to be added to the regular menu in the spring, is grilled swordfish with balsamic reduction on a bed of baby arugula; it's served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Zuppa di Pesce, which will return on the coming-soon spring menu, is a delightful combination for seafood lovers with very healthy appetites. It combines a full lobster tail with shrimp, scallops, calamari, scungilli, filet of sole, mussels and clams over linguine and comes with a choice of bianco, rosso or fra diavolo sauce.

At La Catena, patrons can select desserts from a tray wheeled to their tables; all desserts are homemade. Typical choices are raspberry chocolate cake with dark Belgium chocolate, a Napoleon, fresh mixed berries and Shlag—warm apple strudel with homemade whipped cream.

The spring menu will also include Colorado Spring lamb, Dover sole, Branzino (currently available as a special), John Dory (fish) and probably a burger.

Dinner is served with bruschetta, cheese and bread from the Terranova Bakery in the Arthur Avenue section of the Bronx accompanied by a dipping sauce made from spices and Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.  

Dolce Valle Moscato Passito, a dessert wine from the Soletta winery in Sardegna, is well suited for consumption with cheesecake, Delija says. "It has scents of dried fruit and syrup and a light aftertaste of honey."  Wine available also includes sangiovese, offered by the glass or bottle.

The restaurant entry area floor is a stunning combination of black granite and white border floor tile and a bar top built from matching black tile. The dining area has polished oakwood floors, walls of matching color and a wood grid ceiling.

Up to 100 can be accommodated in a private dining room.

La Catena Italian Ristorante, 871 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY, is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. On Monday through Thursday and Sunday, it is open from noon to 9:45 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, its hours are noon to 10:45 p.m. The dinner menu is offered  on Monday through Friday after 3 pm. 231-9260. www.lacatenaardsley.com