What’s up with Zanni at Mariani’s?

Question: What’s up with Zanni at Mariani’s?

Are they open? Are they open all the way or just a little open? Does anybody go there? Is it hot? Or not? Aren’t there already too many restaurants in Armonk? Isn’t it another Italian? How many Italian restaurants does Armonk need?

Answer: Open? (Sort of.) Hot? (Will be.) Italian? (Not.)

Anybody harboring any feelings of schadenfreude regarding Mark Mariani’s latest concept of how to turn his sprawling Mariani Gardens complex into a destination address will be disappointed. Because, after a nearly million dollar renovation, Zanni’s is big, and it’s beautiful, the Napa style food is good (and not Italian) and right now is a great time to go before the crowds from Greenwich and Scarsdale start streaming in.

Why isn’t this place packed? (Go now!)

We had a 6:30 reservation and it was very quiet. Slowly the tables started filling with a well-heeled crowd but the place never got more than half-full. At first we were puzzled but then thought it all sort of nice. Our waiter, who was well versed in the menu, spoke in hushed tones and made us feel like we were foreign dignitaries. It reminded us of a private dining experience we once had at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendur? Then we thought, did that really happen? Did we really have a private dining experience at the Temple of Dendur? Is this really happening? Why isn’t this place packed?

After an initial direction change in the kitchen, Zanni’s brought in Chef Tom Donnelly (formerly Executive Chef of One if by Land, Two if by Sea in Manhattan and the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco) as Executive Chef and General Manager. Since then, “we’ve been soft-launching with a controlled seating program,” Cathy Mariani told us. (At the time they were limiting themselves to 60 tables a night and never more than 30 in any half-hour time slot.) But they are ramping up and last Saturday night they upped their ante to 100 tables, according to Chef Donnelly.

Our recommendation is to GO NOW, while it is still quiet, for a unique experience that will be out of bounds once the word travels south of 287 and over the Connecticut state line.

Napa in Armonk (with a moon roof)

Everything in Zanni’s seems to descend from the metal and glass greenhouse ceilings overhead. Witness the aluminum sculpture suspended over the bar in the photo above. It’s a wine racking system as conceptual art. Once you look up from your menu and realize you can see the moon through the ceiling you realize how grand a space this is.

After acknowledging the moon overhead, everything inside is re-scaled in your mind and it all becomes a soothing mixture of light and dark – the bamboo floors and tables set off by brown metal trim, the glass and the stone, the Danish modern bar stools and banquettes with gray upholstery. The main dining room, the Napa Room, has a fern garden in back and a landscape sized photo of California sequoias on the wall. It’s swank – but not swanky.

As you approach from the parking lot, a fireplace and two gas lanterns filling the night air greet you– we thought we were entering the Olympic village. The outdoor fireplace is part of a dual inside/out system that shares the same flue and serves as another example of Mark’s effective integration of in and out environments. There’s a second fireplace inside in a lounge area where someday you will wait for your table but now can be reserved for a private cocktail party. Do it! Soon they will be opening up their 28 seat outdoor dining area where you can both dine fireside and al fresco at the same time.

Napa in the kitchen (from the Hudson Valley)

Chef Donnelly described his cuisine as locally driven, Napa-inspired. “We’re already serving locally grown beets, baby carrots and potatoes from a food co-op called Hudson Valley Harvest that connects us to farmer’s bumper crops throughout the area.” Cathy Mariani described it as a marriage of her “love of comfort foods and Mark’s love of all things clean, contemporary and light.”  Loosely translated that means garden-fresh New American with Asian, Latin and Italian influences.

Like the Seafood and Spinach Tagliatelle with lobster, shrimp and seasonal vegetables with sage sauce – which we loved. And the fun Moroccan Beet Salad with oranges, goat cheese, almonds and a carrot ginger dressing that was filled with lots of little surprises. Like dates and carrots slow-cooked in butter. Yum. The grilled Mediterranean Branzino was also well served with crisp skin and a light jus – but could have handled some bolder flavors.

Other recommended favorites included the Roasted Free Range Half-Grilled Chicken with Brussels sprouts and shiga sauce – a chili and garlic sauce from the Philippines; and the Sheep Milk Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi with balsamic and mushroom sauce.  New to the spring menu will be a pan-seared halibut over basil scented basmati rice with nicoise olive and bubbly grape tomato with a salsa Provencal crust; sautéed veal medallions with morel mushrooms, haricots verts; asparagus vinaigrette with a fines herbs sauce and citrus zest, and a hanger steak. There is also a lunch menu of burgers, Paninis and dogs, specialty salads and entrees.

What for?   

The sheer beauty of the restaurant, the ample parking, and the commitment to quality food will place Zanni’s on the map of special occasion restaurants countywide and will serve as yet another destination attraction to boost the local economy.  For locals, despite its special occasion price structure, it will find it’s place as an alternative bar scene to Fortina and a popular couples night option when you want to see the moon when you dine, eat by a roaring fire, dine al fresco or do some people watching from outside the 10504, 10506, 10514 zips. If you want to go there and feel like a king or queen … call now!

(Zanni Restaurant, 45 Bedford Rd., Armonk, 914.273.6700; www.zannirestaurant.com)

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