Fine Dining |
Fresh-Faced Sophisticate: La Scalaby Arthur Page |
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You will know your dining companions are real Western New York restaurant aficionados if they comment that there is something very familiar about La Scala Ristorante, which opened recently on Transit Road in East Amherst.
However, if you dined at the Greek restaurant that previously operated at the site, you will note nothing familiar. The formerly stark, open interior has been divided into a series of handsome, small rooms.
The technique used to paint the foyer walls makes them appear bronzed. Water flows freely over a new glass wall separating the main dining room from another dining area. The striking large bar in the cocktail lounge is constructed of green marble and mahogany.
Those familiar with the former Radisson Hotel in Cheektowaga will recognize the bar—it previously stood in the hotel’s lobby. Those who stayed in the hotel’s presidential suite will recall the arched windows now separating La Scala’s dining room and another adjacent eating area. Look around and you may recognize massive wooden doors, marble columns and other architectural elements from the Radisson and its Pranzo restaurant.
The recycling has had stunning results and cut costs, to boot. It maybe didn’t save a rain forest, but what has been accomplished at the upscale La Scala is a great lesson in preserving the past while creating the future. A tip of the hat to owners Simon Joseph and Connie Cimato, previously involved in the operation of La Marina on Hertel Avenue.
La Scala’s owners also know how to please the palate. The food is excellent. There are many Italian selections (What would you expect from a restaurant named after Milan’s famous opera house?), as well as seafood, steak and evening specials offering additional options. Gregory Freeland, formerly of Pranzo (bet you’re not surprised), and Christopher Syracuse, formerly of the Buffalo Chop House, oversee the kitchen. While the restaurant is new, the wait staff is experienced. Among the waiters are two veterans—Tony and Bob—formerly at Friar’s Table.
I began my meal with an evening special, a bowl of puree of carrot soup with ginger and small pieces of caramelized pork ($6). It was outstanding. Thick and deep-flavored, it was a perfect for an October evening.
The guest also chose well, starting his meal with an appetizer/salad combo: three large diver scallops wrapped with apple smoked bacon ($11), served with baby spinach tossed with Meyer lemon dressing and accompanied by garlic crostini. The bacon, which still had some bite, was a perfect complement to the sweet scallops. Their presentation on a skewer propped against a tower of bread was very impressive.
Speaking of bread, La Scala’s restaurant-made bread is superb. Varieties we enjoyed during our meal included those made with olives and roasted garlic.
Other appetizers included Asian-style ahi tuna cakes ($10), fire-roasted banana peppers ($9), crab cakes with a rémoulade sauce ($8) and fried calamari served with marinara sauce ($10). There also are several selections from the clam and oyster bar, including raw Malpeque oysters and cherrystone clams with price depending on the size of the order.
We also enjoyed beautifully presented Caesar salads ($8) served with Parmesan cheese crouton, anchovies and prosciutto. Other “insalata” selections included baked goat cheese with roasted red peppers, field greens and sun-dried tomatoes ($9) and a caprese salad with roma tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and red onion ($9).
Italian entrées on the menu include a spicy pasta Bolognese ($16 for a smaller serving, $21 for larger), rigatoni with a tomato vodka cream sauce ($13 and $18) and tripe braised in marinara sauce with sweet peppers ($17).
While I was enticed by the “Bethanjhan” (eggplant stuffed with toasted pine nuts and ground beef, baked in marinara sauce and seved over Mediterranean rice at $18), I ordered the Sicilian-style bracciole ($19). The pork cutlet, rolled around a stuffing that included ground beef and a hard-boiled egg, was excellent. It was served with a side of linguine with marinara sauce.
The guest gave a similar rating to his selection from the evening’s specials, a grilled 14-ounce French pork chop served with a delicious demi-glace made with roasted garlic, brown sugar and Merlot and accompanied by grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes ($23).
Other specials the evening of our visit included grilled blue marlin filet topped with a wild berry, vodka reduction ($25), a 14-ounce veal chop saltimbocca stuffed with fontina cheese, fresh sage and prosciutto served over fig risotto ($38), and broiled golden rainbow trout with smoked bacon, roasted garlic and fresh thyme served over orange and yellow snow crab lentils ($23).
La Scala also has a pizza menu with traditional items, as well as options including prosciutto, fig and sage with Gorgonzola cheese ($11) and rock shrimp with a spicy adobo sauce, roasted red peppers, caramelized onion and mozzarella and fontina cheeses ($11).
While we both were as stuffed as the bracciole, we ordered dessert. I was disappointed that I had to search for the taste of pumpkin in my pumpkin crème brûlée ($6.50). The guest’s key lime pie ($5.50) was good, but is not going to be inducted into the Key Lime Pie Hall of Fame. Other selections available include cannoli, tiramisu, cheesecake with fresh fruit, bananas Foster, sorbets and gelatos.
Reservations are recommended any day of the week at La Scala. It was busy the Wednesday we visited and is only going to get busier as its reputation spreads.
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