Casa di Fratelli offers traditional dishes and notable specials
Casa di Fratelli is a fitting name for Westbury’s newest Italian eatery, which is run by four brothers with a passion for making guests feel like family.
This is not the Valle brothers’ first foray into Italian dining, one sibling owns Milito’s (formerly La Spada) in Huntington, and prior to that they owned a restaurant in Glen Cove. With Casa di Fratelli, they bring their take on traditional Italian dishes, as well as a variety of specials, to the eager tastebuds of Nassau’s eaters.
“A lot of the dishes have been following us for the last 15 years. We have popular dishes that have been on our menus for a long time,” said co-owner Giovanni Valle.
Among those dishes is the cavatelli forestiera, a signature pasta that includes sautéed mushrooms, shallots and prosciutto in a marsala sauce with mascarpone cheese. Marsala sauce also makes an appearance with the veal chestnut: thinly sliced cuts of veal sautéed with mushroom, sun dried tomatoes and roasted chestnuts. Diners looking for a vegetarian option will delight in the popular pappardella siciliana, a light but filling pasta dish with tomato sauce, diced eggplant, basil and fresh ricotta cheese.
The menu also includes plenty of traditional offerings. Their parmigiana plates—available in shrimp, veal, chicken and eggplant—are some of their top sellers. Especially of note is their eggplant parmigiana. The chicken marsala and francese are both solid choices, as is the penne a la vodka, which is flavorful and rich without being heavy.
The restaurant’s specials menu rotates out depending on what’s in season, and during a recent visit, the true stand-out was the perfectly cooked roasted filet of salmon, served atop a bed of savory risotto with butternut squash and spinach. Also leaving an impression were the zucchini flowers, featuring crispy garden-fresh zucchini packed with four types of warm, melty cheese.
Casa di Fratelli doesn’t disappoint with their homemade desserts either. The flaky Napoleon cake is a creamy custard dream, while the chocolate mousse will satisfy any sweet tooth. Another worthy contender for best dessert is the strawberry zabaione, fresh strawberries topped with homemade marsala zabaione and garnished with crumbled biscotti.
The eatery’s location is both a blessing and a curse. Located at 477 Old Country Rd., the restaurant is easily accessible (and even has a parking lot in back) as well as is highly visible to the thousands that come through the main thoroughfare; however, it faces steep competition from both chains and smaller, well-established ventures that are just a few blocks away in any direction.
But Valle is confident the familial environment and high quality fare sets it apart from the other contenders. Since opening at the end of January, business has been good, he said, especially on weekends.
“It’s a family business,” Valle said. “We try to build a relationship with customers. We don’t want to be like the typical place that rushes people out but when people come in. We want it to be like they’re at home.”
They currently offer happy hour specials Tuesday through Friday, and Valle said they’re also going to be having live Italian music on Thursday nights.
Find out more by calling 516-385-3700 or visiting www.casadifratelli.com.
