ALTHOUGH neoned pizza places and spaghetti joints now dot Tarrytown's business streets, Lago di Como since 1986 has been just about the only place in town for diners craving Italian cuisine in gentle, polished, yet informal surroundings.
The first impressions the customer receives -- conveyed through the greeting at the door and the first foods to reach the table -- say a lot. Service here is brusque; the greeter waited impatiently while we hung our coats at the entrance. At table, before quickly disappearing, a server once brought a saucer of olive oil and no bread; another time old wet breads arrived without butter or oil. Considering its years of experience, this management should know better.
A lagniappe came to every table, a good thing as there was a long wait before more substantial dishes arrived. Although the diner can do little about the service and some of the food preparation, there are strategies for having an agreeable meal here. Entrees are dicey. But have an appetizer and an entree portion of pasta and leave happy.
Baby octopus was remarkably tender and delicious, having taken on overtones of smokiness from the grill. Garnished with a small dice of tomato, a handful of shrimp with a satisfying bite topped crisped bruschetta, the bread neatly soaking up the garlicky sautéeing juices. Or try the lightly smoked tuna carpaccio, cut in impossibly thin wafers and served on a salad (which needed dressing) of chopped endive and radicchio. Raw beef carpaccio, Parmesan, olive oil and lemon have always been a sure-fire combination, and the dish tasted better than it looked. The crudely hacked slices of beef could have been cut with a butter knife.
All pastas are freshly made, available in appetizer as well as in entree portions; and those we sampled were terrific. Because of its satisfying texture, pappardelle is one of the great noodles. Flat, broad and crimped at the edges, it has the integrity to carry rich meaty sauces. But here it was mingled with a sauté of radicchio, endive and zucchini, to good effect. Tossed in a pan with scallions, tomato and chopped arugula, spaghetti al cipollotto made another flavorful pasta and salad combination. Sturdy meat sauce, which came with a special of slender tagliarini, is often on hand and would have been fine on any of the heavier pastas. Ask for them.
Among the entrees, rack of lamb was properly done, if quite plain. The same could be said of unimaginatively prepared vegetables -- carrots, zucchini. Fillet of trout (trota al cartoccio) is worth a try. The fish was steamed with fresh mussels and tiny vongole in a sealed sack of parchment, which, when cut, released a wonderful aroma.
There was nothing to recommend an ill-conceived special of salmon topped with a thick piping of mashed potatoes and served with cold and astringent zucchini purée. The kitchen seemed oblivious to the tough, dry wafers of pork (scallopine di maiale) and of chicken with mushrooms (called pollo alla'aglio).
Desserts like chocolate cake and crème brûlée were nothing to clamor for.
Service left much to be desired. Unless they spoke up, diners were shown to the noisy back dining room. Even in a half empty restaurant, service was hectic and very much on the fly; a wine glass was refilled by a server who was still moving past the table.
A three-course dinner averages $34 without drinks, tax and tip. The restaurant is west of Broadway and across the street from a municipal parking lot.
Lago di Como
27 Main Street, Tarrytown.
(914) 631-7227.
SATISFACTORY
ATMOSPHERE A string of dining areas includes a pretty, inviting alcove at the entrance, a compact center room and a mirrored, noisy back room papered in a pleasant paisley print. Service can be ungracious as it tries but fails to be efficient.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Grilled octopus, shrimp on bruschetta, pappardelle with radicchio and endive (alle insalate), tagliarini with meat sauce, spaghetti al cipollotto, rack of lamb.
PRICES Lunch, main dishes, $8 to $14. Dinner, main dishes, $12.50 to $24.50.
CREDIT CARDS Major cards accepted.
HOURS Lunch, Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 2:30 p.m. Dinner, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m.; Sundays, 4 to 10 p.m.
RESERVATIONS Accepted.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Street level.
THE RATINGS Excellent, Very good, Good, Satisfactory, Poor.
Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction primarily to food, with ambience and service taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
