After a one-month delay, chef Dante Boccuzzi’s long-anticipated restaurant,
Dante, opened this past Saturday, Sept. 29, in Valley View, in the space that was formerly Lockkeepers.
We haven’t had a chance to dine there yet, but we did stop in last night to take a gander at the menu, a small, chic, and eclectic lineup that ranges from Hudson Valley foie gras, caviar, and corn & shrimp chowder, to handmade spaghetti with ragu Bolognese, and a “Surf & Turf” entrée, featuring dayboat scallops and braised shortribs.
Prices – which aren’t posted yet on the
website – are equally diverse. At dinner, for instance, apps and salads fall mostly in the $9-12 range, and a house-cured charcuterie sampler is pegged at $15; but for real big spenders, a tasting of Californian osetra caviar breaches the $100 barrier. Entrees – yummy sounding preparations of skate, trout, salmon, lamb, beef, veal, chicken, and more -- range from the low $20s to the mid $40s. And as for the handful of out-of-the-ordinary pasta dishes, prices are set at $18 for full-sized portions, but they can also be had in less expensive “tasting” and “starter” sized servings.
The upshot, apparently, is a spot where a budget-conscious couple could dine well for less than $80, while showoffs could spend bucks by the wheelbarrow.
Get your finances in order and head on over. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A mid-day menu kicks in, from 3 to 5 p.m. And dinner hours run from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Reservations, particularly for weekends, would be wise. ---
Elaine T. Cicora
