HVRW: Casa Brusco in Eastchester
Sally Veltidi, guest blogger from Casa Brusco in Eastchester.
Yes it is less than 24 hours later and I am enjoying another HVRW meal. This time I had lunch in Eastchester’s Casa Brusco located on 219 Main Street. Luckily this was one of the establishments on the street that had power! My good friend Cristina and I took a break from our day and ventured over on this sunny afternoon. We were able to get a parking spot on the street (metered), but Casa Brusco features complimentary valet parking on weekend evenings.
As we walked in and were seated near the window, we were immediately asked what we would like to drink. Opting for water and diet sodas, since it was the afternoon and a work day, we were eager to look over the menu. Casa Brusco has the same menu during Restaurant Week for both Lunch and Dinner. They sightly scale back the lunch portions, but as you will see from the photos below the portions are still a healthy size.
Cristina and IÂ decided it would be best to share everything so we can make the most of our experience. For appetizers we ordered “insalata di mare” chilled “seafood salad” of scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari.
This salad had a good variety of seafood, with a light dressing and mixed greens. For this warm spring day it was a great way to have something light, yet flavorful to enjoy. We also ordered: “Angry Mussels arrabbiata” steamed and slightly spicy mussels with crusted tomato, chilis, garlic, white wine served on crisp tuscan bread.
These mussels were to die for!
The description fits them perfectly, they were slightly spicy and steamed to perfection. Cristina traditionally does not like mussels since she feels they tend to be “chewy”, but these were the complete opposite; they were so tender and the flavor was spot on. After we finished the entire bowl, we were reaching for the bread to sop up the sauce. As you can see from the picture this was a large bowl, with large mussels.  What a great choice, our favorite part of the meal!
After the appetizers we couldn’t believe we still had an entree and dessert! For the first entree we ordered “Home made shrimp ravioli” filled with shrimp and asparagus in fresh tomato and sage sauce.
These raviolis were very tasty and light. They were stuffed perfectly with an even combination of shrimp and asparagus. What I liked the best was that they did not have any cheese in them. Some places will state shrimp and asparagus and add cheese to the mix to fill the pasta, but not here. The raviolis were completed filled with the advertised contents. The tomato and sage sauce was a nice compliment to the dish, and did not overpower the taste of the ravioli.
We also ordered “Two medallion petite filet mignons” with portobello mushrooms, barolo reduction, mashed potatoes and spinach.
The filets were cooked to perfection (we ordered it medium), and tasted great! People who know me, especially my parents, are going to be surprised that I even ordered the filet. I probably have not eaten red meat in 10 years. But I was very happy with this choice, what a great dish to venture back into the red meat world. The porta\obello mushrooms were the perfect size and placed nicely on the top of the filets. The spinach and mashed potatoes were excellent and the barolo reduction that was all over the plate was not overpowering and a great addition to the dish.
If the first four dishes were not enough we still had dessert! Tiramisu:
Another dish that Cristina traditionally does not choose to try, but again she was pleasantly surprised by the taste. The lady fingers were light and the cream was very smooth. I enjoyed this dessert a great deal. We also ordered the Ricotta Cheesecake:
Another good choice and you could tell a lot of time went into making this cheesecake. It had a nice flavor and was a great way to end an excellent meal.
Throughout the meal our waiter was very attentive, checking back with us to make sure we didn’t need anything and re-filling our sodas and waters. The Manager Greg De Beech also checked in with us several times. He was very friendly and informative. You could tell he loved working there and was very proud of the meals he was sending out to the guests. Greg did state that they were extremely busy on Tuesday evening from the HVRW, so calling ahead for reservations maybe a good idea.
Another great HVRW dining experience!
Photo Caption: Mussels small
