In Italian, “azzurri” means blue and for a new Hartsdale eatery, the word depicts both the color of, and the cultural tradition behind, the business.
Like the official color of the Italian monarchs ”“ and national sports teams ”“ the owners of Caffé Azzurri Wine Bar & Restaurant offer “New American cuisine with an Italian flair.”
“You will find small hints of Mediterranean as well as some Asian,” said Girolamo (Jerry) Colella, who co-owns the restaurant with partner Michael Agrusa. “Every night we will offer daily specials and do a fish of the day. The idea behind the area of the lounge and the bar is to offer a café menu with choices off of the appetizer list and a couple of entrée choices will be made into small plates.”
Prices for appetizers range from $10 to $16, $18 to $22 for fresh pasta dishes and $18 to $36 for higher-end dishes, like veal chops or filet mignon, Colella said.
“Piave in a sense was more rustic, I would say,” Colella said of the café”™s predecessor, now converted to Caffé Azzurri. “You had an antipasti bar in the middle of the room, more traditional Italian dishes, whereas we”™re more eclectic. And also, the addition of the wine bar theme and offering a wide range of wines by the glass as well as by the bottle is just a different feel.”
The 2,400-square-foot space on North Central Avenue is essentially broken into three tiers.
A mahogany bar greets guests as they enter the restaurant.
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Dark hard wood floors segue into the lounge area, where the wine bar, cushioned seating and low-rise tables are placed.
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The lounge then transitions into the dining room, which is characterized by carpeting and candlelight for a softer feel.
Though Colella thinks the wine-bar theme will attract a younger crowd, he still hopes to draw patrons to a warm environment “where people are hugging and kissing,” the sort of spot Colella grew accustomed to when operating restaurant Valentino”™s of Park Ridge in New Jersey with his father.
“I like the family-oriented atmosphere where I know customers by name,” he said. “Our goal is to hopefully succeed in the area. We want our clientele to enjoy the atmosphere and surroundings. And we want everyone to enjoy the food and wine we”™re putting out.”
Gerry Houlihan of Houlihan Business Brokers in Bronxville was engaged by the owners of Piave to list the restaurant last January and Paul Ficalora of Houlihan brokered the sale.
Houlihan Business Brokers recently sold the Mexican restaurant Blue Moon Café in Hastings-on-Hudson, which reopened as Rainwater Grill, a contemporary American establishment.
The cost of renovation for Caffé Azzurri was roughly a little under $1 million, according to Colella.
The website is caffeazzurri.com.
