THERE’S a new kid in town. John’s Best Pizza in Mount Kisco — around for so long that it might have been eligible for landmark status — has been replaced by Brio Mediterranean, a larger restaurant with a lounge and an ambitious pan-Mediterranean menu.
In this newcomer’s expanded space, a reception area at the main entrance separates the roomy bar and lounge from the main dining room. A sizable second dining room opens on weekends and can be closed off for private parties.
The concept here is a trendy one, in line with today’s diners’ growing appreciation of a more international menu. (Note the proliferation of pan-Asian restaurants.) By offering a pan-Mediterranean menu, Brio celebrates the variety offered by lands edging the Mediterranean, where crops of olives, tomatoes and lemons, for example, are handled differently in each region. It seems, however, that this kitchen aims to cover the nuances in all of them, an ambition that can be risky.
A section of the menu is devoted to meze, a welcome idea. Since the meze are not displayed but assembled in the kitchen, diners may be surprised when heaping bowls arrive. These are not dainty hors d’oeuvres, but they make satisfying and interesting bar food and are terrific to share over a drink.
The meze we tried — all satisfying — included coarse-chopped artichoke hearts, the real thing, with just enough dressing to moisten the leaves and hearts; shrimp salad with chives; a dense duck liver pâté; and hummus and goat cheese in olive oil.
Additional choices for starters are listed in the antipasti section of the menu. Turkish cigars (lamb in pastry) came ready to be dipped in cucumber or peppery harissa sauces. But without a punch of garlic, the broth for fresh mussels (a special) could have been food for invalids, and rubbery clams with chorizo suffered from salt overkill, a problem here with a few other dishes as well.
The long menu is daunting.
Entree preparations were the most inconsistent. Judging from three visits, the same hand wasn’t always stirring the pot. Two times, almost every dish was more than passable; one time, almost every dish was unacceptable.
We had good luck ordering spicy monkfish set on couscous, spinach on the side; and with juicy, honey-glazed breast of duck. Smoky jumbo shrimp with buttery shredded vegetables would have been a winner had the accompanying risotto cake not been almost as firm as a hockey puck.
With other entrees, the kitchen seemed to need more practice. Ravioli were seriously undercooked, but their creamy sauce punctuated with dried cranberry delighted eye and tongue. Meaty duck sauce did little to enliven pappardelle that were too thick — a pity. Juicy scallops and shrimp were significantly oversalted. Billed as having a chermoula rub, snapper tasted as if it had been rubbed with nothing more than flour. The most unbalanced travesty was branzino — that delicate fish was unseasoned, overcooked, buried under salty olives and crowded with an enormous stack of string beans.
Desserts were iffy as well. In our samplings only the free-form Napoleon was satisfyingly sweet and rich, with triangles of airy pastry separating layers of mascarpone and candied orange. The chocolate in the mousse offering had no depth. The lime tart, based on a thick cookie crust, was bland and weighty.
While the kitchen streamlines and focuses, this new and nifty space — particularly the comfy bar and the lounge area — is worth a cautious visit.
Brio Mediterranean
353 North Bedford Road
(Route 117)
Mount Kisco
(914) 241-2447
www.brioristorante.com
SATISFACTORY
THE SPACE Former pizza place, renovated and expanded with subtle color palate and woodwork detail. Laminate table tops are unpleasantly slippery under condensation from water glasses. When weather permits, French doors open to a charming patio under grape vines. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD Casually but neatly dressed neighborhood crowd. Well-meaning but hovering service can be annoying.
THE BAR Big attractive bar and lounge. Wine list is short with decent, reasonably priced selections.
THE BILL From the meze table: $8 for one dish to $22 for three dishes. Appetizers, salads and pizzas: $11 to $15. Entrees: $21 to $39.
WHAT WE LIKE Marinated artichoke hearts, shrimp salad, Turkish cigars. And from a menu still being tweaked: monkfish (special), duck breast with risotto, napoleon.
IF YOU GO Lunch: Monday to Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. Dinner: Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. Large parking lot in back.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2007
