Food Review: ALL'ANTICA

Written by Erica Getto

All’Antica, Italian for “old fashioned,” seems to be a foreign concept in a society that is constantly searching for the new. Yet, taking a step back from the onslaught of new technology and avant-garde styles, finding “old fashioned” Italian cuisine has recently become a lot easier, not to mention more delicious, with the opening of the restaurant and pizzeria All’Antica on Depot Place.

With seating for only thirteen guests, this restaurant may be a bit tiny, with rustic decorations that recreate an Italian setting. After tasting any item on All’Antica’s menu, patrons will forget the location as they taste the fresh ingredients and exciting flavors in All’Antica’s deliciously innovative dishes.

Even the traditional basics such as their brick oven pizzas differ from the multitude of pizzas in the surrounding Scarsdale area. Going against what has become the pizza norm, All’Antica’s pie is uniquely inverted: the cheese lies underneath the sauce.

Plain pizza aside, All’Antica includes more exclusive pies, such as the Pollo Classico, which is made with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce, and sautéed sliced chicken breast. Another one of their unique creations is the Contadini Pizza, which includes mozzarella, thin slices of potatoes, prosciutto, and fresh herbs. Finally, my favorite, the Melanzana Pizza is made of mozzarella, sautéed eggplant, plum tomato, basil, and crumbled gorgonzola. The unusual flavors of the Melanzana slice, particularly the contrast between the thinly sliced, crispy eggplant, the melted mozzarella, and the sharp gorgonzola all come together perfectly to produce a high-quality and delightful slice of pizza.

Although each individual slice is slightly smaller than those at other local pizzerias, I found this size to be a perfect portion- satisfying yet not too heavy. One of All’Antica’s pies costs about $20.00, and a slice costs about $4.00, expensive when compared to the $1.75-$3.50 slices that other local pizzerias offer. However, the ingredients that All’Antica uses are all fresh, and each slice hosts a number of toppings that cover the entire surface of the pizza.

Other than pizza, the restaurant offers a wide variety of pasta dishes and main courses. Customers can choose to have linguini, penne, or campanile pasta; the large portions of All’Antica’s main courses allowed us to try samples of each dish. My favorite was the Sambuca Shrimp pasta, which was comprised of a generous amount of shrimp, fresh tomato chunks, and spinach over penne pasta. The dish as a whole was awesome, although I would have been satisfied eating each element of this dish on its own, as the shrimp were cooked perfectly, the vegetables were moist and plentiful, and the pasta was al-dente.

My main concern with All’Antica is the restaurant’s location and accessibility; it is situated in an area with inadequate parking and has only limited seating. Rather than chancing a spot on Depot Place, I would advise parking in the village and walking to the other side of the train tracks to eat in the restaurant. All’Antica does not accept credit cards and does not deliver.

Each one of my family members had different “favorites” from the menu, proving the diversity that All’Antica has developed among its dishes and showing its care toward satisfying different tastes and palettes. Not only does All’Antica provide its customers with delicious Italian cuisine, but it also reminds us of the importance of simplicity and community. So bring a friend and grab a slice- because in today’s fast-paced, constantly changing society, all of us need a little bit of All’Antica.

All’Antica is open on Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and from 12:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. It is not open on Sunday. All’Antica is located at 8 Depot Pl. (914) 472-4848.