Mulino's of Westchester — Restaurant in City of White Plains

A friend of mine raved about this place and upon entering, it was easy to see why. The decor was impressive and it really set the tone for expectations that seemed on par with what I was told.

Unfortunately every staff member there made sure that was NOT the case.

Perhaps it was that I was in golf attire with a half zip sweater, turtleneck, slacks and sneakers, or maybe it’s because my girlfriend and I look younger than our age, but as soon as we were greeted by the maitre-D, it was evident that we were being labeled a lesser class than everyone else.

Checking our reservation was an older gentleman with white hair and a mustache whose suit jacket looked one size too big and breast pocket tucked with a clearly pre-made cardboard handkerchief (cardboard part was showing). He looked us up and down and did not hide his look of disappointment and judgement as if we were going to eat all their bread and order one plate of food to share the whole night. It was as clear as the Christmas lights that decorated the place.

We stated our reservation time and then was led through the restaurant down three steps to a center area. There we made a sharp left and he led us to a small table tucked in the corner behind a round table for 10 occupied by only two ladies sitting there alone. My living room TV was bigger than this table they gave us. I can probably bet money that yours is too.

I had to move my chair for my girlfriend to fit and forced myself into the seat like I was sliding into 500 level seats of a baseball stadium. I would’ve elbowed the lady next to me if reached over to scratch my left shoulder.

But okay, we figured ‘it’s okay, maybe the larger tables were reserved already’ yet as I looked around, the table immediately next to us had enough room for ten with just two people in it. The table diagonally from us seated four with only one couple there. There were three round tables empty with full plate settings and remained empty the whole time we were there.

Okay. Whoosah.

Let’s just enjoy dinner. Maybe the food and experience can make up for it.

Three waiters hovered around as if they were deciding who should waste their time serving our table and after watching each one of them take their turns glancing over, one of them finally makes his way over with menus and asks if tap water is fine. I said okay and he poured our two glasses, put the pitcher in the bucket and left without another word.

After the banquet sized table for 2 next to us received their 2nd or 3rd round of drinks, another waiter, different from the one who poured our waters came and took our orders. I ordered the Caesar salad, the Scarloppine al Tartufo , and the Tortelloni al Prosciutto e Provolone (Xmasmenu). He took our orders and left without another word.

At this point, if you couldn’t tell already, I had already started feeling like we were being treated like second class citizens. My girlfriend is much nicer than I am and asked me to look past it. As she’s trying to console me, we overhear from the table next to us on the other side of the railing that we were stuck sitting against, the waiter there laughing, sharing the specials for the night by memory, and recommending dishes to pair with wine. All of which were never mentioned to us.

After twenty minutes of waiting and watching as two other tables seated after us get served their drinks and food, our food comes out and the waiter warns us that both of our plates are very hot and that the plate of potatoes on the side are complimentary on the house.

The gravy on the veal had formed a film, like oatmeal or melted butter when it’s been sitting on the counter too long and the same was evident in the tortellini. The potatoes were stale and not good. And throughout our meal, not once did anyone check and see if we needed anything or if everything was okay.

The funny thing is that the two ladies at the table sitting next to us were visited every 10 to 15 minutes and…now I’ve reached my word limit.

So much more to say....

Worth every penny. First off I don't like to give 5 stars because that implies it can't be topped. If I never visited another Italian Restaurant again, I would be ok. We were 4 people. My wife had the New Zealand clams in white wine sauce. There were 6 in a portion which she felt was just a little small but ok and they were breaded which she did not know in advance. My friends had eggplant rollitini, there were 4 covered in tomato and cheese, just perfectly seasoned but she could not finish it. Then there were the handmade gnocchi with covered in flambayd Romano cheese. The process is quite wonderfull to watch and is done in the middle of the room in sight of all tables. I quibbed that's just glorified Mac and cheese, but my friend was all smiles and could not be distracted. This must have been the best appetiser. If it was mine was a close second. The Italian name escapes me but it was Tomato with mozzarella and pesto. The presentation was fabulous had two colored tomatoes and some dried and cherry tomatoes. The center was a large ripe beefsteak tomato with soft and sweet mozzarella that tasted as if it had just been made and a drizzel of pesto over the mozzarells. My friends Entrees were equally enjoyed. The orange ruffee was delicately spiced to not overwhelm the light flavors of the fish. He had a butterflied vealchop covered porcini and sauteed portobello mushrooms. It was ordered medium rare and it arrived medium well done but the creation more than made up for the minor glitch. My wife had blackened Sordfish which was a special request and the chef, infact the whole team seemed very well at ease, granting that wish. I had the chicken Scarpariello. They make it with rosemary which I asked to be left out. I had seen several other dishes with capers so I asked for those to be substituted. Our waiter assured me this would be possible, without checking with the kitchen, which makes me think that he was very knowledgeable about the food. The boneless chicken was tender and the portion was just right. We were served scalloped potatoes and asparagus family style. It seemed that just as much care had gone into preparing the sides as the main Dishes. The desert menu was long contained such classics as tiramisu and peach Melba. My friends had Italian cheese cake and Peach Melba. My wife had seedless oranges in Grand Manier was not flambayd and came with a garnish of a strawberry. Prices: 10-20 for appetiser and about 40 for entrees. The tables are perfectly set. The wait staff is attentive and upscale. The colors and lighting are tastefull. The bar and waiting area are comfortable and you can even sneak a peek of the game...

On November 17, I dined at Mulino's of Westchester for the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week with my family. My parents have been here for Christmas parties years ago, so I have only ever heard about this restaurant but I had not been there until this date.

Guests will have to walk downstairs upon arrival into the facility. Many should notice they are so decked out for Christmas already! There were many Christmas decorations all throughout the restaurant. We were seated immediately without a reservation on a Thursday night.

Our meal began with complimentary freshly cut parmigiano reggiano cheese and sweet/hot sopressata. I did not realize at first, but when the waiters were finished giving this to people at their tables, it was placed on a ledge behind my table -- this meant I could have turned around and taken some sopressata and cheese with my hands. In my opinion, this should be kept out of the customers reach, especially for sanitary purposes. We decided to order the fish tower -- something Mulino's is known for. However, it was $90 for 4 colossal-sized shrimp, oysters, and clams!

I ordered the Bufala Mozzarella for my appetizer, the Pollo Milanese Con Arugula (Chicken Milanese With Arugula), and the Vanilla "Gelato" (It was actually vanilla ice cream, even though the menu falsely labels this as gelato. Gelato and Ice Cream are NOT the same!)

During our meal, the service became gradually slower and slower. There was a server cooking pasta in a cheese wheel and heating it at a party's table. However, I feel that this restaurant puts more effort into the appearance than the quality of the service. The food was decent, but average at best considering the expensiveness!

Here is where our dining experience became interesting: We were served our DESSERT BEFORE DINNER! This made the restaurant seem to be unorganized. I cannot recall the last time that a restaurant sent out our dessert before dinner. Thankfully, our waiter corrected the mistake and brought the desserts into the kitchen. After this, we were served complimentary scalloped potatoes, which I found to be delightful. Also, we were given a hot towel with a lemon on top. I do not feel like it is sensible in a restaurant setting (that would be more commonly seen in a nail salon!). It may have been to clean our hands, I do not know of any other restaurant that still does that. It makes the establishment seem outdated and beyond its years.

Overall, for three people the total bill was well over $300! I would only return for a...