256768 Fri Apr 28 12:06:49 -0700 2006 2 20 Tristate Region 0 1358621 In my search for tapas in Westchester (or a "small plates" place) I came across Aperitivo Plus in Larchmont. Has anyone tried it? Menu looks enticing. http://www.aperitivoplus.com/dinner.html Fri Apr 28 12:06:49 -0700 2006 0 Dim Sum Diva 1 1358626 This place is ok.. its actually an old fashioned italian deli where you can buy salami, frozen/fresh pasta, cooked items and such. They've expanded it for lunch/dinner service - its a bit cramped, and the service is not very quick, small portions, too. They do have a nice wine selection, though.. but its not the best for big groups. I was there last summer with some friends, and later we went to the Mexican place next door for more food/drinks. Fri Apr 28 14:27:39 -0700 2006 1358621 0 sweptaway 2 1358648 We went to this restaurant for some "small bites" for our anniversary. When we got there, we realized that we had been there before for our anniversary when it was a seafood place. We ordered the salad with green grapes which was garnished with ham wrapped around chunks of goat cheese. Indeed, these were small plates (more like "medium" plates) Different and very nice. Then we had shrimp wrapped in pancetta (there were about 6-8 shrimp on the plate), garnished with more salad greens. Again, we liked it. These plates were in the $8-10 range. In view of SweptAway's comment, I was beginning to worry that we were going to go away hungry. Then we had a cheese platter with 5 cheeses. It was nice but didn't come with crackers or fruit (just a dollop of some sort of fruit paste in the middle) and the waiter could not identify all of the cheeses on the plate (he was basically useless). We asked and received more bread. Fortunately the owner paid us a lot of attention. We ordered wine by the glass (I unfortunately based mine on the recommendation from the useless waiter) and when the owner noticed that I didn't like it, he was very nice about switching it after asking questions to see what I was after. Turns out he spent some time in Napa Valley studying wine. You gotta appreciate a guy who takes his business so seriously and doesn't act pretentious about it. Then we split a pasta dish, the risotto w/ mushrooms. The plate was three risotto "cakes" which a creamy mushroom sauce (the cakes were remniscent of those from Gedney Grille in White Plains, R.I.P.). The cakes were perfect, crunchy crust on the bottom, cheesy throughout without being gummy, flavorful, rice cooked perfectly. And very filling! We saved a little room for dessert and had the caramel banana tirimisu. It was a graham cracker crust, mascarpone cheese & bananas with a dark chocolate sauce on top. We liked it and I asked the waiter if they made it at the restaurant. He said yes and just then the chef who made it walked by. I complemented him on it, he found out it was our anniversary and insisted that it be taken off of our check. For 3 "small plates" and the risotto, 2 glasses of wine, it was about $68. There was a live band setting up for the evening, but we left before they started. The restaurant also has special wine tasting nights and a mother's day menu. You can also eat at the bar. We enjoyed this experience, it really was out of the ordinary and it was refreshing to find an owner who really goes above and beyond. You really want him to make it! There were plenty of other dishes we would go back and try. If you want something a little different, give it a go. Sun Apr 30 09:24:39 -0700 2006 1358626 0 Dim Sum Diva