Business Profile: Orfino’s Restaurant, Briarcliff Manor

 Dine at Orfino’s Restaurant in Briarcliff Manor and you won’t only get great Italian food but you might make new friends while you’re there.

When owners Linda and Michael Orfino took over the family-owned establishment from Michael’s parents, they forged a new identity in the local dining scene.

Originally opened in 1982 as a breakfast and lunch place, the couple changed the focus to lunch and dinner. The 100-seat restaurant, which they moved into from across the street on Pleasantville Road about three and a half years ago, has a cozy rustic charm.

What hasn’t changed is the emphasis on friendly service.

“What I wanted was to bring the feeling of my small place into the larger place,” Linda Orfino said. “I wanted to have that homey feeling where you walk in and feel comfortable and feel at home, which is important. By the time you’re here a second time you’re family.”

Service is one essential ingredient for a successful restaurant, but you also have to have delicious food to make the grade. The couple credits their 30-year-old son Michael Jr., who joined the business five years ago and is now the head chef, with making Orfino’s a top-notch restaurant. His father praises his talents.

“Probably one of the best cooks I’ve ever had,” the elder Orfino said.

The restaurant features all the old tried and true Italian favorites – chicken, veal and eggplant parmigiana as well as an array of pasta and sauces. But Orfino’s experiments with new dishes that reflect the public’s changing tastes and emphasis on eating more healthfully.

One of the more popular newer dishes is sole with white bean, a pan seared filet of sole sautéed with cannoli beans, garlic, lemon and white wine.

Another favorite is the tagliatelle Bolognese, a delicious mix of pork, beef and veal sautéed with celery, onions, garlic, plum tomato and a touch of cream.

The menu changes seasonally, taking advantage of the freshest produce and ingredients while temporarily putting away heavier entrees for the summer like the osso bucco, Linda said.

However, even if something isn’t on the menu patrons are encouraged to ask.

“If we have the ingredients we’ll make it,” Linda said. “You come in here, you want your own dish, we’ll make it.”

Wednesday is pasta night, where there’s a choice of 20 different pastas, with a salad. There’s also a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $29.95, which includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert.

Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where Orfino’s is transformed into a traditional American sandwich shop, with a wide selection of panninis, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and salads.

About four months ago, Orfino’s introduced a personal size wood-fired grilled pizza, with an assortment of toppings.

“That’s why we have a little bit of everything,” Michael said. “You want them to come back. You don’t want them going across the street because we don’t have pizza.”

The restaurant has a full bar and a cappuccino machine, one of the first in the area to be able to serve that favorite Italian drink when Michael and his mother opened.

Then there are the mouth-watering desserts. Cannolis, Italian cheesecake, spumoni, tiramisu and the gelatos and sorbets are available Two of Linda’s favorites are the Nutella calzone (Nutella and banana in a warm pasty rolled in cinnamon with vanilla ice cream) and the Coppa Pistachio (custard gelato swirled with chocolate and pistachio gelato topped with praline pistachios).

Orfino’s does on- and off-site catering for all special occasions.

For Linda, who holds master’s degrees in accounting and social work, there’s no place else she’d rather be working.

“I love what I’m doing,” she said. “I can’t explain it. There’s nothing better to me than on a Saturday night, everything is done and I hear people at the table laughing and chatting.”

Orfino’s Restaurant is located at 1120 Pleasantville Rd. in Briarcliff Manor. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. All major credit cards are accepted. For more information, call 914-941-7353 or visit www.orfinosrestaurant.com.