In Our Backyard: LILO Pizza & Bistro
When a neighbor described the recently opened LILO Pizza & Bistro in the Tappan Plaza as a little piece of Manhattan, my interest was piqued. I mean, let’s face it, shoehorned in between a dusty train store and the fabulously tacky V&S Variety, the glam factor is zero. And when I learned that this is where owner Rick Pellegrino (former owner of Babbo Pizza in Piermont) “wants to make pizza sexy again,” I knew I had to go.
Sure enough — step inside and LILO sheds the suburban blight of Route 303 like Sophia Loren tossing off a cheap overcoat. With pizza ovens up front and snug, warmly lit banquettes of dark paneled wood in back, this elegantly modest Italian American restaurant promises a good time. And with a few missteps, it delivers.
If you had a Nona (the Italian grandmother we all wish we had), LILO offers essentially everything she would make after pronouncing you too thin. There’s classic hot and cold antipasto; chicken, seafood, veal and beef entrees modified over generations from their southern Italian roots; salads featuring shellfish or mozzarella or simple greens; and the usual cheesecake, cannoli and tiramisu for dessert.
There’s also a generous selection of pizzas, pastas and heroes – presumably catering to the lunch and take-out crowd (delivery is free). Not glamorous, but cohesive, unpretentious and varied enough to survive multiple visits.
So how’s the taste?
My mixed green salad with pears and blue cheese (a special and the least Italian item on the menu) arrived lightly dressed and studded with yummy bits of nut brittle balancing the cheese and crisp greens perfectly. The Filet of Sole Oreganata, however, was a disappointment. Flavorful and delicately seasoned, it was mushy as only inferior sole can be. The clams in my tablemates’ Clams Sada were a little tough, but still tasty and the Bowtie San Martino (grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, pesto and fresh broccoli over bowtie pasta) was unremarkable, but satisfying. The pasta in both these dishes was nicely al dente.
A second visit yielded superbly hot and crunchy zucchini sticks and a mixed salad with garlicky Italian vinaigrette that I’d love to duplicate at home. An entrée of Rigatoni Bolognese was just the right ratio of meat to succulent, creamy sauce, but sadly, my humble sausage and peppers were outgunned by a too sweet tomato puree.
Did I mind that the food was good, but not stellar? I did not. LILO has a great vibe. Between the friendly and attentive wait staff and a price point averaging about $30 per person including drinks, LILO’s congenial atmosphere made me want to hang around and see how sexy pizza can get.
LILO Pizza & Bistro
31B Route 303
Tappan, NY
(845) 398-1024
lilopizza.com