Looking out on Main Street at Il Barilotto in Fishkill

Italian cooking denotes a patchwork quilt of regional cuisines, each with a separate, recognizable identity. If there appears to be a unity amidst this diversity, it derives from the common and skillful use of basic products, such as wine, olive oil, fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, meat, poultry, pasta, and strong black coffee. In Italy, these products are universally available but different enough in their particularity so as to be identified by their place of origin. Il Barilotto, a restaurant and wine bar, freely draws on regional Italian and local Hudson Valley products to create a sophisticated Italian cuisine with contemporary flair.

Eduardo Lauria, who was born in Naples and came to this country as a young man, had worked in kitchens since the age of 15. After owning a number of pizza shops, he and his wife, Lucia, eventually realized their dream of opening a restaurant. In 1997, the Laurias bought a property in Wappingers Falls, previously the site of six failed restaurants, and opened Aroma Osteria, a rustic, peasant-style restaurant that features authentic Italian cuisine. That restaurant's success encouraged the couple to create Il Barilotto, which they opened in Fishkill in 2001. This restaurant takes a more modern approach to cooking than Aroma Osteria, utilizing a wide range of ingredients and complex sauces. It also offers a large selection of carefully chosen boutique wines from small Italian vineyards.

A menu hanging in the window at Il Barilotto

Il Barilotto, a storefront-style restaurant that seats 60, has an interior design accented by exposed dark red brick walls. The exquisite, handcrafted mahogany bar serves as both a waiting area and a place to have a drink or dine. The tables and chairs, also made of mahogany, give the restaurant a warm and elegant feel while the candlelit tables create a romantic ambience. An aged wine barrel, from whence the name of the restaurant derives, sits boldly in the center of the dining room. The series of large, framed posters that adorn the walls, depicting Italian food products in a vividly colorful, Art Deco mode, adds a playful touch.

Serving as the lead chef during the initial years both his restaurants opened, Eduardo Lauria continues to work in their kitchens. Il Barilotto's executive chef, Wayne Homsi, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has prior cooking experience working at a number of the best restaurants in New York City, including the Waldorf Astoria's Peacock Alley, Picholine, and Artisanal. He collaborates with Lauria on the menus, which change seasonally, and on the weekly specials. Homsi particularly excels at making sauces, soups, and fish, but cooks a wide range of dishes with professional competence. Scott Rosenberg, the general manager of the restaurant, formerly worked with the famous chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud; he has an excellent command of the extensive wine list and will graciously suggest wines in a variety of price ranges to match one's food selections. The staff is discreet, courteous, and knowledgeable about both the food and the wine.

Il Barilotto's lunch and dinner menus are divided into the traditional Italian categories (antipasto, insalate, contorni, primi, secondi, dolci); the lunch menu also contains a panini category. The menu offerings, displayed in both Italian and English, are indicative of what one might expect at a fine Italian restaurant and are broad enough to meet anyone's preference. Both meat-eaters and vegetarians will feel at home here.

Eduardo Lauria, owner of Il Barilotto and Aroma Osteria

Among the antipasti, the Bruschetta Al Funghi consisted of grilled rustic bread covered with a mélange of wild mushrooms, tomato, garlic, and fresh mozzarella in a portion that could easily accommodate two persons. The Cozze Al Cinzano contains steaming hot Prince Edward Island mussels in a baby tomato, garlic, and Cinzano sweet vermouth broth that begs to be soaked up with bread to the last remaining drop.

One of the specials recently offered, which could be ordered as an antipasto or as a primi dish, was a Tagliolini Al Tartufo Bianco. This dish is made with egg tagliolini, a long homemade pasta, thinner than tagliatelle, that is simply tossed in butter and, after being brought to the table, topped with shavings of fresh white truffles from Alba, located in the southeastern Piedmont region. The white truffle is intensely aromatic and has been described by Anna Del Conte, a renowned expert on Italian food, as "a marriage between a clove of garlic and a great piece of the best Parmesan." White truffles, unlike black truffles, are never cooked; instead, as in this hot dish, they are usually sliced thinly and added at the last moment. These truffles, considered among the best in the world, are rare and therefore expensive, and this dish was no exception. But it is a testament to Eduardo Lauria's passion for great food that he personally brought these truffles back from Italy at the height of their freshness to share with his customers. This dish provided an unforgettable tasting experience one yearns to repeat.

Pan-seared red snapper fillet over white bean puree with roasted baby artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes.

Other primi and secondi dishes include Pappardelle Al Cinghiale, a wide ribbon pasta tossed with a Tuscan-style wild boar ragu; Pennette Al Limoncello, miniature penne pasta with shrimp, Limoncello cream, and fresh peas; Risotto Allo Scoglio, creamy arborio rice simmered with shrimp, calamari, and scallops, and finished with a puree of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs; Lombatina Al Ferri, a grilled, milk-fed veal chop with whipped potatoes, asparagus, and a wild mushroom sauce; Pollo Dorato, a roasted free-range chicken breast with potato croquette, carrots, and haricots verts; and Halibut In Padella, a seared Atlantic Halibut over pesto-stewed artichokes, potatoes, and Gaeta olives.

Aside from the imported selection of sorbets and gelati, the desserts are made on the premises and include a number of delicious cakes and take-offs on classic Italian delicacies. Pera Al Vino Rosso, made of poached winter pears with mascarpone cheese, pistachios, and a recioto (a semi-sweet wine produced in Verona) reduction, which gives the dish an intense bouquet, was a delight to behold, smell, and eat. Also impressive was the Bonnet, a classic Piedmontese dessert that consists of a bittersweet chocolate pudding laced with amaretto and topped with fresh whipped cream. For those who prefer to end their meal with something less sweet, there is a Formaggi Misti, a chef's selection of imported Italian cheese with traditional condiments.

During dinner, antipasti average $9, primi and secondi dishes range from $15 to $27, and desserts cost $7. The wines range from $21 to $170 a bottle. Wine also can be ordered at $7 to $10 per glass.

On Friday and Saturday nights, from 11pm to 2am, Il Barilotto is reconfigured into I. B. Notte. The lights are even further dimmed, the music conveys a jazzy sensuality, and patrons can indulge their palates with savory antipasti or desserts. Wine and cocktails are available as well. Neither a disco nor a nightclub, I. B. Notte more closely resembles a cozy lounge where one can have a quiet, intimate, late-night conversation.

Tara Engberg

Il Barilotto consistently uses high quality, fresh ingredients, prepares them with finesse, and presents dishes in an aesthetically pleasing manner. A distinctive wine list made up exclusively of Italian wines offered at value-added prices is an additional bonus. Here in the Hudson Valley, Il Barilotto represents a taste of Italy at its finest.