Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Pleasantville

vela kitchen is a go-to in my family for meeting up with friends for dinner. It’s warm, friendly and the food is always sensational. Get the mussels in white wine sauce. You won’t regret it.

The best! Consistently excellent; food, cocktails, service, ambience. Menu has a great mix of steak, seafood, pastas.. all with a Mediterranean flair. The calamari appetizer is a MUST, very different than the fried calamari you can get anywhere else. The baklava cheesecake is such a great representation of the menu as a whole: cheesecake (a steakhouse classic) but creatively made with a phyllo dough crust - the combination you never knew you needed until now. The owner, Mentor, is very involved in the business and really hustles throughout service. He’s remembered us every time since our very first visit. Most recently saving us our favorite spots at the bar on Valentine’s Day which I felt exceptionally grateful for considering that holiday can be stressful with reservations. Will be back again and again!

Valentine’s Day is always difficult at a restaurant but it could not have been nicer. From the welcome we received at the front (big smiles, coat check, etc) through dessert and a complimentary rose on leaving, it was a magical evening. The food was delicious and the service was impeccable.

We don't usually do Valentine's Day dinner but we are longtime fans of Chef Peter Kelly's culinary skills, innovative menus, great cocktails, and fabulous service, and had been to Basso 56 before but have been wanting to try Chef Kelly's new location. So this seemed like a great excuse to check it and it did NOT disappoint. Great wine list, exciting cocktail menu, awesome service, and amazing and innovative menu but yet able to accommodate 2 dietary restrictions in our party of 4 without a problem or hesitation. And Chef Kelly made the rounds in the dining room twice during our meal and was as friendly and gracious as always. Sorry no pictures but everything was presented beautifully and absolutely delicious. Salads were fresh and light, grilled octopus was terrific, shrimp with truffle special appetizer was outstanding, branzino was cooked perfectly, all the pastas are made in-house and delicious, and while not on the menu, they made a cacio e pepe for one of our guests who had a dietary need and it was outstanding, especially since it was a very busy night. We will definitely be back soon!

Service is always great. Had the Chicken Scarpariella and it was off the charts delicious. This is THE go to Italian restaurant to visit if you’re north of Arthur Avenue!