Jason M.
Yelp
Felice was first brought to my attention via a LoHud article highlighting new restaurants coming to Westchester. Felice stood out to me for two reasons - firstly it was replacing Saltaire in Port Chester which I didn't now had closed and was a fan of, secondly because this seemed to be a trendy restaurant with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and South Florida. Though I am naturally wary of Italian restaurants, I nevertheless wanted to try them for myself - so I made plans with my parents and booked a table for dinner.
Felice (pronounced Fell-eet-cHe) is housed in an old granary warehouse in the commercial heart of Port Chester. Post warehouse, the spaced housed a few restaurants - most recently the aforementioned Saltaire. The interior got a nice refresh with Felice moving in; the bones are still there such as the high ceilings and exposed brick, but the updated layout and color scheme makes more its own space vs. something inherited. The interior is split into two rooms - to the right after entry is the main dining room, and to the left is the bar area which also has additional tables.
The menu is mostly Italian fare; the restaurant markets itself as serving Tuscan-inspired dishes, though there is definitely some Southern Italian here as evidenced by the red sauce dishes and pizza. The menu is divided into apps, salads, pastas, and mains. We decided to start with several apps - meatballs, arancini, ricotta, and eggplant parm. These were all delicious - I was especially impressed with the eggplant as it was prepared really well. Their red sauce kinda shook me to be honest; my family makes their own tomato sauce and it's really hard to find one in restaurants that compares - especially in Westchester. This was one of the better ones I've had so kudos to them.
For my main I felt like pasta - the lasagna was speaking to me so I went with that. This was somewhat unique in that it was made up of spinach pasta sheets, veal ragout, and béchamel in addition to red sauce. The dish was delicious - I personally don't think the spinach added much to the pasta sheets, but it was a nice change from traditional pasta regardless. The béchamel complemented the red sauce well, and it was just enough that it added a richness without being overwhelming. We had to try dessert, and I decided to go with the chocolate hazelnut cake. This was pretty good - it was kind of rich but that was expected; tasty with a good balance of flavors regardless. I want to try their tiramisu next time as I heard it's made in-house - regrets.
Service was great - food came out at a good pace and everyone we interacted with was very friendly. Management was on the floor assisting where need be and making sure that everyone was taken care of, I imagine because they've only been open for three weeks and may still be getting their footing - regardless of the reason it was good to see.
Overall, Felice exceeded my expectations. The service was great and the food was delicious - especially that red sauce which really made this experience memorable for me. It's so hard to find good Italian food in Westchester, so Felice is definitely a welcome addition to the county. I would definitely return for another meal and wish the team all the best as they embark on this new venture.
