Fortina in Rye Brook is now open
Megan McCaffrey, mmccaffrey@lohud.com
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Christian Petroni opened Fortina in Armonk in 2013 with his partners John Nealon and Rob Kraus, but he barely remembers a thing.

“It was a crazy blur,” he says. “But I had this yellow pad, and wrote everything down during the opening.”

That yellow pad is still around, and served as the basic plans for Fortina in Rye Brook, which opened on Monday in the former Racanelli’s Pizza & Brew in the Rye Ridge Shopping Center. Another Fortina is due in Stamford later in 2015.

The second Fortina is like the first in all the ways that matter. Expect straightforward Italian dishes like thin pizzas and roasted, garlicky vegetables to come piping from the wood-fired oven. There are comforting pasta bowls and a serious devotion to Italian meats and cheeses. And the same boisterous, campy atmosphere, with a space that will click with girls’ night groups, families, date night couples and post-work bar crowd.

The important difference comes with the kitchen toys Petroni allowed himself this time around: there are huge two wood-fired ovens, one for pizza and one for everything else.

“This way I can do entrees for two, like a nice chicken scarpariello that people can share.”

There’s an entire temperature-controlled room devoted to pizza dough and fresh pasta hidden downstairs, plus a soft serve gelato machine from Italy and a Josper grill (a hot chef’s toy, and one of only three in North America) for Petroni to get creative with. Aside from some new additions that go hand in hand with his new spectacular cooking suite, Fortina Rye Brook’s menu is the same as Armonk’s.

He’s is a talented chef, and as a host, Petroni is affable and fun, dropping “bebs” at everyone from the guys installing the custom light fixtures to the food writer touring his restaurant (as in, “beb, you’re the best”).

He, Nealon and Kraus are good friends having a good time, and when you’re with them, you have a good time, too. They play their music (loudly) and have an appreciation for all things Bill Murray. There’s a huge wall mural (painted by Nealon’s aunt, D. Mannix) a bar lined with subway tiles and a ton of fake, hilariously signed celebrity mugshots.

“My favorite is Justin Bieber, it says ‘thanks for the chicken tenders,'” Petroni laughs.

But most importantly, Fortina is all about Italian food and the way it brings people together. And Italian comfort at Fortina is young and fun, and always comes with a wink and a “beb.”

“I surprised John and had the pizza oven named after his new baby girl, Lila Rose. He was so happy,” says Petroni. “You know, I have this really great sensitive side, beb.”

If you go …

Fortina, 136 S. Ridge Road, Rye Brook. Facebook: Fortina Pizza.