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From Salerno To Armonk Via The Bronx: Zero Otto Nove Has Many Influences

ARMONK, N.Y. - When it comes to running his restaurants, Roberto Paciullo likes to stay "hands-on," both virtually and literally. He runs down to Manhattan, up to the Bronx, then further up to Armonk, where his latest venture, Zero Otto Nove, opened just three months ago.

Executive Chef/Owner Roberto Paciullo (left) discusses menu with Chef Ciro Perrotta at Armonk's Zero Otto Nove.

Executive Chef/Owner Roberto Paciullo (left) discusses menu with Chef Ciro Perrotta at Armonk's Zero Otto Nove.

Photo Credit: Katherine Pacchiana

Paciullo recalls arriving from Italy in 1970. He came on vacation and, like so many visitors, decided to stay. "In Salerno I was one of 11 kids. I shared a room with my six brothers. Here I had my own room and a color TV set," he said. He was 17.

"In those days, Italian food was chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs, or linguine with clam sauce. Things have changed, thanks to the Food Channel."  It used to be just southern or northern Italian, he added. Now it's regional.

"I serve what they eat in Italy today, not what the immigrants brought. Most of them were from the countryside. Also, they couldn't get the ingredients. Today we have things like arugula and burrata. I serve linguine with sea urchin and seaweed. Back then, people would say, 'Is this Chinese food?'"

Paciullo gained an outstanding reputation a dozen years ago when he opened Roberto's in the Arthur Avenue section of the Bronx. To complement Roberto's upscale menu he later opened a nearby pizzeria, Zero Otto Nove.

The success of these enterprises inspired another venture. The upscale and the casual were combined at Zero Otto Nove in Manhattan's Flatiron District.

Armonk's Zero Otto Nove also offers both high-end and informal menus. Zero Otto Nove, in case you were wondering, is the area code for Salerno (089).

As for his pizza, Paciullo says, "Every place has a different pizza — Naples, Sicily, Rome — and everybody swears theirs is the best. In Salerno the crust is a little crunchy. In Naples it's softer because they use more yeast. The ingredients are the same. It's the dough that makes the difference."

Zero Otto Nove is located at 55 Old Route 22, Armonk, 914-273-0089. It is open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours are 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant is closed Mondays. 

 

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