By Karen Talbot

Chat American Grill
1 Christie Place
Scarsdale, NY
914-722-4000

Jul. 22, 2015:  This past Saturday, four of us were looking for a restaurant on the water to enjoy a nice summer dinner. After checking with three in our area, we were disappointed to find that they were expensive and were on a first-come-first-served basis when it came to sitting outside. 

I remembered that Chat American Grill, which I had been to a few times for lunch, had an outdoor patio. We went there and were happy we had made that choice.

Chat is a large restaurant that can seat 100 inside and 150 outside. It is decorated with burgundy walls, sparkling chandeliers, and a wood floor with burgundy tablecloths and napkins. Outside is a tiled patio with lit twinkling ficus trees, burgundy umbrellas, and attractive hanging baskets.

Upon arrival, customers are greeted enthusiastically by Gregory Gali, the general manager, or by Nelson Lanuza, the manager. The owner, Mario Fava, also owns and runs Lusardi's and Chat 19 American Grill in Larchmont and Moscato in Scarsdale, which serves high-end Italian and Mediterranean fare.

The starters that we tried were the steamed artichoke with diced tomato in a delicious lemon herb sauce; white beans and arugula salad with tomato and onions in a lemon basil vinaigrette; and warm Brussels sprouts and bacon salad enhanced with toasted almonds and cranberries in a maple vinaigrette. I found them overcooked, mushy, and too heavily dressed.

The two men in our foursome ordered the baby back ribs, which were served with coleslaw and perfectly cooked French fries. My grilled chicken paillard was nice and thin and flavorful, topped with a tri-colored salad, pepper relish, and bamboo shoots--a most interesting combination. 

The angel hair pasta with shrimp and crabmeat in a tomato cream sauce was disappointing because it hardly had any crabmeat in it. The table next to us raved about the kobe cheeseburger. I have had the chicken tortilla soup, which is on a par with any other Mexican version that I have tried.

The executive chef, Jose Leon, does a great job of serving creative and tasty food with a variety of price points to a large number of people in a timely fashion! 

The service was spot-on and efficient, and I will definitely go back to try many other items on the extensive menu. Portions are on the large size, making Chat a good place to share courses, especially the mains. 

For dessert, we shared a wonderful lavender crème brûlée and tasted the Chat café, a specialty coffee with espresso liquor, Bailey's, Kahlúa, and whipped cream. Wines by the glass were chardonnay, pinot grigio, and malbec, which were well priced and enjoyable.

Pictured here: Chat American Grill in Scarsdale.

Photo by Karen Talbot