Business Profile: Furci’s Italian Dining, Yorktown

While Furci’s Italian Dining only opened up last December, in a sense it was over a century in the making.

The restaurant’s recipes date back to about 100 years ago from the Furci family.

Yorktown resident Deneen Furci said last week the family decided to open the restaurant together because they all grew up in town. “We have a history here,” she said.

The other family owners are her father-in-law, Carmine Sr., who lives with his wife Louise in Yorktown; her husband Carmine Jr. and brother-in-law Ed, who resides in Somers. The two brothers formerly co-owned a printing business.

“We always said someday we should open a restaurant,” Carmine Jr. said.

Carmine Sr. previously owned restaurants in Brooklyn several years ago and he said all the family members enjoy cooking.

“We’re all about food,” Deneen said. “We like to cook and eat and serve our friends, serve our family. It brings people together.”  By opening a restaurant, “We just wanted to expand that group,” she said.

Food has been “a passion for a lot of years,” Ed said. “We’ve done it for so long at home. It’s kind of in the history of the family.”

There has been “a steady incline” in the number of customers patronizing Furci’s Carmine Jr. said. “It’s really come a long way in a short time and we’re very happy with the results,” Carmine Sr. said.

The Underhill Avenue location has housed several restaurants previously. The family repainted and redecorated the building and redid the outside seating, Deneen said.

Some of the specialties at Furci’s include a variety of pizzas based on pies created by the Furci family at home, Deneen said. “We all have pizza ovens of some sort,” she said.

Furci’s offers a variety of appetizers, with baked clams being among the specialty dishes at the restaurant. The fresh clams are served whole, not minced, Deneen said. Other appetizers include Italian Egg Rolls stuffed with sausage and broccoli rabe and Italian rice balls.

The potato gnocchi Bolognese is another specialty of the house. The family recipe goes back a century, Carmine Jr. said.

A number of meat and fish entrees are also served.

Deneen said the recipes, including the sauces, come from Carmine Sr., who directs the chefs at Furci’s. “He’s the man behind the madness in the kitchen,” she said. “He’s the most unbelievable chef.”

The business is really a family affair with members having responsibilities at the restaurant, Ed said.

“The inspiration to all of our efforts here has come from Carmine Sr. and mom Louise,” Ed said. “What we bring to this place every day is their desire to really be hospitable in this business.”

“My cooking experience started about 60 years ago,” Carmine Sr. said.

Live music is provided on Thursday nights.

The restaurant offers specials from Monday through Friday. On Monday and Tuesdays, a free bottle of wine is provided with the purchase of two entrees. On Wednesday and Thursdays, there are Happy Hours from 4 to 7:30 p.m. when the bar menu is offered at half-price and $5 well drinks are served. In addition, on Wednesday there is a $3 discount for each glass of wine.

“I redid the entire wine list,” Deneen said, noting the new list includes wine from several locales in the world.

Furci’s Italian Dining is located at 334 Underhill Ave. in Yorktown. For more information, call 914-302-7900 or visit furcisrestaurant.com. The restaurant also has a Facebook page.