When I called La Scarbitta restaurant on a recent Saturday afternoon for a reservation that same evening, the owner, Angelo Merenda, was genuinely sorry to have to turn me away, as all their tables were booked until 9:30 that night.

“We thought by opening a bigger place with more tables, we wouldn’t have to say no to anyone,” he explained over the phone. “Can you come tomorrow night? Please call back again.”

I remarked that it was a good problem to have, and said I would try another time. Sunday wasn’t going to work, but I made sure to ring back early the next week to reserve a table for the following Saturday evening. Good thing I did: by 7:30 p.m., the restaurant—which seats about 80 people in two separate rooms—was completely booked. (I later learned that reservations for a Saturday night are made up to two to three weeks in advance.)

Upon entering, we were greeted with a friendly welcome from Angelo; the delicious aromas and convivial atmosphere was warming on a cold night.

La Scarbitta used to be called La Scarpetta, but, as owner/chef, Rosa Merenda (formerly of Spadaro in New Rochelle), explained, due to a conflict with a similarly named restaurant in Manhattan, they were forced to change the name. She originally got the name from the Italian expression fare la scarpetta, which means to wipe up the sauce on your plate with a piece of bread.  Angelo, who is from Messina, Sicily, thought they could use the dialect version of the same expression, hence the name La Scarbitta.

That mystery solved, we set about perusing the menu and the large specials blackboard. Our server brought us a plate of toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and accompanied by whole cloves of garlic on toothpicks to rub on the warm bread, which we enjoyed while trying to decide what to order.

Next, the server inquired about drinks. He let us know that they had yet to acquire a full liquor license, but that he would be happy to uncork our own bottle of wine if we wished to go down the street to purchase one. If not, he could offer us a complimentary glass of house red or white wine. We opted for this, as a trip out in the snow and cold wasn’t tempting. The red wine was fine, but the white fell a bit flat.

(I later noticed, as more patrons arrived, that everyone came prepared with their own wine or beer; we seemed to be the only ones who did not get the B.Y.O.B. memo.)

Appetizers included arugula salad, buffalo mozzarella, melon and prosciutto, and antipasto Italiano; prices ranged from $12.95 to $16.95. If you want to get your salty on, the antipasto doesn’t disappoint with its spicy sopressata sausage, prosciutto, mixed olives, and chunks of pecorino romano and ricotta salata cheeses.

Pasta dishes ranged from $17.95 for farfalle with pesto, to $26.95 for linguine with white clam sauce. We sampled the cavatelli with a Bolognese ragu ($22.95), and the gnocchi Bolognese ($19.95). While I expected the two dishes to have similar sauces, they were really quite different in flavor. The gnocchi was delicious, with a rich, dark red meat sauce. The cavatelli’s ragu sauce—made from beef, veal, pork, onions and garlic, with some osso bucco meat thrown in for good measure—was supposed to have a richer, denser flavor due to a longer cooking process and more rich ingredients. I wanted to love it, but had to admit it tasted more burnt than hearty.

Not to be discouraged, we looked forward to our entrees. The osso bucco ($34.95) proved to be very robust with rich, brown gravy. It was served on top of a bed of saffron risotto that was flavorful, creamy and al dente, with just the right amount of firmness to the bite. Yum.

The antithesis of the hearty osso bucco was the simply prepared branzino ($28.95), drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a substantial dose of fresh lemon juice. The fish was firm, but moist and tender. I devoured the whole thing; my only disappointment was that this very light dish had no accompaniment.  (A la carte side dishes are available and include broccoli rabe, sautéed green beans and steamed asparagus, $7.95 to $8.95). Other available entrees ranged in price from $17.95 for Chicken Milanese to $35.95 for Misto de Carne, a mixed grill that includes pork chops, ribeye steak and sausage.

The good news is that I now had room for dessert. The hard part was choosing which to have. In addition to two homemade cheesecakes— lemon and almond—other sweets prepared on-site included chocolate gelato (made with ingredients imported from Sicily), chocolate mousse cake and sfogliatelle.  The gelato and chocolate mousse cake (served with a side of mixed berries) would satisfy any chocoholic, and the homemade cannoli was creamy with mini chocolate chips and lots of cinnamon oil. Dessert prices ranged from $8.95 for Rosa’s tiramisu to $11.95 for an affogato.

The back room—complete with high ceilings, frescoes and a fireplace—is available for private parties Tuesday through Thursday, and afternoons only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

La Scarbitta is located at 215 Halstead Ave. in Mamaroneck;  (914) 777-1667.