WPCNR Main & Ritz-Carlton Drive. By Johnny Paparazzi. September 18, 2008: For two hours Thursday evening,  Wall Street wailing, the agony of the economy,  and the money tag team of the Paulson and Barnanke show, the sideshow of Obama-McCain were forgotten on the jumping corner of Main Street and “Ritz Carlton Drive.” Mayor Joseph Delfino dubbed the boulevard that Via Quadronno overlooks at  the Grand Opening of the White Plains V.Q. Thursday night.  Everyone else may be in trouble but you got the impression that Louis Cappelli and White Plains were still moving forward.

The Via Quadronno jumping Thursday night at Main and "Ritz-Carlton Drive," as the Mayor calls it at the V.Q.'s Grand Opening.

Louis Cappelli, The Super Developer,  returned to White Plains Thursday evening  to throw an understated trendy party  featuring  the feel of “Rio” with a live salsa band to entertain a friendly and impressed, milling, mingling, schmoozing crowd from bankers to arts enthusiasts, realtors to bankrollers, White Plains luminaries, media types, business associates, and an extraordinary number of beautiful tall women and, as Mr.Cappelli’s parties always do, it  created an air of confidence, optimism and achievement.

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The Mayor of White Plains, Joseph Delfino (right) was there, with Louis Cappelli’s partner in the “V.Q.”, Louis Ceruzzi  (Center) was there with his sister who manages the upscale casual breakfast, lunch and dinner café niche and together with a gathering of easily 125 persons schmoozing and cruising and looking beautiful and upbeat they celebrated the vampy little venue on White Plains hot corner.

Mingling at the V.Q

Mr. Cappelli in addressing the crowd promised he would be opening the second tower of the Ritz-Carlton Condominiums in two weeks, and told the CitizeNetReporter privately he would be holding an opening celebration for his Catskills hotel and gambling resort in about a month after his financing is finalized.

The V.Q. has been gathering a reputation for itself since its soft opening in June, having its biggest crowd just last Saturday night, when 216 persons packed the place, and over 140 persons according to Ms. Ceruzzi, the manager, were walk-ins.

V.Q Patio dining is the most sophisticated in White Plains. It’s diagonal interior  with exciting lighting is made up of banquette wall seating, with the elegant  “Shell Bar” as I have dubbed it,  tastefully centering the  white and swank interior making even breakfast elegant. The menus are “high end” according to Ms. Ceruzzi, and feature tasty light Italian fare.

The Dessert Bar.

Too cool for a bar, too good food to be called just a restaurant, the desserts richer than a Starbuck’s, the expresso stronger, V.Q. can start the day off right, power up the day at lunch, and create a great impression at night.

Mayor Delfino, in the brief ceremony celebrating another culmination of a Louis Cappelli concept  that transforms a dreary corner into a crossroads of sophistication, called the White Plains “V.Q.” atmosphere one of “real hospitality.” He praised the restaurant staff for the special atmosphere they create.

Louis Cappelli gave full credit to his partner in the V.Q., Louis Ceruzzi, saying he has replaced a foot doctor, a Subway and wireless store which occupied the former ground floor of the Bar Building where V.Q. resides,  with the V.Q. Mr. Cappelli thanked Mayor Delfino for standing behind the project from the start (“The Mayor has been behind us all the way.”)  He praised Mr. Ceruzzi for his support whom he said kept telling Mr. Cappelli, “Trust me, Lou, we’ll make it work.”

The White Plains Via Quadronno joins the family of V.Q.’s  of New York City (renowned on New York's demanding  Upper East Side), Miami, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

V.Q. is open Tuesday through Sunday for breakfast at 8 A.M., Lunch and dinner. It closes at 10:30 P.M Sundays through Thursday and is open until 11:30 P.M. Friday and Saturday. V.Q. features cappuccino, wine and V.Q. lasagna showcasing veal, beef, mozzarella cheese and special ingredients created by Chef Elio Tome. He is also an expert in creating risotto recipes at V.Q. according to the Thompson & Bender news release.

Nanny Assis with tambourine, and the Vinicius Cantauria band had the well-wishers swaying to Brazilian rhythms that got your hips moving and your fingers snapping and your merengue going. For one night, it was "Rio" at The  Ritz on "Ritz-Carlton Drive."