Westchester Eats

Directly across from the Bedford Hills train station is an adorable shop. Think “indoor farmer’s market.” I found “Table” to be a great destination for locally grown organic produce, meats, cheeses, and yes - - even local honey which can do wonders for those allergies.

The operation was the vision of Cynthia Brennan who tapped into the talents of Jonathan Pratt (Peter Pratts Inn and Umami Cafe in Croton on Hudson) and the energy and enthusiasm of Eileen Zidi. I heard about this shop from Jon Pratt while dining at his restaurant one evening and was determined to give it a go.

There is a cheese board complete with Cheese Monger who will let you taste your way into your purchasing decisions. One selection that made me perk up was called Barely Buzzed.  This cheese’s rind is a rub of espresso and lavender. It is delicious.  The interesting thing about this cheese is that they referred to it as an import - - from Utah! Local is the attitude but they will bring us amazing finds from within our own borders. A local cheddar was nice and a bit nutty.  Another standout is the Buffalo Milk Mozzarella.  Creamy, delicious, and just so fresh

One of the innovative components which takes me back many years is the concept of a house account. Customers, who believe, and want to invest in the future and the concept of Table may pre-pay accounts up front for the year.  This makes it easy just to walk in, grab your groceries (or breakfast/lunch/dinner) and go. In addition, it provides financial flow for the establishment and convenience for the consumer. Membership begins at $1200 per year but Table is open to all without membership.  In addition to supporting the effort, and convenience, members receive special email updates and discounts.

One can tell that the business is truly dedicated to sustainability and to supporting local/regional sources. Most of the food containers they utilize are compostable.  For example, the plastics they use are made from corn, utensils are actually potato starch and the wax paper is made from a combination of soy/wood-pulp. Ceramics are made by local artists and the tables made from the local egg supplier.

There is an offering of meats from duck to lamb and various salumerie. Shelves are also stocked with locally milled grains, syrups for weekend pancake breakfasts and more. A full dairy selection is available with fresh butter, milk in glass bottles, and even buffalo milk yogurt.

Produce is beautifully displayed and is evident that it was just harvested. On one recent visit, I witnessed a woman come in with her freshly picked mushrooms; and she received cash for them, they placed them in a nice display and were the most beautiful I have seen in a long time. Chanterelles at $40 a pound, Morels, and others were vibrant and ready for eating.

Need olive oil and vinegar? Not a problem - - buy the empty bottle and get it filled, bring it back for refill. The balsamic offering is just slightly tangy and very smooth.  I made a simple vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, a crack of pepper and touch of sea salt and it was magical over the fresh and locally harvested baby arugula.

Table Local Market is a nice addition to our Westchester community and worth the drive if you do not live in Bedford Hills.  Stop in, shop a bit, put down your bags and have a freshly made lunch at the table while pondering dinner.

Table Local Market

11 Babbitt Road

Bedford Hills, NY 914-241-0269

www.tablelocalmarket.com

Chef Tony Esnault

Chef Tony Esnault, whose efforts contributed to an impressive three-star Michelin rating, will be working his magic in the kitchen of La Panetière from Wednesday, June 17 through Saturday, June 20th.

The price is unbelievably affordable for a chef of this caliber, which makes it an event not to be missed.

Chef Esnault’s five-course prix-fixe dinner menu will offer an optional wine pairing to further enhance this unique culinary experience.

Chef Tony Esnault Dinner Menu

SUSHI GRADE TUNA CARPACCIO
Contrast of Asparagus, Ginger, Balsamic Reduction

FOIE GRAS TERRINE “CONFIT,” WHITE PEACH CHUTNEY / SALAD
Basil Leaves, Toasted Brioche

WARM SALAD OF RASOR / MANILLA CLAMS, CUTTLEFISH, PERIWINKLES
Pasta Impression, Shellfish Jus

ROASTED LONG ISLAND DUCK “EN COCOTTE”
Potato Beignet, Glazed Radish, Sauce Bigarrade

RASPBERRY / CHOCOLAT BAR FOR CONTRAST LOVERS

$78.00 per Person
Optional wine pairing at $40

Cooking Demonstration

In addition to his guest-chef week menu, Chef Esnault will lead a cooking demonstration on bi-colored gazpacho soup followed by a three-course luncheon from June 17th to June 19th.

Jacques Loupiac, Restaurant Proprietor of La Panetière, is excited to welcome his friend, Chef Tony Esnault to cook at his restaurant:

“I have owned La Panetière for 23 years and it is so gratifying when I can offer my clients an opportunity like this to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience in my restaurant.”

When asked about this upcoming event, Chef Esnault said:

“I am thrilled that Jacques has invited me to cook at his restaurant. La Panetière is exceptional to me because they are preserving the ultimate dining experience through every detail, which I strongly believe in and I am very excited to work with their team for the week.”

Background on Chef Tony Esnault

Chef Esnault hails from Saumur in France’s Loire Valley. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm surrounded by fresh seasonal produce and was inspired by his grandmother’s passion in the kitchen.

The famed Alain Ducasse mentored Esnault beginning in 1996 in Europe - - an honor bestowed upon only a few.

Chef Esnault then moved to the United States joining the Ritz-Carlton Group in San Francisco. Then it was off to The Ritz in Boston where he was awarded “Best Hotel Chef of America” by Food & Wine magazine in 2004.

The magical paths of Chefs Ducasse and Esnault crossed once again.  Chef Tony Esnault  joined Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in NYC earning him the highly coveted three-star rating by the Michelin Guide in 2006 - - a feat that has only fallen upon seven restaurants in the United States to date.

His next venture with Ducasse’s Adour landed him with accolades including three-stars from the NY Times in addition to a very respectable two-star Michelin Guide rating.

La Panetière Restaurant
530 Milton Road, Rye, NY 10580
914-967-8140

A friend of mine loves to entertain and always has snacks on-hand.  This one took me by surprise.  He had sauce from a Shrimp Scampi dish and decided to drizzle it over popcorn.  The hot popcorn took in the buttery delicious sauce and this made for a great and decidedly different treat!

Dedicated to our friend, Larry!

Ingredients

Popcorn (pop according to package instructions and set aside)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, toss with your freshly made popcorn, and serve immediately.

James Beard Award

Westchester Eats would like to extend a huge congratulations to Dan Barber for winning “Outstanding Chef” for Blue Hill in NYC at this year’s James Beard awards.

We are fortunate to have you right in our very own backyard at Stone Barns.  Way to go.

Blue Hill

At a recent 50+ bottle tasting, I continued to be intrigued about a little device that I’ve used for a few years which gives a hint to the future of a particular wine.  Exploring a wine and wondering when it will be at its peak is difficult.

Alchemy at its best!

Then came the Clef du Vin.  This magical little device when dipped into wine mimics how a wine will develop over time.  Tasting the wine and realizing it seemed very young… One dip of the Clef into the glass, for one second, then a taste - - rounder and smoother finish, softer tannins. According to the white papers, it doesn’t actually age the wine but the alloy provides the essence of aging.

Even my most skeptical wine friends were blown away once they tried it.  I am always amazed.  For me, it was $99 well spent - - thought you might like to know about it.

I purchased mine locally at Wine Enthusiast in Elmsford, but have seen it on many websites, too.

The first thing you need to be aware of is how to get to The Boathouse in Ossining.  Use your gps device and you’ll find yourself in the parking lot of Sing Sing Penitentiary.  Best advice is to swing down Snowden (off of 9) and follow it down, then continue onto Broadway.  Finally, you will make a slight hairpin left-turn placing you on Westerly Road.

Finding Your Way to Boathouse

The restaurant, which resembles something from Nantucket, is tucked among boats and local boat clubs.  Many will agree that Westchester certainly needs more river-front dining - - due to the placement of the building, I have mixed feelings. The reason is that we anticipated sitting and admiring the beautiful Hudson while dining.  Instead, we admired a parking lot of SUVs and sedans.  The restaurant parking lot separates your view from the river. There is outdoor seating on a patio for warmer weather dining.

Inside Boathouse, you will quickly notice its cute nautical theme. A charming bar area with fish adorning the standing bar behind the stools.  The mermaid and ship captain designs complement the bathroom doors.

The dining room itself is not overly large but comfortable with tables leaving enough space for private conversation. Walls are a relaxing plum/clay tone. The only thing to break the relaxing environment are the commercials as they play a radio rather than have a more formal music (commerical free) set-up.

Waitstaff are quite friendly and we had nice experiences on each visit. Particularly a standout is Serbian waiter Boban.  He sports a great enthusiastic smile and has nice energy about him. By the way, you don’t have to remember “Boban” as he is aka Gus.

Let’s get to the food.  Shrimp Luciano is referred to as a reverse saute in a sauce of lemon, parsley, garlic, and butter.  So popular, they now offer it as an entree. Delicious slight crunch and a nice blend of the ingredients keep it fresh and interesting.

An order of Spedini is not to be missed.  Think “Italian kabob.” The best way to describe it is think of decent bread wrapped around fresh mozzarella and often include little meatballs on the inside.  The spedini here arepillow soft and creamy on the inside but ends a little on the crunchy side as it cools.  It is served in a brown butter garlic anchovy sauce.  Quite nice.

Tempura Nori

Next is the Vegetable Nori Crisp with matchstick veggies wrapped in tempura coated nori.  Then they have sliced it on the bias and serve with pickled ginger, wasabi mayo, and soy sauce. I would order this again.

The Blackened Tuna Burger is delivered with a spicy kick.  Served with steak fries (not homemade) and again, with the pickled ginger.  To my chagrin, it was ordered medium-rare and delivered more on the medium-side.

Stuffed Burger?  Yep!  dig into this fun creation served on a ciabatta roll and you’ll find yourself encountering melted cheese, crispy bacon, and tomato in the center of the burger.  You’re good to go with this one.

To accompany your meal, Boathouse is offering a modest but affordable wine list at $21 each.

Finally, time for dessert.  The Apple Raspberry Pie is quite dense yet has a soft bottom crust. It is nicely sweet yet not too much. It is crowned with a crumb topping and a goodly dollop of homemade whipped cream.

I would recommend that you stay away from the chocolate crepes.  They were served too chilled.  Had they been served at room-temperature, the mouth feel would be more luxurious and you would sense the true flavor of the chocolate. The crepes are filled with a creamy chocolate ganache and served on a plate drizzled with a raspberry coulis.

Owners Scott London, Val and Lori Polidor0 (who also own Fabulous Foods Catering) have executed a fine new venue.  Maybe we can all get together and shove the building to the end and allow the cars to park behind.  Waterviews baby!

The Boathouse - - Fine Food & Spirits

26 Westerly Road

Ossining, NY 10562

914-923-6466

DePrez Wines announces its semi-annual tasting!

This event is always fun as well as educational and drives my wine purchases for the season.  Here are the details so you can get in on it, too:

Date:  Sunday, May 3rd, anytime between 12 noon and 4pm

Place: JULIANNA’S American bistro, 276 Watch Hill Road in Cortlandt Manor

This is a fantastic opportunity to taste about 50 new wine selections; and
it is conducted as a professional tasting, with 7 wine representatives behind the tables; appetizers are served.

Cost: $15 per person.

To reserve your space (as it  is limited) call DePrez at 914-271-3200.

DePrez Wines

Shop-Rite Center
454 South Riverside Avenue
Croton-on-Hudson NY 10520

We have discovered that Mauro’s restaurant in Ossining is offering us a delicious break in pricing. This tucked away little gem on Main Street in Ossining, consistently serves up delicious Italian fare. The restaurant has an extensive menu but we have found the new family style menu just right for today’s pocket book. Although the restaurant appears to be more formal at first-glance, customers are finding their comfort in casual attire as well. Mauro’s is family owned and we find we are made to feel like family… very comfortable.

For $23.95 (for two) the new menu begins with your choice of salad.  Salad choices are House or Caesar. I enjoyed the Caesar with its crisp romaine and recommend getting it with the “achiuge” (anchovies) followed by a quite generous portion of pasta.

At a recent lunch, we ordered the bucatini amatriciana which not only served two of us, but became dinner for three others later! That further stretches the cost of this offering. A third person can join your party for an additional $11.95. The sauce was quite nice, although I think it would benefit from the traditional guanciale (cured pork jowls). Just across the tongue, you’ll notice a nice zing from the addition of red pepper flakes - - just enough to keep it interesting. The texture of this sauce is the perfect match with bucatini.

Spaghetti carbonara is nice, and again just needs an extra kick on the smokiness of the requisite pancetta.  This choice is perfect for a chilly winter or brisk almost-spring day.

True to Italian tradition, Mauro’s is offering Mom’s Sunday “Gravy”. The sauce which is an Italian-American tradition is a richly cooked down ragu enhanced with delicious meatballs and other cuts of meat (think sausage, short ribs, etc.) This is served with the pasta of your choice.  I would suggest you combine it with a ridged pasta such as rigatoni, or my favorite, a wide noodle such as pappardelle.

To complement the meal, they now have a nice wine list with 18 bottles priced at $18 each. It has been quite a long time since we have seen pricing like this in a restaurant.

Other Pasta choices are:

rigatoni bolognese

penne tomato basil

tortellaci (a delicious stuffed pasta) in pink sauce with prosciutto and peas

In addition, we were happy to see a new Happy Hour added to the mix.  Monday - Friday 4:00 - 6:00 PM, they offer two meatball sliders for $4, four Blue Point oysters on the half-shell for $4.50  as well as Buffalo wings for $4 among other offerings. We were really pleasantly surprised to see glasses of wine and martinis at a $4 price point.

With the wide variety of choices, we can find ourselves visiting Mauro’s often and not worrying about denting the wallet.

Mauro’s Restaurant

199 Main Street

Ossining, NY 10562

914-941-2662

www.MaurosRestaurant.com

Antipasti is a cavernous space with warm tones - - camel, burnt sienna, browns. As you enter the front door and pass the coat check, you’ll notice an immense bar area.  Stools are square and very firm with no back support, although visually great. The bartender would be amazed at the number of steps taken in an evening to be sure! There was only one woman working the bar although she seemed to manage the service despite the crowd. At the end of the bar is a large temperature-controlled couvenet which is well stocked with over 500 bottles of vino from around the world. The Vino Lounge, as they call it, supposedly offers 50 wines by the glass per their marketing yet the menu only shows 16 including sparkling and champagne - - when questioned, it was acknowledged and we were told, “We haven’t figured it out yet.” The wines they do have by the glass tend to be priced in the $9 - $12 range and are of little interest.  The purchase of a bottle can cost you more than you might expect as there are very few mid-priced selections.

To the left and behind glass you’ll notice various salumi hanging and wheels of cheese. The wine cellar is impressively tucked into a wall just off to the side of the bar and is replete with selections from around the globe.

Up a few steps and into the dining room we go with very large backed banquettes which face a plethora of tables.  The same attention to detail and design was not given to the dining room. Tables are bare with no cloth or even kraft paper thus leaving no protection between your utensils and the bare tabletop.  Hopefully each table is individually wiped down with a fresh and well-cleaned cloth. If you look across the dining room, you will notice many tables - - they didn’t waste an inch of room here to maximize seating capacity.  The chairs, however are pretty (again with the square leather, but with a back of course). Look up?  Hmmmm - -  the ceiling looks like something out of a doctor’s office, which is a definite eyesore. It consists of an office drop ceiling with inserted high-hat lighting.  The kicker is there are many chandeliers which do not match the contemporary decor whatsoever and look like they were found in nonna’s basement. The dining room, when full is extremly noisy. There is nothing to absorb the sound. Not sure what they were thinking.

The menu offers a structure of antipasti (cold and hot) then standard Italian fare for main-course dishes. The regular dishes can be had anywhere. The roasted beet salad is delicious and lightly dressed. Stuffed peppers are spicy little numbers with a crumb filling.  The heat of the pepper overwhelms the filling, however. Stay away from the rice balls.  The outside presents well, but the inside is gummy and flavorless.

Cheeses do not disappoint. Antipasti serves many interesting cheese selections from many places, not just Italy. The star on the menu is the burrata.  Burrata is a cheese that has an approximate shelf life of 48 hours.  It is wrapped in leaves.  When the leaves are green and fresh looking, the indication is that the cheese is still fresh.  Burrata, which originates from the Puglia region of Italy, consists of a “purse” made of buffalo milk mozzarella in which shreds of fresh mozzarella are placed and topped with a fresh helping of panna (heavy cream). Fantastic!  This can serve about four nicely and runs $24. Other cheeses are the blues which do not disappoint.  Then of course, you can have your dry aged hard cheeses such as parmigiano reggiano. Each cheese arrives with a little flag identifying it by name and place of origin.  You get the picture.

Next, order a mixture of interesting cured meats. The speck and bresaola are delicious as is the more fatty lardo. The salumeria plates would benefit from the “flag” identifiers given the cheese plates.

Service at Antipasti is quite attentive.  The only criticism on service at one seating was they continually would swap out utensils and forget to replace them when delivering the next course. Smiles abound from the likes of Eduardo who can converse with you in English, his native Spanish, and to my delight we shared conversation in Italian.

In addition to the meats, cheeses, and other standard Italian restaurant fare, there is a raw bar complete with fresh oysters, shrimp and crab legs.

My recommendation: Stay in the front bar area and sit at the bar or a two-top with stools, enjoy the beautiful front of house space and simply dine your way through interesting meats and cheeses and complement your meal with a glass of wine.

Reservations are  highly recommended (call or reserve via Open Table) You will need to take advantage of their valet parking which is free and offered daily from 5:30 on.

Antipasti Wine & Antipasto Bar

1 North Broadway

White Plains, NY 10601

914-949-3500

www.antipastiny.com

A sliver of a shop, located on Main Street in Tarrytown is Mint.  Opened by a Moroccan transplant named Hassan, this delicious find stocks many exotic products.  Incredible cheeses from around the world, a selection of interesting Belgian brews and many unusual sundries.

Hassan stands behind his very crowded counter slicing generous pieces of cheese and salumi and in essence “feeds you.” Try the aged pecorino with truffle or the creamy basil fromage.  Want to blow your mind? Have the French Triple Creme cheese.

You may have wanted to pop in just to buy a boule or baguette but once your taste buds have been opened by the treats he gives you, your shopping bag will be more incredibly full than you anticipated.

At the back of the shop is a counter replete with interesting platters of which they will incorporate into a wrap.  Rotisserie chickens slow cook in front of you with incredible spiced aromas.  Try the salad of wheat berries, too - - it doesn’t disappoint. If octopus and squid are your things, this salad is a customer favorite.

While waiting to place an order, I was given an over-the-top serving of hot chocolate made with Valhrona, one of the world’s best mixed in a heavy cream under the heat of the espresso machine.

Recently I had Mint do a beautiful meat and cheese platter for a business meeting.  Not only was the presentation beautiful, Hassan even lent the platter and trusted that it would be returned in good condition. It was.

Mint is charming and quite a resource. Keep it up, Hassan!

Mint Premium Foods

18 Main Street

Tarrytown, NY  10591

914-703-6511