NYC Tastes

I love going out to eat in Upstate New York, everything just feels more cozy and comfortable than city restaurants.  The Farmer and the Fish in Prudy's is a great example of this.  While I enjoy the sleek look of the Gramercy outpost, the one in Purdy's has so much more character.  It's located in an old house built back in 1775 with worn wooden floors, a roaring fireplace and fresh grown vegetables dotting the garden out back.  Its a beautiful spot and their brunch menu is pretty wonderful as well. Roasted Scallops served on a bed of frisee lettuce with crispy chunks of bacon, fingerling potatoes and a sunny side up egg with lemon aioli. I was a little worried about having scallops for the first meal of the day, but this dish was fantastic.  The bacon gave a rich smokey depth to the salad and the egg was cooked to be a little bit runny, which is just the way I like it. The salad was more than enough for a brunch entree but we decided to add on ...

I love everything about the Hudson Valley region.  The gorgeous hills, the crisp clean air and all of the wonderful restaurants that source their food directly from farms in the area.  121 Restaurant is one of these fine places and with the return of their chef Beck Bolender from Jean Georges this place is really hitting its stride.  Normally I would avoid any kind of Americanized empanada but not here... ...these were so buttery and crisp I almost didn't want to delve into the ham and cheese goodness in the middle.  They came with hot sauce and salsa verde but these didn't need anything...they were perfection on their own.  Instead I used the hot sauce on my incredible Breakfast Tacos filled with nuggets of crisp chorizo and fresh avocado. And although this salad doesn't exactly look pretty it was awesome.  That long crust is actually filled with a creamy goat cheese fondue... ...mixed with bitter greens and a pear vinaigrette.   We were too ful...

Just a short train ride from the city sits Jean George's newest venture, a casual but elegant farm to table restaurant nestled in the pretty little town of Pound Ridge.  The atmosphere was reminiscent of ABC Kitchen and  Blue Hill Stone Barns with it's wide open dining area and exposed wooden beams overhead. We dined at brunch and the menu had a variety of dishes that sounded wonderful; Sweet Pea Soup with Parmesan Foam, Asparagus Salad with Wild Mushroom and House made Ricotta with Strawberry Compote.  We finally decided to share the Gulf Shrimp Salad with Mesclun to begin. These shrimp were just beautiful; plump and buttery with fresh slices of ripe avocado and a warm truffle and champagne vinaigrette that was leagues above any dressing I've ever tasted.  I was absolutely in love with this salad.   For entrees a Grilled Yellowfin Tuna Burger on a big fluffy roll with Miso Mayonnaise, Shiso and Yuzu Pickles.   The frenc...

It was so gorgeous Saturday it seemed like the perfect excuse for a trip up the Hudson River to Peekskill Brewery.  The sun was shining bright, the water shimmered a glorious blue and the food was downright fantastic. I was in love with my Chicken Cesar Salad.  They use kale instead of romaine and the big leafy shards were perfect for soaking up all the creamy dressing; big flakes of Parmesan, hard boiled egg and sourdough croutons rounded out the dish.  This was one of the most satisfying salads I've had in a long time and large enough that I had enough left over for a meal at home.  Mr. T checked out their Buffalo Wings which were surprisingly large and meaty with a tasty hot sauce heavy on the spices.  Even the French Fries were delicious...super crisp with lots of salt...it was almost impossible to stop eating these once you got started. The beer was delicious as always.  We got the last glass of their new Double IPA Knee...

It's always nice to get out of the city for an afternoon and most often I visit the quaint, little town of Tarrytown for a gorgeous view of the Hudson River and a delicious meal.  This time I met my friend Carrie and we stopped into Sweetgrass Grill where I had an absolutely incredible salad. Big fluffy shards of kale with juicy orange segments, pickled onions, warm toasted almonds and covered in a creamy cashew truffle dressing.  This was such an awesome salad- it was really hearty, super healthy and just delicious.  I wanted to ask for some of that cashew nut dressing to go!   Carrie's Open-Faced Tempeh Reuban came covered in Daiya Cheddar, House-made Kraut and a Vegan Russian Dressing that was also incredible.  I really can't remember a time when we both enjoyed food like this so much.  Granted we usually meet up for a huge plate of ribs at Dinosaur BBQ but I still think it was the fact that everything tasted so fresh. ...

Located within walking distance of the Mount Kisco train station, Cafe of Love is a great spot to meet up with my Westchester friends.  The restaurant rests just off the main street with a nice large patio out front and a comfy wooden bar inside.  It was way to cold for al fresco dining last week so we grabbed a spot indoors for brunch.  The menu is all farm to table with a listing of the local farms where the food is actually sourced.  The chef actually began this restaurant as a spin off from her soup shop Ladle of Love.  You can still find one or two soups on the menu along with a nice variety of salads and some grown up sandwiches like the Pastrami Reuben and a Wild Mushroom Burger. Carrie's Arugula and Roasted Root Vegetable salad was awesome.  Little pieces of parsnip and beet studded the plate, giving the bitter greens that much needed sweetness with the addition of a maple-cider vinaigrette. My Organi...

We took the train up the Hudson River last week to sample Peekskill Brewery.  I've been absolutely obsessed with their Simple Sour so this was a chance to check out some of their other offerings.  The brewery is big, with the main bar and barrels on the first floor, dining on the second and space for private events on top.  We sat in the dining room to enjoy a full relaxing meal.  I was sad to see they didn't have Amazeballs on the draft list that day but once I got my flight of beers I was pretty happy:) We started our meal with a few brunch appetizers like this bowl of warm sugary Beignets... ...followed by oven baked Cornbread Skillet with Vanilla Citrus Marmalade and Vermont Creamery Butter. Since the sweet component of brunch was satisfied with beignets I went savory for the second half with the PB Burger. This hefty sandwich had big slabs of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Grafton Cheddar and garlic aioli on top. I asked for sala...

I took the train up to Bedford Hills last week for a delightful little brunch with my friend Carrie.  The Bedford Post Inn is probably best known for being owned by Richard Gere but the grounds themselves are quite stunning on their own.  The sprawling inn holds two different restaurants, one fine dining and the less formal Barn where we decided to eat our meal on their outdoor patio.  The waiter started us out with a warm loaf of bread from their in house bakery. Then it was our entrees the Chicken Paillard for me. I love the simplicity of this dish...the chicken and greens were both lightly dressed with just a little lemon and parmigiano cheese.  The greens had such great fresh flavor I'm wondering if they were produced locally from a nearby farm.  Carrie went the seafood route with a big bowl of mussels... ...which came with some ridiculously delicious french fries.   Thank goodness Carrie doesn't mind sharing because my hand was ...

I'm always on the hunt for the best chicken wings in the city and I have to hand it to the Lazy Boy.  They know what they're doing out there in White Plains. Their signature Tequila and Citrus wings were absolutely addictive.  There was something about that sauce that had me licking my lips the entire meal. The Buffalo Wings were amazing as well.  The wing had a nice crisp exterior, delicious sauce and the blue cheese on the side was excellent.  These are the best wings I've had since going to Blondie's. The beer selection wasn't too shabby either.  I asked for the beer list and was handed a book about an inch thick with beers from all over the world.  I don't make it to White Plains much but I'm pretty sure I just found my favorite spot. Lazy Boy Saloon

I took the short train ride up to Yonkers last week to meet my friend and have a nice RW dinner.   X2O is right on the Hudson River and the large windows along the building sides make for an absolutely lovely setting at sunset.   To begin I started with a special Spicy Tuna Roll. I was happy this was the special since the RW roll was tempura and I really wasn’t feeling fried food.   The roll was great.   The fish was obviously very fresh, the avocado was perfectly ripe and although it was a tad oversized I really enjoyed it.   My friend ordered the Roasted Fennel Soup with Crispy Sage and Pumpkin Seed Oil. I personally HATE the bitter taste of fennel so I was excited to see if roasting would mellow that out.You know what- it completely did and added a subtle sweetness that was wonderful! I may be trying to make this at home it was so good. For entrée I had the Honey and Sake Marinated Chatham Cod with Fregola Sardi, Apples and Wilted Arugula. ...

I took the train up to Armonk last month to try out Restaurant North. Executive Chef at North Eric Gabrynowicz started out working at Gramercy Tavern and grew up in the Union Square hospitality business so I was pretty excited to see how his flavors translated to his own place. This small little restaurant has a lively but homey feeling right when you walk in the door. From the blue and white checkered shirts on the wait staff to the crip white linen tables I knew we would be in for a treat and it started with the bread basket. (Sorry the pictures aren't the best- it was dark in there).  Small loaves of pumpernickel bread arrived to our table piping hot with some seriously delicious apple butter on the side. My first thought- we’re not in the city anymore. This beginning really made me feel like I was out in the country enjoying a farm to table dinner. Perfect presentation and flavors going on here. For my appetizer I began with the Creekstone Farms Beef Carpacchio. I...

Tucked away in the quiet little town of Hastings-on-Hudson is a tiny restaurant with some really big flavor- Juniper. Chef Alex Sze opened the place about two years ago and the place has been packed ever since. The daily specials are written on the chalkboard to the side and the open kitchen is alive with excitement. I stuck to the regular menu items that day and ordered the Brisket Burger with Gruyere Cheese, Roasted Tomato, Grilled Onion and Mustard Aioli. I have to tell you thing is all about that aioli. The brisket was delicious, don’t get me wrong, but it was a little overcooked. I requested a medium rare and it came out closer to well so it lost some of its flavor. Luckily the creamy, garlicky mustard was there to spice it up a bit and give it a little more moisture. The Gruyere and Grilled Onion completely worked as well. This was a delicious, albeit overcooked, gourmet burger. The fries were no joke either. They were long and skinny with a satisfying ...