kingleer's Profile
White Plains for lunch
I guess it's officially over for Antipasti. I received this email today:
"This is a brief message to say THANK YOU for your support and let you know that Antipasti has closed its doors and will reopen again under new management as Patricia's of White Plains with great food and incredible ambiance, we hope to serve you in the future."
White Plains for lunch
Where did you hear Antipasti is closing? I was just there for lunch, and they're still open. I don't know how they keep operating, or at least how they sustain being open for lunch -- there is NEVER anyone there. The quiet is nice, and I can enjoy my chicken marsala pizza in peace, but I can't imagine how they turn a profit being open midday!
L'Europe in South Salem becoming Restaurant 123?
OK, maybe I should start a new thread for this, but I've finally been to Restaurant One Twenty Three.
It was Valentine's Day dinner, and, fortunately, the regular menu was presented, as opposed to a holiday one.
Food presentation is top notch, and I'm pleased to say, the food itself lives up to the presentation. I ordered two things that I rarely order in a restaurant, because they are generally a let-down, yet One Twenty Three gets a thumbs-up for both:
Even at finer establishments, I am generally disappointed in crab cakes, which are usually packed with filler or other kinds of fish. One Twenty There, however, is very generous with the crab meat. The crab cake practically melts in your mouth.
For my entree, I chose shrimp scampi, which, at One Twenty Three, is more of a pasta dish. That said, it's generous on shrimp, The scampi is served over angel hair that was perfectly cooked (a lot of places botch angel hair, which is why I usually avoid it) with capers. The portion was generous and enjoyable.
The other person in my party ordered a very good tuna tartare appetizer, and for an entree, grilled shrimp and scallops over what was supposed to be a saffron risotto cake. The risotto turned out of be more like a round of white rice, but the shellfish was so good and so perfectly cooked, it was easier to overlook the risotto. Had risotto been the entree, I think it would have been more disappointing.
The good thing is, the risotto was the only thing I could complain about, save for a bread basket that was perfectly fresh but should have contained a crustier bread. Hardly what I would call dealbreakers.
Service is excellent, and the decor seems to have been "warmed up" a bit from the restaurant's days as L'Europe. The prices also seem more reasonable than those of the former menu. Dinner for the two of us, including drinks and appetizers, was around $90. Considering the types of menu items we chose, and the experience we had, I don't consider it to be ridiculously expensive. One could spend nearly as much on the same things at Nino's and not have the polished experience. (I am comparing the two because Nino's is the only other restaurant in the vicinity, though it is certainly a more red-sauce Italian establishment than One Twenty Three, which seems more refined.)
The menu at One Twenty Three, while not huge, does offer more basic dishes like a burger or grilled chicken -- I don't remember the costs, but they were reasonable and certainly less than the dishes we ordered.
L'Europe in South Salem becoming Restaurant 123?
I realize it's been open just a few days, but has anyone been? I'm curious.
Naturally, I won't be surprised if they're working some kinks out, as new operations generally need to do.
Seasons White Plains?
The sushi is, indeed, fresh — and very reasonably priced, especially for lunch. My only complaint is that, when the place isn't busy, the servers tend to hover. The second you set a utensil down, they're clearing it away. I suppose some could view this as efficiency, but my company and I found it a little annoying. I guess if you're there at a peak time, though, they're too busy to stand there and watch you eat.
Tasti-D-Lite in White Plains?
It was supposed to open in September, I think, and it ended up opening later in the fall. It's in Wykagyl, in the shopping center where Big Top used to be. There's a Starbucks, a pizza place and a CVS also in that plaza.
http://www.tastidlite.com/index.php/component/option,com_location/location,93
Ooh, I just realized, this location closes at 4 on Fridays and opens at 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and it's mentioned on the web site. And it all makes sense now. The place is in Wykagyl and they must be closing for Shabbat.
White Plains for lunch
Consider Antipasti, in the office complex at the corner of Main St. and Broadway, near Panera. For lunch, the menu is reasonable. Excellent brick oven pizza, which you might not expect to see on the menu at all when you see the upscale dining area of Antipasti.
Also, I know the place has taken a ribbing from people in the past, but Zanaro's (also Italian) at the corner of Mamaroneck and Main is a good value for lunch, and the food is vastly improved from around a year ago.
Tasti-D-Lite in White Plains?
The Tasti-D-Lite web site has listed "White Plains" as "coming soon" for ages now. Anyone have deets on the where and the when?
(By the way, I went to the New Rochelle location three Saturdays ago, in the middle of the afternoon, and the place was dark and closed. Weird.)
L'Europe in South Salem becoming Restaurant 123?
I see L'Europe in South Salem (Vista, to be specific) is now closed again, with a sign outside that it "Restaurant 123" is coming soon. Does anyone have more info on this?
Vista seriously needs a restaurant with American fare and normal prices. A place to get a decent burger, or something more. Part of me hopes it's the owners of 121 in North Salem opening a "south" location.
Stew Leonards...an ongoing debate
Just avoid the rotisserie chicken and the precooked chicken cutlets at Scott's Corner Market. The other offerings? Excellent.
Stew Leonards...an ongoing debate
Ditto. Greenwich Produce in Vista is spotless, and the quality of the produce is excellent. The prices are decent, too -- that is, on the produce. I think you lucked out with those truffles, because the non-produce items seem to be crazy expensive. But then, I guess it's worth it over driving to New Canaan, Pound Ridge or Ridgefield for a couple of items.
Rocco's Trattoria - New Canaan; Any idea?
Wow, that's discouraging, I thought of emailing about my experience, but it doesn't sound like they take input very seriously.
I could have easily overlooked the table-clearing, had the food knocked my socks off, but they don't even have that to fall back on.
Rocco's Trattoria - New Canaan; Any idea?
With a menu that seemed reasonable for New Canaan, and a space that's been very nicely appointed and decorated, I had high hopes for Rocco's. However, it's clear that, even after a few months of business, they don't have things quite right.
Admittedly, my meal started off well: the insalata mista, served in the outer leaves of a head of radicchio was excellent -- the chick peas, chopped vegetables and ricotta salata worked very well together. The portion was a healthy size, too.
Unfortunately, the pleasure of the meal ended with that salad.
The calamari tasted like it was straight from a bag and was overwhelmingly salty. Coincidentally, we saw another party seated nearby also complaining about the overuse of salt in their food. For that matter, it seemed like many surrounding parties had complaints about one thing or another, whether it was the food or the service.
My friend asked that the red sauce be held from the plate, because he can't eat cooked tomato, and it was delivered with the sauce anyway. Although hardly a catastrophe or an obstacle to eating the calamari, it showed that either the kitchen, the server, or both, had not been very attentive to the request.
For a restaurant with brick-oven pizza so prominently featured on its menu, Rocco's doesn't seem to take its pizza very seriously. Our pizzas lacked the crispness, the crunch and the brownness one would expect from a brick oven. The mozzarella was still in thick, barely melted, completely white chunks, and the crusts bordered on still doughy.
Although it may not be an issue to many people in this day and age, I have a real problem with buspeople removing plates while some people in the party are still eating their entrees. At Rocco's, they think nothing of doing it, though. In our case, the busperson knocked a glass of water over and the table was soon soaked. This began a domino effect of bumbling as he backed up and knocked several plates to the floor.
The restaurant seems to have hired help that isn't highly experienced in dining establishments, and we found the food underwhelming. It's a shame, because I wanted to love the place. The atmosphere is nice, they accept reservations, parking is easy, and the menu is inviting.
Although I'm not ruling out a second visit, I definitely plan to wait a while. Perhaps if enough people voice their feelings, Rocco's will make some changes for the better.
