That sounds great. We live close to Benjamin but can't bring ourselves to go due to all of the negative reviews. We will definitely try Blackstones.

I work nearby and we often get takeout for meetings. There are some big swings in quality depending on the day, but it's a good option for the area. The green bean side is quite good. I also like the corn pudding and the pulled pork.

We really like MP Taverna. Good food, service and value. I do hope they reopen soon.

We went back to Grace's Table last night having not been in a few months. I certainly hope our bad experience was due to it being Saturday night (a restaurant night that we usually avoid) and not a general downturn.

The place was crowded and we were shown a table in a downstairs room. I hadn't been aware that there was a downstairs area, but the owner/manager (?) who seated us said that we would "love" sitting in the "wine cellar." It was a pretty depressing space, but we were hungry and didn't object. We knew we were off to a bad start when we noticed that the table hadn't been fully set, and it went downhill from there. Drink orders were taken and we waited. And waited. About 15 minutes later the waiter came by and asked us to refresh his memory on our drink orders. Obviously he hadn't put the order in. We had to ask repeatedly for utensils, some of which never arrived. Food took forever to arrive. My burger was fine. My husband's pork chop was very dry. We were not the only unhappy guests. The owner/manager came down only once to the area in the almost 2 hours we were there, but he didn't stop at any tables to ask how things were. He walked briskly through so that it was impossible to get his attention.

As we were paying, the owner/manager did stop by and ask how the meal was. I said the service was awful, and he blamed it on our sitting in the inconvenient downstairs area where there were many "kinks" to be worked out. But that they needed the downstairs area for the overflow. I suggested that people shouldn't be subjected to this area before they worked out these kinks, and he shrugged. But he never apologized or offered to make things right for us in any way. We had already paid the bill and we were not expecting to be comped or anything, but an apology or a promise to make things right the next visit would have gone a long way.

We have gone twice for lunch. The food was decent, but the portions were small and expensive for what you get. Place was close to empty both times. I would not rush back. Turkish Meze in Mamroneck is much better.

I notice there are now signs in the window for 20% off when you eat in at certain times. Looks like an indication that they aren't doing too well with current pricing.

H Mart happened.

I can only speak to the bagels there because we get them at work. Not horrible, but not really good either.

Turkish Meze in Mamaroneck is very good, and they have a nice lunch special. Also, in "downtown" Harrison, Hajime and Momiji are two decent sushi restaurants that I prefer to the Asian fusion places in Mamaroneck. Plus, parking in Harrison is relatively easy and free.

Striped Bass in Tarrytown has an outside area where they do that.

http://www.stripedbassny.com/cabana.asp

I have been to Tarry Tavern three times. The first time it was very good. The second, not very good. The third time the food was good. My issues with Tarry Tavern are more with the service than the food. And when seated by the owner, we found him less than welcoming.

We have had some good meals at Sol Mar, but I hesitate to recommend it because we've also had some bad meals there. It's surprising to me that Tarrytown doesn't have better offerings.

We went last night. All in all, an enjoyable meal. The atmosphere was pleasant and welcoming. There were some service glitches, but of the sort that would be expected in a place so new. The food ranged from good to very good. We had the burrata and heirloom tomato salad (very good), rock shrimp mini tacos (fine, but a bit bland), BBQ pork chop and sweet potatoes (very good) and halibut with ratatouille (good, but also slightly underseasoned). Small wine list, but varied with reasonable prices. The food was also very reasonably priced, and portions were generous.

Even in its present state where they are still working out the kinks, Grace's Table is already one of the better restaurants in the immediate area. Since moving to the area from Harrison last year, we have yet to find a casual, local place that we want to keep coming back to but this has potential. It seems like the sort of place that will only get better. As for the comments about the "vibe" or lack thereof, last night it was not full, but pretty busy. It was neither dead and bland nor a "scene." To me, the vibe was "comfortable neighborhood place."

I like both Nanase and Azuma. They are the only places I eat sushi in Westchester I also see Nanase as more of an occasion place and Azuma as more accessible. I like Fujinoya for cooked food, but not so much for sushi. The sushi isn't bad there, but not in the same league as the others, IMO.

No, I don't. We live in Hartsdale, so we're pretty close, and the take out menu does not mention a delivery radius.

For those in the area, they deliver, too. We had dinner delivered last night. We ordered chicken scarpariello (on the bone) and chicken sorrentino. Both good, but I'd give the edge to the scarpariello. We opted for veggies on the side instead of pasta and they sent over nice portions of string beams in garlic and oil. A good sized hunk of warm bread, too. Thanks, wineconsul for bringing this place to our attention. Given its location and unremarkable look, I would not have otherwise thought of trying it.

We had lunch there yesterday. We just had salads, but they were fresh and very good. We will definitely go back for dinner soon.

Went many times until we moved from the area several months ago. It's a very pleasant place, run by a young brother/sister team. Our favorite dish there was the roast chicken. Juicy and flavorful.

I go to both Azuma and Nanase with some frequency. Nanase is much better. That said, Azuma is very good. I think it's the second-best sushi in the area.

Thanks for the report. We'll definitely give La Catena a try.

I have wondered about this restaurant, but this sounds like a very unpleasant experience on many levels.

Did you go, Doberlady? How was it?

We have ordered takeout from Kyo twice. Since it's the only Japanese place in the area that I know of that delivers, I really wanted to like Kyo. But I don't. I would not have the sushi again, but I generally only like Nanase and Azuma for sushi in Westchester. Yes, they are pricier, but with sushi you generally get what you pay for. The hot food is bland, and most dishes have the exact same sauce. Both times we ordered we got a variety of dishes, and didn't like any of them.

Although having lived much of my life in Westchester but also several years in Nassau and Suffolk counties, I can say that there are many more good restaurants on Long Island than there are in Westchester, in all categories of food and price points.

Are you talking Pearl River Hilton? Maybe 10 minutes or so to Nyack. About 20 minutes to Congers.

I agree. They have stopped carrying many of the items I used to go there for, their prices have gone up and it's generally an unpleasant experience to shop there.

So, with 40 people I'm assuming that you'd want a private room. Some places that come to mind are Restaurant X in Congers. Very pretty place with good food.

http://www.xaviars.com/restx/index.html

If you want someplace in Pearl River, Louie's on the Avenue is cozy with decent food. It's in an old Victorian house with lots of private rooms.

http://www.louiesontheavenue.com/

Alain's French Bistro in Nyack does not have a private room, but it's small so your party would probably be taking up most of the place. Good food and reasonable prices.

http://www.alainsbistro.com

Hope this helps.

Strange, I realized that since I've only had sushi there, I've never bothered to look at whether they have cooked food! If they do have cooked, it's a small selection. I think of it as a sushi-only place. If I want cooked I usually go to Fujinoya.

How many people and what type of food/atmosphere/price range are you looking for?

I prefer Azuma to Hajime, too. I used to live right by Hajime and really wanted to like it, but never understood why people raved about it. In Westchester, it's either Nanase or Azuma for me.

I agree. The food at Maya is, and Spiga was, not good. IMO, not a big loss.

It bugs me having to pay for parking out in the middle of nowhere like that, too. I can understand it in White Plains, but not there.