Crispchip's Profile
Cafe Barcel in Nyack...anyone been yet?
It's nice to see a new upscale Latin(ish) place in Nyack. It's open on Mondays. Plus the location is nice- the top part of Nyack is not as crowded and Cafe Barcel is right next to a municipal lot. Service was excellent. The shrimp a la plancha app was my fave- garlicky and served with crisped plantains. The tagliatelle carbonara with a poached egg was great too, but it's not on the regular menu. However, the majority of the menu is seafood. Since you don't eat that, you would probably be forced into the hangar steak (overpriced at $22) or the CB burger (nothing special). JRBlack is right- you might be better off at Velo- more pasta and meat options.
Jade Garden Hartsdale, any info?
Sorry you had a bad experience at Hartsdale Garden in Yonkers, pabboy. We have excellent food there week after week. I especially like getting live crab or lobster over e-fu noodles. Maybe it was just an off day, or maybe they had a different chef that one day. Why not give it a second chance :)
Chinese in Westchester
Where did you end up going? I agree with Aberdeen and Central Seafood (seafood panfried noodles). Also, Hartsdale Garden in Yonkers (live crab e-fu noodles)- this is the new and cozier home of the former owners of Central Seafood.
ISO Westchester Japanese that serves chawan mushi
I recommend the chawan mushi at Ichi Riki in Elmsford. I usually start with that then have the clams in broth followed by the cold crab salad. It's a nice light meal.
sunday brunch at restaurant x & bully boy bar
The brunch here used to be fantastic but yes, it has really taken a turn for the worse. Maybe Chef Kelly (whom I like very much) just has more restaurants than he can handle right now, and Restaurant X is suffering from his lack of personal attention. The menu items are the same but the execution is poor. All the pasta was gummy and the service was pretty bad. They were trying, they just seemed like they had no leadership and had not been trained.
So yes, it is still elaborate and time-consuming, but not in the fun way it used to be. The place is missing the warmth and sense of welcome it had in the past. Very sad and kind of depressing. I hope that with a little work, Chef Kelly can turn this place around.
In the meantime, i would recommend having brunch at X2O.
Very unhappy with Malabar Hill
I should have listened to the Chow. We usually eat at Malabar or Royal Palace which have fine lunch buffets. We decided to try Cafe Tandoor for a change. We called in a takeout order at 11:30. The restaurant opens at 12. At 12:45, we were still waiting. I don't know why...we were the only customers in the place. The raw chicken tandoori and heavy too-chewy naan made me almost happy that they had forgotten to include the lamb. The channa masala was decent, but we won't bother going back unless I hear there's a new chef.
Central Seafood in Hartsdale?
I truly can't decide between these two. I alternate because each has some great dishes and also some misses. At Aberdeen my Cantonese family often has to order the dishes with no sugar added as their sauces tend to be too sweet. Dim Sum is more spacious at Central Seafood but they don't always have as many varieties as Aberdeen. I guess I'll just have to continue going to both!
Rockland County chow?
Update: Gallito's in Haverstraw closed and in its place is Union. The chef is Davey who cooked at Peter Kelly's Freelance Cafe for years. It is high-end Latin Fusion. Last night I had the mussel soup- it was incredible. Reminded me of the "oysters and pearls" dish at Per Se. The fresh arepa topped with shrimp, greens and pomengranate seeds ensured that I am never buying another frozen Goya arepa again. Rockland has many great restaurants but this is the first "real" restaurant in Haverstraw.
New Indian Restaurant in Pleasantville, NY
Can someone give the street address for the grocery place in Thornwood? I'd like to try it. Personally, I find favorites at each restaurant and just get those as takeout. I hit several places on the way home to make one great dinner. It's worth the extra driving.
Ambadi (White Plains): kati rolls
Malabar Hill (Elmsford): upma
Natraz (Nyack): paneer tikka masala
Now that is a perfect dinner. The only hard part is deciding where to get the bread!
Need Rec for dinner out in burns (besides Blue Hill)
I recommend "One" in Irvington. The dining rooms are beautiful, the staff is friendly (still working out the kinks though as they sometimes converge and hover) and the food is fantastic. For a starter I love the scrambled organic eggs served in their own shell topped with creme fraiche and caviar. I prefer the version Chef McGill used to serve when he was at Relish in Sparkill because it didn't have chunks of lobster interfering with the creamy texture, but even so...this is a great dish. For the entree, I would get the halibut over cod puree topped by a poached egg. You can't go wrong with any of the seafood here. One oddity: my cousin ordered tea and was served a cup of hot water with a Lipton tea bag in it. It was oddly out of place.
It's pricey (those addictive eggs are $22) but then again parking out here in the burbs is always free.
Per Se price increase
Thanks to those who replied. We went last night with very high expectations which were met AND exceeded. The food of course was fantastic...but it was the whole experience (decor, service, view, mood, crowd) that made it unbelievable. I will never forget it.
I did end up ordering a soda but I drank it only between courses. The pacing was lovely and allowed for leisurely sips while digesting and relaxing. I stuck to the bottled water otherwise.
$250 seems like a bargain for one of the best meals of my life. I'm going to start saving up all over again for next time!
Per Se price increase
I agree wholeheartedly with WineTravel. My salary is pretty low but great food is very important to me. It took me 3 months to save up but I am finally going to Per Se in mid-February.
I do have an etiquette question if anyone wants to take a stab. I don't drink alcohol. Since Thomas Keller believes in balancing every taste on the plate, would it be terrible if I ordered a soda? I had some sodas at WD-50 a while back and no one gave me looks of disgust. But I am worried that to some chefs, it might seem like sacrilege. Should I stick to bottled water?
Vietnamese or Eithopian in Westchester??
Did anyone try The Vietnam yet? My sister and I drove by to check it out but it's in such a dodgy area we didn't feel like stopping. If we know the food is good, we'll go back and risk it.
