Nestled in the small town of Kerhonkson, NY lies a small family owned and operated farm stand.
is located just off of route 209 and offers an array of fresh produce, locally crafted goods, house made pastries, food, and of course, honey. Damn Good Honey started out as a small roadside tent selling home grown produce, honey, and handmade soaps. Run by husband and wife Jen and Keith Duarte they kept the operation as a small pop-up for two years. Seven years ago, they stumbled across a property owned by Rustic Ridge View Farm. The owner loved the idea the Duarte’s pop-up and offered them a small plot of land to rent so they could build a brick and mortar location. Damn Good Honey now had a permanent location and eventually became a hot spot for locals, summer vacationers, and fall city tourists.
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Do you follow Tina Ziccardi Bakes, aka @theItalianCookie? Her media pages are loaded with baked deliciousness that is not only drool worthy, but is downright eye-candy perfection! Following her grand win on “The Great American Baking Show” Season 4 (Hulu), Augustina Zaccardi (Tina) became a bit of a local celebrity right here in Westchester. Her huge fan base from her hometown of Eastchester rooted her on with each baking challenge, becoming more difficult as each week passed. We all watch in amazement as contestants fly through the challenges on each food competition, but meeting with Zaccardi and listening to her describe what it is really like to be on a cooking show was enlightening. She described the experience, which filmed in England, to be competitive yet jovial and the contenders to have more comradery than might be expected in a contest pitting bakers against each other in difficult timed elimination assignments. Although they were in a heated competition, they became somewhat of a family and are still in close contact with each other today.
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On the heels of renovating their Elmsford taproom and menu overhaul, then adding a distillery, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s expansion continues on the outskirts Downtown Mount Kisco.
Captain Lawrence Barrel House—sure to be dubbed Captain Lawrence Kisco by many—is different from the main brewery in terms of they’re not actually brewing beer or distilling spirits here. “Barrel House” should give away that this satellite version of Captain Lawrence is for barrel storage and aging booze produced by their distillery, Current Spirits. Whiskey, bourbon, single malt, and barrel-rested gin are all on the premises soaking up all those toasted oaky notes as we speak, and soon, giant oak foeders (pronounced food-ers) for aging sour beer will make their way into the back rooms.
And Captain Lawrence Barrel House isn’t just a honey hole for storage and aging, it’s there for your socializing and beer drinking enjoyment.
Visitors can expect 16 draft lines of mostly of Captain Lawrence beer, plus a few reserved for their own hard seltzer and a cider guest tap. Additionally, for non-craft beer nerds, there are three wines, pours and tasting flights of Current Spirits lineup of liquors, and canned cocktails, and mixed drinks like an old fashioned, spicy margarita, and a Moscow Mule.
As far as where to sip on your quaff, you have options. Pull up at the bar, grab a table in the dining room, or head out back where there’s an outdoor biergarten with obligatory picnic tables and string lights.
Once you pick which part of the Barrel House to post up at, pair your pint with some pub grub. Regulars of the main brewery will certainly recognize some of Kisco’s menu put in place by executive chef Forrest Pasternack (formerly of the lauded Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield, CT) who took over the reigns shortly after Tim Ocasio’s departure. Tacos, wings, a must-eat LaFrieda blend burger, and a fried chicken sandwich are familiar at both locations.
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Take three bakers. Mix in a pandemic that has us craving carbs and sweets. Sprinkle in some dedicated followers. That’s the recipe for two new bakeries that recently opened in Westchester – Wildly Cakes in Dobbs Ferry and Flour Power in Pelham.
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A trip to the Bedford Playhouse isn’t just about watching the latest Hollywood films while munching on a tub of buttery popcorn and washing it down with a large soda. With the addition of a café, guests can have a sit-down meal or sip on a craft cocktail before or after a movie, or minus the movie altogether.
The brains behind The Playhouse Café’s mostly tapas style menu is food and beverage manager, Gerald Massoud, a former general manager at Fortina.
The idea behind Massoud’s food is snackable, “sociable,” and approachable plates. A couple of healthy, bright salads if you’re keeping it light, beef barley soup and lobster bisque if you need to warm up on a chilly night.
The rest is almost entirely small plates perfect for sharing. There are addictive options like marinated olives, pita bread with house made hummus, and prosciutto with cheese and fruit. All are ideal paired with a glass of wine, pint of craft beer, or a damn fine cocktail that rivals any bar in the area. Currently, the café’s bar has 20 total wines to choose from, available in both a glass and by the bottle, plus, plenty of local beer and a few hard ciders.
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Strolling through bucolic Bedford, appreciating autumn’s colors, area residents and visitors alike who crave a coffee drink, delicious sandwich and salad choices, or the perfect host/hostess gift, stop at the go-to spot in town — G.E. Brown.
The late summer re-opening was preceded by a five-month closing and, as owner Jennifer Vellano put it, “an overnight pivot to a different model of serving the town and keeping the store alive.” She and her husband James opened G.E. Brown in 2015, bringing with them catering and restaurant expertise. The store quickly became known for its inventive twists — a sensational chicken salad with raisins and nuts, their “Ham it Up” breakfast sandwich on a danish, and soul-satisfying soups like broccoli cheddar. When the pandemic hit the Vellanos “didn’t have the option to close down,” so took the creativity apparent in their food and brought it to the store’s concept.
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Taking their mutual love and knowledge of the restaurant industry and bringing it to the area where one of them grew up, Billy Bishop and Peter Smith recently opened Billy & Pete’s Social House. The restaurant’s convivial spirit and contemporary American-themed food (with Italian accents) has already garnered enthusiastic reaction from the Mamaroneck/Larchmont area.
While the duo had to introduce the restaurant with a slightly smaller menu than originally planned, they are already finding an enthusiastic audience for their pizzas, cocktails and the bite-sized, pop in your mouth donuts that are sold on weekends at a window at the side of the restaurant.
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TGB Restaurant Group, owners and operators of The Granola Bar’s five locations proudly announces the launch of their ghost kitchen concept; The Taco Bar. This evening taco and burrito concept opens every night from 5-9pm based out of The Granola Bar of Rye location. Customers can order for pick-up and delivery only via UberEats, GrubHub, or by calling the store directly at 914-709-4229.
Co-owner Julie Mountain continues; “The Taco Bar is such a natural extension of what are doing during the daytime with The Granola Bar and allows us to show versatility and ability to pivot during these times.”
Executive chef Neil Rohricht continues to flex his delicious culinary expertise at The Taco Bar creating a flavorful and easy to navigate menu that appeals to everyone in the family.
You can find The Taco Bar menu at: https://thegranolabarct.com/qr_menu/the-taco-bar/
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On a hot summer’s night… (cue Meatloaf), who wants to cook? The tradition of eating Chinese food on Friday night goes back to my childhood days, so on a recent Friday night it was CHIGO for us. If you are a long time Westchester diner you may remember Tung Sing or South Seas from your youth. There were only a few Chinese-food spots where you could also take out food. Forward a few years (wink wink) and there are a plethora of spots from which to get your dumpling fix, but none that compare to CHIGO. What makes this delivery only spot in Hawthorne different is the quality of the ingredients that make up each delicious dish!
A bit of background before we get to the eats will help you to appreciate the thoughtfulness that has gone into this brand. This is the latest incarnation from the brains behind WUJI - pure fresh Chinese; LULU - classic Chinese healthy ingredients; and CHINA WHITE - homegrown organic Chinese. If you have ever dined at any of these restaurants you understand the high level of service and the superior quality of the food.
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The Barn at Bedford - Just See What Love There are very few meals that truly linger days after I have them. Ohhhh, but when one does, I’m inclined to get out my imaginary megaphone and shout. The Charred Octopus at The Barn has had me positively awestruck. Our very editor here at CTbites asked me, “It was that good?” “Yes, Boss Lady, it was realllllllly good.” As one of three new eateries housed within The Bedford Post Inn, The Barn is in the midst of a fresh start. Again. Chef Roxanne Spruance and her crew had only just taken on the restaurants, and restructured and revived The Barn, just a few months before the pandemic hit, so the June Phase 2 re-opening has given them yet another chance to really open. Chef feels lucky. She says, “Thankfully, despite the timing, we’ve hardly skipped a beat.”
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In continuing their domination of Northern Westchester, Craig and Glen Bernardi, the two brothers behind Bobo’s Café, opened their third location in Baldwin Place a week before the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to temporarily close their doors. All three cafes are open once again, with an app making contact-free ordering for curbside pickup a snap. You can also meander up to the door and place an order but be forewarned – these joints are hopping.
Baldwin Place joins the original Somers location, and the second one opened last year in Chappaqua, as a go-to spot for great coffee drinks, an elevated café menu, and convivial atmospheres. If they did a reboot of “Cheers” in a café, Bobo’s could be the inspiration.
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As Westchester restaurants remain shuttered for dining in, a growing number of those that initially closed due to uncertainty and concern over the coronavirus have reopened their doors for takeout and delivery. The restauranteurs we spoke with are keeping their operations lean, are taking all the necessary safety precautions for their staff and patrons, and are, while not making money doing this, getting back to doing in some measure what they love.
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This pandemic has stopped a lot of things. One thing it hasn’t stopped? The ability for a handful of fantastic eateries to take to the streets and roll into your neighborhood in food trucks. And now, they’re living by the “we’re all in this together” mantra we’ve all taken up. As of early March, 15 food trucks formed an alliance for the ages. The Westchester Food Truck Association, composed of diverse, local favorites, will have you wanting to call for a (literal) truckload of their food.
Meet The Trucks: Walter’s Hot Dogs, Gyro Uno, Westchester Burger Co., Longford’s Ice Cream, Put Some Meat on Your Bones, Cibus Latin Fusion, Road Grub Mobile, Pizza Vitale, Leila’s Crepe Station, Sloppie Joe’s, Graziella’s Restaurant, Crazy Taco-Mex, Abeetz Pizza, Poke Motion, Mac’s Meatball Truck
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As we became accustomed to our stay at home orders, you may have noticed more people sharing information about what were cookin’ in quarantine. Folks were craving comfort foods - especially carbs in the way of pasta, sweets and breads. Foodie Facebook groups are still trading “where to find…” ingredients, recipes and techniques to procure and produce some beautiful and tasty treats.
With having had more time at home, we researched and studied new crafts - puzzles, gardening, cooking and baking to name a few. Recipes are still exchanged and perfected with helpful tips resulting from extra time at home for trial and error. With each bread picture posted - one more beautiful than the next - it created an ingredient shortage. Getting the urge to make a loaf with no yeast to be found, had me searching for other leavening agents to make bread. Although the banana bread craze is shall we say “going bananas” by baking with the overripe fruit, for me it is the salty and not sweet bread calling me to “knead” a loaf.
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Not many would open a business during a pandemic. Don’t tell that to Tina Selsky. For Selsky, it was the perfect time to launch her bagel pickup service, Blithe Bagels, based out of her home in Peekskill.
Selsky—a footwear designer by trade who spent seven years with Coach, who’s now at the upstart Thursday Boot Company—had always wanted to break into the food service industry with her husband, Matthew. The idea for a bagel-based business came about in the days and months leading up to the couple’s wedding. Selsky mentioned that she didn’t want to go on one of those “dreaded wedding diets.” To resist, she got creative and found different ways to eat what she wanted to eat. One of those was a bagel recipe (since tweaked, no doubt) that was half the carbs and half the calories of store brand bagels.
“We always talked about opening a small shop or a B&B,” she says. “I love bagels! We both do! And I ate these every day leading up to our wedding, so I wanted to share these with everyone locally.”
A beginning business model for Blithe Bagels came to fruition during the COVID-19 quarantine. Selsky simply had more time while working from home for over a month. “Even though I’ve been working from home full time, I finally had a little more time to commit, design a website, and put together all the logistics of how it would work,” she says.
Before Blithe Bagels officially launches on April 16, 2020, what should one expect at first bite?
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We interrupt your daily dose of horror to tell you how some chefs are changing the landscape and helping people in the community WHO NEEED YOUR HELP NOW. Whether they’re providing meals to people out of work in the restaurant industry, trying to keep some of their employees working, or donating meals to first responders and hospitals, these are a few programs we can ALL get behind. If you have the resources, please consider making donations to these incredible programs, and celebrate those just doing good work.
If YOU have a program that you would like to tell us about, please contact us.
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Much like restaurants that have switched over to takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, breweries have adapted, too.
If your beer stash is dwindling down or if you simply want to keep supporting local beer as you usually would—minus the taproom experience—this list should help you stock your fridge and the breweries will no doubt appreciate the business.
Stay safe and soon enough we’ll be back to nerdy beer conversation and saying, “Cheers!” But in the meantime…
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