Sweetgrass Grill Opens - At Last!
Another Stellar Restaurant Destination in Tarrytown
by Linda Viertel
Sweetgrass Grill, Tarrytown’s latest addition to a burgeoning restaurant scene, has opened with a bang, seating crowds of happy diners at lunch and dinner, and leaving them with a new appreciation of how seemingly simple preparations can still be inventive, surprising and deeply satisfying.
Chef Tom Lasley and owners David Starkey and Theresa McCarthy in front of natural wood bar.
by Linda Viertel
Word is spreading fast through the rivertowns that The Cookery is open for business, and, from the look of a packed dining room filled with happy customers, it’s going to be a big success. Chef David DiBari, formerly the executive chef at Zuppa in Yonkers for five years, has clearly learned to perfect his culinary skills in a career that spans experience in a number of revered New York restaurants – Five Points, Danube, Mario Batali’s Babbo and Windows on the World.
Michael O'Neill, manager and co-owner. Photo by Rani Levy
Continue reading "The Cookery: Fine Italian Cuisine at an Affordable Price" »
Celtic Corner: Charm and Warmth of an Irish Pub in Dobbs Ferry
by Linda Viertel
A convivial and comfortable meeting place – a home away from home – helps create community in our rivertowns. And, Dobbs Ferry is fortunate to have just such a place: Celtic Corner provides the warmth and charm of an Irish pub on the corner of Main and Walnut Streets. Manager Richard Doyle, and proprietors, Brian Doyle (Richard’s son), Brian’s life-long friends Dennis O’Brien and Nick Bell have been providing a neighborhood gathering place in their hometown for 8 years. It’s a perfect spot for leisurely conversation where regulars can enjoy a drink at the bar and order their favorite dish perfectly prepared by Chef Gustavo. It’s also a welcoming atmosphere for families and a lively place to watch a game on one of the 8 flat screen televisions, strategically placed throughout the cozy room.
Interior of Celtic Corner, (photo by Samantha Palazzi) located at the corner of Main and Walnut streets.
by Linda Viertel
For anyone who hasn’t yet tasted the joys of Persian cooking, your luck has changed now that Shiraz has opened in Elmsford. Shiraz Persian Cuisine and the adjacent Mediterranean Market are both owned by White Plains resident and the restaurant’s chef, Mohammad Ababaf.
Ababaf, a caterer for New York City diplomatic and corporate events, started the first successful Shiraz in New Jersey. In Elmsford, he has created a welcoming, bright and cheerful decor in which to feature the complex tastes of his native cuisine at very reasonable prices.
Persian cooking is a culinary tradition that stems back in time 4,000 years. And the ingredients suggest a rich heritage, the geography of a country blessed with a variety of fruits, nuts, and spices treasured long ago along the Silk Road. So, when a dish filled with the fragrant aromas of mint and fenugreek, or delicately sauteed shallots and garlic appears, you know you are tasting a bit of history that has been refined for modern palates.
Continue reading "Persian Cuisine at its Finest in Elmsford" »
Jerry Eimbinder
Coffee Labs Roasters of Tarrytown was awarded the gold medal for “Best of Brew” at the Ultimate Barista Challenge, China ’08 coffee-industry competition held last month in Shanghai. More than 180,000 visitors and exhibitors attended the annual expo at the Shanghai Exposition Center.
The winning presentation, made by Mike Love, Coffee Labs Roasters owner and head roaster, bested the runner-up Chinese entry. Both finalists were allowed 10 minutes for preparation and 10 minutes for brewing eight cups of coffee and making a verbal presentation to the board of four judges. Love’s winning brew, called Best of Ethiopia 2008 Sidamo Korate, can be tasted at Coffee Labs Roasters on Main Street. Order a French press of Ethiopian Korate — a small press costs $4; a large press is $6, and brewing takes four minutes. Call 332-1479.
Comfort food in an Italian home away from home
Linda Viertel
For The Hudson Independent
As the rivertowns continue to evolve and grow, there is more delight than ever in the comfort of a traditional, family-owned restaurant of long-standing in the community.
Rini’s in Elmsford — with its familiar faces, loyal customers who are treated as family, and authentic, carefully cooked Italian food in a homelike atmosphere — has been nurturing diners for more than a decade.
To walk in Rini’s door is to relax into a world that welcomes you as an old friend – even if it’s your first visit. Owner Leo Cattarini (in photo with his mother, Antonietta) shuttles between the kitchen and each table, an affable, charming host who always seems to know what his customers want. Leo, together with his mother, Antonietta, who tends bar, is carrying on the legacy of his father, Benny Cattarini, who founded Rini’s more than 10 years ago.
Jerry Eimbinder
Lyndhurst’s Carriage House Restaurant will serve a prix-fixe, four-course dinner on three consecutive Saturday evenings, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, during “Fairy Tale Evenings” (after-dark tours of the estate). Starter selections include lobster, scallops and shrimp over pineapple Papaya salsa. The entrée list includes char-broiled rib eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus, miso- marinated Chilean sea bass and chive balsamic glazed chicken breast. The $59 cost per person includes coffee or tea. Call 631-4481 to book a Fairy Tale evening before dinner. For dinner reservations, call 524-7900.
