| Spring 2022 Hudson Valley Restaurant Week runs from Monday, March 21 – Sunday, April 3, 2022. Restaurants will be offering 3 course, prix-fixe lunches at $29.95 and dinners at $39.95. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is a popular bi-annual event taking place each Spring and Fall. Participating restaurants span eight counties in the Hudson Valley (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Ulster, Orange, Sullivan, Dutchess and Greene counties) and offer a wide variety of cuisines. Past participating restaurants served an estimated quarter of a million patrons and reported an average 25% increase in business, collectively generating an estimated economic impact of $10.2 million in sales revenue. Among the many new restaurants joining the lineup this Spring are Apropos Restaurant at The Abbey Inn, Peekskill; Alba’s Restaurant, Port Chester; Autumn, Sparkill; Jason Patrick’s on 44, Poughkeepsie; Le Jardin Du Roi, Chappaqua; One Seventy Nine Bar & Grill, New Rochelle; New York Restaurant, Catskill; Red Onion, Saugerties; Savor Ristorante & Bar, Mahopac; Tavern At Beekman Arms, Rhinebeck, and Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse, West Nyack. Reservations are highly recommended at all restaurants. For more information on HVRW, visit www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com. |
Yesterday I was invited to a special lunch organized by 914 Pop’s to experience the incredible chef Anthony Gonclaves Portuguese fare. Kanopi is a serious gourmet’s dream. The intimate restaurant on the 42nd floor of the Opus hotel in White Plains serves a weekly chef’s tasting menu Wednesday thru Saturday.
The space in itself is spectacular. The room boasts 360 views of Westchester and the Hudson Valley. There are only 7 dining tables each with its own amazing cityscape.
With chef-led tasting menus, boutique wine pairings, and an intimate dining experience, Kanopi offers a unique farm-to-table culinary experience unlike any other. Chef Anthony Gonçalves, his wife Andreia Goncalves, and the team capture the essence of Portugal while remaining firmly rooted in the Hudson Valley through seasonal menus comprised of old-world flavors and local farm-fresh ingredients.
Here are some of the tastings we enjoyed yesterday, for more information or to make a reservation, click HERE.
We started the lunch with the most delicious bread with fresh ricotta, roasted garlic and sardines.
The next course was beets with crispy rice.
Himachi Ceviche with Avocado (this was incredible).
Black Truffle Ricotta with Blue Cheese Tortellini and Cacio e Pepe
Branzino With Enoki Mushrooms
The dessert was a Banana Flan with a Frois Gras Macaroon.
Our lunch group with Chef Anthony Gonclaves
Recently I spent some time at the new SaksWorks Greenwich. SaksWorks is a boutique hospitality restaurant experience in the SaksWorks family of coworking spaces on Greenwich Ave.
Ruby and Bella’s is the SaksWorks’s bar and restaurant and is open to the public. We recently had a wonderful birthday celebration lunch for my friend Andy and we all loved it.
Ruby & Bella’s is a celebration of American cuisine, offering dishes inspired by local and seasonal ingredients and prepared with regional and global flavors, Executive Chef Jason Leckey has curated a menu that showcases an impressive variety of cuisine bound to impress any palate.
- Menu highlights include:
- Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
- New England Clam Chowder with a mini Lobster roll
- Bone-In Filet Mignon
- Tuna Tartare
- R&B’s Signature Lobster Club
- Chicken Paillard
- Whole Roasted Baby Cauliflower
Ruby and Bellas also boasts an intimate cocktail lounge, where guests can relax and enjoy coffee, drink and food offerings.
At SakWorks, Customers can also book events in the private dining rooms or reserve entire areas of the facility with access to the catering menu.
While other locations do have a membership model, the Greenwich location is focused on the fine dining experience.
Unlike the other locations, SaksWorks Greenwich is accessible to the public with customers having the option to book private dining spaces for their needs, SaksWorks members, who have access to all of the locations in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, have free access to utilize the private dining spaces offered in Greenwich.
I am looking forward to obtaining a temporary membership to SaksWorks and returning to Ruby and Bellas!! Stay TUNED!!!!
Side Door Donuts at Billy and Pete’s in Larchmont serves fresh, homemade, warm mini doughnuts on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm. You really need to try these, they have the perfect combination of a crispy fried outside with a light and airy consistency inside. They are glazed and topped with many treats to choose from. (see below) The donuts come in boxes of 3, 12, party boxes, and “cakes” are also available. And they are constantly adding new flavors so DONUT be left in the dark, follow them on @sidedoordonuts and meet me there this weekend!!!
Flavors
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon
- Powered Sugar
- Maple Bacon
- Fruity Pebbles
- Cookies n’ Cream
- S’Mores
- Fluffernutter
- Peanut butter & Jelly
- Make your own! Choose glaze & topping.
Last night I tried the new Greca Mediterranean Kitchen on Main Street in White Plains. The menu puts a rustic spin on the traditional Greek fare. The new location is quite chic and very metropolitan looking. They source local produce and sustainably raised fresh wild seafood and organic meats. This is the second location for Greca, the first in Westchester, and in 2021 their New Milford location won Connecticut Magazine’s reader choice 2021for best Restaurant picks and a 2020 top staff pick in CT Bites. Even though their food is quite outstanding, their primary goal is their approach to hospitality where “you enter as strangers but leave as friends”. See you there!!!!
Stuffed Grape leaves…a Greek menu staple!!!
Zucchini Fritters!!!
The Roasted Beat appetizer!!! Yummm
The cocktails were really amazing!
Here is a sampling of some of their amazing Greek Dips!
Shrimp Santorini
Assortment of some of their salads!
They have an extensive wine selection.
This was my favorite…greek egg pasta with mushrooms, truffle oil and light cream…oh and some Brussel sprouts too!
Mediterranean Grill
And loads of great desserts!!!!
Wine Spectator, the world’s leading authority on wine, has unveiled the winners of the 2021 Restaurant Awards, which honor the world’s best restaurants for wine. This year’s awards program recognizes 2,917 dining destinations from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 72 countries internationally.
“American restaurants are back in business, as patrons are eagerly returning to dining rooms across the nation,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, WineSpectator. “In this year’s Restaurant Awards issue, we reflect on how restaurateurs navigated this incredibly difficult period, and look ahead, with every indication that the coming year will be one of the most promising in decades for an industry we all love. It’s been a long road back, and it feels wonderful to celebrate restaurants and all they bring to the world of wine.”
This year 5 Westchester Restaurants made the list:
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Crabtree’s Kittle House Inn
https://www.crabtreeskittlehouse.
Alba’s Ristorante
BLT Steak
http://bltrestaurants.com/location/bl