Muscoot Farm (Katonah)

It is hard to picture Westchester with a lot of farmland.  That is until you move “upcounty” like we did.  Westchester’s role in the history and development of New York City is often overlooked.  People look at Westchester as a product of a growing need for the city to grow outwards.  That is just part of the story.  One modern example of New York City’s reliance on Westchester is the development of the reservoir system (and I do mean system) that continues to provide water to New York every day.  A historical example of that relationship is on display at Muscoot Farm, a historical farm located in Katonah.

Muscoot is not just a place to see old farm artifacts.  It actually still has all kinds of farm animals that you can see up close.  As Betsy and I wait for a great time to take Lily to the Bronx Zoo, we thought that Muscoot would be a great place to bring her to.  Chickens.  Sheep.  Goats.  Cows.  And very loud (and disturbing, at least to Lily) turkeys.  They were all there bringing a bit of the county’s agrarian past to life.  One of the barns tells the story of the farm and how important farms like it were in delivering fresh milk to New York in the mid to late 19^th century.

One of the highlights of our trip was seeing a brand new baby (cow) calf named Patty.  She was born on St. Patricks Day.

We really enjoyed our trip to Muscoot.  It was nice blend of historical and agricultural sightseeing.  I am sure that I will be back there for a field trip at some point.  I just hope Lily takes her time growing up to that moment.

http://www.muscootfarm.org/

Gasho of Japan (Hawthorne)

Gasho is a hibachi-style Japanese steakhouse with three locations in addition to the Hawthorne restaurant.  Gasho is in the same tradition as Benihana but a bit more reasonably priced than its more heavily advertised competitor.

I have been to Gasho before and what I always liked about the place was the intimate seating amidst the Japanese art and architectural setting.  This time, we had just a party of three (one third of which is a baby) and understanding that hibachi places like this are generally for the birthday/groups of people NOT with a baby crowd, we were cognizant enough to get there early.

Our hibachi chef wasn’t Japanese, which may be something that would turn most people off.  It lacks “authenticity” one might say.  Well, after learning that our chef had worked his way up from being a busboy to the lofty title of hibachi chef, it made me root for the guy.  He did a fine job. He tamped down the usual theatrics that make hibachi more show than meal.  We had a nice moment where he presented Lily with a rice person (peas for eyes, get it?) and quickly declared “goodbye!” when the eggs were done for the fried rice.

We had very generous serving of nicely sized shrimp with our meals (I got the steak; Betsy the chicken) and the rice was tasty.  Overall, we had a nice meal at Gasho’s and would recommend it.

http://www.gasho.com/default.asp

Epstein’s (Hartsdale)

For many years, I remember my parents dragging me to Epstein’s for some “Kosher deli.”  Coming from the Morris Park section of the Bronx, a Jewish deli experience was not something I was used to and, at the time, not one I was inclined to want to experience.  I always ended up joylessly eating a hot dog and a knish while my parents enjoyed all kinds of food that I thought I didn’t like.

Fast forward 15 to 20 years.  I wish I could go back in time and slap myself.

I was excited to go back to Epstein’s and bring my little eyfele with me.  Lily took to the knish right away and noshed on some pickles.  Matzo ball soup?  Check.  Lily is at the stage where she eats and enjoys everything.

When we arrived, we had a heaping plate of sour and dill pickles on the table.  The bread basket that followed had bagel flats and rye bread.  To die for, I tell you!

The pastrami sandwich I had was delish.  It had plenty of pastrami on that soft, tasty rye bread that they had in the basket.  When I go back for dinner there, I really could see myself branching out and trying some kreplach and a serving of blintzes.

I highly recommend Epstein’s!  Mazel Tov!

http://www.epsteinsdeli.com/

Piazza Roma (Cortlandt Manor)

It was inevitable that we would make our way to Little Sorrento’s sister restaurant in the massive (and convenient) Cortlandt Town Center.  The first time we went there was with our friends Rob, Marissa and little Robbie for a pie.  We have ordered pizza two more times from there and have enjoyed it thoroughly.

The pie itself was unusual in that it was shaped like a Sicilian pie.  Considering that Sicilian slices are a favorite of mine, it was an aesthetically pleasing thing to behold.  The regular pie was great.  The crust was just right and tasted just like the bread that accompanied it–practically the same delicious approach as Little Sorrento’s.  The pro move, however, is to get the Margherita pie.

Piazza Roma also makes a refreshingly tasty Caesar salad.  Unlike many that we have grown accustomed to that are overwhelmingly brimming with creaminess, the approach here is a very light, lemony approach that allows the palate to emphasize the generous portions of shaved Parmesan cheese.

You really can’t go wrong with either place, but for a sit down dinner, I prefer Little Sorrento.  For convenience to a nice pizza pie, go Roma.

Croton Point Park

After visiting the Dam again (just had to show it off to another newbie), we took a quick ride to Croton Point Park.  This past weekend showed some signs of life, but it was still kind of a chilly day.  I say this because I am sure there is a lot more to the park than what we saw.  (For example, a co-worker told me that there are historic wine cellars located on the premises)

That being said, the views of the Hudson are very pretty there.  I went to college in Albany. The few times I took Amtrak to and from Albany, I always enjoyed the Hudson River views.  Since Croton-Harmon is a stop, I remember looking at this park and thinking how lucky people were to relax and peer out at that view of the Hudson.

Now I am fortunate enough to have the same opportunity.

Learn more about Croton Point Park.

Julianna’s Restaurant (Cortlandt Manor)

One casualty of having a baby at home is the ability to have a nice dinner with Betsy.  Just the two of us.  The hectic packing-moving-unpacking process made those opportunities even less likely.  So when I decided to take my wife out for a dinner sans Lily, I wanted to go somewhere that was a bit more sophisticated (read: pricier).  Mortgage payment be damned, I was going to find a place to share a special evening and not wince when the check came.

After poking around some websites, I landed on Julianna’s, a small restaurant located on a country road and housed in what was once a schoolhouse in the 19^th century.  After getting a little lost (it gets dark up here), we landed smoothly into our reservation for two.  The intimately lit dining room had enough of a din to make casual, but personal, conversation doable without whispering.

We ordered the fried calamari “Thai style” as an appetizer, which had enough heat amidst its sweetness to nicely complement the obviously fresh and tasty calamari.  I ordered up a St. Lawrence Pal Ale, which I really enjoyed and was happy to learn is brewed in Pleasantville.

Our main entrees were excellent.  Betsy had one of their specials that evening:  skirt steak topped with bleu cheese.  I tried one of their everyday entrees called Seafood Mac n’ Cheese.  It doesn’t sound very appealing, but considering the type of restaurant it was and our waiter’s strong endorsement, I gave it a shot.  I’m glad I did.  It was a rich, creamy mac and (four) cheese dish with penne pasta, shrimp, crab meat, mushrooms, spinach and black truffle oil.  My mouth is watering thinking about it.

We passed on dessert.  (Mortgage payment!)  But they make their own unique flavors of ice cream.  We’ll splurge for it next time.  Julianna’s also has a Thursday prix fixe menu and Sandwich Mondays.  The sandwiches look pretty great.  Check out the whole menu at:

http://www.juliannas-bistro.com/

 

Croton Gorge Park

I have always been a big fan of parks.  I have to thank my Dad for that.  When I was a kid, we spent many Sunday afternoons in parks around the city and Westchester.  Parks have boundless potential when paired with an active imagination.

There were many parks I enjoyed on Long Island.  Eisenhower Park, for example, is still arguably one of the best parks I’ve been to.  Cedar Creek Park and Wantagh Park are great, too.  The state parks of Long Island, like Jones Beach, Robert Moses and Sunken Meadow, are incredible.  Betsy and I have spent a lot of time just walking or laying around, enjoying the fresh air and musing over our future.

But now that we moved to Westchester, I am excited to explore all the great parks that Westchester has to offer.  In fact, I plan on visiting every County park at least once.

So in addition to writing about food and everything else that is great in Westchester, I am making a special effort to focus on parks.

The first park that I wanted to explore was Croton Gorge Park.  Having only seen the dam in pictures, I wanted it to be the first place that we as a family (along with our friends Marissa, Rob and Robbie) went to in order to “feel” the natural beauty of Westchester.  I took a circuitous route to the park that provided many beautiful vistas of the Croton Reservoir.

Completed in 1906, the Dam itself is impressive. We caught it after the couple of warm days we had last week, so the dam was gushing with water.  It was not at its capacity—you could tell—but it was enough to provide a powerful rush of water falling down from the top and out of another spillway.

I have a feeling that we will be spending many afternoons here.  I’m glad it was the first park we visited.

To learn more about the Dam, click on this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Croton_Dam

Little Sorrento (Cortlandt Manor)

As readers of my “Bye to LI” list know, finding an unpretentious but top quality Italian restaurant was going to be an important piece to settling in to a new place.  That’s why I’m glad we moved within the greater NYC metropolitan area.  We didn’t move to North Carolina, so we still have many places to choose from for at least passable Italian.  (Not picking on North Carolina, but I’m guessing the options are far fewer there than here)

Our trip to Little Sorrento occurred during my brother-in-law Andy and his girlfriend Cindy’s visit to the house.  After setting up our whole entertainment center (Thanks again, Andy) we were looking to try this heavily recommended spot on Route 202.

Little Sorrento was not merely “passable.”  It was actually pretty amazing and is a very strong contender for our new place.  Little Sorrento is a few hundred cannoli lengths ahead.

You can make a quick judgment on how good an Italian place will be by initially judging the bread.  Little Sorrento’s bread came out just the way you like it:  with a crust on the outside that kept the warm and soft goodness inside.  Lily ordered up a slice of pizza, which she enjoyed very much and the bite(s) I took indicated a very nice slice of pizza can be had at Little Sorrento.  Everyone enjoyed their meal, from the Penne a la Vodka that Andy inhaled to Hank’s heaping serving of lasagna.  My dish was a mushroom lover’s dream:  Penne Portabella.  Chock full of portabella mushrooms and served with penne pasta and grilled chicken, all that deliciousness is topped with goat cheese.

But Cindy’s dish was best.  She got the Shrimp al Pesto.  Generously sized shrimp tossed amidst fettuccine covered in a delightfully creamy pesto sauce.  She didn’t eat all of it and was kind enough to have it wrapped for me.  It was just as good a few nights later.

Little Sorrento has a much larger sister restaurant called Piazza Roma in the Cortlandt Town Center that is closer to our house.  But I really liked the warm charm that Little Sorrento’s cozy atmosphere produced.  We will be back.

http://www.littlesorrento.com/index.html

 

Jennifer’s Restaurant (Yorktown Heights)

Now that I’m somewhat settled in to my new environment, I decided to continue writing about new places—restaurants, shops and other locations—around Westchester County.  This is to the benefit of the three people that have signaled that they care.  Let’s also face facts: I love to hear myself talk and I am not immune to a bit of self indulgence.

When the dust settled after the move a few weeks back, my father-in-law Hank wanted to go out to dinner.  He wanted to go to a German restaurant.  Considering that he is German (as is Betsy), I didn’t think he was kidding.  Germans aren’t good at “kidding around.”  He was a hungry Hun and he was hankering for some Bavarian goodness.  I asked around and searched online and it appears that Jennifer’s is kind of the only game in town, though they may be looking to “annex” other restaurants in the area…especially the Polish restaurant in neighboring Ossining.

Ok, I’ll stop.  I’m only joking Germans!

The first place we tried as new Westchester residents was excellent.  Jennifer’s was better than the German restaurant we infrequently went to on Long Island by the width of the Rhine.  Lily especially enjoyed the potato pancakes and applesauce.  My Jaeger Schnitzel (Breaded veal with mushroom sauce) was delicious.  Betsy enjoyed her loin of pork stuffed with spinach and encased in a flaky pastry.  But Hank knew what he was doing.  He ordered the Bavarian Platter, which had smoked pork chop, bratwurst and some other delicious meats I cannot recall at this time—all smothered with sauerkraut.

All of this was enjoyed with a nice, tall stein of Spaten.

Wunderbar!

http://www.jennifersrestaurant.com/