Page 51 - Westchester Magazine - January 2011

its brownies are scrumptious. It turns out you don’t have to go to a highfalutin culinary school to create heavenly confections. The proof is in Greyston’s goodies. Rich, moist, and chewy, the “Do- Goodie” brownies are made from all-natural ingredients and have no preservatives, and choppers are really superfluous—the darn things melt in your mouth. Is it any wonder that Ben & Jerry’s uses Greyston’s brownies in its Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream?
HUBBA
Port Chester (914) 939-7271
Night owls on the county’s Sound Shore side don’t need us to enumerate Hubba’s good points. They already know. But for those of you who haven’t yet had the good fortune to be clued into its advantages: we’ll start with the great hours, especially if you’re
a barfly. Hubba is open until 4
am on weekdays and 5 am on weekends. But you don’t have to be a night owl to appreciate what it is slinging: chili. Bowls of chili, chili fries, chili dogs, and at prices you’ll be able to afford with what’s left in your wallet after a long night.
IRON HORSE GRILL
Pleasantville
(914) 741-0717; ironhorsegrill.com
Who doesn’t love chef and res- taurateur Phil McGrath? Unlike many top-notch chefs, McGrath doesn’t hide behind a kitchen door or run around town like a food celebrity. He’s in his kitchen— cooking. And before, after, and during, he’s yakking—with you, your neighbors, patrons at the bar. He loves to talk, and he loves to cook. And boy, are we the better off for it. Ever tasted his timbale of peaky toe crab? Let’s just say, we go nearly deaf hearing its con- stant praises being sung by satis- fied diners.
JOHNNY’S PIZZERIA
Mount Vernon (914) 668-1957
One of the county’s oldest pizzerias—Johnny’s opened in 1947—is also one of its best.
The crust on Johnny’s pizzas is crispy and thin-to-perfection, and not overpowered with sauce and cheese; all the ingredients sit in
a delicate balance. You can’t get individual slices here, but, after tasting the pies, you wouldn’t want to.
KAM SEN ASIAN MARKET
White Plains
(914) 428-4500 kamsenfoods.com
In need of XO sauce? Lotus- seed-paste cakes? Marinated duck feet? Lychee ice cream? Bubble tea? Kam Sen has all of these— and it boasts 30,000 items in total—with groceries that cater to Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, Thai, Indian, and Filipino cuisines. There are racks, boxes, stacks, and bins full of beans, vegetables, fruits, and fish. Or, you can take the easy way, and get prepared meals of dumplings, buns, and sushi.
THE KNEADED BREAD
Port Chester
(914) 937-9489 kneadedbread.com
Jeffrey and Jennifer Kohn’s Port Chester bakery is artisanal in more than just name. The Kohns use a 13-year-old yeast “mother” and scour the country for carefully sourced grains. Their French- inflected breads, muffins, rolls, and pastries are handcrafted daily and displayed in luscious variety behind glass on wide marble
counters. (It’s a good thing,
too, because there are plenty of salivating folks with their faces pressed against the barrier.)
We love to stop in for rich hot chocolate—frothed in the cap- puccino machine and perfect to pair with tender brioche—though fans mob here daily for egg-
salad sammies and archetypical
Sushi Nanase
White Plains (914) 285-5351
You’ll find no Out of Control Rolls at reverent Sushi Nanase—Yoshimichi Takeda takes his sushi seriously. And this former chef at Masa and Nobu is about as controlling of his diner as his kitchen. Don’t try to walk in without
a reservation (you’ll be turned away), don’t order the omakase unless you’ve pre-ordered (you’ll be refused), and don’t be the 21st at lunch (because he’ll only take 20). Still, we shut up and just obey all of Takeda’s rules, because this temple to sushi is the best Westchester’s got.
PHOTO THIS PAGE BY JOHN FORTUNATO
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