Page 55 - Westchester Magazine - January 2011

(spicy tuna, avocado and topped with eel and scallions) or his huge kitchen sink affair, the awesome Fantastic Roll (white seaweed, tuna, yellowtail, salmon, cucum- ber, avocado, Japanese mayon- naise, and flying fish roe). Given its theme of ocean-going excess, this joint is usually mobbed
with lines snaking out the door. Nevertheless, your wait is appre- ciated—Mike himself serves free- bie rolls to fans on the queue.
TOMATILLO
Dobbs Ferry
(914) 478-2300; mexchester.com
Tomatillo makes us forget the greasy burritos oozing with cheese and preservative-laden meat we can get at any Mexican joint. You can actually taste the freshness in Chef David Starkey’s “Mexchester” cuisine, made with organic pro- duce from Stone Barns and other Hudson Valley farms. Think of burritos and enchiladas positively stuffed with fresh spinach, grilled Portobello mushrooms, or skirt steak. Just remember to save room for the cilantro ice cream.
WALTER’S HOT DOGS
Mamaroneck waltershotdogs.com
What is Walter’s secret? There’s got to be a reason he’s been able to lure customers to his roadside pa- goda for one of his split dogs since 1919. There’s just something about his proportions of beef, pork, and veal, some addictive ingredient
in his secret sauce, or something about the way he blends mustard and relish that rival any hot dog put forth by any hotshot chef in the biz. (Danny Meyer’s Chicago dogs at Shake Shack have nothing on Walter’s.) Even the venerated Gourmet rated Walter’s the best hot dog in the country—some- thing every Mamaroneck resident already knew.
X2O XAVIARS
ON THE HUDSON Yonkers
(914) 965-1111; xaviars.com
When X2O opened in 2007, after years and years of baited- breath anticipation, all we could think was: Hallelujah! (We even put über-chef Peter Kelly on the cover of the magazine.) Finally, we could dine out on Kelly’s un- paralleled cuisine without having to cross the county border—or
the Tappan Zee Bridge. And Kelly did not disappoint. Not one bit. Jutting out into the Hudson River from the historic Yonkers Pier, nearly every table can take in a stunning view—even the ladies’ bathroom looks out onto the George Washington Bridge. The menu features his world-class, high-Zagat-scoring cuisine, a sea- sonal mix of classic French tech- nique with global embellishments, and just-plain-fun food, like retro butterscotch pudding. And, for a more casual vibe, there’s always the restaurant’s Dylan Lounge, which serves up the finest sushi and sashimi.
ZEPHS’
Peekskill
(914) 736-2159 zephsrestaurant.com
There’s one word for Zephs' restaurant: homey. This isn’t the place to find a sleek, loud dining room and a menu stuffed with dishes of the moment. Instead, expect a cozy, downplayed dining room with global, seasonal food that makes you feel comforted— and full. Think hearty cassoulet, Moroccan lamb spices, and a duck confit that’s inspired a fiercely loyal following for 20 years.
ZACHYS WINE & LIQUOR
Scarsdale
(914) 723-1033; zachys.com
In the county, wine has been synonymous with Zachys. After all, if the Mets’s Citifield trusts Zachys to run their high-end wine program, you should be able to pop into the store and walk out with a bottle of some- thing, too. Oenophiles consider the Zachys website to be a reli- able source for wine informa- tion, and newbies like stopping in the store for tastings, classes, and other events.
ZUPPA
Yonkers
(914) 376-6500 zupparestaurant.com
Zuppa deserves credit for rec- ognizing Yonkers’s up-and-coming potential early, and being one of the first institutions to pioneer its revitalizing waterfront. And, it did so with style, serving contempo- rary Italian cuisine (now courtesy of Executive Chef Daniel Van Etten) in an appropriately urbane setting, bringing in the city cool by hosting live jazz musicians on weekends.
Bedford Post Inn
Pound Ridge bedfordpostinn.com
If there’s one thing we love, it’s to have options, and
the Bedford Post Inn is really two restaurants in one. The Barn is a casual, no-tablecloths affair when you want just a quick (but delicious) breakfast or lunch and—or perhaps we should say, “especially”—some sweets to go. The Farmhouse is really more of a showcase for an ingredient- driven, innovative New American menu. Trust us, once you get a forkful, you’ll want to a skip the à la carte options for the five-course tasting menu. And, okay, fine, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t excited about the restaurant’s other dish, too—co-owner Richard Gere, who often can be spotted among the diners.
PHOTO THIS PAGE COUTESY OF BEDFORD POST INN/QUENTIN BACON
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