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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Pleasing the palate
After moving from Lawton Street And, restaurant patrons aren’t the only
into a larger space on Memorial
Highway, Alvin & Friends Restaurant has managed to straddle the best of
both worlds—expanding into a more spacious location that can accommodate more guests while still retaining its unique character and charm. Says owner Alvin Clayton, “Our new space is even more inviting. We have a larger, more comfortable bar area, a beautiful outside terrace for up to 40 people, and a private rear room for
up to 85. Even though we’re in a much larger space, we were able to recreate the restaurant’s original charm and ambiance.”
The restaurant’s thriving dining business also includes hosting corporate parties and offering a special $21 executive lunch of soup or salad, entrée, dessert, coffee or tea Tuesdays through Fridays between 11:30 am and 3 pm.
Although voted a Best of Westchester for its fried chicken (served with slow-cooked greens and macaroni and cheese), Clayton considers the jerk-rubbed duck breast with port wine reduction to be the restaurant’s signature dish. Other delightful delectables include seared jumbo lump crab cake; Atlantic salmon in pot likker butter sauce; slow braised oxtail; and deep-fried catfish topped with lemongrass remoulade with ground grits and black-eyed peas. Now with a full-time pastry chef on board, signature desserts, like the bittersweet chocolate cake, plantain bread pudding, and coconut cheesecake are made in-house.
A former model turned restaurateur, Clayton treats the restaurant like an extension of his home and wants his guests to feel the love, too. It’s his guests that bring the most joy. “We have the most diverse clientele that’s truly representative of New Rochelle and the county,” he explains. “They represent all ages, ethnicities, and all walks of life. Seeing such a wonderful mix of people having an enjoyable experience— that’s my comfort.”
Clayton says the expansion hasn’t detracted from the focus on the restaurant’s quality food or friendly, intimate atmosphere that’s accented and personalized by the self-taught Clayton’s own colorful Matisse- inspired paintings lining the walls causing guests to stop and take notice.
ones appreciating his art. The upcoming movie “Best Man 2” will feature eleven of Clayton’s original works when it’s released this fall.
“We’ve stayed true to our Caribbean and Southern influence,” he notes. “And I still walk around to greet all of the guests. It’s very hands on, very warm and welcoming. We make every guest feel like one of our friends.”
Resource Guide
City of New Rochelle Department of Development City Hall
515 North Ave, New Rochelle
(914) 654-2185
newrochelleny.com
New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District Ralph DiBart, Executive Director
587 Main St, Suite 5, New Rochelle
(914) 960-1460 or (212) 866-0191 newrochelledowntown.com
Alvin & Friends Restaurant
14 Memorial Hwy, New Rochelle (914) 654-6549 alvinandfriendsrestaurant.com
Monroe College
434 Main St, New Rochelle (914) 632-5400 monroecollege.edu
White Plains Hospital
1296 North Ave New Rochelle (914) 681-0600 wphpa.org
westchestermagazine.com NR9