Small Bites

Le Fontane is truly like a little bit of Tuscany right in Somers.  Patrice Costa here and I’m ashamed to admit that haven’t dined there in quite some time, but I’m glad that plans for a quiet summer lunch (or two) with my photographer friend and fellow foodie, Margaret Rizzuto, brought me back.  I can’t believe what I’ve been missing.

Their lovely outdoor patio, surrounded by a lush garden and vine-filled trellis, is perfect for outdoor dining.  If the weather is not cooperating, get comfortable in the pleasantly decorated dining room with its calming Tuscan tones of gold and sage, pretty arches and colorful painted tiles.  Not in the mood to eat out, but still need dinner?  Stop by their little store tucked away in the corner of the entrance and pick up some fresh made ziti, ravioli or spaghetti (yes, they make ALL their own pasta) and a container of their delicious sauce (think red ripe tomatoes cooked to perfection).

(All photos by Margaret Rizzuto Photography)

Their lunch menu has something for everyone – enticing appetizers (some with an option for an entrée), panini, sandwiches & pizza, composed salads, pasta, or house specialties like Veal Caprese or Chicken Balsamic.  After sharing four apps and entrées during our two lunch visits, this Bronx Italian girl was completely impressed with the fresh ingredients and simplicity of flavors in our dishes.

Hi readers: I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. Other responsibilities have been keeping me from updating the blog. We’ve had some changes in workflow around here, though, and I hope that means I’ll be able to get back to more regular posting — but first …. I am going on vacation!

Being away from posting for a couple of weeks has given me a chance to think about the content here, though, and so when I get back — the week of July 18th — I’d love to breathe some new life into Small Bites, and I’d love to hear your suggestions. What do we need more of? Less of? Do you have suggestions for new features? Let me know in the comments section below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Have a happy Fourth!

From the sugar snap peas of spring all the way through autumn’s acorn squash, there’s no fresher or tastier food than what you’ll find at our local farmers markets. And now, with more than 35 markets in the area — there’s at least one every day except Monday — it’s easier than ever to cook seasonally and locally.

Many vendors sell at farmers markets throughout the region:?Migliorelli Farms and Bread Alone, for example, are at seven markets. Some markets, though, have an exclusive on vendors worth travelling for. You wouldn’t want to miss the organic produce from Blooming Hill, and you’ll only find it in Palisades on Saturdays. And the produce grown at Stone?Barns Center for Food &?Agriculture in Pocantico Hills is only available at the farm itself. (Market hours are on Fridays through Sundays.)

A recent welcome trend at the markets is prepared food. Because let’s face it: sometimes preparing dinner with market-fresh ingredients can take longer. Pick up pasta from Lasagna Preziosa (Hastings, Chappaqua and Irvington) or Bongo & Capacci (Purchase and South?Salem), or try farm-to-table Mexican street food from Fork and Glass Catering (Hastings) and Block Factory Tamales (Cold Spring, Pleasantville). And who can resist the champagne crab cakes from Panzarella??You’ll find them at Nyack, Hastings, Irvington, White?Plains, Peekskill and Bronxville.

And here’s a good plan for coping with the heat, whether it’s this week or during the dog days of August: fashion your own prepared food by putting together a no-cook meal of locally made products and produce. A few suggestions??Smoked trout from Simply?Valley, quiche from Pika’s Farm Table, nuts from Tierra Farm, pickled mushrooms from Doc Pickle, beet salad from True Foods, and cheeses and jams from just about anywhere.

Or borrow one of my favorite no-brainer farmers market meals: mix a few salad greens with some locally sold olive oil and vinegar, and top with a farm-fresh egg, over easy. With food like that, you can guarantee dinner will be fresh and tasty — and local and seasonal — all year long.

After the jump, a list of Westchester Farmers Markets, Rockland Farmers Markets and Putnam Farmers Markets, listed by the days of the week they’re open.

Lighthouse Ice Cream Kompanies, a new ice cream shop along the river in Tarrytown, opened in April with the idea that local ingredients make for better ice cream. Owner Joe Slakas is using fresh milk and cream from Battenkill Valley Creamy in Salem, N.Y. (near the Vermont border) and local fruit from Hudson Valley farms (delivered through Basis food’s  farm-to-chef program), and fresh herbs — including basil, tyme, mint, parsley, and dill — from his own garden just oustide the ice cream shop.

Like the Hudson Harbor condos on the same property, the shop is made of all natural materials — flagstone and recycled barn boards. It looks like a lodge in Vermont — a log cabin with windows instead of walls, right down to the wood-burning fireplace inside.

Marcello’s Ristorante in Suffern is celebrating its 25-year anniversary with two concerts at the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern.

On Thursday, “Napoli to Broadway” will feature singer Cristina Fontanelli performing Italian-American classical music. The Fun Bunch Big Band will open with ventriloquist Gary Willner.

On June 23, jazz pianist Antonio Ciacca, director of programming of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will perform “Pop to Opera” with soprano Elsebeth Dreisig, baritone Ivan Dimitrov, singer/songwriter Giada Valenti and pianist Albin E. Konopka. Both concerts are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include a cookbook, a $25 gift certificate for cooking classes with chef Marcello Russodivito and a complimentary appetizer at his restaurant. Call 845-357-9108.

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny Kessman and I am the new features intern for the summer. I am a junior at the University of Delaware and I could not be more excited to work in the features section — considering I get to blog about food! Who doesn’t love food, much less writing about it?

Today, I explored Coffee Labs Roasters in Tarrytown, which opened in 2003. Owner Mike Love says wanted to “open a coffeehouse that is a community place where people can gather together and have fun.”

I live in Tarrytown and whenever I am walking around Main Street, I always smell the fresh coffee aroma whenever I am near the coffee house.

Today, when I stopped in, I came across the Berry Zesty smoothie. The smoothie is made of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and orange zest to add that “extra snap at the end,” says Love. For only $4.90, I got a large Berry Zesty – and it was worth every penny.

The smoothie is made of pure crushed fruit, so you’re drinking pure deliciousness in a environmentally friendly cup. When you take your first sip, you immediately taste the zest of the orange peel with a combination of all the berries. It is a perfect “pick me up” drink for summer because it is fresh and light with fruity flavors in every sip.

Coffee Labs has always been a great place to relax with a friend and catch up, or plug-in your computer and do some work. The environment is very laid back, with live music on Friday and Saturday night’s and the occasional pet being spotted in the dog-friendly area. Now you can add a great smoothie to the many reasons to visit.

After spending months away from home, spending some time in Coffee Labs Roasters allowed me to welcome myself back into Tarrytown with a familiar drink that I could never forget.

Coffee Labs Roasters, 7 Main St., Tarrytown. 914-332-1479. coffelabs.com

Hours: M-Tu: 6:30am – 6:30pm, Wed-Thurs: 6:30am – 8pm, Fri: 6:30am-10:30pm, Sat: 8am – 10:30pm, Sun: 8am – 7pm

Owner and brewmaster Scott Vaccaro announced today that he is moving his brewery to an 18,000-square-foot location on Route 9A in Elmsford by the end of the year.

“With our distribution continuing to grow, and the tasting room busting at the seams, it is time to make a move to a facility that can sustain our growth for years to come,” he wrote in an e-mail to customers.

The new site will have five times the capacity of the current location on Castleton Road in Pleasantville, and will allow Captain Lawrence to begin packaging its beer in 12-ounce bottles. Scott will also be adding an experimental brew house, so he can create new beers on a regular basis.

Fans of CL’s tastings will be pleased to know that the new tasting room will be about 1,500 square feet, or four times the size of the current location.

In the email, Scott said:

It was always my dream, from the time I brewed my first batch of home brew, to open a brewery and bring fresh and exciting beers to the place I grew up; Westchester County. We have been extremely fortunate to have had the tremendous support of the Village and people of Pleasantville, our local neighbors, Westchester County, as well as beer drinkers throughout the NY Metro area and beyond. We did our best to stay in Pleasantville, looking at a number of potential sites, but unfortunately none of them fit our long term needs. We are looking forward to getting to know our new neighbors in Greenburgh.