HVRW is my opportunity to take a break and check out a restaurant that I’ve never been to – well, at least I try to do that! This year two out of the three I visited were places I’ve been to before – but Eastchester Fish Gourmet (EFG) is a new location for us, and we were not disappointed!  ^{[1]  [2]}

The evening we ventured over to EFG was the night we had that weird pop-up snow storm, days after Hurricane Sandy. I had the fleeting notion of canceling, but so glad we pressed on. The restaurant was a little quiet, as you can imagine, but just so lovely. The room has a ski-lodge feel to it, which I think was probably enhanced in my mind with the picturesque snow falling. Lining the walls were beautiful antique oyster plates that I just had to photograph. Each were different and looked to be hand painted. We were joined that evening with our friends Peter and Carin and also Larry’s parents visiting from California. With six of us I was able to get a taste of almost everything offered on the menu. (If you follow my HVRW posts you will see this as pattern: always having enough people joining me so I can taste it all!)

There were five options available for the first course and three of note:

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Two Minute Calamari: pine nuts, black currents and jalapeño pesto

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New England Clam Chowder Soup

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Prince Edward Island Mussels: three herb broth and white wine

 

I’m going to have to admit this was a three way tie for me. Each of these dishes were bursting with flavor in varying degrees. The calamari was mildly spicy and acidic; the chowder rich and creamy; and my option the mussels intensely herbaceous with a bright tang from the lemon zest. If I had to choose one though, I think it would have been the mussels. I just loved the broth, snapping up the remaining bread on the table to soak it up. The other two options were Blue Point oysters and a pretty chopped salad.

More after the jump … more->

Moving on to the main course there were four options offered:

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Homemade Cavatelli: wild shrimp, asparagus, artichokes and mascarpone cheese

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Parmesan Crusted Cod: sauteed spinach, tomato, asparagus and artichokes

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Lobster Cobb Salad: spinach, frisee, bacon, avocado, egg, feta cheese and creamy oregano dressing

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 Skate Wing: encrusted with almonds and herbs over crispy potatoes, pancetta and savoy cabbage

The main courses were really delicious as well. The house made cavatelli was a little too al dente for my taste, however the sauce made up for the bite. It was rich and creamy with perfectly cooked shrimp and vegetables. My mother-in-law, not being a big fish lover ordered the cobb salad and they put the lobster on the side. I just had to snap the pic for you – the kitchen cleverly plated it for us. Larry got the cod which was also perfectly cooked and served over beautifully steamed spinach and a fantastic sauce. Of the the selections I’m going to have to say my favorite was the skate. Whenever I see skate on  a menu I always order it – and was really pleased! Under the herby-nut crust it was tender and full of flavor, served over a melange of beautiful veggies. The sauce was Grenobloise, which is pretty typical for this fish: brown butter, capers and lemon.

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Chocolate Lava Cake: vanilla ice cream in a hazelnut toile cup and strawberries 

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 Profiteroles: with Kit Kat Bar ice cream and hot fudge

Last, the desserts did not disappoint either. For those at the table who appreciate a good rich and dense chocolate cake, their Lava was luscious with the vanilla ice cream and strawberries to round out the flavor. Larry and I chose the profiteroles, I dish we both enjoy. The pastry was light and crisp and instead of the typical vanilla cream inside, a clever chocolate option with the flavor of a Kit Kat bar.

I’m so glad we ventured out on the snowy night to Eastchester Fish Gourmet. It’s always fun to find a new place to eat and even nicer when every dish was fantastic.

 

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Seasonal Chef blogger Maria Reina ^[14] comes to the world of food as a third career, spending a great portion of her adult life in the field of Human Resources. With her private company Bella Cucina Maria she is a personal chef, caterer and recreational cooking class teacher in Westchester. She’s an avid food television watcher and cookbook collector, always looking for a new take on a traditional dish. In her free time she loves hanging out at local farmers, chatting it up with the farmers and doing cooking demos with their seasonal ingredients. In addition to her blog ^[15], which is loaded with easy recipes, you can follow her on Facebook ^[16],  ^[13]Twitter ^[17] and Pinterest ^[18].