For 12 weeks, we feature a wine, and include tasting notes and suggestions for pairings. At the end of the 12 weeks, we’ll review our Mixed Case, and recap the choices. Each mixed case will be chosen by a local wine shop owner, who will also become our wine expert-in-residence during his or her tenure. (So should we need recommendations for a holiday, for example. we’ll ask.) We’ll get a new expert for each case. Right now, we’re working on our Mixed Case from Aries Wine & Spirits in White Plains.

Chateau Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2008 is bottle 7 in our series. To see the rest, click here: Mixed Case on Small Bites.

Bonus online content

Name of Wine: Chateau Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2008

Region: Carneros, California at the south end of Napa Valley adjacent to the top of San Francisco Bay in a cool, foggy growing region that allows for perfect slow ripening of Pinot Noir grapes. Chateau Bouchaine is a sustainable winery and certified green farm.

Tasting notes: Tantalizing aromatics of berries, coffee, leather and spices with a velvety texture, layers of bright fruit flavors and a complex, silky, lingering finish.

Why we chose it: This wine exhibits the elegance of Burgundy, the exuberance of California and the essence of Carneros.

Goes with: ahi tuna, salmon, chicken, duck, pork and lamb

Price: $34.99

Hale Males Ride Rail Trail For Pale Ale

I’m waiting for three men.

They set out from the World Trade Center around 10:45 Friday morning, on bikes, with a stop at the Bronx Ale House and another at the beer wonderland DeCicco’s in Ardsley, before arriving at their ultimate destination: Captain Lawrence Brewing in Elmsford.

They’re running a little late, as tends to happen when enjoying a leisurely bike ride with a few stops for a beer along the way. It’s 5:30 and the tasting room is filling up. The post-work crowd. The Clash’s “Magnificent Seven” plays.

Finally, the men—John Kleinchester, Jeff Quinn and Pat MacGowan—roll up, dropping their bikes in a heap on the lawn.

I expected different. For guys on a 35 mile bike trek, I pictured sinewy fellows in lycra and those wacky cycling tap shoes, sitting atop mega-thousand dollar machines bearing Lance Armstrong’s insignia. Instead, I see three dudes in grubby jeans and t-shirts, riding a trio of rusted old cycles that, frankly, may not even get stolen if left unlocked in Manhattan.

John, Jeff and Pat, all 30, are quickly set up with samples—John and Pat a Kolsch, Jeff a Liquid Gold—and start to talk about their journey. They followed the bike path up Manhattan’s west side and under the George Washington Bridge, rode under the 1/9 train into the Bronx, and ducked into the Bronx Ale House—a pub featuring a fine selection of hard to find craft brews.

From there, it was into Van Cortlandt Park, two blocks from the pub, where the bikers picked up the Old Putnam Trail—the paved over railway line that wends through the expansive park and into Westchester, connecting with another so called “rail trail,” the South County Trailway. After a pit stop at DeCicco’s Family Markets, home of 400 beers, they hopped back on the bike trail, and followed it to just about a mile from the brewery. (Needless to say, use all good common sense when enjoying a beer or two on a bike ride. Especially in traffic.)

Put another way, it was about 34 miles of smooth paths through green space, and about a mile of sharing the road with cars. “It was just beautiful,” says Jeff. “It could not have been easier.”

The men differ on exactly when the plan was hatched; John says it was a year ago, while Jeff insists it was more like two weeks ago. Either way, they’d been to the former Pleasantville site, but hadn’t been to Captain Lawrence’s new digs in Elmsford. “I said, when the f—- are we going to the new Captain Lawrence?” says Jeff, and the plan was in motion. “I Googled how to get there by bike,” he adds, “and said, what’s this huge-ass trail?”

John and Jeff knew each other as boys in Parsippany, New Jersey. John and Pat went to Ithaca College together. They took a day off work—John is at Viacom, Jeff is an art director at a magazine and Pat studies finance at NYU. (“You don’t work at Merrill Lynch?” asks Jeff. “No,” says Pat. “Did you used to work at Merrill Lynch? Did you get laid off?” “I never worked at Merrill Lynch,” deadpans Pat. That’s why you take these road trips—to get to know your friends better.)

And those bikes, sitting in a tangled clump out front like a sculpture no one commissioned. Pat is on a Panasonic 10-speed. (Yes, Panasonic. No, the bike did not come free with his VCR.) John is on a Trek that’s slightly older than he is, while Jeff rides the deliciously titled Surly Steamroller (yes, it’s a real make) that features—get this—one speed. He rides five miles from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and five miles back, for work each day, so fitness is not an issue.

I ask them for their highlights. Pat says carving through mile after mile of green space on the rail trail. Jeff mentions finding some random park along the way and pulling over for a rest. “We were laying on the grass, knowing we should be at work,” he says. (I think of those “Magnificent Seven” lyrics from moments ago: “Clocks go slow in a place of work/The minutes drag and the hours jerk.”)

John, who runs the popular beer & photos blog Beertography.com, simply knocks on the table holding a fresh round of Freshchester Pale Ales. “That’s what keeps you pedaling,” he says. “Knowing how good the beer is gonna be when you get there.”

The final leg of the journey calls for the men to ride to Tarrytown station and hop Metro-North back to New York. But when it’s sunny and bright, it’s a self-imposed holiday, and the beer tastes good, there’s really and truly no rush to get anywhere.

—Michael Malone (malone5a@yahoo.com)

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is open Tuesday through Friday (retail 2-7 p.m., and samples 4-7 p.m.); and Saturday, with retail and samples 12-6 p.m., and brewery tours at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in beer, for “Notes From the Tasting Room.”

At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, I will lead a Twitter chat with ArtsWestchester about the restaurants participating in ArtsBash, the ArtsWestchester fundraiser Friday night in downtown White Plains, where you can taste food from 30 of the area’s top restaurants.

Best part? You can win free tickets and free food! Four chat participants will be chosen at random to win a pair of tickets to ArtsBash and gift cards at the following restaurants: Cafe of Love; Myong Gourmet; Buffalo Wild Wings and Sams of Gedney Way.

Follow me @small_bites and follow ArtsWestchester @ArtsWestchester. Use the hashtag #artsbash for the chat. To purchase a ticket, $75, for ArtsBash, go to www.artsw.org/artsbash.

To sign up for the Twitter chat, go here: http://twtvite.com/ArtsBash

The list of participating restaurants and their Twitter handles after the jump. I’ve made a Twitter List you can follow here: ArtsBash.

42 The Restaurant @42therestaurant
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza @anthonyscfpizza 
Asian Temptation
Benjamin Steakhouse @benjaminsteak
Ben & Jerry’s at The Westchester
Café of Love
Captain Lawrence Brewery Company @cptlawrencebeer
Chantilly Patisserie @ChantillyPastry
Chocolations @chocolations
Coffee Labs Roasters @coffeelabs
Crabtree’s Kittle House @kittlehouse
Crowne Plaza @crowneplaza
Don Coqui @doncoqui1
Elements @elementswpny
Emma’s Ale House @emmasalehouse
Full Moon Asian Thai
Haiku
Iron Horse Grill
The Iron Tomato
La Bocca @LaBoccaristoran
Legal Sea Foods @legalseafoods
Lulu Cake Boutique @everythinglulu
Manhattan Beer Distributors
The Melting Pot @themeltingpot
Myong Gourmet @PLgourmet
Pane D’oro
Pranzi Ristorante
The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Season’s Japanese Bistro
Sofrito @sofritoWP
Tastefully Yours Catering
Tre Angelina
Zitoune @A_Bennouna

Let me know if I’ve missed any Twitter handles and I”ll add them!

Like many of its condiment cousins, this one — chimichurri — is versatile! Not unlike pesto, this basil and herb-based sauce can be a marinade, dipping sauce, and more.

I first tried chimichurri years ago, on my first visit to  Buenos Aires, Argentina. Luckily my friend Maria Rosa (who, in addition to being an educator, tango dancer and amazing sculptor, also cooks!) shared the ingredients she usually uses. After my next visit (and my tango lessons!) I started taking more notes, and playing around with ingredients. The result was this version, though I may vary it depending on available ingredients and more. (For example, after traveling to Zanzibar, I discovered the wonders of toasting cumin seeds and have started doing that before I add them.) In addition to varying the components, I’m still discovering ways to use it—which wow, is part of the fun of cooking anything!

Here the chimichurri is spread “bruschetta-like” on crisp toasts. (Actually, we just made it in a cooking class last week at Don Coqui’s  and wow, it was — as always — a big hit!) With summertime inching closer, can’t help but suggest it as the perfect barbecue addition in one of its many incarnations (as marinade or spread). Let me know how you like it!

The recipe, after the jump.

Crisp Toasts with Chimichurri 

from Mambo Mixers,©2005,   Arlen Gargagliano

(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

Makes about 1 1/4 cups chimichurri

1 long French baguette, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds

3 garlic cloves, chopped

Leaves from 1 sprig oregano

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

Leaves from 6 sprigs thyme

15 basil leaves, plus additional for garnish (if desired)

1 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped, plus additional chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350º F. spread the rounds on a baking sheet. Toast for about 10 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Let cool and store in an airtight container until your ready to use them.

Combine all the ingredients, except for the parsley or basil garnish, in a food processor or a blender and process till smooth. Use the chimichurri immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Return to room temperature and mix well prior to serving.

To prepare the tostadas, set the bread rounds on a platter and spread the chimichurri on top. Sprinkle with basil ribbons or chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Spring has sprung!

I want to share one of my favorite recipes featuring two spring vegetable superstars:  asparagus and leeks. Both vegetables are versatile, so I decided to take it a step further and develop one recipe that can be prepared two ways!

Gingered Asparagus & Leeks, Roasted or Grilled
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of asparagus (about 16 spears)


• 1 leek, thinly sliced


• Juice of half a lemon


• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)


• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (for a wheat-free alternative, try tamari sauce)


• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1. Snap the wood ends off the asparagus spears and place in a shallow dish.


2. Using only the white and pale green portion of the leek, thinly slice the leeks and then submerge in water as dirt and sand are often embedded in the layers. Rinse and drain and toss with the asparagus spears.


3. In a small bowl, mix the marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce and grated ginger. Pour over the vegetables and allow to marinade for twenty minutes.


4. To roast: Heat the oven to 400F and roast 8 – 10 minutes in a shallow baking dish.


5. To grill: Wrap in foil and steam on the grill for 8 – 10 minutes. (While you can grill asparagus directly, you don’t want to lose the thinly sliced leeks through the grate!)

Another sure sign of Spring: the beautiful fava bean appears. Long, non-descript pods piled high at the market or at your local specialty store. Favas are loaded with great nutritional value: they are a source of protein, folate, and many essential vitamins including B. Their flavor is nutty, ever so slightly bitter and oh so yummy. They can be eaten whole, mashed or pureed. In my research of favas I came to find out that this wonderful healthy ingredient dates back to the Bronze age, said to have been originally cultivated in the Mediterranean. (wow!)

When I picked these up at the market I wasn’t sure exactly what I would be doing with them. Sometimes, well actually many times, I pick things up that look interesting. On my way home I usually start percolating ideas in my mind.

First things first: you need to shell the beans. The pods are pretty easy to open and the beans easy to slide out.

Once you shell the beans you need to blanch them, not only to cook them but to also help get the actual bean out of it’s thick casing. Since my beans were on the small side I blanched them in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes. After letting them cool a bit they popped right out.

My husband Larry came home from work just as I was finishing up with that last step. When I showed him what I was doing he responded, “Wow, seems like a lot of work.” He’s probably right. However, most things that are special take a little extra work, right? The way I see it, fresh favas only come around once a year, so go ahead and take the time – it will be worth it!

More after the jump .. 

I like doing non-thinking prep tasks from time to time. You can let your mind wander, and in this case, I got to thinking about a great salad I had when I was in Greece a few years ago. The thing that was so interesting about it was the salad was sitting on top of a bread rusk. A bread rusk is basically a piece of bread that is twice baked, typically found in Crete.  In that particular dish the dressing and juices from the tomato soaked into the crunchy bread and softened it slightly. I just happened to have a small round Tuscan boule that would work perfectly. Using my favas and purple carrots I was going to re-imagine that salad!

After I finished with my favas I turned my attention to the carrots. After a quick peel I decided to just steam them for a few minutes.

Now to pull it all together: along with some delicate baby spinach I tossed it all with a simple lemon vinaigrette and served over my crunchy slice of rustic bread. Just for good measure I topped with some toasted almonds.

Don’t be discouraged by the time factor of favas. Like I said, they only come around once a year and you would be missing something special if you don’t give them a try.

Before I sign off I want to take a moment to wish all the Mom’s out there, especially mine, a very Happy Mothers Day this coming Sunday. If you are are looking for something fun to do this weekend you might want to check out my special cooking classes just for Mom and kids, at Tarry Market.

Buon Appetito!

Fava and Spinach Salad
Serves 4

2 1/2 lbs fresh fava beans, shelled, final yield is about 1 cup
1 bunch small purple carrots, peeled, tops reserved
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of finely minced carrot greens, or parsley
Kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste.
4 cups of baby spinach
4 thick slices of rustic bread, drizzled with a little olive oil and toasted
1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted (optional)

Place two small pots of water on to boil and add a teaspoon of kosher salt to each. Add the shelled favas to one pot and the peeled carrots to the other. Blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain both and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile combine the lemon juice, olive oil, carrot greens and seasoning, whisking until blended.  Set the dressing aside.

Once the favas are cool enough to handle gently remove them from their waxy casing. That can be done easily by pinching the end and letting them pop out. (This is probably the most time consuming part, but once you get into a groove it will happen quickly.) Add them to a large mixing bowl. Slice up the carrots and add them to the bowl along with the spinach. Toss with about a third of the dressing.

Place the bread slices on four plates. Drizzle each with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Divide the salad evenly over the four plates. Top with the nuts, another drizzle of the remaining dressing and serve immediately!

Maria Reina is a personal chef, caterer and recreational cooking class teacher in Port Chester, NY. In her free time she loves hanging out at local Farmers Markets in Westchester County doing cooking demos with seasonal ingredients. In addition to her blog you can follow her  on Facebook and Twitter.

In late 2009, an idea was born. It was simple, you see: A group of 4 friends got together for breakfast before heading out to the wedding of another friend.  Several weeks later, we got together for breakfast again. And then again the next week. And then another friend said he wanted to join in for breakfast. Soon we were a semi-regular group of 6, and that’s when we thought we were on to something. How many restaurants in Westchester could we try for breakfast? Why don’t we give ourselves the challenge, and keep a blog to document our breakfast adventures?

That’s how the Westchester Breakfast Club came to be.

From left front, Andrew Louie of Queens, Sylvia Louie of Ossining, Reid Aronson of Briarcliff, Shelley Gazes of Briarcliff and back row, Jeffrey Louie of Elmsford and Patrick Gallagher of Ossining pose for a photo at Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry April 17, 2011.  ( Carucha L. Meuse / The Journal News )

The founding members of the WBC (Sylvia Louie, Jeffrey Louie, Andrew Louie, Reid Aronson, Shelley Gazes, and Patrick Gallagher) all grew up in Westchester, and we know how easy it is to fall into a bit of a restaurant rut, particularly when it comes to the first meal of the day. You tend to go to the place nearest to you and just grab a standard meal, whether it’s a bagel with cream cheese, an egg and cheese sandwich, or a muffin. But Westchester has so much more to offer for morning meals and we won’t rest until we’ve sampled it all. We try both breakfast and brunch at all types of places, from a pancake breakfast at a local farm to a very formal brunch in an elegant restaurant, a cafe to a local diner, even a Moroccan brunch. And yes, we’ve gone to IHOP.

All told, in the last two and a half years we’ve tried breakfast or brunch at about 70 different establishments through Westchester, as well as at some restaurants in Manhattan (because after all, every Westchester resident heads to NYC for dining at least sometimes). And we’re still going strong. Sometimes life gets in the way of our breakfast plans, and in recent months we’ve lost a member to the great north, but at least once a month the remaining WBCers gather for breakfast or brunch. We each write reviews in our own unique voices, and just try to give our honest, no-frills assessment of our meals. With a dash of humor thrown in.

Starting this month, we’ll be sharing a recap of our meals here on Small Bites. Look for our posts and photos the first Friday of each month – and sometimes more often if we can swing it. We’ll also link back to our own blog, www.westchesterbreakfastclub.com, where you can see the individual opinions of all the members of the club. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and above all, hope you’ll consider us a source when making your own breakfast choices. Especially when it comes to maple syrup.

We hope that you’ll enjoy our blog, and maybe we’ll help you discover your new favorite breakfast spot!

Visit our blog: www.westchesterbreakfastclub.com
Like us on Facebook!

For 12 weeks, we feature a wine, and include tasting notes and suggestions for pairings. At the end of the 12 weeks, we’ll review our Mixed Case, and recap the choices. Each mixed case will be chosen by a local wine shop owner, who will also become our wine expert-in-residence during his or her tenure. (So should we need recommendations for a holiday, for example. we’ll ask.) We’ll get a new expert for each case. Right now, we’re working on our Mixed Case from Aries Wine & Spirits in White Plains.

Here’s Bottle 6: Laurent Miquel Chardonnay Viognier 2010

Bonus online content

Laurent Miquel Chardonnay Viognier 2010

Region: Languedoc, France; based at Chateau Cazal Viel, the Miquel family estate in the St. Chinian appellation. The estate has been in the Miquel family since the French revolution. Farming is organic.

Tasting notes: This wine bursts with fresh fruit character with aromas and flavors of white peaches and citric fruits from the unoaked Chardonnay, and apricots with a hint of almonds from the Viognier.

Why we chose it: The Laurent Miquel wines represent one of the best price/quality values that Aries offers. We also carry a red blend of Syrah Grenache, a rose of Cinsault Syrah, and several old vines St. Chinian syrahs.

Goes with: as an aperitif or with dishes such as sushi, grilled seafood or thai chicken curry. A great summer wine.

Price: $8.99.

This is the delicious French cake that I had the pleasure of making with chef Georges Zidi of Dish in Mahopac.  He was kind enough to allow me to share the recipe.  As I mentioned in my previous post about my day behind the kitchen door at Dish, this is the “basic” version of this tart-like cake.  Because accuracy is key in professional pastry and baking, the ingredients are listed in weight measurements (in metric and standard (imperial) units).  The best part of this cake is that it tastes even better the next day!

Note:  Yields 2 cakes

PASTRY CREME:

1  quart  milk
8 yolks
300 grams sugar (10  1/2 oz)
80 grams cornstarch (2  3/4 oz)

CAKE DOUGH:

400 grams  butter; softened (14 1/8 oz)
400  grams  sugar (14  1/8 oz)
8  egg yolks
4  whole  eggs
16  grams yeast active dry (2 packages) (1/2 oz)
800  grams flour; “00” pastry or all purpose, sifted (1  3/4 lbs)
6 grams salt (1/4 oz)

FOR THE PASTRY CREME FILLING:

1.   In a medium heavy saucepan, heat milk on medium heat to boiling. In a heatproof bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Add half of the hot milk to egg mixture whisking briskly to temper (technique to slowly introduce a hot liquid into eggs so that they don’t seize up and curdle, but rather are smoothly incorporated in the mixture). Then, pour all the liquid back to pot and continue to whisk on medium heat until thick. Make sure to push whisk into corners of pot to prevent burning. Cool the pastry creme in fridge until needed for cake.

FOR THE CAKE DOUGH:

1.  Beat butter and sugar together on low (we used a KitchenAid) until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, whole eggs and yeast. Once they are incorporated, add flour and salt, mixing until soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round. Dough will be somewhat sticky. Dust with flour, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge.

TO ASSEMBLE THE GATEAU:

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, lining bottom with parchment paper.

2.   On a lightly floured work surface, portion dough into four equal parts. Roll dough out into four 8-inch rounds approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. (It’s easy to handle the dough when cold, so rounds can be placed back into fridge as cake is assembled.) Place first round into pan and cover with half of pastry crème. Repeat for second round.

Top pastry creme with remaining rounds and lightly press down on ends to seal. With side of knife, make crosshatch pattern on top of cakes and brush with a beaten egg.

3.  Bake until cakes are golden and tester comes out clean.  Cool.

4.  To serve, run knife around sides of pan and carefully invert on plate. Then, place a second plate on the bottom of cake and turn right side up.

Enjoy a little taste of France!

When Georges and Eileen Zidi took ownership of Dish last July, many patrons were worried that their favorite neighborhood restaurant would be changing.  Together, with Georges in the kitchen and Eileen in the dining room, they have made the restaurant their own; and the welcoming atmosphere and menu staples that customers crave remain the quite the same.  Last summer, Eileen shared with me that it brings her “sincere happiness when friends and family come together to celebrate the moment over food and wine.”  (Last July, I wrote about Eileen and Georges’ story in the Small Bites guestblog post New Owners – Same Dish.)  I was delighted to recently spend a day with (the very French!) chef Georges Zidi behind the kitchen door at Dish.

Restaurant: Dish

Description:  The restaurant is a neighborhood gem hidden away in the back of Mahopac Plaza off Route 6N (South Lake Boulevard).  It has a European bistro feel with only 29 seats and lively wrap around bar.  There’s always something new on the daily specials menu, but regulars can count on main menu favorites like the Rosti Alpener (a hearty Swiss dish consisting of a potato cake topped with gruyere and emmentaler cheese, caramelized onion, ham and an egg), Moules Pot (mussels in wine or red curry coconut broth) or the Mediterranean Platter (including hummus, babaganush, feta, and tomatoes).  The sincere hospitality of Eileen and her front of house staff draws customers in, and Georges’ menu keeps them coming back for more.

Executive chef/owner:  Chef Georges Zidi and his wife, Eileen Zidi

Photo courtesy of Julie Betts Testwuide

Kitchen staff:         Sous chef  ~  Blanca                                    Saute chef  ~  Lallio

Signature dish: Although the main menu stays pretty much the same, Dish’s specials change daily.  Georges won’t allude to one specific signature dish, but I can tell he has a sweet spot for the “traditionnel” French menu specials like Cassoulet and Coq au Vin.  And he’s extremely fond of the French Onion Soup, which is a two-day process (there are no short cuts in this kitchen!).

Bar scene:  I’ve never understood the draw of eating a meal at a bar until one evening my husband and I decided to sit at Dish’s bar.  There’s always someone new to talk to about what looks good on the menu, but cozy enough to chat with your dining partner.  Eileen and Georges are usually flitting about, and it’s so much fun chatting with them about my meal.  There’s a great selection of craft and imported beers on tap like the ones on their current blackboard list

and some lovely wines by the glass or bottle that pair wonderfully with the menu.  Personally, I love that they offer small personal bottles of bubbly Prosecco.

Size of kitchen:  Georges counts in French and measures in metric.  The kitchen is about 5 meters by 7 meters and the American conversion for that is TINY.  Once you realize just how efficient this kitchen needs to be in order to execute menu items in such tight quarters, it’s daunting how quickly plates come out to the dining room.

Size of prep area:  The cold station/prep area is extremely compact. Space is obviously a commodity in this kitchen, so it is imperative to work neatly and meticulously.

Turning up the heat: The main cooking area is a Southbend 36 inch six-burner range and oven. There’s also a small grill to the left of the stove.

But it’s the double stack Vulcan convection oven that really got my attention.  There’s that circulating heat again, which not only helps to cook evenly but also saves energy.  How convenient that the doors open a full 180 degrees for easy access, and the racks can be positioned as needed.

Chef’s favorite dish:  Georges loves both the Bucatini Pasta with Porcini Mushrooms, Artichoke, Escarole and White Bean Salad and the Red Snapper Filet with Green Thai Curry and Coconut Milk.  These are two of his favorites because the Italian and Thai cuisines are completely different from his French training.

Most complicated dish on the menu:  Very perplexing that this seasoned chef claims that everything is difficult.  What?!  Let me try to explain with a little chef joke that Georges played on me.  He took a fresh egg and asked me if I knew how to make it stand on end.  I watched him intently as he patiently placed the egg on the counter only to have it roll over time and again.  All the while, I’m very seriously thinking that the solution is something every chef should know.  Then, he quickly tapped the end of the egg.  Voila! There it sat.

This brainteaser has its roots in a Spanish folklore story called “Columbus’ Egg.”  Now, stick with me because I promise that I’m going to close the tangent that we are in the middle of.  Spanish nobles told Christopher Columbus that if he had not discovered the Indies, another knowledgeable Spaniard would have.  He responded to this comment by challenging them to make an egg stand on end without aid.  After countless tries, the egg was returned to Columbus who did exactly what Georges did.  So, the moral to that long story is that once a difficult task is done and explained, it then becomes easy.  So, for Georges, all dishes are complicated to prepare correctly, even a simple hamburger, until they are mastered.  And even then, the real challenge is to do it perfectly every time.

Chef’s culinary mentor:  His first culinary position was in a pastry shop in his hometown of Rueil Malmaison, France, just 30 minutes west of Paris, for chef/owner, Renou.  During the 12 years Georges worked there, Renou gave him the opportunity to work as a stagiaire/intern in different restaurants all over France for two months out of the year.

Secret ingredient:  A shelf in the kitchen holds an arsenal of bags, jars, and cans of spices.  Along with his own collection, there’s a quite a spice trade going on as customers bring goodies from places like St. Maarten, India, and Thailand.  Georges became somewhat of a mad scientist as he gathered items like curry, porcini powder, fresh nutmeg (it was still in its shell),

dried vanilla powder and saffron for the daily soup.  He ground everything up in his Vitamix (industrial blender).  The blend will be an interesting addition to the daily soup.

What’s on the prep list:  Turning a fresh-picked bag of nettles from Cabbage Hill Farm in Mt. Kisco into Nettle Soup was the first task of the day.

Anne from Cabbage Hill Farm picking nettles for Dish

Farm to table greens

It was necessary for Georges to use his heavy duty gloves as he washed the bunch.

It almost seemed unfair that my task was to slice and dice the very docile potatoes and onions which were sautéed to start the soup.

That combo of ground up spices were then added and cooked just long enough to release their fragrant essences.   Next, Georges wrestled the nettles into the soup pot.

It’s hard to believe that these greens, commonly called Stinging Nettles, can be turned into a soup that is so velvety and lush (without an ounce of cream at that!).  The flavor is similar to spinach but without the bitey iron taste.

Stinging Nettles Soup

What’s cooking in the kitchen now:  I made a special request to learn how to make a French cake called a Gateau Basque, which became a favorite treat for my family when visiting friends in France.  The recipe came straight from Georges’ pastry chef friend in France.  There are many versions of this tart-like cake, including the addition of brandied cherries or jam; but for our first endeavor, we kept it fairly easy with just pastry cream.  Here’s some fun facts that I learned in my “gateau research”:  There’s actually a whole museum (Musée du Gateau Basque) dedicated to this regional dessert in Sare, France, close to the Spanish border.  The pattern on the top of the cake changes depending on the filling.  If jam is inside, you would find a Basque cross (sort of a rounded pinwheel design) or if it’s simply the pastry cream, like what we made, it’s a crosshatch pattern.

Georges was kind enough to give me the recipe to share (it’s in my next blog post) so you can make your very own Gateau Basque at home!

Advice for the home cook:  The most important item for a home kitchen is a sharp knife.  When Georges answered this question, I realized that he was reiterating what was frequently heard from other chefs.  Guiltily, I have to admit that I’ve hesitated to include this advice in my previous posts because I thought it was a bit dull (pun most definitely intended).  There are a few local places that offer sharpening services, like Kitch n’ Kaffe in Mahopac, and can make your old knives razor sharp.  Or, if you are in the market for some new ones, remember that they don’t have to break the bank, just make sure they are constructed well and comfortable to use.

Pet peeve:  In almost a whisper, Georges shared that he hates when chefs come in to work in his kitchen and take 20 minutes to sharpen their knives on a grinding stone.  In his mind, precious prep time has been wasted.  It takes no time at all to achieve a good edge on a knife using a sharpening steel.  Think of it as daily conditioning for your knife.  Gliding the blade up and down the steel at a 20 degree angle will smooth out the microscopic dents and pings that make a knife dull.

Get one for your home kitchen to keep your knives in prime cutting shape and ready to tackle slicing even the most stubborn tomato.

Music:  There were relaxing soft tunes from a French internet radio station.  It was nice to hear songs from the Beatles and Cat Stevens intermixed with French songs.

Details: Dish,  947 South Lake Boulevard, Mahopac.  845.621.3474.  Open for lunch Tuesday thru Saturday, noon – 3 pm and dinner Monday thru Saturday, 5 pm to 9 pm (10 pm on the weekend).  Specials:  Prix fixe three-course chef menu on Tuesdays for $22 and half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs.  She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens.  When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post announcing the new Shea Gallante restaurant in Ardsley now has photos of the interior and exterior. Check it out here: Shea Gallante to Open Italian Kitchen, a Modern Italian Restaurant in Ardsley.

I am Rinku Bhattacharya, a food obsessed, working mother of two lovely children.  I am thrilled to connect further with the Small bites community, with a new column called Spices and Seasons, where I will “chat” with you about spices, and how to work with them through the seasons. This column is named after my two loves, spices (masala) and the seasons. I think that in particular, we in the Hudson Valley region are blessed with an amazing diversity  and bounty of four distinct seasons. This allows us to maintain and manage a wonderfully balanced table.

Every week, I shall talk about a new spice or seasoning or a seasonal produce and how to cook it with spices. Here and there, I shall try to highlight local sources, viewpoints and any thoughts of interest in the spicy arena.

Small Bites, has been an important part of my foodie life for the past few years, since, I get food finds, restaurant choices, local links and information of many things of interest from this site, so it is very exciting for me to join the space as a contributor.

I hope that you noticed I used the word, “chat”, because I would love to have this become an interactive feature. I hope, that I can tell you about a spice or spice infused seasonal recipe every week, and also persuade you to share your spice recipes, questions and any thoughts you may have, through my facebook page or comments to the post on Small Bites.

Since, I am a transplanted Indian, the term for spice that resonates with me is masala. In Indian culinary parlance, the word masala incorporates spices, aromatics and herbs. So, this column shall be including all the components of masala, spices, herbs and aromatics.  I hope to incorporate your ideas on spice or masala into this column as I tell you about mine. I like to teach, share and talk about India food and spices because I feel it is the best way to stay connected to my heritage. This being said, I get excited with food from all parts of the world and would love to learn about different ways to use the same spice.

Rinku Bhattacharya, is a daytime financial professional, who spends the rest of her time immersed in food. Rinku is the author of the blog, Cooking in Westchester, where she shares her life experiences, original recipes that combine Indian spices with produce from her backyard and local farmers markets. Rinku is blessed with a gardener husband, who always surprises her with a prolific and fresh supply of produce to keep her creative instincts flowing. Rinku has been teaching recreational cooking classes for the past six years, and has found her classes a great way to teach and learn.

Her cookbook the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles, is scheduled to be published in November 2012. Rinku can be found on facebook, twitter and pinterest.

Cinco de Derby

If ever a day was created to lift a few festive libations with friends, it may just have been May 5. A quick translation of the date into Spanish reveals, yes, Cinco de Mayo, and it happened to be the 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby as well. The Derby is known, of course, for the wearing of more preposterous bonnets than a royal wedding, and the quaffing of mint juleps. Headwear is optional for Cinco de Mayo, though some opt for sombreros, and the beverages of choice include Mexican beer or tequila.

Yet both events elicit a hearty ho-hum at the Captain Lawrence tasting room on this day. Ben Eggleston of Elmsford suggests the Derby’s tagline may as well be Run For the Poses. “It’s a women’s hat holiday,” he says. “Women trying to outdo each other with hats—I have no interest.”

It is worth noting that Eggleston happens to be sporting one of the finer chapeaus in the room, a stylish Burberry number perched rakishly atop his head. He sips the Brown Ale with pal Nick McCullough of Greenwich.

“I didn’t even know the Derby was today,” admits Nick.

Cut the man some slack—Nick’s an investment banker, and says he hasn’t had a free Saturday in some time. He looks like a man paroled.

Across the room, Cliff Galvin of Ossining says he may hoist a Corona or tequila later on at a comedy club. It sounds as though he’d rather sip Captain Lawrence in the tasting room—or at home. See, Galvin, who owns his own construction business, built a bar in what he calls an “extreme man cave” back home, and always has a keg of something Captain Lawrence on tap. (It’s currently a Freshchester Pale Ale.)

That of course prompts one to wonder why he schleps to the tasting room. “I come here to hang out with friends,” he says, nodding to Lauren Dykstra of Ossining and Danielle Noto of Deer Park, Long Island as they sip the Liquid Gold. “I like to see who I might run into.”

Galvin’s man cave sounds sweet, but across the room, Mike Dalleva, Martha Singer and their schnoodle—yes, schnoodle—Coco, see his tap and raise him two. The couple have no less than three Captain Lawrence lines on the kegerator at their Pomona home: Typically Liquid Gold for Mike, Imperial IPA for Martha, and a wild card.

“When you have people over, you need a light, a dark and something else,” says Martha.

They’ve crossed the Hudson to check out the newly bloomed peonies at Rockefeller State Park, and pop into the brewery. The three taps make for great entertaining, says Mike, even though the grown-ups usually affix themselves to the basement bar while the kids run amuck in the street.

The Clash’s “London’s Burning” fills the room. The Derby is still a few hours away, but over in London, Chelsea has defeated Liverpool for the FA Cup.

Back in Elmsford, wee Sean Mackiewicz, a three-year-old out of Tarrytown, is bouncing around like a young Beckham—still showing plenty of energy after a birthday party up the road at Sportime USA. After the kids romped around in the ball pit, took a spin on the Himalaya and traded their game tickets for loot, Sean’s parents, Ken and Keri, pulled rank and steered the family over to 444 Saw Mill River Road.

Keri holds three-month-old Ryan while Ken keeps a casual eye on Sean. “It was the convenience factor,” says Ken. “Also, we had to fill up our growler.”

They opt for the Liquid Gold; the Belgian-style ale seems to be as popular a pick today as Bodemeister down at Churchill Downs.

Meanwhile, Cliff Galvin—he of the extreme man cave—was correct about wondering who he might run into in the tasting room. His friend Erin Coats, a redhead out of Stamford, bounds in with her dashing dachsund Bandit.

Bandit eyes the schnoodle from across the room as Erin grabs a sample and catches up with her pals.

Finally, someone is doing something Cinco or Derby related: Erin will be heading over to a Derby party in Greenwich later on. But first, she’s catching up with Cliff, Lauren and Danielle—and filling up a growler.

“Everyone else will be sipping mint juleps,” she says with a smile. “I’ll be drinking Captain Lawrence.”

When that marquee race finally unfolded, a longshot horse fitting of such a festive day grabbed the glory. Indeed, could anyone but I’ll Have Another really have won?

—Michael Malone (malone5a@yahoo.com)

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is open Tuesday through Friday (retail 2-7 p.m., and samples 4-7 p.m.); and Saturday, with retail and samples 12-6 p.m., and brewery tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in beer, for “Notes From the Tasting Room.”

Shea Gallante, the exectutive chef and co-owner of Ciano, the modern, farm-to-fork Italian restaurant in Manhattan, is opening a restaurant in Ardsley this month called Italian Kitchen. The chef will be Paul Mancebo, a CIA grad who worked for Daniel Boulud at db Bistro Moderne and for Gallante at Ciano for the past four years.

The restaurant will serve seasonal Italian cuisine, such as grilled pizza, pasta, salads and entrees—all with a modern twist. The fried calamari, for example, has a rosemary batter and will be served with lemon aioli instead of tomato sauce. Pizzas will have foodie-friendly toppings such as speck, robiola cheese and arugula or pecorino and chopped tomatoes.

The restaurant, which will have about 50 seats, is in the former Giuseppe’s, a beloved red sauce joint that had been in the space since 1968. It’s on Saw Mill River Road in the building with Century 21.

Gallante renovated the space, painting the walls a dark orange color called Semolina (really!) and lining them with a dark-wood, rough pine chair rail.

There are wood tables and, as a nod to the restaurant’s former incarnation, frosted glass chandeliers with a hand-painted red stripe. Many of the materials have been recycled and reclaimed.

“Just simple and fresh and Italian,” says Gallante. “Which is what we want to convey through the food as well.”

Other menu items include baked mezzi rigatoni with smoked pancetta and ricotta; orecchiette done in a cacio e pepe-style; cortecce, a bark-shaped pasta, with octopus, Calabria peppers, garlic and breadcrumbs; grilled pork medallions with spicy tomato ragu, zucchini, eggplant and cherry peppers; and slow-roasted short ribs with polenta, caramelized onions and radicchio.

Gallante, a CIA grad who cooked at Pino Luongo, Felidia, Bouley and Cru before becoming executive chef at Ciano, nearly had a Westchester restaurant before this. He was set to be a partner in Arrosto in Port Chester, but the deal fell through. He opened Italian Kitchen by happenstance; it’s near his home in Ardsley, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, a 7-year-old boy and 3 1/2-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. He grew up in Scarsdale, and moved to Dutchess County as a teenager. He lived in the city for 11 years and returned to Westchester with his family in 2006.

“I wasn’t really looking to do anything,” he says. “But one day I was literally driving by, and I was talking to someone about it, and it just kind of happened.”

“It’s been a great learning experience,” he says of the renovations and the pre-opening planning. “I’m making decisions based on things I learned that I thought I’d never use again.”

Gallante says that he’ll be overseeing the restaurant, but Mancebo will be executing the day-to-day operations.

“We’re going to collaborate,” says Gallante. “This is his first step out, a bump in responsibility for him to be the man in charge. But obviously I’m the owner. I’m going to guide him.”

Italian Kitchen will open within two weeks at 698 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley. Info: 914-693-5400; ik-ny.com.

Looking for a mint julep recipe for Derby Day?

Well, there are as many ways to make a mint julep as there are combinations of odds on the field of horses running in the Kentucky Derby this afternoon. Maybe more.

For nearly a century, the mint julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Between 80,000 and 120,000 mint juleps are served there over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. But those are made with a mix. The horror.

The most traditional method is to individually muddle mint and sugar into a silver or pewter cup, then add crushed ice and bourbon. But I like to simplify by pouring bourbon in a big pitcher, and muddling the mint right in that. I was pleased to discover, in an article from an old Gourmet magazine from the early 1990s, that (now retired) Maker’s Mark president Bill Samuels approves of my method.

I make myself a batch of simple syrup — that’s equal amounts of sugar and water, melted together and then cooled — and I go out in the garden and pick a big bunch of mint. (If you grow mint, you know that’s never a problem. If you don’t, there’s always the grocery store.)

To make the drinks, you add some simple syrup to the minted bourbon, then chill and mix in a cocktail shaker. Pour it over a glass of crushed ice, then top the julep with a little seltzer and garnish with a big mint sprig.

By the time the announcer says: “And, they’re off,” you’ll be sipping an honest-to-goodness julep with the scent of mint tickling your nose. And odds are, you’ll be happy, even if your horse doesn’t win, place or show.

Mint Juleps for a Crowd

Serves 4 (you can double or triple, even)

1 big bunch mint, tops cut off and reserved for garnish

1 1/2 cups bourbon

Simple syrup (1:1)

Crusheice

Club soda

Pour the bourbon into a pitcher and throw the bottom part of the mint in it. Muddle the mint to release the oils and let it macerate for at least 10 minutes and up to half an hour. While you’re waiting, crush the ice.

Sweeten the minty bourbon to taste by pouring in simple syrup. Start small; you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.

Fill 4 lowball glasses (or pewter cups if you have them) with crushed ice.

Strain the bourbon mixture into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass, leaving enough room at the top for club soda. Top with club soda and garnish with a couple of big fat sprigs of mint. You want them to tickle your nose.

Mint Julep

3 ounces Maker’s Mark bourbon

6 sprigs mint

2 to 4 tablespoons simple syrup

Soda water

Mint for garnish

Mix bourbon, mint and simple syrup in a pint glass. Add 3 pieces of ice and muddle for about a minute. Let stand for several minutes. Strain into glass filled with shaved ice. Top with soda water and a mint sprig. For a mintier version, remove the three pieces of ice, leave the mint, and pour all ingredients into the glass followed by fresh ice.

Woodford Reserve Mint Julep

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Sprigs of fresh mint

Crushed ice

Kentucky bourbon

Silver julep cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with 6 or 8 sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding 1 tablespoon mint syrup and 2 ounces of Kentucky bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

The Bewitching Mint Julep

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

2 cups chopped fresh mint sprigs

Crushed ice

1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) bourbon per julep, or to taste

Garnish: Long mint sprigs

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chopped mint and let the mixture stand for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

Strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a jar or small bowl, pressing hard on the mint solids to extract all the mint essence. Discard the solids and let the syrup cool. The syrup may be made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept covered and chilled in the refrigerator. (The syrup will darken, but this will not affect the taste.) For each julep, fill a silver cup or 10-ounce glass with some of the crushed ice. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mint syrup, or to taste, and 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon. Stir the julep with a long spoon or stirrer very rapidly. Garnish each julep with a long mint sprig.

Watermelon Mint Juleps
Have a sweet tooth? These juleps are for you!

4 cups watermelon
1 cup bourbon
2 cups mint
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar.

Put them all in a bowl and crush with a potato masher. Strain into a pitcher. Pour into a cup filled with crushed ice. Top with a splash of soda and garnish with a mint sprig.

Hola! I’m so happy to be part of Small Bites, and for the opportunity to bring you tastes and tales of Latin cuisine.

Maybe it was the dinner parties my mom always threw — or the hours I spent prepping and cooking alongside her (and then on my own!). Or maybe it was array of fabulous dishes that my family sampled  in New York City’s richly diverse restaurants, but I’ve loved creating, savoring, and sharing food for as long as I can remember. Living in Spain, and later in Peru, also greatly influenced my life. These years abroad not only  taught me Spanish — and about living in different countries—but also introduced me to teaching English as a second language, which I’ve done, mostly in the US, for the past 20-plus (yikes!) years. I’ve authored two cocktail/tapas books, Mambo Mixers and Calypso Coolers, coauthored more than 15 others (mostly food related!), and raised two children.

Now I’m a college administrator (assistant director for Westchester Community College’s English Language Institute), ESL teacher, cooking teacher, and food writer. I regularly travel throughout the Americas to give workshops to teachers on the subject of teaching writing. I also teach cooking here at home — and have been a regular guest on the Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo. My belief in food — and the power of food — is far reaching, and is married with another one: the power of stories. I’m sure that if we could all sit down and have meals together, sharing both tastes and tales, we’d have peace on earth.

I live and work in Southern Westchester, and look forward to sharing my exploration of Latin Cuisine with you! I will feature recipes, restaurant reviews, interviews with Latin-style chefs (some known, some not!), information about Latin-style ingredients and spices, and more. My goal is to guide you—bite by bite—into this culture, or perhaps reintroduce to your roots, or those of your neighbors!

Arlen Gargagliano blogs about her food travels and explorations in In the Kitchen with Arlen as well as on Facebook. She’s a featured chef/author on Cookstr.com, and regularly teaches classes at Don Coqui in New Rochelle. Her website is arleng.com.  Arlen, who has coauthored books with many, inncluding 4 with local Chef/Restaurateur, Rafael Palomino, has also written her own cocktail and appetizer books: Mambo Mixers and Calypso Coolers.

Fairway Market, the grocery store known for cultivating knowledgeable food experts it dubs “rockstars,” and bringing organic, specialty and regular products all together under one roof, will be opening in Nanuet in fall 2013.

The shop is a boon for food-loving Rocklanders, who now travel to shop at the Fairways in Manhattan and Paramus, N.J. The store will be a free-standing building near what is now the Route 59 entrance to the Nanuet Mall.

The new Fairway in Nanuet will be 66,000 square feet, and very similar to the store in Pelham Manor, below.

You’ll walk in and see the produce first — a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including organic. There will be a bakery, deli, prepared foods area, cheese department, olive bar and rotisserie chickens. The main aisle will have meat, fish and dairy.

The center of the store will carry dry goods: specialty, organic and regular items, all grouped together by type of product.

“That’s really what we bring to the table,” says Aaron Fleishaker, senior vice president of real estate and construction for Fairway. “You don’t have to go to one place for organic, one place for tradition—it’s one-stop shopping.”

If the Nanuet store stocks the same sort of items as Pelham, as Fleishaker expects, we will see 70 varieties of olives, 100 varieties of olive oil, more than 600 varieties of cheese, and such specialty items as serrano ham, kobe beef and artisanal creme fraiche. There will also be an extensive selection of beer and coffee, a large variety of gluten-free items, along with paper goods, health and beauty products and cleaning supplies. The Rockland location, as with Pelham, will also stock Kosher items.

The stores are known for their “rockstars,” such as Steven Jenkins, one of the foremost experts in cheese and the author of “Steve Jenkins Cheese Primer,” (Workman Publishing Company) and Ray Venezia, a third-generation butcher who selects the store’s dry-aged cuts of beef himself.

Fairway, run by the Glickberg family of Irvington, opened its first store in the mid-1930s as a fruit and vegetable stand on Broadway and 74th Street in Manhattan. The company has since expanded and there are currently nine Fairway Markets, including ones in Paramus, N.J., Manhattan and Stamford, Conn. Fleishaker expects that by the end of the year there will be 12 locations, and that when Nanuet opens in fall, 2013 it will be the 14th or 15th store. He says the company is also looking at another yet undisclosed location in Westchester.

When the Pelham store opened in 2010, Dan Glickberg, a 2001 graduate of Irvington High School who majored in English at Trinity College before deciding to join the family business, explained the breadth of products available. He said at the time: “We like to say we have everything from caviar to pig’s feet.”

 Linda Lombroso contributed.

Here’s a look at the opening of Fairway in Paramus: First Look: Fairway in Paramus.

And here’s a video we did with butcher Ray Venezia, one of Fairway’s Rockstars!

Rockland reporter Hema Easely has a story saying that a new Fairway will be opening in Nanuet next year. This is GREAT news for Rocklanders, many of whom drive to Manhattan or Paramus, N.J. to shop at Fairway! Here’s Hema:

Specialty food retailer Fairway Market will be an anchor store at the Shops at Nanuet when the new mall opens in fall 2013.

Simon Property Group Inc., the owner of the mall, made the announcement today, saying the 66,000-square-foot store would be the first Fairway in Rockland and the first for a Simon mall.

The collaboration of Fairway and Simon “will create a wonderful shopping experience for the residents of this region,” Charles Santoro, chairman of Fairway Market, said in a statement.

Fairway also has a store in Pelham Manor in Westchester County.

We’ll have more for you as the story develops!

I recently sat down for what I thought would be a traditional Q&A interview with Chef Daniel Petrilli of Haven in Pleasantville, NY. It was, instead, a lively conversation and discussion.  It turns out that Chef Petrilli loves talking about making vegan food. Which is great because I love eating it.

I reviewed my dining experience at Haven during Hudson Valley Restaurant Week 2012 and I was anxious to ask Chef Petrilli a very important question.

Why is your menu so vegan-friendly?

Chef Petrilli is not a vegetarian but one of his closest friends is vegan—a “pain in the neck” vegan, to be exact.  In Manhattan they could dine together easily – two of their favorite vegan restaurants are Candle 79 and Blossom – but when in Westchester, it was a different story.  His friend “complained” and he understood why.  She was served vegan options that lacked inspiration, from a plain plate of vegetables to a bland pasta dish.

Chef Petrilli is a big fan and admirer of Chef Peter Kelly and he wanted to take his friend to a dinner at Restaurant X in Congers, NY. He phoned the chef and requested a vegan tasting menu.  Chef Kelly accommodated and both Chef Petrilli and his friend ordered it.  “Chef Kelly really knew what he was doing.  I decided to take it as a challenge. Could I prepare a vegan dish as well as Peter Kelly? As well as Candle 79?”  Vegan items are now a permanent fixture on the Haven menu.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Yonkers, Chef Petrilli’s culinary career began “later in life, at the age of 34,” when he enrolled in the New York Restaurant School.  He went on to work with esteemed chefs Wayne Nish (March) and Larry Forgione (An American Place and The Grill Room).   He returned to Westchester where he has lived for 18 years.  Did his training prepare him to offer creative, plant-based cuisine? “No, but I just assumed all chefs made accommodations for vegans and vegetarians.” (Writer’s note: they do not.)

Chef Petrilli’s approach to vegan cooking is inspiring.   “To me, vegan is healthy.  It’s purity. It’s clean and straightforward.”  He continued, “Any chef can make something taste good with butter or bacon. What about straight-up vegetables and water? I love that challenge.”  He used to make two types of stock for soup.  Four years ago he moved to strictly vegetable stock. “It just didn’t make sense, when the vegetable stock was so good,” he explained.  I asked what he considered when approaching his plant-based creations.  “I like to work with textures to bring out different flavor profiles.” His signature vegan dish, White Bean ‘Meatballs’, is coated in panko and served over soba noodles and spinach.   This technique promotes one flavor, down plays another, and the result is a manipulated texture. “You get a crunch as you bite into the soft noodle and vegetable,” the chef described.

One of the most impressive things about the vegan offerings at Haven is that there is a plant-based option for every course. The chef’s response: “Vegan food has a special place in my heart.  Especially dessert.”  This is when I learned that Chef Petrilli is not only the executive chef at Haven; he is the pastry chef as well.   His vegan desserts are so good that his “pain in the neck” vegan friend always orders and eats her dessert as her first course when dining at Haven.  I have enjoyed several of the chef’s vegan desserts.

I completely understand.

I asked Chef Petrilli to share a culinary tip with the home cooks among us. Truth be told, I almost demanded it. I am on a serious homemade vegetable stock kick and I wanted more details about his delicious soups. His advice on making vegetable broth or stock at home:

• Use apples, lots of herbs, and vegetables (the actual vegetables, not the scraps), including fennel.


• Go heavy on onions – when they are sweet.


• When making a richer, colorful soup choose vibrant vegetables, such as carrots, for a tomato soup.  For a clear soup opt for lighter vegetables, such as celery, onion, fennel, apples or pear, and white wine.

Chef Petrilli has noticed a steady increase in the number of vegetarian and vegan orders over the last several months.  “As more meat-eaters order my vegan dishes, they just might get turned on to this type of cuisine.” This pleases the chef, who concluded, “It’s the future.”

Tonight at Haven:  A 5-Course Tasting Menu (vegan options!) Featuring the new American cuisine of Chef Daniel Petrilli, paired with the locally brewed ales of Scott Vaccaro’s Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, $60 per person. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: (914) 747-4646.

Haven is located at 472 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570

I Eat Plants columnist JL Fields blogs about her transition to a vegan diet and lifestyle at JL goes Vegan: Food & Fitness with a Side of Kale. Her original recipes have been featured on Foodbuzz, BlogHer and Meatless Monday. She is the editor of the community blog Stop Chasing Skinny: Find Happiness Beyond the Scale.   JL is the founder and lead consultant for JL Fields Consulting.  She serves on the board of directors of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and the advisory board of Our Hen House.  Follow JL on Twitter and Facebook.

A guest blog post by Carla Gambescia, owner of Via Vanti! in Mount Kisco:

To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA and to support area troops, we at Via Vanti! Restaurant and Gelateria, located in the landmark Mount Kisco train station building have created five new and delizioso flavors of gelato – Italy’s more flavorful but lower fat version of ice cream— inspired by our favorite Girl Scout Cookies.

Rather than taking a simple “Ben & Jerry’s” approach – chopping up and mixing in cookie pieces – we have crafted  gelati that actually taste just like what you experience when nibbling on Thin Mint, Samoa, Trefoil Shortbread or Tagalong.  Each gelato is amazingly true to the cookie.  My personal favorite is Trefoil Shortbread – which we have formally labeled “Trefoil Shortbread Cookie Batter”.  It is smooth & creamy and oh so very buttery!

In addition to this yummy gelati quartet  we are also offering  a bright, refreshing non-dairy sorbetto inspired by the special 100^th Anniversary cookie – Savannah Smiles.  I love this anniversary cookie which tastes a lot like an old-fashioned lemon cooler.  Our Savannah Smiles sorbetto busts with zingy lemon flavor but also, remarkably, has the airiness of meringue … perfect for the warmer weather.

From Saturday, April 21 and the end of May, the Via Vanti! will donate to Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson one dollar for every hand-packed pint we sells of any of these five flavors. A simultaneous “Sweet Rewards” program entitles any Girl Scout within five nearby service units who sells eighty or more boxes of cookies to a complimentary pint of gelato.  Among those Girl Scouts, the one who sells the highest number of boxes overall will earn both “A Year of Gelato” for herself – a pint a month for twelve months – and a celebratory pizza and gelato party at Via Vanti! for her entire troop.

Gelato is perfect for celebrations, so this is a natural for such a BIG anniversary.  I still treasure my Girl Scout sash studded with 31 merit badges and the experiences I had as a Girl Scout nearly 50 years ago. The Girl Scouts have endured for a century because their core values of courage, confidence and character continue to be relevant, indeed essential.

 The 411 on Via Vanti!

Maria Reina here coming to you with the story of ramps. Ramps: what on earth are they? Certainly not a mainstream ingredient, that’s for sure.

Ramps are from the onion family. They are delicate and beautiful with broad, smooth, bright green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems. They make their appearance in late Spring when the last of the snow melts. Their bulbs are a bit scallion-like rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. Ramps have a strong and distinctive onion scent and taste a little like garlic. They even are a source of Vitamins A and C. Since ramps can be eaten raw or cooked I thought it might be fun to use them two ways in this week’s post. (My recipes are below.)more after the jump …

I thought I might also share  a little tip for making perfect hard boiled eggs and it’s simple! Place your eggs in a pot with cold water, covered about 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Then take off the heat, cover the pot and let them sit for 12 minutes. Run them under cool water and peel.

After I got the pesto together I took a look at the tomatoes and decided to grill them as well. (Why not?)  I simply dropped them into the same pan that I used to cook the ramps and spinach with a little more oil and some salt and pepper. Not only were the gorgeous, but they provided the perfect acidic bite my finished dish needed. Perfetto!

If you’ve never tasted a ramp now is the time. They won’t be around for much longer. Look for them this weekend at your local farmers market or specialty produce market.

If you are out and about come and find me at the Chappaqua Farmers Market, this coming Saturday. I’ll be there doing a cooking demo from 11:00-1:00.

Buon appetito!

Egg Salad
Serves 2

4 eggs
1/4 cup breakfast radish, fine dice
2 ramps, white and green parts sliced thin
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the eggs in a small pot and cover 2 inches above with cold water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover. Let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. Remove from pot and run under cold water. Peel and chop.

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and taste for additional seasoning.

Ramp Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

12 ramps, about 2 bunches
3 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons Red Sparkenhoe cheese, grated, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted, divided
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
Freshly toasted breadcrumbs, optional for garmish

Toss the ramps with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a hot grill pan and cook until the white parts wilt and the leaves char slightly. About 3 minutes. Remove from pan and place in the bowl of a food processor. Place spinach directly into the pan and season with a sprinkle of salt. Cook until the leaves wilt slightly and begin to give off their liquid. About 2-3 minutes. Remove and add to the food processor.

Add the lemon, zest, cheese and 2 tablespoons of almonds to the processor. Pulse until chopped slightly. Add the oil and pulse until the pesto comes together but is still chunky.

Toss with your favorite pasta and garnish with tomatoes, cheese, reserved almonds and fresh bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

Maria Reina is a personal chef and caterer. In addition to her own small business Bella Cucina Maria she teaches recreational cooking classes at Tarry Market in Port Chester, NY. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

For 12 weeks, we feature a wine, and include tasting notes and suggestions for pairings. At the end of the 12 weeks, we’ll review our Mixed Case, and recap the choices. Each mixed case will be chosen by a local wine shop owner, who will also become our wine expert-in-residence during his or her tenure. (So should we need recommendations for a holiday, for example. we’ll ask.) We’ll get a new expert for each case. Right now, we’re working on our Mixed Case from Aries Wine & Spirits in White Plains.

Here’s bottle 5: Chateau Frank Celebre Rose

Bonus online content

Chateau Frank Celebre Rose

Region: Finger Lakes, New York State; Chateau Frank, on the banks of Keuka Lake, was started by Willy Frank, Dr. Konstantin Frank’s son. Willy spearheaded New York’s sparkling wine revolution using traditional methods and classic grapes.

Tasting notes: A pink colored sparkling wine made in the traditional Methode Champenoise entirely from estate grown Pinot Meunier grapes. It offers lovely red berry aromas with forward fruitiness and touch of residual sweetness.

Why we chose it: We happened to be visiting the winery just after Willy got his first shipment of glass bottles for his sparkling wine project and we got to taste his “first baby” before it was even released. To this day we remain convinced of the high quality of Chateau Frank sparkling wines and are pleased to offer them as a more affordable alternative to true French Champagne. This new sparkler is no exception and is aptly named for toasting anything you are celebrating this season.

Goes with: a variety of dishes including salmon, ham, grilled chicken and grilled vegetables as well as spicier dishes, with appetizers or on its own for toasting.

Price: $19.99

Music Discussion Reaches Its ‘Peak’

Caroline Corley, the voice of Westchester’s popular rock radio station 107.1 The Peak, lives the rock and roll lifestyle, and certainly looks the part—dressed all in black, a jangle of bangles around her neck, wrists and ankles, each with a unique story—as she strides into the Captain Lawrence tasting room.

But while rock and roll and booze have long been passionate bedfellows—like Jagger and Richards, the pair is manic, a bit destructive, and usually pretty productive—Corley goes easy on the potent potables. She prefers small glasses of quality beer, which makes a visit to the tasting room a logical one. The fact that she lives close enough that she could get there in the amount of time it takes a Ramones song—1-2-3-4! to fade-out—to play on The Peak, makes the jaunt a no brainer too.

“Beers and rock and roll,” Corley says over a barrel. “It’s the formula. That’s what makes good fun.”

That voice, doing the Peak morning show out of White Plains, is a familiar one to anyone in Westchester, and beyond, who listens to rock. Her shtick includes references to the skinny young rock stars she calls her boyfriends, shout-outs to her chocolate lab, Mick Jagger, and reports about concerts around the world from her well situated “spies.”

Corley’s face is familiar too—perhaps never more so than at the annual Pleasantville Music Fest, as she ebulliently introduces the next act. In person, she’s warm and engaging. For someone paid to deliver monologues to the masses each day, Caroline Corley is surprisingly adept at listening.

We sip a pair of Freshchester Pale Ales and discuss, naturally, music. She raves about Jack White (“could fart in a bucket,” she says, and she’d buy the record), thinks the Stones kick the Beatles’ asses, and scrutinizes lyrics the way an English major studies Elizabethan sonnets.

Corley’s tastes in beer run the gamut. She cops to “girl” tastes—light and fruity, such as a Blue Moon White, but digs stout as well. “If it tastes like chocolate,” she says, “I’m in.”

She enjoys the Pale Ale too, and asks for a Family Meal for Round 2. When I return from the bar, Corley is chatting up a couple nearby. As chance would have it, the guy is the general manager at the iconic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, which will reopen in late summer—decades after a heyday that featured everyone from the Grateful Dead to Pink Floyd to Janis Joplin.

Tom Bailey, who formerly managed celebrated Manhattan jazz joint The Blue Note, isn’t at liberty to reveal who’s lined up to play the Capitol, but says it will be a diverse mix: classic rock, jam bands, more current stuff. In fact, it sounds a little like the Peak playlist. “There’ll be a little something for everyone,” he says.

Corley and Bailey—Westchester rock royalty, or at least two of its cool kids—have a million questions about each other’s operation. And the two can talk, especially when live music is involved. Bailey, sipping a Family Meal, is also curious about the Captain Lawrence operation, and suggests its brews may be a great fit at the Capitol. “If you want to serve good beer, and local beer, this is where you go,” he says.

Bailey, also a certified sommelier, says there will be eight draft lines to keep visitors well sated. “We fully intend to have good beer,” he says.

Corley samples her Family Meal. “Like drinking a clove cigarette,” she says with a smile and a bat of her big brown eyes.

A full scale music discussion commences. I ask what everyone was listening to on the way over.

“The Peak, of course,” says Corley.

“As a matter of fact, The Peak,” echoes Bailey. He gives his blue New York Rangers hat, atop a mop of red hair, a tug. “To be honest,” he adds, “we put the Ranger game on at 3.”

I’m thankful they don’t ask me, as I’d failed to eject my kids’ “100 Great Singalong Songs” CD on the short hop over. (The Offspring’s music? Good. My offspring’s tunes? Not so much.)

We discuss current raves and faves. Bailey goes for the young Texas bluesman Gary Clark Jr. His girlfriend Susan Mason, an events planner at Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua, votes for the Brit bluegrass act Mumford & Sons.

Corley, meanwhile, is effusive about a couple cerebral bands starting with D from the gloomy Pacific Northwest: She calls Colin Meloy of the Decemberists “the single greatest lyricist” currently putting words to music, and puts Death Cab For Cutie in the same echelon—quoting their metaphor for a Vegas slot machine, “a robot amputee waving hello,” from the “Little Bribes” track.

Music. Beer. Beer. Music. The cynics have been saying rock is dead for decades, I think as I climb into my car, eject the kiddies’ mind-numbing disc and turn The Peak up loud. But for today, tomorrow, and the foreseeable future, it’s alive and well in Westchester.

—Michael Malone (malone5a@yahoo.com)

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Parkway in Elmsford, is open Tuesday through Friday (retail 2-7 p.m., and samples 4-7 p.m.); and Saturday, with retail and samples 12-6 p.m., and brewery tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in beer, for “Notes From the Tasting Room.”

It was easy to miss, but far along into the Sunday 1A story on how the rental market may revive development along the waterfront was a very nice little piece of food news: Crabtree’s Kittle House, the classic restaurant in Chappaqua with a 70,000-bottle wine cellar, will be opening a second location at the Hudson Harbors complex in Tarrytown.

From reporter Andrew Klappholz’s story:

Recent improvements to the Tarrytown train station, scenic views of the Hudson and commitments from popular businesses — Lighthouse Ice Cream Kompany is already open there, and the Kittle House restaurant in Chappaqua soon will add a second location there — to open within the complex have helped developer National Resources buck the sluggish trend, said Paul Janos, a former Tarrytown mayor and spokesman for the developer.

“The lawyers are setting up the date to sign the lease—it’s a done deal,” Janos told me. He also told me that a market and a wine shop are in the works.

Glenn Vogt wouldn’t elaborate on the plans, except to say:  “We are in the process of finalizing the negotiations and are very excited about the plans for the project and being a part of the beautiful Hudson Harbor community.”

Pretty exciting stuff! I’ll report more as I get information.