Small Bites

LoHud Wine of the Week Francois Pinon Vouvray Les Trois Argiles 2010: All the great aspects of Chenin Blanc are in here: Subtly sweet fragrances of lanolin, quince, and almond oil; Dense flavors of pineapple, herbs and wet stone. Region: Loire Valley. Price: $15.97. Goes with: Shellfish (particularly shrimp and… Read More →

When Jewel of Himalaya opened last year in Yorktown Heights, adventurous diners like Marcia Glantz were eager to try a cuisine that broke from the same-old pizza or pub fare. She put herself in the hands of owner Nuru Sherpa on her very first visit. She says she told Sherpa… Read More →

LoHud Wine of the Week Mountain Door Malbec 2011: Ripe and polished, with a plush core of plum, blackberry, raspberry, morello cherry, violets and mocha, this is the new-world wine lover’s dream. Region: Mendoza, Argentina. Price: $9.59. Goes with: ribeye, meatloaf, empanadas. Why I chose it: I’m proud to see… Read More →

A few of the Small Bites food bloggers went foraging for ramps with Jonathan Pratt, chef-owner of Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown Heights and Tagine and Umami Cafe in Croton-on-Hudson. Here’s the post with recipes, and here a video of Jon with a few tips on foraging for ramps:

LoHud Wine of the Week Union Wine Co Underwood Cellars Pinot Noir 2011: Raspberry-driven red fruit flavors, with surprising complexity in its price range. Smoke, spice, and cinnamon notes ground this Pinot as very Oregon! Excellent acid balance. Region: Oregon. Price: $10.97. Goes with: baked salmon, beef tenderloin, roasted chicken…. Read More →

Hi! Donna Monaco Olsen here, co-coordinator for the Taste of Westchester Continuing Education program for Westchester Community College to share with you from a recent demonstration. All classes are held within Westchester restaurants, where local chefs share their talents and recipes with us in their own dining rooms. Over the… Read More →

LoHud Wine of the Week Jean Michel Blanc de Meunier Brut 2007: A refined and seductive Blanc de Noirs from the chalky soils of Moussy. Uniquely rich, gripping, and a touch biscuity. Built to age. Region: Champagne. Price: $33.97. Goes with:  quiche, truffled mac and cheese, artisanal cheese board. Why… Read More →

LoHud Wine of the Week Chateau de Vaugaudry Chinon Cuvee Prestige 2009: A fragrant, structured and elegant Cabernet Franc with chalky minerality, notes of bell pepper and herbs, and a focus on fruit and earth rather than oak. Quite charming. Region: Loire Valley, France. Price: $12.79. Goes with: game hen,... Read More →

LoHud Wine of the Week Rodano Chianti Classico 2007: A beautiful Sangiovese that smacks of the distinctive Tuscan earth. Bold flavors of tart cherry, plum and cinnamon have rustic underpinnings and mouth-filling intensity. Region: Tuscany, Italy. Price: $15.19. Goes with: veal shanks, venison, pasta with sausage and white beans. Why… Read More →

LoHud Wine of the Week Thorn-Clarke Shiraz Shotfire 2010: Fat cherry fruit aromas are backed up by cacao, herbs, and cracked pepper. Chewy in the mouth, with medium acidity. It’s perfect with the Easter feast. Region: Barossa Valley, Australia. Price: $15.99. Goes with: Lamb Roast, Baked Ham, Meat Lasagna. Why… Read More →

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… Read More →

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… Read More →

Hi! Donna Monaco Olsen here, co-coordinator for the Taste of Westchester Continuing Education program for Westchester Community College to share with you from a recent demonstration. All classes are held within Westchester restaurants, where local chefs share their talents and recipes with us in their own dining rooms. Over the… Read More →

Hi! Donna Monaco Olsen here, co-coordinator for the Taste of Westchester Continuing Education program for Westchester Community College here to share with you from a recent class. All classes are held within Westchester restaurants, where local chefs share their talents and recipes with us in their own dining rooms. Over… Read More →

Hey! We are Aimee and Kevin Ellis, here with the very first installment of our Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Fall 2012 experience. We are familiar with Yorktown because we both work near the area, so there was no need to plug the address into the GPS. In fact we passed… Read More →

Hi! Donna Monaco Olsenhere, co-coordinator for the Taste of Westchester Continuing Education program for Westchester Community College. All classes are held within Westchester restaurants, where local chefs share their talents and recipes with us in their own dining rooms. Over the years, I have attended hundreds of classes, and I… Read More →

Hi! Donna Monaco Olsen here, co-coordinator for the Taste of Westchester Continuing Education program for Westchester Community College. All classes are held within Westchester restaurants, where local chefs share their talents and recipes with us in their own dining rooms. Over the years, I have attended hundreds of classes, and… Read More →

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs.  Although currently working at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown as a chef-in-training (commis), her passion and desire to gain more experience and knowledge has fueled her to pursue opportunities to intern… Read More →

Patrice Costa, part time guest blogger and full time foodie, here with some exciting news.  I recently made a major life decision to figure out if my love of cooking was truly something I wanted to do when I grew up.  I was optimistic that working in a restaurant kitchen… Read More →

For new restaurants this fall, you won’t have to look much further than your own backyard. Neighborhood restaurants are popping up everywhere — and they aren’t leaving much room for the destination gourmet scenes of years past. Take Baumgart’s, above. The long-delayed new restaurant in Nyack has a family-style history:... Read More →

Did you know you can pick your own organically grown vegetables in Yorktown? You can visit Hilltop Hanover Farm each Saturday to pick your own vegetables, herbs and flowers. (Farmers are always around to give you some guidance on what to pick.) When you’re done, you pay for vegetables at… Read More →

Last Thursday night, a 65 pound piggy from Hemlock Hill Farm met with the culinary talents of chefs Jonathan Pratt & Nick DiBona of Peter Pratt’s Inn.  The end result was an all out, pig pickin’, finger lickin’, La Caja China pig roast.   Patrice Costa here as guest blogger while… Read More →

Yorktown’s Tom Cuomo says his new restaurant is a tribute to old-school Italian dining — which explains the charming checkered tablecloths. Oh, and the Italian music playing softly in the background, and, yes, the authentic Italian dishes on the menu. Don Tommaso’s is named after Cuomo’s father, Tommaso Cuomo, who… Read More →

It isn’t often that a new food truck gets our attention. But Sharion’s D’Lish Dish, parked at Maple Hill and Veteran’s Road in Yorktown Heights, isn’t your average truck selling average food. Yes, there are the typical food truck selections like hamburgers and hot dogs. But this mobile food stand’s… Read More →

Simple steak and seafood, served in a casual but sophisticated setting. That’s the theme of Thyme, chef-owner Tom Costello’s cozy new spot going into the former Tuscan Market and Deli on Crom­pond Road in Yorktown Heights. Despite his humble description, Costello has some highly praised talent in the kitchen: Neil… Read More →

For the month of July, the Small Bites blog asked for your photos and videos of your best grilling moments for our contest, Great Moments on the Grill. The prize? A brand new Weber grill worth $500 from Appliances Plus in Somers. We were looking for anything funny, creative or… Read More →

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and that means a lot of people are going to be buying fish on Fridays for the next 40 days. So here’s a look where to buy fish in Rockland, Westchester and Putnam. Longtime Small Bites fans may have  seen this list before, but I’ve called… Read More →

Good morning and happy Monday. Even though there wasn’t a bit of snow on the ground, I treated this weekend like we were having a storm in February. The fireplace got a huge workout. On Friday, I had a friend over and we ate eggplant parmesan by the fire. I… Read More →