Brothers Nikos and Elias Kostakis, along with partner Christopher Fillos, have opened Taverna Pandesia (36 E Main St, Mount Kisco 914-244-3000; tavernapandesia.com), a 75-seat casual Greek restaurant. Among the menu offerings: arni kokkinisto (braised lamb shank with orzo), gemista (peppers and tomatoes stuffed with ground beef and rice), and charcoal-grilled quail. Dinner mains cost between $11 and $23. Pandesia is open every day for lunch and dinner; Sunday brunch is planned
Executive Chef Jason Holmberg at Park 143 Bistro (143 Parkway Rd, Bronxville 914-337-5100; 143parkbistro.com) has crafted a new seasonal dinner menu featuring such small-plate selections as hamachi with fennel, jalapeños, arugula, and sesame-wasabi snow, and rabbit sausage with carrots and broccoli in lemon vinaigrette, plus entrées such as seared pork loin with succotash and kale
Korean tofu soup and stews are dishes to sample at the 56-seat So Gong Dong Tofu BBQ (411 Central Ave, White Plains 914-397-1790) in the Dalewood Shopping Center. Beef kalbi (barbecued beef short ribs); dumplings; and bibimbap (rice dish with vegetables, meat, egg, and chili pepper paste) are other offerings. So Gong Dong is open every day for lunch and dinner; most main dishes cost less than $15. Other locations of So Gong Dong include Palisades Park, New Jersey, and New York City’s East Village
Heartland Brewery, a brewpub with seven New York City locations, is opening Port Chester Hall (heartlandbrewery.com) in the village’s 5,630-square-foot, 1890 train station some time next summer. The 85-seat food hall and beer garden will serve lunch and dinner every day; among the beers offered will be a selection from New York State
Through September 21, a portion of all sales of The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester’s (3 Renaissance Sq, White Plains 914-946-5500; ritzcarlton.com/westchester) Cupcakes that Care program will benefit Grace Church Community Center, a social services agency that assists the County’s neediest through programs that include homeless shelters and a soup kitchen. Other nonprofit agencies that have benefited from Cupcakes that Care include My Sister’s Place and the American Cancer Society. Cupcakes are available in small or large quantities and can be ordered 72 hours in advance at westchester.pastry@ritzcarlton.com or (914) 467-5812
Jimmy Rugova, owner of Dolphin and Cafe Hudson in Yonkers, has opened his third eatery, Char Restaurant (2 S Water St, Greenwich, CT 203-900-1100; charct.com). The Mediterranean restaurant is in the space that once housed Greenwich Lobster House and has been revamped with lots of reclaimed wood from Brooklyn warehouses. On the menu from Executive Chef David Snyder are myriad small plates (tuna tartar bruschetta, edamame dumplings, house-cured tequila salmon, char-grilled octopus) ranging from $8 to $15, plus entrées such as black currant-glazed salmon, hanger steak frites, sautéed garlic shrimp, Portuguese cioppino, and pappardelle with wild mushrooms and shaved asparagus ($21.50-$27.50). Char is open every day for lunch and dinner
Caravela in Tarrytown, Espana in Larchmont, and Zitoune and Neméa Greek Taverna in Mamaroneck are the latest significant restaurant closings in 2013; Striped Bass in Tarrytown and Buffet de la Gare in Hastings-on-Hudson also closed earlier this year.
