Captain Lawrence Sets Sail for…Elmsford?
Just in (which really sucks, since I just profiled young Scotty and now I’m going to have to amend the article): Scott Vaccaro of Captain Lawrence Brewing Company will be moving his brewery out of 99 Castleton Avenue, Pleasantville.
Oh, no—say it ain’t so! Tell me he’s not joining the plaid shirt, vintage eyeglasses mobs in Brooklyn where Captain Lawrence sells so many barrels of his craft beer!
Here’s the deal, straight from the Captain’s mouth:
“I am excited to announce that after five-and-a- half years of brewing at our current location, 99 Castleton St in Pleasantville, New York, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company will be moving five miles down the road to a new home. With our distribution continuing to grow, and the tasting room busting at the seams, it is time to make a move to a facility that can sustain our growth for years to come.
The new site at 444 Saw Mill River Rd, Elmsford, NY, which will occupy 18,250 sf with an additional 5000 sf available for expansion, has been designed to accommodate our growing needs as a brewery and as a destination for people wanting to taste fresh beer at its source. The new facility will house a 5 vessel, 40 bbl automated brew house which will have 5 times the capacity of our current location and will allow us to begin packaging our beers in 12 ounce bottles, something we have been dreaming of doing from keg one. In addition, we will be adding a 7 bbl experimental brew house which will allow us to create new and exciting beers on a regular basis, adding to the lineup of beers available in our tasting room and beyond. Our new tasting room will be approximately 1500 sf, 4 times the size of our current location and will incorporate a new draft system for serving beer and filling growlers and should provide a much more comfortable tasting experience.
It was always my dream, from the time I brewed my first batch of home brew, to open a brewery and bring fresh and exciting beers to the place I grew up; Westchester County. We have been extremely fortunate to have ad the tremendous support of the Village and people of Pleasantville, our local neighbors, Westchester County, as well as beer drinkers throughout the NY Metro area and beyond. We did our best to stay in Pleasantville, looking at a number of potential sites, but unfortunately none of them fit our long-term needs. We are looking forward to getting to know our new neighbors in Greenburgh.
We are hopeful we will have the Brewery up and running by late this year, and should be making the transition complete by year’s end. We will be sure to keep you all updated as the build out progresses and will be posting pictures and video on our website.”
All we’ve got to say is, phew– still in Westchester, so he can keep offering Freshchester Pale Ale (but that Cuvee de Castleton’s gonna have to go).
EDP’s Big Giveaway Gets Serious with Passes to the WM Wine and Food Grand Tasting! 
Oh, yes, folks, we’ve given away some beer, some cupcakes, some wine, and a free book—and, lemme tell you, that felt gooood—but now the gifties are getting serious. This week on EDP’s Big Giveaway, we’re offering two passes to one day of the Grand Tasting in the Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, Ballroom which gets you and your honey four hours of eating (from 25 of Westchester’s best restaurants) and drinking (of 100) great wines. You’ll see chef demonstrations by Chef Peter Kelly of the Xaviars Restaurant Group, Chef David DiBari of The Cookery, Chef Eric Gabrynowicz of Restaurant North, and Chef Phil McGrath of Iron Horse Grill, and Chef Alex Grunert of Blue Hill at Stone Barns—folks, it’ll be fab. And if you’re lucky, you’ll find my Top Chef hero, “Angry Dale” Talde, doing a live chef cook off with Ash Fulk. Plus, we spoke with Event Sommelier Billy Rattner (of the Xaviars Restaurant Group), and he’s excited by the wines being slung at the tables. Can’t wait to see you there.
So, for two tickets to the Grand Tasting at Westchester Magazine’s Wine and Food Weekend, tell me which artist painted “The Senses of Hearing, Touch and Taste” in 1618, which depicts a bunch of seriously fancy partiers feasting and drinking in super luxe digs. PS, you’ll find a link and the name of the artist here – and no points will be deducted if you confuse The Younger, The Elder, or our boy, Jan. Write your answers in the comments section below, and, sorry, Westchester Magazine employees or their affiliates are not eligible for prizes
Tarry Lodge Terrazzo is open! Dinner al Fresco with Vinzia Firriato
June 8, 6:30pm
$125 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity
Call (914) 939 3111 to reserve
According to Tarry Lodge’s announcement, “Firriato, a powerhouse of Sicilian wine making, has created a range of wines that are a potent mix of the traditional and the innovative. Tarry Lodge and Tarry Fine Wines are proud to welcome Vinzia Firriato and her wines.” Here is the menu and pairing:
Antipasti Misti
Beets Agrodolce w/ Goat Cheese & Pistachio
Jumbo Lump Crab w/ Piquillo Peppers
Prosciutto di Parma w/ Cayenne Grissini
FIRRIATO Grillo Altavilla della Corte 2009 [DORNA~NOT SURE WHY THIS IS ALL UC]
FIRRIATO Quater Bianco 2008
Sausage Agnolotti w/ Roasted Tomatoes & Rapini
Pizza
Quattro Formaggi
FIRRIATO Etna Rosso 2007
FIRRIATO Etna Rosso Cavanera 2000
Vinzia Firriato
Grilled Skirt Steak w/ Porcini
FIRRIATO Nero d’ Avola Chiramonte 2008
FIRRIATO Harmonium 2008
Chocolate Cake
with Bitter Oranges and Pistachio Gelato
FIRRIATO L’Ecrù 2009
Grandma Pie at Lincoln Lounge
I don’t have to tell the ‘za obsessed among you, but the cult of the “Grandma pie” is alive and well in Westchester. Grandma pies, a recent addition to the American pizza scene, are baked in sheet pans, just like Nonna does in her own kitchen (where she doesn’t have a slot-mouthed Bakers Pride). Because a Grandma pie’s bottom crust is browned on an oiled pan, it emerges crisp, slightly oily, and caramelized around the edges – its crust is lightly bubbled, exactly as though it had been fried. We found a delicious version (here, with sausage and fresh tomato) at Mount Vernon’s charming Lincoln Lounge (209 Stevens Ave, Mount Vernon, 914- 664-9747)—a restaurant that feels like one of the last (and most precious) of our old neighborhood joints.
