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Cheese please! Westchester restaurants know that everything is better with a little cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan.
By Christina Ferrari and Brianna Gadaleta
Cheese Wheel Pasta
If you’re in the mood for some cheesy entertainment, get ready to be wow-ed by the magical cheese wheel pasta. Also known as pasta alla ruota, you can watch this dish be created right at your table as the chef mixes freshly cooked pasta in a huge hollowed out wheel of tangy parmigiano. To add to the theatrics, the cheese is often lit on fire with the addition of brandy or cognac to help induce melty goodness. This pasta dish, nay, experience, can be found at not one, not two, but four (!) Italian restaurants in Westchester.
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Angelina’s Ristorante
97 Lake Ave, Tuckahoe; 914.779.7944
La Catena
871 Saw Mill River Rd, Ardsley; 914.231.9260
Risotto
788 Commerce St, Thornwood; 914.769.6000
Sapori
2 Chase Rd, Scarsdale; 914.874.5316
Cheese Platters
Popular for their picnic-able and shareable (although you may not want to) qualities, cheese platters are perfect for any number of casual or classy events. One of our favorites is RiverMarket’s Hudson Valley Cheese Plate found in Tarrytown, which hosts a wide range of local cheeses with flavors spanning from spicy Adirondack jalapeño cheddar to soft and nutty St. Stephen cheese from artisan creamery, Four Fat Fowl.
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Another spot for top tier cheese is Second Mouse Cheese Shop in Pleasantville, where you can customize a cheese plate of any size, or let the experts there create your own personal masterpiece. Don’t forget to check out their ever-changing daily menu of cheesy soups, sandwiches, and desserts while you’re at it. The variability of a cheese platter ensures that even the snobbiest of turophile’s tastes will be satisfied.
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RiverMarket
127 W Main St, Tarrytown; 914.631.3100
Second Mouse Cheese Shop
357 Manville Rd, Pleasantville; 914.579.2909
Grilled Cheese
Searching for the masters in the art of grilled cheese? Well, then, look no further because these unique takes on the American classic will send you running to their doors. First stop: a mac ‘n’ cheese-infused sandwich topped with bacon from Put Some Meat On Your Bones, the truck that parks regularly at the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown.
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Or, how about a French take on things, with a toasted croissant to compliment the choice of cheese, meat, and eggs at Jean Jacques in Pleasantville.
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In New Rochelle, The Wooden Spoon offers stuffed grilled cheese, which is best described as the love child of a burger and mac ‘n’ cheese all wrapped up in one glorious Texas toast swaddle.
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And now for something completely different: Head over to Eastchester’s Mason Sandwich Co., to explore the masterful layers of thinly sliced beef, velvety pimento cheese, and crispy onions all in one heavenly sandwich.
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Jean Jacques
486 Bedford Rd Pleasantville; 914.747.8191
Mason Sandwich Co.
33 Mill Road Eastchester; 914.776.2766
Put Some Meat On Your Bones
650 Lee Blvd, Yorktown Heights (Jefferson Valley Mall); 914.391.5527
The Wooden Spoon
16 Division Street New Rochelle; 914.278.9432
Mozzarella Sticks
These mouthwatering little bites are known for their crisp outsides and glorious cheese pull, plus it’s nearly impossible to eat just one. While the 914 boasts a number of delicious variations, Mt. Kisco’s Exit 4 Food Hall takes the humble stick to a new level with their stretchy mozzarella donuts, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and served with tomato sauce.
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Yet another mind-blowing mozzarella creation (monstrosity? We’ll let you decide) can be enjoyed at Pizza & Brew in Scarsdale, where the sticks are more than double the size of your average fried cheesy baton. These oversized treats can also be found at sister restaurant, Public Pizza, in Ridge Hill.
If you’re overwhelmed by the choices, you can’t go wrong at Lombardo’s, with locations in Dobbs Ferry and White Plains, where this popular app is offered in a much more traditional form, though with the use of homemade mozzarella.
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Lombardo’s
10 Hamilton St, Dobbs Ferry; 914.479.5296
1203 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains; 914.615.9090
Exit 4 Food Hall
153 E Main St, Mt Kisco; 914.241-1200
Pizza & Brew
851 Central Park Ave, Scarsdale; 914.472.1032
Public Pizza
193 Market St, Yonkers; 914.652.7611
Cheese Fries
For the ultimate comfort food, these next two establishments recognize the sacredness of fried crunchy goodness partnered with a blanket of liquid gold. Yes, we’re talking about…cheese fries. At Katonah’s King Kone, the ageless classics of simple melted American cheese, bacon, and chili cheese, are done right and done roadside at the small but mighty hut on NY-100.
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New York FireHouse Grille in Peekskill offers finger-licking cheesy-fry options that aren’t for the faint of heart, ranging from Cheeseburger fries, garnished with secret sauce and cheddar cheese; Kickin’ Fries, featuring their kickin’ chicken cutlet, with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses; and the Jommy Fries, uniting Cajun waffle fries with mac ‘n’ cheese, showered with bacon, chipotle mayo, and ranch dressing.
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King Kone
109 Route 100, Katonah; 914. 232.0571
New York FireHouse Grille
63 Welcher Ave, Peekskill; 914. 788.0808
Nachos
Bring a hungry belly and enjoy the atmosphere of Mexican music and culture while scarfing down a medley of beans, salsa, jalapeño, crema, and guacamole atop corn tortillas and all smothered in cheddar cheese at VEGA Mexican Cuisine in Hartsdale. Once you fall in love with that dish, you might as well order their other cheesy meals including quesadillas, enchiladas, or chimichangas.
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At Incazteca in Port Chester, the menu offers four nachos arrangements to choose from, and the highlights include chips topped with chicken, shrimp and chorizo, as well as hearty and satisfying steak nachos. Â
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VEGA Mexican Cuisine
189 E Hartsdale Ave, Hartsdale; 914.723.0010
Incazteca
480 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; 914.305.5400
Related: Here’s Where to Find the Most Delicious Fish Tacos in Westchester
