Sound Chicken.
Photo by Clayton Bushong
New chefs at Stone Barns, a top-notch cheesesteak shop in New Rochelle, a lobster spot in Dobbs Ferry, and more make the month delicious.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns (630 Bedford Rd, Tarrytown; 914.366.9600; www.bluehillfarm.com) has transformed into The Chef in Residence at Stone Barns, with a new chef every five weeks. The lineup: Omar Tate, Esquire Magazine’s 2020 Chef of the Year, whose menu is an exploration of Blackness in America, from February 17 to March 13; Johnny Ortiz, a Taos Pueblo indigenous chef and an ex-sous chef of three-Michelin-star San Francisco restaurant Saison, from March 17 to April 10; and Chilean native Victoria Blamey, formerly of NYC’s Gotham Bar & Grill and Chumley’s, from April 14 to May 8. Shola Olunloyo of Studiokitchen (www.studiokitchen.com) was the inaugural resident chef, from January 13 through February 6. “Each of these chefs [explores] the intersection of cooking and farming — but also culture, identity, community, and health as they cook their way to a vision for food that is so much greater than the sum of its parts,” says Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill. Tickets are $250 per person per meal.
A half-pound of Black Angus beef goes on the garlic-toasted hoagies at the new Crotty’s Cheesesteaks (8 Eastchester Rd, New Rochelle; 914.636.7000; www.crottycheesesteak.com). There are 13 cheesesteaks to choose from (try The New Yorker with caramelized onions, grilled tomatoes, and cheddar), a BYO option, stuffed baked potatoes, and sides such as fried pickles and mac ’n’ cheese bites.
Third-generation fisherman Anthony DiMeglio has opened The Dobbs Ferry Lobster Guys (26 Main St, Dobbs Ferry; 914.625.8402). All the selections — from lobster to Jonah crab to mussels — are local, from fishing grounds 30 miles off the coast of Long Island.
Also to have opened in Dobbs Ferry by press time is MOM’s Organic Market (83 Stanley St; www.momsorganicmarket.com/dobbsferry), a supermarket offering organic produce, sustainable seafood, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, plus organic vitamins, supplements, herbs, and clean beauty products. MOM’s also has a recycling program for electronics, including cellphones, tablets, and batteries, as well as eyeglasses, shoes, compost, oyster shells, and corks.
The first area location of sweetgreen (102 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich; 201.379.0704; www.sweetgreen.com) has debuted. The fast-casual salad restaurant chain with 109 locations uses ingredients such as locally sourced greens and cage-free and certified organic eggs. There’s a sweetgreen outpost launched at Mike’s Organic Delivery (www.mikesorganicdelivery.com) in Stamford, as well.
To have opened by press time is Sound Chicken (232 Fifth Ave, Pelham; www.soundchicken.com), a fast-casual chicken restaurant serving house-made tenders and sandwiches, plus globally inspired dipping sauces. The owner is Clayton Bushong, whose other village businesses include Cantina Lobos Mexican restaurant (www.cantinalobos.com) and Double Rainbow Ice Cream (www.doublerainbowofpelham.com).
Per an Uber Eats report, the most popular restaurants and orders in Westchester for 2020 were a burger and fries from BLD Diner (Larchmont; www.bld-diner.com); oxtail stew and jerk chicken from Flava’s Kitchen (Mount Vernon; www.flavaskitchen.com); snow-crab legs and shrimp from Crab Du Jour (Mount Vernon; www.crabdujourmountvernon.com); steamed pork dumplings from Dumpling + Noodle (Bronxville; www.dumplingnoodle.com); Sicilian slices from Sal’s Pizzeria (Mamaroneck; www.salsmamaroneck.com); and pastelitos – or Puerto Rican baked pastries similar to empanadas – from Caridad and Louie’s (Yonkers; www.caridadlouiesyonkers.com). The most popular day for food delivery in the county was Friday, while the most popular time to place an order was 6 p.m. Westchester eaters were generous, with the average tip increasing to 30% in 2020.
