New Winston in Mount Kisco offers New American fare, but what exactly does that mean nowadays? Among other things, it means escargot, Moroccan duck breast, beef yaki dumplings, Vietnamese salad, and falafel from a chef who spent his early years in Asia and graduated from the French Culinary Institute (now called the International Culinary Center).
So if New American means pleasing a melting pot of tastes, then Chef Michael Williams, who named the restaurant after his dog, is doing it right. So much so that those beef dumplings with garlic chives were better than most I’ve had at Asian restaurants, and I was relieved when no one else wanted any. (They’re on the bar menu, which is divided into Eastern and Western dishes, and are also served at lunch.)
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Photos by Leslie-Anne Brill Clockwise, from top: Winston’s dumplings go can toe-to-toe with those served at exclusively Asian restaurants; fish tacos are perfect for those who want an option free of red meat; and for those who want no meat, Winston’s veggie burger is a great choice. |
For vegetarians, he has slain a difficult beast: a great-tasting veggie burger, made with fresh corn, tofu, and mushroom duxelle, on a brioche roll with roasted eggplant chipotle spread, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. Fish tacos (also on the bar menu), tempura Atlantic cod with mango cilantro cabbage slaw, were quite good, and warm homemade rolls with ricotta garlic purée were irresistible throughout the meal. (New American might also mean having an original alternative to butter, which was also served.) Our dessert, a tasting of créme brûlées in chocolate, vanilla, and Grand Marnier, was exceptional.
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Winston’s cocktail menu includes colorfully named choices like Governor Cuomo’s Day Off; A sampling of Winston’s créme brûlées |
All that, and we were really there just to grab a drink and check out the tri-level space we’d been hearing about: Ground-floor bar and gastropub, with brick walls and photos of the dog; upstairs main dining room (more exposed brick, a skylight, beautiful glassware); and rooftop bar. Cocktails are under headings such as the Westchester County Series, from which I ordered Governor Cuomo’s Day Off (Cîroc Vodka, agave nectar, grapefruit juice, and Apothecary bitters), rumored to be the Governor’s quaff of choice there. (Why the Westchester Series also includes a Mai Tai is a story for another day.) From the Classic Rock’s Series, Gentleman Fig is the reason for my next trip to Mount Kisco—muddled berries, apricot tincture, rye whiskey, and Figenza fig vodka.
Winston
130 E Main St
Mount Kisco
(914) 244-9780; winstonrestaurant.com
