It’s Monday and you want to eat out. But where? Thirteen years ago when I first moved to Westchester, it wasn’t so easy to find a place to go unless it was Chinese or pizza. Today, it’s another story, with a bevy of eateries catering to those, like me, who never tire of having someone else do the cooking.
What’s better than a restaurant serving great food on a Monday night? A restaurant that offers a large, well-selected wine list. At Angelina’s Ristorante (97 Lake Ave, Tuckahoe 914-779-7944), a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner and Wine Enthusiast Award of Distinction winner, you’ll find all the Italian favorites you love—pasta, chicken, veal, fish, and brick-oven pizza—with portions so large you’re sure to go home with a doggie bag, making your Tuesday-night dinner a no-brainer.
The menu at Arrosto (25 S Regent St, Port Chester 914-939-7200) will please adventurous palates with its bold flavorings and fusions. Owned by the man who brought the New York world Carmine’s, and headed by Chef Richard Corbo (formerly of Ducca in San Francisco), the lively eatery offers a variety of farm-to-table ingredients in the form of large and small plates. The restaurant’s motto “Be Social. Eat Well.” Our mantra? “Bring friends and share.” This considerable space—with its generous booths, open kitchen, and wrap-around bar meant for watching the action—is pure fun, and the food is out-of-this-world delicious (try the whole-roasted red snapper with prosciutto; sweet-potato gnocchi with Brussels sprouts and walnuts; or the oversized burger with truffle cheese and guanciale). It’s also quickly gaining in popularity (it opened in November), which is why Monday nights are ideal for snagging a table. Ask to be seated wherever Lourdes is working, and you’ll be treated not only to great suggestions but fabulous service.
The aroma of fragrant spices beckons you to come in from the cold and sample the Indian fare at Bollywood Bistro (68 Wheeler Ave, Pleasantville 914-747-4599), where favorites such as lamb curry, cashew-and-raisin chicken, along with baskets full of naan are featured prominently. The multi-hued room with its tasty menu combinations also entices with its rice and vegetable dishes, offering lots of options for vegetarians and vegans. The fact that it’s open on a Monday is just another feather in its colorful cap.
Division Street Grill (26 N Division St, Peekskill 914-739-6380) opened 12 years ago on a Monday and continues that tradition by offering Northern Westchesterites a place to dine out when many other eateries are closed. Our winter favorites: turkey meatloaf and steak au poivre with a cognac-cream sauce. Just don’t come on a Tuesday—that’s when Division Street shuts its doors.
In the mood for lamb kebob accompanied by fluffy saffron rice but your mate wants something with tomato sauce? No problem. At Eclisse Mediterraneo Cucina (189 E Post Rd, White Plains 914-761-1111), you can treat your taste buds to one or the other—or easily share. Here, creative Persian dishes such as Jujeh kebob (marinated Cornish hen) and dill rice are served alongside hearty Italian dishes like cappellini pomodoro or linguine vongole.
Pale Ale steamed mussels and New England clam chowder are two of the warm-you-up offerings at Half Moon (1 High St, Dobbs Ferry, 914-693-4130), where, on an uncrowded Monday, you can sit and get cozy around the gas fireplace in the bar area or choose a spot in the dining room with a moonlit river view.
Dine on a Monday at Halstead Avenue Bistro (123 Halstead Ave, Harrison 914-777-1181) for the best “stimulus package” around—a $19.95 three-course dinner. Even better: most meals are gluten-free or can be prepared that way. Owner Haleim Gendy goes out of his way to please. A standout favorite: the horseradish-crusted tilapia with beet-and-porcini-mushroom risotto and sautéed spinach finished with dill-orange sauce.
If you like mussels, you’ll love the mussel-inspired menu at Le Provençal (436 Mamaroneck Ave, Mamaroneck 914-777-2324), where entrées like mussel soup and steamed mussels in white wine and herbs take center stage. The thoughtful dinner menu is true French bistro fare with a $29.95 prix-fixe menu Sunday to Wednesday nights (and, yes, that includes the aforementioned mussel options).
The vibe is lively and inviting at Rosie’s Bistro Italiano (10 Palmer Ave, Bronxville 914-793-2000), even on a cold and gray Monday night. This neighborhood trattoria, with its welcoming street lights, boasts a well-priced menu featuring traditional Italian dishes such as pasta Bolognese, homemade four-cheese ravioli garnished with mascarpone drizzle, and individual thin-crust pizzas. The rich, butterscotch-colored walls and red banquettes add to the restaurant’s warm ambience, making it an ideal neighborhood spot that, early in the week, always has a table for you.
Who can say no to pizza, especially a gourmet one made in a wood-burning oven with house-made dough? At Tuscan Oven Mount Kisco (360 N Bedford Rd, Mount Kisco 914-666-7711), you can start your Monday feasting on creative pizzas such as Estiva mozzarella (grilled chicken, pancetta, roasted garlic, and scallions); Uccello (fresh tomato, mozzarella, sautéed spinach, and roasted garlic); and Asiago spinach pesto (asiago cheese and marinated red and yellow tomatoes); or take your pick from other goodies such as penne alla vodka with prosciutto, or fettuccine Bolognese.
Westchester Burger Company (106 Westchester Ave, White Plains 914-358-9399) is often jammed to capacity, even on a Monday. Maybe it’s the buzzing bar scene with TVs that broadcast every sports program imaginable. Or maybe it’s the prime location, close to The Westchester and Super Stop & Shop (all your shopping in one area!).
Or maybe it’s the vibe: casual enough for families, enjoyable enough for date night. It also could be the cuisine: comfort food with a long list of burgers—everything from make-your-own (called the “iburger” for which you “download your apps”) to new wave like the South Beach burger (an eight-ounce salmon cake); to the Ba Da Bing with a hot Italian sausage blend garnished with broccoli rabe, provolone cheese, and balsamic glaze and the eight-ounce Kobe burger with mild cheddar. And don’t forget the all-American desserts, like a you’ll-want-to-share Oreo cookie shake and a donut burger with a Krispy Kreme jelly donut, strawberry and kiwi slices, and warm molten chocolate cake.
Jeanne Muchnick is the author of Dinner for Busy Moms and the managing editor of ezine Project You Magazine (projectyoumagazine.com).
Have Show, Will Eat
Seeing a show at Tarrytown Music Hall? Sweetgrass Grill (24 Main St, Tarrytown 914-631-0000) is open Monday nights when there is a show across the street. In the spring it will reopen on Mondays on a regular basis.
Top of Page: Come in on a Monday evening and try the dry-aged burger with truffle cheese and guanciale on brioche roll with porcini aioli and housemade potato chips at Arrosto
