Whether you have a sophisticated palate or are just enthusiastic about food, prepare to loosen your belt for a perfectly planned program of eating and foodie activities for an entire weekend.
Friday Evening
Discover that pizza is more than an end-of-the-week saving grace at Tarry Lodge (18 Mill St, Port Chester 914-939-3111; tarrylodge.com). The Bastianich-Batali duo that owns the restaurant makes pizza night a gourmet experience with their wood-burning oven. A playful spin on pizza is the clam, garlic, and oregano pie. It is completely cheese- and sauce-free and is topped with succulent clams and crispy basil. The ultimate indulgence: guanciale, black truffle, and sunny-side-up egg pizza—worth every penny of its $19 price tag. For dessert, head to Longford’s Own-Made Ice Cream (Rye, Larchmont, and Old Greenwich, CT; longfordsicecream.com). A scoop of creamy peppermint ice cream (or black raspberry or coffee chunk or…) will keep you smiling well into the evening.
Saturday
For breakfast, a freshly made scone and a cup of locally roasted coffee at the Blue Hill Café (630 Bedford Rd, Pocantico Hills 914-366-9600; bluehillfarm.com/food/fact-sheet/blue-hill-cafe) will not only please a foodie’s palate but his or her heart, too. Most of the meats, milk, and produce used in the café come from Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture (of which the eatery is a part) in Pocantico Hills or Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Take a look at the livestock, visit the meticulous vegetable gardens, or attend a morning class (stonebarnscenter.org/learn) and be part of the nonprofit education center whose goal is to create a public sustainable food system. Register for classes in farming, ecology, gardening, and cooking.
Give your brain some super-foods for lunch at Bistro 146 (146 Bedford Rd, Pleasantville 914-495-3992; bistro146.com), a seafood grill eatery. Try its sliced tuna with Asian veggie salad or whitefish tacos with green tomatillo salsa. To properly wash down your lunch, head over to Captain Lawrence Brewing Company (444 Saw Mill River Rd, Elmsford 914-741-2337; captain lawrencebrewing.com) between 1 and 5 pm for a complimentary tour of the brewery, which was ranked one of the top 5 US beer-brewing facilities by BeerAdvocate magazine. There are 12 beers on tap to taste, out of 20-plus varieties (including its TAP New York Craft Beer and Food Festival gold-medal winning Captain’s Reserve Indian Pale Ale, and the rare Smoked Porter, a complex beer with multiple flavor notes).
Dinner and dessert are in White Plains, first at authentic Japanese sushi house Sushi Nanase (522 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains 914-285-5351). Chef Yoshimichi Takeda, formerly of New York City’s Masa and Nobu, creates sushi for foodies who take their toro seriously. No spicy tuna or dragon rolls here—just fresh fish, mostly ordered from Japan, with minimal seasonings and beautiful presentation. If you’re not sure what to order, ask for an omakase, a chef’s tasting, at around $90. A starlit view of the county awaits you on the 42nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester at its 42 The Restaurant (1 Renaissance Sq, White Plains 914-761-4242; 42therestaurant.com), where the liquid nitrogen Creamsicle made with burnt blood-orange gelée and nitro-cream topping is a top choice for dessert. It’s prepared tableside—a theatrical ending to remember.
Sunday
A comforting, delicious Sunday brunch at The Barn at Bedford Post (954 Old Post Rd, Bedford 914-234-7800; bedfordpostinn.com) is a joyful experience. The setting—a native wood-beamed barn with fireplace and garden patio—is as earthy and warm as the fare. Try the Dutch pancakes with New York maple syrup and pecans and daily-made soups like squash or lentil and quinoa. At The Cookery (39 Chestnut St, Dobbs Ferry 914-305-2336; thecookeryrestaurant.com),
savor your last supper of the weekend by ordering the white lasagna, a creamy slab of homemade pasta oozing with béchamel sauce, ricotta, mushrooms, and ham. End your meal by indulging in a signature tart of cashew crust, passion-fruit custard, and white chocolate shavings at Chiboust Bistro & Bakery (14 Main St, Tarrytown 914-703-6550; chiboust.com), or try the Parisian-inspired pâtisseries like génoise with Grand Marnier buttercream, or the traditional crème brûlée.
