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Classic Peruvian cuisine at Viru: (Clockwise from top): shrimp soup made with rice; the traditional purple corn beverage chicha morada, and mussels marinated in lime juice.
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Named after Peru’s Viru Valley, Viru (1727 Central Ave, Yonkers 914-620-6142) has opened in the space that once housed Fuji Buffet. The Peruvian eatery offers a seafood-heavy menu that includes grilled whole lobster bathed in a Peruvian tomato sauce, steamed sea bass, linguini sautéed with shrimp, and seared red snapper over mashed green plantains (from $17 to $24). And, of course, ceviches ($8 to $16). Viru is open every day for lunch and dinner.
On the Way Café (34 Ridgeland Terr, Rye 914-921-2233), a luncheonette and longtime Rye favorite popular with New York Rangers’ players until 2002 (when the team practiced at nearby Playland’s ice rink), has been reopened by Joseph Mortelliti. Previously chef de cuisine at Aurora in Rye, Mortelliti has upgraded the menu to include items such as beef carpaccio salad ($12), tomato stuffed with scrambled eggs ($8.25), and Coach Farms cheese mousse on arugula salad ($11). The small café (26 seats plus 12 at the counter) also sports a new look: bamboo floors and espresso- and cream-colored walls. On the Way Café is open for breakfast and lunch 7 am to 3 pm.
Fans of charbroiled burgers and homemade shakes might try CIA grad Josh Elstein’s The Burger Factory (144 Bedford Rd, Armonk 914-219-5675). Burgers start at $3.75 and come in various guises including pizza (mozzarella and marinara sauce), crunchy (topped with potato chips), and barbecue bacon cheese.
Caravela (53 N Broadway Tarrytown 914-631-1863), the classic Portuguese restaurant, has a new chef, Manuel Muniz from Lisbon, Portugal.
Scheduled to open soon in the space that had housed Hostaria Mazzei is Arrosto (25 S Regent St, Port Chester), an urban-style Italian eatery launched by restaurateur and former Port Chester resident Godfrey Polistina (Ouest and ’Cesca in Manhattan). The chef, Ardsley resident Shea Gallante, has worked at Cru, Bouley, and Felidia. Entrées, which cost between $16 to $24, include veal and ricotta meatballs baked with escarole and ricotta cavatelli with fava beans and smoked pecorino cheese.
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This Chipotle burrito is filled with naturally raised grilled chicken, cilantro-lime rice, and mild tomato salsa.
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Also slated to open: The 808 Bistro (808 Scarsdale Ave, Scarsdale), a New American restaurant to replace Millennio. Salvatore Cucullo, who recently worked in the kitchen of his family’s restaurant, Fratelli’s in New Rochelle, and previously at the now shuttered Café des Artistes in Manhattan, is chef/co-owner.
Gourmet market/café The Perennial Chef in Bedford Hills has a second location in Fairfield County (449 Main St, Ridgefield, Connecticut 203-438-4041).
Don’t call the gourmet burritos, tacos, and salads ($6-$7) at Chipotle Mexican Grill (S Ridge St and Bowman Ave, Rye Ridge Shopping Center, Rye Brook 914-701-4005) “fast food,” considering the ingredients are not typical fast food components: naturally-raised meats and synthetic hormone-free cheese and sour cream. This is the first branch of the chain to open in the County.
Kneaded Bread (181 N Main St, Port Chester 914-937-9489) now has outdoor seating—20 seats—through October.
