Alvin & Friends (49 Lawton St, New Rochelle 914-654-6549; alvinand friendsrestaurant.com), the contemporary Southern/Caribbean restaurant in downtown New Rochelle, is adding more comfort-fare items (like a burger and a pasta dish) to the menu, a Sunday brunch, and plans to start free delivery to nearby apartments. Also in the works is live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights, plus a new late-night menu.
Be on the lookout for monthly, five-course wine dinners plus seasonal menu changes like market fish of the day at New American restaurant Hudson Grille (165 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains 914-997-2000; hudsongrilleny.com). At the bar, premium-liquor happy hours are coming, with discounted prices on top-shelf liquor Monday to Friday.
Soon at Mykonos Restaurant (23 Cedar St, Dobbs Ferry 914-674-0706; eatatmykonos.com), you’ll be able to partake in a version of the Greek tradition of throwing plates to express happiness. Every second Thursday of the month will be Napkin Tossing Thursday with live Greek music. Remember no plate throwing no matter how much ouzo you drink!
Moroccan restaurant Zitoune (1127 W Boston Post Rd, Mamaroneck 914-835-8350; zitounerestaurant.com) has a new winter menu; offerings include ginger-braised quails stuffed with saffron-raisin couscous; fish soup with herbs, saffron, anis liquor, and garlic; and grilled rack of baby lamb. Guests can dine in the newly decorated lounge area Moroccan-style—without utensils at low tables—and partake in a traditional hand-washing ritual using a traditional washing basin that is brought to the table.
French crêperie Méli-Mélo’s (362 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 203-629-6153; melimelo greenwich.com) expansion (from 550 square feet to 2,300 square feet) will be finished soon (if it hasn’t been already by publication time). Upon completion, the eatery will begin serving breakfast at 6:30 Monday to Friday and 8 on weekends. Two additional chefs have been hired as well: Executive Catering Chef Cedric Lamouille, formerly of Bistrot de l’Etoile in Paris and Jean-Louis in Greenwich, Connecticut, will be in charge of new special event and corporate catering menus, and French pastry chef Maxime Ollivier, previously production manager at Ladurée in Paris, will make pastries and other sweets for the original 550 square-foot-space that has been remade into a patisserie and chocolate bar.
Ron Blacks (181 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains 914-358-5811; ronblacks.com) will introduce thin-crust pizzas: pizza margarita, Buffalo chicken, blue cheese and bacon, plus a pizza of the day ($10-$12 for a 10-inch pie).
French macarons (green, above) are among the designer sweets offered by pastry chef Maxime Ollivier at the newly renovated Méli-Mélo in Greenwich.
