Lex C.'s Profile

Overall, this is a very un-Westchester like place in Westchester, minus the kvetching children that we encountered upon entering.  (They left soon after; thank god, because they might have had someone else kvetching on their hands otherwise.  The last thing a teacher wants to deal with on a night out is children kvetching.)  In short, the prices are reasonable, the service is professional, and the food is honest and well-sourced.

We were put off by the unfriendly reception when we entered-- i.e., basically being ignored for 5 minutes.  I was about ready to walk out when finally someone took notice of us and very slowly found us a table.  In the restaurant's defense, a large party was just breaking up, but I was pretty insulted that we were just standing there while numerous people clearly saw us but ignored us.  Our waiter, on the contrary, (actually the same one photographed in the NYT review), was on point.

We tried the ricotta crostino with honey, featuring creamy house-made ricotta (amazing) and the porchetta, very thinly sliced pork belly served with matchstick slices of red pear (more up my C's alley than mine, but interesting) for appetizers.  

For entrees, I had the cauliflower ravioli with cripsy breadcrumbs on top (loved the textures and flavors of this) and C had the ziti with guanciale and lentils, which was hearty and rustic.  

Hearty and rustic: those adjectives describe The Cookery quite well.  As we overheard a waitress say, this is not the type of Italian place where you'll find fried calamari, nor is it the kind of place where you will find overly fussy, intricately plated food.  A+ for the pasta dishes, and priced so reasonably (around $13 each), they are really such a great value.

The generous wine pour is really equivalent to 2 glasses of wine, so that was another plus. As the waiter noted, the sauvignon blanc went well with the ravioli.

The valrhona chocolate bread pudding was the only dish I wasn't crazy about other than the porchetta, and that's because I really dislike molten chocolate cake and all its incarnations and think it's a real cop out dessert. Call it what you will, but this was molten chocolate cake-- fine, but boring. My fault for not properly translating the menu description. I wish we had gone for the fried dough with nutella. Oh well, next time!

A great spot to have in Westchester!! It was sooo crowded, which is nice to see! We liked the noise level. Lively, but not deafening.

http://events.nyt...

YAY!  An 'ino for Westchester!  This place is great.

I was more interested in the food than the wine, but they do have some reasonably priced glasses and bottles. They also have an interesting beer list. As for the food, WOW!

*White bean dip with warm, chewy, crispy flatbread. Wonderful.
*Sicilian sliders-- flavorful meatballs on tiny slider rolls. Moist, with a nice sauce, and extra on the side for dipping.
*Chickpea fries-- my boyfriend loves chickpeas, so he loved these; they come with a tangy feta dipping sauce. If you're into chickpeas, a must-try.
*Bruschetta-- tomatoes and the usual fixings piled high on crisp, chewy bread
*Panini-- the bread (from Sullivan St. Bakery) is fabulous. The panini are a little thicker than the very thin ones at 'ino-- not a criticism, just an observation. The texture of the bread is amazing with beautiful grill marks, and the fillings generous and tasty. We got the prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, and pesto, just wonderful. Chicken also got rave reviews.
*Nutella panino for dessert-- this is their "only" dessert (as the waiter said) so far, but they need to talk this up a little more, because it, too, was just perfect. The same bread used for the savory panini, stuffed with nutella, grilled, wow.

We loved, loved, loved the food. Prices of apps do not surpass $10; panini $11.  There are comfy chairs. If you're a messy eater like me, the low tables present a challenge. There are quiet corners and noisier larger tables, so choose your seat depending on what you're looking for. HIGHLY recommended!!!!

The Tavern at Highlands Country Club reaps the benefits of local farms, proudly listing on the menu the nearby sources of their ingredients.  I have definitely become more conscious of where my food comes from, so Tavern seemed right up my alley.  

Located within a country club, I imagine that during the warmer months, the Tavern is bustling with golfers and their families.  But on a freezing winter afternoon, the Tavern was peaceful.  We opted for a table in the ballroom, which is off the main dining room.  The main dining room is even tinier than it looks in the photo on the website.  The ballroom, which is bright and airy, provided a scenic view of the snowy grounds, which I'm sure are gorgeous in the summer months, but we loved sitting by the crackling fire in the stone hearth.  

We ordered beer off their extensive, mostly NY state, beer list, while we decided what to order.  The gentleman who served us was full of suggestions, which we gladly accepted.  I knew straightaway that I wanted the burger, and C ordered the turkey pot pie.  

Both were excellent.  Check out the picture of the presentation of my burger.  The giant burger was served with a sheen of Cheddar, atop a brioche bun (the burger was so juicy it could have used a firmer roll, but I can't complain because I love brioche), with beautiful onion slices, pickles, and greens resting atop the top half of the bun.  (Now that I think of it, no tomato was served with the burger, which makes sense given that tomatoes are not in season.  It was not missed.)  The fries were doused heavily in salt, pepper, and rosemary-- delicious.  

C's potpie was also gorgeous in presentation.  Served in a small ceramic baking pan, it was topped with a golden square of flaky puff pastry about 2 inches high.  Inside were moist, tender strips of turkey, along with brussels sprouts and other veggies.  We agreed it was the perfect cold weather meal.  

For dessert, we pondered the options for a few minutes.  When pressed for details about the brown butter bourbon waffle, our server informed us it was his favorite.  We agreed on it, and I ordered hot chocolate too.  I was so happy we went for the waffle and not the brownie sundae-- the waffle was incredible.  The waffle itself was made with browned butter and simply melted in our mouths.  It was topped with crushed pecans and a scoop of Ronnybrook vanilla ice cream, and served alongside it was a tiny pitcher of bourbon-maple syrup sauce.  Oh.  my.  god.  Not to mention the hot chocolate, which was the richest, most decadent hot chocolate I've tasted in a long time-- richer than Jacques Torres.  It was crowned with thick, billowy whipped cream.

I'm reserving a star to award on a future visit, because I know I will be back.  It's only about 25 minutes from mid Westchester, and well worth the drive for us.  If you are a city dweller, I would wait for the warmer weather and make a day of it-- Garrison and environs are just picturesque once everything blooms.

Note: They will be participating in Hudson Valley Restaurant Week!

Usually I'm the decision maker when it comes to food, but my boyfriend loves sushi so for his birthday I humored him (after trying to convince him to go somewhere else for 10 minutes).  I was immediately turned off by the duct tape holding together the booth, so they lose a star for that right away.  I hate when restaurants duct tape things.  And it's a nice place otherwise!  Fix the damn booth.

Anyway, I'm not a sushi-phile, but they have a ton of choices on the menu.  We ordered a spicy tuna special roll to start with, and it was so absolutely melt in your mouth delicious that I wished we'd only ordered sushi, especially because the teriyaki entrees were pretty boring and bland (but I guess that's what we get for ordering teriyaki).  Dessert was mochi covered ice cream discs, which were light and sweet.  

Oh, and we had the equivalent of 4 beers for only $14, though I thought the Kirin tasted like Bud.  I hate Bud almost as much as duct tape.  I'd go back, but just for sushi.  A lot of it.  And beer.

Edited 7/07: OK, after another experience, their sushi definitely gets 4 stars and once they fix the duct taped booth I will change the rating to reflect my change of heart.  The special rolls are soooo good and make me realize that up until now I've never had truly quality sushi.  Thanks to Yama Fuji, I am now experiencing cravings for a food for which I didn't know cravings existed.