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346 Broadway
New York, NY 10013
(212) 815-9700

New York Department of Sanitation  

Category: Public Services & Government
Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Civic Center

1.0 star rating
12/17/2009
For WRONGFULLY ticketing and stickering me 4 times, SCREW YOU!

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108 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-1284

Dhaba  

Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Flatiron

4.0 star rating
12/15/2009
$9.95 lunch buffet, including oft-refreshed buffet, fresh naan, passed tandoori chicken, and what I can only describe as Indian spiced french fries with Indian flavored dipping sauce: AMAZING!  The service is polite and friendly, the place is clean and adorable.  All this for $9.95 Mon-Sat.  Sprint past Curry in a Hurry (BELIEEVE me) and pay a tiny bit more for FAR superior food.  The paneer, saag, and lentil dishes were all excellent.

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638 Central Ave
Peekskill, NY 10566
(914) 736-2159

Zephs'  

Category: American (New)

5.0 star rating
Update - 12/15/2009
I recently returned to Zephs'.  We haven't been in two years, and I could kick myself for waiting so long to return. This place really is special. The food is perfectly attuned to the seasons in terms of ingredients and preparations.

For an appetizer, I had a feta and roasted eggplant phyllo pie, which was incredible. My boyfriend had spiced lamb fritters (listed as kefte on the menu) which were served with some veggies. Also, all entrees are served with a small salad, which helps with the timing of the meal in terms of giving you a little time to digest. Several types of warm bread are also served.

For an entree, I had the duck confit, which was just incredible. The skin was crispy but the delicious fat made it melt in my mouth and it was beautifully flavored. It was served with a tart chutney, shredded potato "pie," and broccoli. C had the Slovenian style pork, which was served on a bed of sauerkraut, and accompanied by brussels sprouts, celery root, and other veggies, along with homemade, toothsome spaetzle.

For dessert, we shared the triple coconut cream pie, rich, creamy, with a cloud of whipped cream, a perfect ending to the meal.

Listed in: Westchester's best-- upscale

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  • 5.0 star rating
    12/10/2007 First to Review

    Zephs' has been on my list "to-try" for a year and a half.  We finally got there last night to celebrate my birthday.  Zephs' was a perfect shelter from the cold, rainy night.  Quiet, warm, and cozy, the tables are spaced so that your conversation stays private.  My only gripe in this intro is that the crowd is old, which gives it a bit of a stuffy vibe-- but this is a gripe of most upscale places in Westchester.  The waiter and busboy were wonderful.

    We started off with a large triangle of phyllo dough wrapped goat cheese and pear, served with field greens and grapes.  Each entree comes with a mixed salad; we chose the pomegranate walnut dressing.  (Goat cheese and pomegranate in the same meal?  Does it get better than that??)

    The menu is very eclectic, but constant throughout is the featuring of fresh fruits and vegetables.  My duck confit came out with a crisp golden skin, tender and moist inside, and was complemented by a cranberry chutney, a thick slice of thinly layered potatoes and carrots, and a medley of brussel sprouts, broccoli, and other greens.  C's swordfish had a Moroccan bent, and was also replete with enticing vegetables.  The entrees are in the $20s-30s and the portions are generous without being overwhelming.

    While we were almost too full for dessert, we decided to try the lemon cloud cheesecake with lingonberry.  The airy, glossy cake was snow white and subtly flavored, given a kick by the tart lingonberries.

    Zephs' is a perfect winter restaurant, though I imagine the bounty of summer fruits shows up on the menu in delicious ways too.  For us, it won't be an every week event, but it's perfect for a special occasion.

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18 Mill St
Port Chester, NY 10573
(914) 939-3111

Tarry Lodge Restaurant  

Category: Italian

4.0 star rating
Update - 12/15/2009
After a return visit, I am keeping my rating at 4 stars, though in reality it's more like 4 stars for food, 2 stars for service.  I can't put my finger on it, but the service here really irritates me.  We had a different waitress but still felt like she had an attitude.  On top of that, the woman seating us ROLLED HER EYES as she waited for the coat check girl to hang up all of our coats.  Give me a freaking break, lady.  Your job is not that important, sorry to say.

On to brighter topics, though.  The food really is quite good.  We started with antipasti and salad-- orata (a type of fish) with saffron cous cous, farro with pomegranate, and the gorgonzola salad.  These are bites that are ideal for sharing, with surprising flavors and interesting textures.  

For entrees, the bolognese was a favorite, hearty and rich-- I believe it's made with pork and veal.  The eggplant parm is a lighter (not in calories, I'm sure) adaptation, with delicate eggplant fillets and flavorful sauce.  Pizzas are really a specialty and an excellent value to boot, given how large they are.  The pumpkin ravioli border on too sweet, but make a nice seasonal addition to the menu.

Surprisingly, the sides were incredible-- from the heavily rosemary-ed roasted potatoes, to the brussels with pancetta, to the silky polenta (!) with mascarpone.

I'd stick with gelato for dessert.  Chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, dulce de leche, and cinnamon are are all rich, creamy choices, served with tiny biscotti in the sour cherry sundae.  All of the desserts come in little mini mold form, which always makes me suspicious.  Though none was spectacular, they are all satisfying, except, of course (if you know me), the (molten) chocolate cake

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  • 4.0 star rating
    7/12/2009

    Batali comes to Westchester: this has to be THE most hyped-up restaurant in the last year.  At first, reservations were extremely hard to come by, but as the luster wears off, so does the need to reserve far in advance.

    Right off the bat, let me say that the four stars is for the food, which was excellent.  However, I totally, totally agree with Paola C. that there is a weird vibe.  Our waiter was really condescending and pretentiously made references to "how Mario envisioned" the meal to flow.  Look, I don't give a flying flip about what order Mario Batali wanted me to eat or how he wanted me to eat it.  He wears Crocs, ergo I do not trust him.

    Waiter, yuck.  His attitude really put us off.  BUT, the reservationist was LOVELY, and the hostess very agreeably moved us to a table on the first floor.  I was not aware that there are stairs to climb for other dining levels, and my mom had just had knee surgery.  They really should mention this when you call as I'm sure there are plenty of people with mobility issues for whom this would be a problem.  They were able to immediately accommodate us in the "cafe" area, which is simply a more casual seating area off the bar.  

    Unfortunately this meant that we had to endure what I'm sure was a very exciting soccer game based on the crowd of 10 waiters, bartenders, busboys, and hostesses that were riveted by it.   The volume was off, at first, but as it got exciting, the bartender turned the volume on and it was really annoying.  This wouldn't have been an issue if we had been able to take our reserved table, but it was annoying nonetheless.

    I do know that MARIO knows pizza from what I had at Otto, so I was really excited to try the guanciale, truffle, and sunnyside up egg pizza.  But first, we ordered a few antipasti and some salads.  Oil is used heavily to dress the salads, which is fine with me.  The sweet peppers were delicious, as was the shrimp with melon (what a combo-- who'd have thought?  MARIO, I guess).  

    My dad asked for more bread, to which our obnoxious waiter responded, "I'm sorry?" as if it were so odd that we would like more bread. "Can we please have more bread?" my patient father asked. "Oh, more flatbread/foccaccia/ whatever the hell artisan/specialty bread Mario envisioned?" "Yes, more bread." Why not just say, "Sure!" and get more bread? Why be obnoxious about it?

    Our main dishes were all excellent, from my pizza as mentioned above, to my mom's pistachio and goat cheese, and C's meatball jalapeno (spicy kick to it!), with no flop at all.  Crisp, thin crust and well dressed with toppings.  Pork jowl never tasted so good.  One is good for two people as an appetizer.  I took half home and it was JUST as good reheated.

    My sister's pasta dish was boring, as she is, but my dad's lasagna (the specialty of the day) was toothsome and served with an enormous, delicious meatball on the side.  

    We shared some gelato for dessert, which was very good.  When asked if we could have the sour cherry sauce on the side as not everyone (GASP!) likes cherries, the waiter became visibly pained by this AUDACIOUS request-- "MARIO WOULDN'T WANT IT THAT WAY," I could almost imagine him screaming-- but I'm glad we did because it was a very overpowering flavor that was better as a dip than a dressing.  

    I would definitely return but if you live nearby I would opt for take out so you can enjoy the food in the comfort of your home without the onus of Mario's decree.

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1 Broadway Plz
Elmsford, NY 10523
(914) 592-2222

Westchester Broadway Theatre  

Categories: Performing Arts, Cinema, Restaurants

2.0 star rating
Update - 12/15/2009
Actually, the food is not "quite good."  This review reflects MY experience, and a totally subjective comment FROM THE BUSINESS OWNER has NO place in conjunction with my review.

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  • 4.0 star rating
    12/24/2007

    If you're hankering for quality theater in Westchester, WBT is a good option.  I beseech you, though, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, get a show/dinner combo ticket.  Buy a ticket for just the show.  This limits your options in terms of showtimes, but the food is abysmally bad.  It is a complete rip off and my fish was so horrible and dry that I could not get it down, hungry as I was.  The only thing that was passable was the penne vodka on the side.  My rating is just for the show, which definitely merits 4 stars in Westchester.

    Tickets begin at $73, which is not cheap, considering the disgusting dinner they are serving, but my parents insisted on taking us and we actually really enjoyed the show.  Phantom is currently playing, and I generally am not a fan of musicals, but they do a lot with a small stage and the acting is pretty good.  (Towards the end, the melodrama was getting on my nerves a little.)

    It attracts an elderly crowd.  I have two stories to illustrate this claim.
    1) Within 5 minutes of entering the theater, I was run over by an elderly woman who lost control of her motorized wheelchair.  The renegade wheelchair slammed into me from behind, nearly knocking me off my feet.  For the record, she did not apologize.   Bitch.
    2) The show had to take an early intermission because someone either started choking or had a heart attack.  I'm going to go with the heart attack, since the food is so mushy (I guess because of all the old people) that there's no way you could choke.  Anyway, in the middle of the show people started screaming for a doctor.  I thought it was part of the show at first, but then we realized it was for real.  A few doctors rushed over to resuscitate the guy, and the paramedics ended up coming and taking the poor guy away on a stretcher.  He survived.    Show owner comment »

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49 David's Way
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
(914) 234-2197

Rainbeau Ridge  

Category: Cheese Shops

5.0 star rating
Update - 11/24/2009
Unfortunately, Rainbeau Ridge is finished at the Pleasantville Farmers' Market for the season.  The goats rest through the winter, so no more goat cheese till the spring.  The rounds of Chevrelait are 8 oz and only $10.  I don't even consider it a vice anymore-- it's useful and gorgeous in eggs, quiche, salads, pasta, veggie dishes, everything.

I don't think I can adequately explain how heartbreaking this is, other than admitting I have been slicing off chunks of goat cheese each day and eating it straight up.  If that doesn't sound enticing to you, I beseech you to try this cheese, and dare you to disagree once you do.

Listed in: Farmers' Markets

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  • 5.0 star rating
    6/15/2009 First to Review

    Gorgeous goat cheese in both regular and extra-creamy spreadable versions.  I made a grilled pizza with their cran-walnut spreadable goat cheese and caramelized onions-- yum-- but I think it's best enjoyed on its own so you can really savor the creaminess.

    They can be found each week at the Pleasantville Farmers' Market with many, many samples.

    The Barn-Cam on their website is pretty entertaining!

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39 Chestnut St
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(914) 305-2336

The Cookery  

Category: Italian

4.0 star rating
Update - 11/15/2009
The lamb bolognese with fresh mint is pretty close to perfection.

Still not crazy about their desserts-- the pasta fritta would be great on its own with the cinnamon ice cream, minus the filling of too sweet banana and chocolate.

Pretty much all of Westchester county is chomping at the bit to eat here, so expect at least a 45 minute wait on a Saturday.  We ate at the bar, which suited us fine, except for the clowns waving $50 bills at the bartender over our shoulders.

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  • 4.0 star rating
    10/3/2009

    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...

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40 Garth Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 722-8300

Lulu Cake Boutique  

Category: Bakeries

4.0 star rating
11/11/2009
I have been reserving judgment about Lulu for a long time.  I usually am too impatient to wait so long to review a place (I've been 4 or 5 times now), but I kept returning to Lulu thinking I was missing something.  

Here is my issue. Why do people rave so much about these cakes and cupcakes?  I just do not see the appeal.  They look absolutely gorgeous, no question.  But these are cakes made to be looked at and not eaten.  As an amateur baker, I know from experience that the most god-awful looking concoctions are often some of the tastiest, and that some gorgeous confections are all aesthetics.

I have tried a number of cupcakes and cake slices from Lulu and I was not impressed.  In fact, I was downright disappointed.  The buttercream, which is used in many of their cakes, cupcakes, and other baked goods (they make Hostess-style mini cakes as well), is smooth and beautiful looking but its taste is so off-puttingly buttery that I can't eat it.  This is coming from a complete dessert fiend, and someone who has sampled chunks of butter and loved every minute of it. The actual cakes do not wow me either.  I find them rather dry.  Perhaps I've been trying the wrong things, or whole cakes are different, or whatever, but forgive me for not wanting to spend $40 on a cake when a $4 cupcake doesn't please me.  And after so many visits and trying so many different cake permutations, the fact that I don't love anything does not enthuse me to try again.

So why 4 stars?  Well, while Lulu fails to wow me in the cake department, their cookies are absolutely fantastic.  My favorite is their chocolate chunk cookie, which is actually made with caramel mixed into the batter, and huge chunks of Valrhona chocolate.  Other favorites include the rugelach, thumbprint jam cookies, tri-color rainbow cookies, and peanut butter sandwich cookies.  Their cocoa-dusted brownie is also stupendous, though I could do without the cocoa dusting, as I almost choked on it-- imagine that headline-- death from brownie asphyxiation.  

I will definitely go back for cookies, and I do have to give mention to the extremely friendly and polite young counter folk.  As for cakes-- I'll take a crooked, homemade, rich, moist cake anyday over one of these precious works of art.

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241 E Main St
Mount Kisco, NY 10549
(914) 864-0606

Pour Cafe and Wine Bar  

Categories: Italian, Tapas Bars

5.0 star rating
Update - 11/11/2009
I finally made it back to Pour and had to update my review to reflect how happy I am to have a place like this in Westchester.  This is the perfect place to take out of towners to show them you don't have to make the trek down to the city to have a superb wine bar experience.  Top it off with some gelato from Via Vanti down the road, and you've got yourself a great night out in Mt. Kisco.

They have plenty of moderately priced bottles of wine available.  We ordered a bottle of Riesling, and the waitress suggested an alternate bottle (that was slightly more expensive) as being far superior-- we took her advice, and were very pleased, both with the wine and the fact that she charged us for the less expensive bottle we had originally requested.  

The small plates and panini are simple and rustic, but delicious, and can provide you with a snack or meal, depending on your fancy.  With a cozy interior, friendly staff, and city-style eats in the suburbs, this is a no-brainer.

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  • 4.0 star rating
    6/16/2008

    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!!!!

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955 Route 9D
Garrison, NY 10524
(845) 424-3254

Tavern At Highlands Country Club  

Category: American (New)

5.0 star rating
Update - 10/26/2009 1 photo
As expected, I am raising my rating of Tavern now that I had a chance to return in much fairer weather.  C and I had a perfect fall lunch yesterday at Tavern outside on the patio overlooking fall foliage at its peak.  

We started with an order of wings, meaty and tangy (not too hot).  As I mentioned in my last review, they have an excellent beer selection.  For entrees, we shared two sandwiches: the pulled pork grilled cheese and the rib eye.  The pulled pork sandwich was good, though I would have liked more sauce and cheese, but the real winner was the steak sandwich.  Cooked perfectly to medium, the steak was extremely tender and topped with a mild horseradish sauce and sandwiched between two buttered slices of hearty toasted bread.  The fries that accompany the fries are seasoned well and cooked to a beautiful golden color.

For dessert, we shared a pound cake parfait that came in a tall glass-- layers of pound cake, ice cream, and homemade nut (can't remember what nut) brittle.  The moist pound cake soaked up the ice cream and the sticky and crunchy brittle provided a perfect foil in terms of texture.

I really like this place and its commitment to featuring the bounty of the area in its cuisine.

Note: If a wedding is taking place, seating is very limited.

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  • 4.0 star rating
    1/19/2009 First to Review

    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!

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"I eat a lot of ice cream."

Review votes:
1166 Useful, 443 Funny, and 755 Cool

Location

Westchester, NY

Yelping Since

July 2006

Find Me In

a feeding frenzy or a food coma

Why You Should Read My Reviews

I'll never use the words "divine" or "mouthfeel," promise

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http://www.goodreads.com

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the lacuna, eating animals, america's women

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recently seen: Wall-E, Milk, 500 Days of Summer, Inglorious Basterds

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great food exists in Westchester if you know where to look so quit whining!

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garam masala... in everything

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roasting things, netflix, homemade chocolate cream pie