Story and Photos By Karen Talbot
Café of Love is an eclectic bistro reflecting a wide range of cultural influences, run by the Executive Chef and owner, Leslie Lampert. For 10 years, Leslie was the Senior Editor of Ladies Home Journal Magazine, where she produced and wrote food features in the test kitchen of the magazine and helped develop recipes. She has created all of the menus and recipes at the Café, which change with the seasons. All meats, fruits and vegetables are locally sourced and she takes pride in being community oriented.
Café of Love is the main focus of Leslie’s culinary business in Mt. Kisco that also includes “Ladle of Love”…a 12 year old farm-to-kitchen gourmet food shop right around the corner, “Love on the Run…which caters Holiday parties and customized special events and “MarketLove”…prepared foods such as soup and stews sold at retail natural markets including Mrs. Greens, Union Market and Hudson Milk. The restaurant has a wide-ranging menu with a lot of international influences and new interpretations created by her talented Chef de Cuisine, Hector Coronel. An example is the Peruvian Ceviche with cod, shrimp, Jalapeno, lime and orange juice, cilantro and sweet potato and the very popular Farm House Salad consisting of English cucumber, beets, grape tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, bacon, carrots, radishes, hard-boiled egg, walnut raisin croutons and white balsamic vinegar (shrimp, chicken or salmon can be added to this salad). For dinner, the John Fazio Duck is a favorite consisting of pan-roasted duck, and confit, served with roasted potatoes, figs and sauteed mustard greens. The duck and the always popular Seafood Boullabaise remain on the menu year-round. Two appetizer specialties are the flatbreads and the Truffled Chick Peas. The restaurant is currently serving a Fontina, Hen-Of-The-Woods Flatbread with sautéed onions, arugula, pomegranate molasses and scallions.
For the Holidays, the kitchen is working on a “7 Fishes Dinner,” Christmas goose, and caviar and oyster surprises.
38 Main Street, Mt. Kisco
914-242-1002
cafeofloveny.com
Karen Talbot is a Westchester-based personal shopper and restaurant reviewer. The love of cooking runs in her family! Karen’s son Alex and his wife Aki Kamozawa started a food blog “Ideas in Food” in early 2000, and they have just opened “Curiosity Donuts” in the Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey.