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dining

What Makes a Dining Experience Memorable? What Doesn’t?

April 21, 2016 by The Inside Press

Members of a gourmet dining group–which includes our author–share their thoughts. (L-R): Karen Talbot, Art Nagle, Paige Nagle, David Talbot and Wright Elliott
Members of a gourmet dining group–which includes our
author–share their thoughts. (L-R): Karen Talbot, Art Nagle,
Paige Nagle, David Talbot and Wright Elliott

“An ardent or refined interest in the dining experience,” defines a foodie and surely applies to the membership of our gourmet group, who I recently surveyed to get their opinions. Wright Elliott has brought a sophisticated palate and passion for food from his native New Orleans. Wright’s many talents include a recipe for jumbo lump crab cakes honed to perfection over many years from when he owned a house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Art Nagle brings expertise in finding the freshest and highest quality ingredients, and on the visual aspects of food presentation, he is most certainly a perfectionist.

Eating out is indeed a special occasion for these men, because they have high standards when cooking at home. Both believe that restaurant food should be original and memorable, prepared by a chef who takes a personal interest in customer satisfaction. Farm-to-table ingredients and quality (or the seafood equivalent) are high on their list, and they tend to seek out restaurants that are building this concept into their menu options.

Service is very important too. Beautiful food, beautifully served is 90% of a “memorable dining experience” in Wright’s opinion, and Art adds that he also wants the host or hostess to be friendly, along with the wait staff. As wine connoisseurs with large personal wine cellars, both Art and Wright look for moderate to expensive offerings, as well as esoteric wines from different areas like Sicily or Greece, if these selections seem more appropriate. They like to be able to consult a sommelier or resident wine expert, as restaurant wine lists rarely provide sufficient detail about their choices.

To sum up a positive dining experience, both men like to go first class, and don’t mind paying a premium for good food and service. The two ladies from our group, Judy Foley and Paige Nagle, are excellent cooks in their own right, and have high interest in seasonal menus with a good balance of flavors. They too look for creativity and, even if premium priced, the menu has to have a Wow factor to it.

Judy and Paige both stress service, cleanliness and ambience to make for a “memorable dining experience.” They like it when the chef comes out at the end of a meal to inquire how your dining experience was, and a warm and inviting atmosphere with pretty flowers and tablecloths on the tables is a plus.

Here are ways a dining experience can fail to impress:

  • Poor acoustics and noise top the list, as all of them want to be comfortable and able to carry on a conversation with their fellow diners.
  • Hovering service or, on the other hand, slow service, are frowned upon. No one enjoys that moment when the second you put your fork and knife down, the plate is whisked away; you feel like you are being deliberately rushed.
  • Overly large portions is a no-no, especially with the ladies.
  • Overly small servings of wine are not a very hospitable gesture and can be especially annoying.
  • Another pet peeve is a “No Reservation” policy -– no one wants to run the risk of a lengthy wait the next table. Restaurants should take reservations no matter how many people arrive with the party of diners.

To create a positive dining experience for his customers and to attract new customers, a local restaurateur hired a new chef and added high quality seafood at affordable prices with great success. He believes that cleanliness and ambience are the ultimate expression of hospitality.

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 have just opened “Curiosity Donuts” in the Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey.

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories Tagged With: dining, dining experience, Food, Inside Press, restaurant, theinsidepress.com

Quaker Hill Tavern: Celebrating 10 Years!

December 2, 2015 by The Inside Press

Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

quaker hill

Open every day for dinner, and Wednesday to Sunday for lunch, this casual family restaurant offers a place for individuals or families to meet, enjoy a good meal at a reasonable cost; regular patrons frequently come back again the same week. The owners and the staff take pride in knowing their guests and remembering their food and drink preferences.

A “10514 Burger” is very popular, served on grilled rye with Swiss cheese, sautéed pastrami, house made slaw and Russian dressing with a side of house French fries. Chili, soups and salads are also offered for lunch. Customers repeatedly order chicken wings in three flavor and size choices, fish tacos, seven burger choices and the N.Y. strip steak for dinner. Quaker Hill Tavern is not open for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but leading up to the Holidays, Erin will create a special cocktail and Erick will make a dessert that recognizes Holiday traditions. To celebrate their 10 years in business, and to support worthy causes, Quaker Hill has also designated 10 Mondays: “Monday Matters,” and donates 10% of their gross sales to a worthy charity.

61 N. Bedford Road, Chappaqua
914-238-6416
facebook.com/QuakerHillTavernChappaqua

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.

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: celebration, Chappaqua, dining, Inside Press, restaurant, tavern, theinsidepress.com

Le Jardin Du Roi: A Neighborhood Treasure

December 2, 2015 by The Inside Press

Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

jardin

Le Jardin du Roi got its name from its garden for outdoor dining and its King Street location in downtown Chappaqua. This bustling French American eatery is owned by Joe Quartararo, and has been in business for 15 years serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. The restaurant is a neighborhood place with good food, good service and reasonable prices. Joe and his staff want customers to feel like they are coming to his house for a special meal. For breakfast, the most popular item is the Ouef du Roi–poached egg on a goat cheese potato cake over ratatouille. For lunch, Le Croque-monsieur and Le Croque-madame–a traditional grilled French open-face ham and cheese sandwich, served with fries are very popular. The winter dinner menu offers Cassoulet, Veal Stew, and Coq au Vin and there are eight choices of sauces for Les Moules Frites.

The young French chef, Rudy Beltran-Prats, has been with the restaurant for seven years, and loves cooking good food that he would like to eat and share with others. His menu changes every six months and his plans for the Holidays include: Pan Seared Fois Gras and fresh oysters on the half shell. For dessert, Rudy, a former pastry chef, will offer a Buche de Noel and his most popular three chocolate brownie a la Mode with caramel sauce. The restaurant does a large catering business, right through the football season, with the BBQ smoker on the premises where ribs, chicken, brisket and pulled pork are available in larger quantities for delivery or takeout.

95 King Street, Chappaqua
914-238-1368
lejardinchappaqua.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.

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: Chappaqua, dining, eatery, Inside Press, Le Jardin du roi, restaurant, theinsidepress.com

Pazzo Pizza & Trattoria: True Italian Cuisine

December 2, 2015 by The Inside Press

Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

pazzo

Pazzo Pizza & Trattoria is a brand new handsome Tuscan restaurant with stucco stone walls and a tiled floor. It is located in the Armonk Town Center near I-684. Pete Monteleone, the owner, is proud to be the only restaurant in Westchester where you can find the Romana Pizza from Rome, done in true Italian fashion. Chef Andrea Inganito uses “Double O” Italian flour to create this thin crusted square shaped pizza pie. Three popular choices are the Margherita … made with house made fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, parmigiano cheese and fresh basil…the Calabrese … made with hot soppressata, San Marzano tomatoes, carmelized onions and fontina cheese…and the Contadina … which consists of arugula, prosciutto, San Marzano tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano cheese, cherry tomato and buffalo mozzarella. The Romana pizza has eight slices and ranges from $12.95 to $15.95. One slice costs $4.50. They also have traditional pizza in many combinations and a traditional Sicilian which has a thicker crust.

Another specialty of the restaurant are the Panuzzos, which are also made with the special “Double O” Italian flour. These are described as: “Not a sandwich, Not a Panini, but better”…crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside. There are eight choices to choose from: the Puglia … eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms, fontina, pesto acetobalsamic is one of the choices and they are all priced at $9.95.

Nick Croce, the Manager, states that Penne Vodka with béchamel tomato sauce and Pappardelle Bolognese with thick noodles, and traditional meat sauce are good pasta choices for dinner. The two dinner chicken offerings that are ordered most are Chicken Capricciosa … boneless with grilled arugula, tomatoes, shaved parmigiano in vinaigrette and Chicken Campagnola … on the bone with Vidalia onion, new potatoes, hot cherry peppers and garlic, rosemary and thyme. Wild Bronzino is an excellent fish entrée done with lemon, mint, extra virgin olive oil and “lentone.” Keep an eye out for special dinner entrees which may be added for the Holidays.

575 Main Street, Armonk
914-273-6999
pazzoarmonk.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.

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: Armonk, dining, eatery, Inside Press, Pazzo Pizza & Trattoria, restaurant, theinsidepress.com

Bistro 146: Creative & Elegant

December 2, 2015 by The Inside Press

Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

bistro 146

Marcelo Cheque’s goal when he started his cozy Bistro 146 three years ago, was to bring creative and elegantly prepared seafood dishes to the Pleasantville area at affordable prices, and he seems to have succeeded well on both fronts. Originally from Ecuador, Marcelo is a consummate chef who manages to find the best seafood and freshest produce from local sources. He creates interesting menus that vary with the seasons.

Two notable soups recently on the lunch menu were Butternut Squash Soup with Lobster and a New England Seafood Chowder, filled with halibut, mahi-mahi and scallops in a light cream base with potatoes and fresh herbs. Other excellent choices are the Roasted Beets and Almond Crusted Brie Salad with poached pears and baby spinach in a champagne hazelnut dressing, topped with a piece of grilled salmon cooked to your specifications (which is a nice touch that most restaurants don’t offer). Another creative dish is the Parmesan Crusted Jumbo Shrimp with cherry tomato confit, basil and roasted pepper aioli with buffalo mozzarella and porchini balsamic glaze.

For the Holidays, Marcelo is considering Veal Chop Bordelaise, Colossal Scallops with a pistachio buerre blanc sauce and Broiled Lobster Tails. Marcelo believes that his dishes consist of many balanced flavors, which is how he expresses himself in his cooking style. Bistro 146 also offers a prix fixe lunch with three courses for $19.50 and a prix fixe dinner with three courses for $33, with a free glass of wine. This menu changes every other week.

For non-seafood lovers, there is a unique Domestic Lamb Duo with slow braised meatballs and marinated grilled lamb chops, Pan Roasted Chicken Breast, and an Open Face Steak Sandwich with gorgonzola cheese.

146 Bedford Road, Pleasantville
914-495-3992
bistro146.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.

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: Bistro146, dining, Inside Press, seafood, theinsidepress.com, Westchester

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