Prix-Fixe Menu Now Offered at Fig & Olive
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Fig & Olive, Westchester will offer a prix fixe menu during a winter celebration of fine dining. Running from January 16 to February 10, this special culinary experience presents world-class dining at a discounted price. Fig & Olive patrons are invited to enjoy a variety of dishes influenced by the Riviera and Costal regions of France, Italy and Spain. The three-course prix fixe menu is priced at $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner, weekdays only. Fig & Olive is located in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center, 696 White Plains Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. Reservations required at 914-725-2900 or www.figandolive.com.
“We are so excited to bring this special menu to our Westchester location, and we look forward to serving new and loyal customers alike,” said Ludo Barras of Fig & Olive. “The menu includes many of our signature dishes – and of course a few surprises!”
The flavorful experience begins with an assortment of plates perfect for sharing. A Crostini Tasting includes a chef’s selection of up to six varieties, including mushroom, truffle, artichoke and parmesan; gorgonzola, onion and cremini; or prosciutto, ricotta, fig, olive and walnuts. Starters also feature Provencal Carrot and Thyme Soup, Beef Carpaccio and Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio.
For lunch, treat yourself to Grilled Thyme Chicken Paillard; Salmon a la Andalucia; or a new menu addition, the Fig & Olive Painted Hill’s Farm Burger, which highlights the best grass-fed beef, crisp pancetta and pickled onions on a thyme brioche roll.
For a more indulgent dinner entrée, choose from the Fig & Olive Tajne, a free-range chicken marinated with Moroccan spices; Rosemary Lamb Chops; Penne Funghi Tartufo in a white truffle olive oil; or Provence Chicken Paillard. All are prepared with the freshest ingredients and Fig & Olives own signature olive oils.
End your meal by sampling the desserts: a Chocolate Pot De Crème, which has crunchy praline financiers and vanilla cream; or the Dessert “Crostini,” which has amarena cherry, mascarpone and pistachio shortbread with micro-basil.
Fig & Olive is located in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center, 696 White Plains Road, Scarsdale, N.Y.. Lunch: 12pm – 3:30pm. Dinner: 5pm – 10pm (M-TH), 5pm – 11pm (F). Reservations required. For more information, please visit www.figandolive.com or call 914-725-2900.
How Sweet It Is
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At long last, Martine’s has opened on East Parkway in Scarsdale in the former location of Rush Jewelers. This is the second location for the bakery, whose first branch is well known in Tuckahoe. Originally planned for a spring 2011 opening, the much-awaited bakery, coffee and lunch spot finally started serving in December. Residents have given this new spot an enthusiastic welcome – and are lined up to buy breads, cakes and pastries and enjoy coffee or a meal at one of Martine’s bistro tables.
The site has been nicely designed with large windows facing town, attractive display cases and marble countertops. The staff is cheerful, friendly and eager to serve up whatever your sweet tooth desires.
We stopped by for lunch and found a full complement of sandwiches, a choice of two daily soup specials, quiche, potato, 
eggplant and spinach turnovers (bureks) as well as croissants, pain au chocolat, muffins and scones. The long shelves along the wall were lined with freshly baked cakes to take home as well as several varieties of meltaways. We tried the marble pound cake and blueberry coffee cake and both were hits. We were told that the glazed Sicilian orange pound cake is another favorite.
The display cases included an array of butter cookies that can be purchased by the pound as well as donuts, macaroons, Danish and small pastries. There were also cakes and confections including homemade marshmallows.
We asked owner Tal Campana for a menu and she admitted that the menu changes all the time as the bakery constantly experiments, trying new recipes each week – so you’ll have to stop in and see what’s in store. Martine’s also does catering, offering hors d’oeuvres, sandwiches and desserts for luncheons, meetings and parties.
They open at 6:45 am from Monday through Saturday, so you can grab something delectable on your way to the train in the morning, or visit evenings until 7:30 and bring a treat home. Open Sundays as well.
Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe 
48 East Parkway
Scarsdale
(914) 722-4949
Three Newcomers to Try
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Always on the prowl for new tastes, we tried these three recent entries on the Westchester restaurant scene and thought all had something good to offer: Nemea on the Boston Post Road is owned by the same family who run the ever-popular Nikos Taverna on Central Avenue. While Nikos is casual, Nemea serves a similar menu in a more formal atmosphere. The restaurant has been elegantly appointed, and the soft lighting and spacious layout make for a more gracious presentation.
However, lovers of traditional Greek tavern food will not be disappointed as all the standards are available. We sampled the tzatziki, hummus, dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves) and the spanakopita to start. While we waited for our entrees, we shared the “Elliniki” salad with feta, Kalamata olives and cucumbers as well as the kidney bean salad. . For dinner, some had grilled shrimp and others ordered whole grilled branzino, - which was deboned by the waiters tableside. Accompanied by sautéed spinach and spanakorizo, the Greek’s answer to risotto, the fish was moist, and tasty. We couldn’t resist the baklava for dessert, and it was well worth the extra calories.
Nemea
599 East Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, NY
914-698-6600
Tucked underneath City Center, you could easily miss Pranzi as you enter the maze-like, multi-level parking lot. Though the space is tight, the location is convenient for moviegoers and the menu is far more ambitious then the setting suggests. The night we visited a noisy crowd was at the adjacent table, making it difficult to converse. But once they left, things improved.
The chef hails from Polpo in Greenwich, a place where food is taken seriously– and his expertise is clear when your food arrives. For starters I had the Zuppetta Di Vongole, steamed baby clams in a flavorful Chardonnay seafood broth. We also ordered the fresh burrata, a special on the night we visited. For those looking for lighter fare, Pranzi offers 15 types of individual pizza, and the crispy crust was delicious on the Pizze de Parma that we shared. There is a full selection of pastas … including rigatoni with sauteed eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata, fusilli Della Nonna, pasta baked with sausage, mini meatballs, mozzarella and tomato sauce and black linguini with seafood. For entrees there’s veal scallopini, chicken scarpariello, rack of lamb and salmon with limoncello sauce to name a few. And if you don’t like what you see, ask for what you like. The chef is very accommodating.
Pranzi
8 City Center
White Plains, NY
914-328-4000
www.pranzirestaurant.com
And for those who want a quick bite at a reasonable price, stop in at Hash-O-Nash on Mamaroneck Avenue in Mamaroneck for flavorful Middle Eastern specialties. This menu doesn’t take sides in political conflict, featuring foods from Jordan, Lebanon, Greece and Israel. You’ll find matza ball soup, kreplach, stuffed cabbage and flanken next to Lebanese salad, moussaka and couscous.
They’re short on ambience but long on flavor and the large menu is sure to please with a big array of cold appetizers including Halloumi cheese drizzled with olive oil, baba gahanoue, --roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon and muhammara, a pureed smoked red pepper dip with roasted walnuts and pomegranante molasses. The tabouleh, packed with fresh parsley, tomato and lemon was a winner. On the hot appetizer menu there’s falafel, Lebanese sausage stuffed with ground lamb and pine nuts and spinach fatyer, which is chopped spinach and onion in a pastry cell -- to name a few. Prices for these appetizers range from just $6 to $10. For lunch or dinner there are ample portions of lamb, beef, chicken, salmon, tuna or shrimp shish kabobs, plus rack of lamb, shawarma and gyros. We also ordered the grilled eggplant and zucchini, which was cooked with care by a vegetable lover. Again, prices for their well-seasoned and generously sized entrees are not bad, starting at $16 for the main course.
Service was friendly and informed. Hash-O-Nash means grillin-n-chillin in Jordanian and you can chill there seven days a week, from 11 am – 10 pm or order take-out to enjoy at home.
Hash-O-Nash
441 Mamaroneck Avenue
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
914-630-7310
www.hashonash.com
Tried anywhere new lately? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
Guess Who's Coming to the Five Corners
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There has been no end of speculation about what’s coming to the Five Corners. After years of deliberation about the development of the site at Palmer Avenue and Heathcote Road, a new 11,000 square foot building is now under construction, with two levels of underground parking.
Throughout the approval process, residents seemed certain that the site would house yet another drug store. The names CVS, Duane Reade and Rite Aid were bandied about by those who were fearful about bringing a large retail chain to the center of Scarsdale.
It turns out we were all fooled … in fact, the space will be occupied by a well-known Scarsdale grocer, one that has been part of the fabric of the community for years. Supersol, now Seasons plans to open in the new building in January, 2013 and will utilize the main floor of the building for a large grocery and café, with the second floor as a kitchen where all of the prepared food will be made.
The main floor will offer kosher meats and poultry, fish, fresh produce, prepared foods, baked goods, a café, and a sushi bar. According to David Gellman, the market will be upscale and top of the line throughout.
Underground parking will be shared with Balducci’s, creating a food destination site for residents of Southern Westchester.
Supersol has recently become Seasons, part of a chain of four kosher markets in Lawrence, Flushing, Manhattan and Scarsdale. Check them out at: http://seasonsny.com/index.html
And for those who don’t want to eat too much -- this just in from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner:
Weight Watchers is unveiling a newly designed store in Greenburgh with a contemporary, yet welcoming and comfortable environment. The store, located at 433 Tarrytown Road, will be open during regular retail hours, so people can stop in anytime to learn more about Weight Watchers, ask questions, purchase memberships, or simply shop for Weight Watchers products designed to support a healthier lifestyle. Members can also weigh in at their convenience in a way that is more discreet than ever before. This new store is one of 400 being opened across the country this year.
There will be a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, December 16th at 9 AM.
Make Your Way to Finalmente Trattoria in Sleepy Hollow
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Tired of the Westchester restaurant scene? Here’s a new place to try. We were tipped off to this Trattoria in Sleepy Hollow by some Scarsdale friends who moved west to the Hudson – and though they swore us to secrecy our meal was so delicious that we’re leaking the information to you.
Finalmente Trattoria Italiana and Wine Bar can be found on Beekman Avenue in Sleepy Hollow, just off Route 9, about a 20-minute drive from Scarsdale. If you go on a weeknight, or early on a weekend you’ll likely get a table quickly – if not, you can wait at the long bar and enjoy a glass of wine from their extensive list of Italian wines from some of the smaller producers. Be forwarned …. Finalmente does not take reservations, so come prepared to wait if you go at prime time on a Friday or Saturday night.
The restaurant was opened two years ago by Daniel Damiano who recruited Chef Desirio Donato who served as the chef at Il
The chef buys his ingredients from local sources including the farmer’s market, green market in Manhattan and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and the menu pulls classic Italian recipes from all regions of Italy. The menu is extensive – and in addition to what’s shown, there are daily specials. We can only vouch for what we tasted – but we’re hoping to return soon to sample more.
We started our meal with the Cestino da Viaggio, a Grana Padano cheese basket filled with bufala mozzarella, soppressata, olives, mixed cheeses and prosciutto di Parma. The generous platter was enough for the four of us to share. We also tried the Rollatine de Zucchine, lightly fried zucchini, stuffed with fresh ricotta and served on a bed of tomato sauce. Pictured here, it was delectable.
For entrees, we couldn’t pass on the lobster/pasta special that was featured the night we were there. We enjoyed a baked half lobster and fresh fettuccini served in a spicy tomato sauce.
We also tried another favorite, the Timballo, which is Finalmente’s interpretation of lasagna: lasagna noodles layered with béchamel and Bolognese sauces topped with Parmigianino Regianno cheese. According to Damiano, customer favorites that remain on the menu year-round include Tagliatelle Nere Con Granchio; homemade squid in tagliatelle, tossed with Alaskan king crab in a light cream sauce as well as Trofie Finalmente, pasta with chickpeas, wild mushrooms and Parmigianino Reggiano cheese drizzled with white truffle infused extra virgin olive oil. Though we opted for the pastas, the menu does include a full selection of fresh fish, beef chicken and veal dishes.
The setting is spacious and warm and we couldn’t help but notice the large mural-size painting on the wall, which is a
Finalmente Trattoria Italiana and Wine Bar
31 Beekman Avenue
Sleepy Hollow New York 10591
914-909-4787
Open six days a week
Tuesday – Thursday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday -- Saturday 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Sunday 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm
