Elia Taverna
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Rui Cunha, former owner of Oporto in Hartsdale has re-emerged in Chester Heights, at the crossroads of Bronxville and Eastchester off California Road. He has migrated south and his cuisine has traveled eastward – from Portugal to Greece at his new hotspot Elia Taverna. He’s teamed up with brother-in-law and chef Michalki Sarris, who hails from Telly’s Taverna and Dimitri’s Seafood Restaurant in Astoria and clearly knows how to run a Greek kitchen.
The restaurant opened two months ago and has been an instant hit. As they don’t take reservations on Friday and Saturday nights, hungry diners have been lining up in the parking lot in the hope of getting a table on the weekend. The good news is that Elia Taverna does accept reservations on weeknights and they are open for lunch. So if you’re determined to get in, you just need to plan ahead.
The restaurant is small but inviting, adorned with posters of the Greek Isles that elicit pleasant memories of trips to Mykonos, Santorini or Paros. You’ll get a warm welcome from the waiter and instantly be served toasted pita and Greek olives. Until they get their liquor license, you are allowed to bring your own bottle – so remember to grab your favorite red or white before you go.
The menu starts with a long list of cold and hot appetizers. We tasted the taramosalata – a creamy caviar dip and skordalia made with garlic and potatos. A sampling plate of skordalia, tzatziki, taramosalata, and melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant dip) is available for $10.95.
From the zesta or hot list, there’s fried calamari, charcoal grilled octopus, kolokithokeftedes (fried zucchini cakes with fresh herbs) and homemade stuffed grape leaves with rice, fresh dill, lemon and Greek olive oil. We tasted a few more– including the garides saganaki – which were sautéed shrimp in a tomato sauce with fresh feta cheese. The shrimp were delicious and the spicy sauce was perfect with pita and rice.
The menu includes gyro and souvlaki, both available as pita sandwiches or on platters with Greek salad, tzatziki and rice. Choose from falafel, gyro, pork or chicken souvlaki or a Greek burger, all reasonably priced at $6.95 for the sandwich or $12.95 for the platter.
For entrées there are traditional Greek specialties like pastichio, moussaka, and spanikopita. From the grill, there’s lamb or chicken kebab, lamb chops, and a mixed grill platter of gyro, sausage, beef and chicken. The chef features fresh grilled fish, including branzino, red snapper, salmon and swordfish and Rui recommended that we come back soon to sample the Octopus, which was too much to eat for lunch.
Elia Taverna welcomes children and has a kids’ menu with hamburgers, chicken tenders and cheese sticks, for those with a less adventurous palate.
If you remember the delicious sangria served at Oporto, you’ll be happy to know that Rui is working on bottling his secret recipe and selling it in stores. For now, we hope that Elia Taverna will get their liquor license so we can enjoy a glass of the fruity blend there.
Our lunch was delicious and fun. I could swear I saw my companion blush a few times as the charming Greek waiter served up compliments along with our food. "We're definitely coming back here for a girl's night out," she declared as we walked out the door.
Choose a quiet weekday for lunch or dinner and find your way down the Hutch to Elia Taverna. If you can’t get a table, take out is available as well.
Elia Taverna
502 New Rochelle Road
Bronxville, NY 10708
914-ONE-GYRO – 914-663-4977
Lemon Chicken
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Spring is a transition time for me in many ways. My body’s circadian rhythm starts to adjust to the longer days and the warmer weather. I come out of my winter slumber and start thinking about things to change or fix. For me it’s my time for new resolutions because I never seem to have the desire to make a commitment in January like the rest of the world. Get more organized, rearrange the living room, lose weight, change my diet, entertain more. The list can become endless. Its weird but I’ve become accustomed to this yearly routine.
But like all transitions, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what is appropriate for a given situation and what to cook during this time of year. As I question what clothing to wear -- Will it be too cold for short sleeves? Can I get away with wearing white --I also question what I can cook. Will it be too hot to make that stew? Is it too early for a barbecue? Summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables has yet to show up at the markets and yet I know I need to shed those winter recipes and move on to spring. So, I look for lighter recipes that don’t require a long, slow cook in the oven yet are more substantial than what I would want to eat during the dog days of summer. I’m usually trying to slim down too and lose the weight that I gained during my winter hibernation so it shouldn’t be too rich either
That is why I love this recipe from Joel Robuchon called Lemon Chicken. It’s terrific, it satisfies all requirements and it looks beautiful even before it’s cooked.
I’ve made a slight modification to his recipe, which calls for sautéing the chicken prior to roasting. I’ve left this step out with successful results. You can prep this dish in the morning and leave it sitting in your refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Ingredients:
One whole chicken quartered
3 large onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
Marjoram, Rosemary and Herbs de Provence
2 lemons
Instructions:
1. Thinly slice three large onions and spread in a baking dish large enough to hold a chicken that’s been quartered.
2. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the onion slices.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Thinly slice two lemons and scatter over the chicken pieces.
5. Sprinkle with fresh marjoram, or as I did, herbs de provence. Rosemary would be good too.
6. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
7. Preheat your oven to 410o F and when ready to bake slide the lemon slices down the sides the chicken onto the onions.
8. Bake the chicken for around 45 minutes or until well done and the skin is crisp and brown.
I like to accompany the chicken with asparagus. So while the chicken is resting and the oven is still on, I’ll toss the asparagus with olive oil and salt and roast single file in a baking dish until tender. Usually 5 to 7 minutes depending upon the thickness of the asparagus. If I have fresh parmesan in the house, I’ll thinly shave the parmesan to serve on top of the asparagus. With a salad of fresh greens, you’ll have a great spring dinner of which you can be proud.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
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Like most of the families I know in Westchester, pizza is a staple in our house. We have our favorites for frozen pizza (Fresh Direct), local delivery (Italian Village), pick-up (Sal's, no surprise) and homemade (individual pies assembled inside and then charcoal grilled on the Big Green Egg in our yard). They are all delicious options and, depending on the level of activity in our house, one of these choices works for any occasion. When I heard Frank Pepe's had opened in Yonkers, I was eager to try it. Frank’s was rumored to be the home of the greatest Neapolitan (think thin, crunchy crust) pizzas on the planet. More importantly, I found myself on Central Avenue on a cold, rainy day with two hungry kids, ages 4 and 7 in the car.
When I asked, "Who wants to try a new pizza place?" The chorus of "ME" from the backseat was music to my ears. We pulled into the parking lot at about 11:45, were quickly greeted, and told to sit wherever we liked. My kids chose a booth that easily could have seated ten and we began to peruse the menu. It only took 15 seconds. They have pizza and that's pretty much it. No pasta. No hero sandwiches. No milk, which, I must admit, I worried would be a deal breaker for my little guy. No dessert. Just pizza.
Of course, there are also toppings, including their fresh clams and tomatoes. I have a theory that if a store or restaurant basically sells only one thing, it is likely that they do it very well, and Frank Pepe's proved me right.
The pizza was extraordinary. It was cooked in a coal-fired brick oven that is an exact replica of the oven in the original New Haven, CT shop and it is unlike any pizza I have tasted in Westchester. It has a thin, slightly charred crust, an irregular shape, and is served on a hotel sheet pan, cut into pieces of all sizes. We ordered a medium with pepperoni and when I first saw it I was worried that we should have gone with the small (full disclosure: my little guy has been known to eat one grape and state, "I'm full" and really mean it). I should not have worried. He totally held his own drinking water no less, as we devoured that pizza, talking only enough to say things like, "wow" and "please pass another piece" and then finally, "do you think there will be any left to take home so dad can try it?" There was just enough left over, thankfully, and the friendly waitress brought us a box for the leftovers for dad, who, later that afternoon, sampled the reheated pieces with a huge smile on his face.
I recommend going early or at an off-peak time if you have hungry kids since as we left I noticed that the parking lot was completely full and there was a wait for a table. Frank Pepe’s was a welcome surprise on that dreary day and I certainly wouldn’t wait for another cold, rainy day to return.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
1955 Central Avenue Yonkers, New York
914-961-8284
http://www.pepespizzeria.com
Sarah White is a mother of two living in Quaker Ridge. Prior to that, she completed a doctoral degree in psychology and worked as an academic advisor.
NYC Based Market Coming to Westchester
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“Wow, do I have some good news for you” said my husband, glancing up from the morning paper. “Fairway is coming to Westchester next week.” Good news indeed!
We moved to Scarsdale from the Upper West Side almost 15 years ago and, like a homing pigeon, I return to shop for groceries at Fairway as much as possible. I love roaming the aisles, smelling the coffee and discovering new items. My favorites: olive oil, bread, all the fruits and vegetables (including a good organic selection), flowers, and delicious Murray’s Rotisserie chicken.
Fairway
847 Pelham Parkway
Post Road Plaza
Pelham Manor, NY 10803
914-712-0011
OPENING APRIL 14
Chocolate Passover Desserts
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I’m an avid baker. I always have been, even before I started my own family at which point it becomes a touchstone to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies with your child. How many of us have made that emergency batch of cookies on a raining day, making the kitchen smell divine while at the same time providing a learning moment for your kids. That’s one of the great things about baking - its pure chemistry in action. How does that batter, that starts out wet and sloppy, with mundane ingredients like flour, baking powder or eggs, end up producing such a lovely golden confection? Every time I bake, I get the satisfaction of watching this wonder happen again and again. And I get this opportunity a lot. Last Sunday I made a raspberry tart and a batch of brownies, Tuesday evening I made oatmeal cookies, Thursday afternoon I made an apple galette, and on Saturday I made another apple galette and chocolate crunch cookies. That’s a pretty typical week for me. My family eats it up and I try not too. My son put in a request for madeleine cookies, so that’s what I have on the schedule to bake today.
I can thank my mom for my love of baking. When I was younger and used to walk home from school, I looked forward to arriving at my house to find out what she had baked. I still have vivid memories of opening the front door to be greeted by the scents of vanilla or maybe chocolate. There were many times that I just wanted to stay in that kitchen forever ensconced in the warmth of the stove and my mom. My mom wasn’t trying to be a June Cleaver. We were a large family of six children and at the time it was cheaper to make fresh baked products at home than to buy the mass produced cookies that are so cheaply offered in today’s markets. I’m grateful for the fact that she did take the time to bake and cook from “scratch” as they formed in me a lifetime love for nourishing foods and the art and craft of baking.
And so it is that next week we will be gathering together for a Passover Seder, which always presents unique problems in the dessert category. How do you bake a good dessert without flour? For me it’s the most challenging part of the meal. Baking cakes with matzo meal is a bit of a trial. The large quality of eggs that are usually added, (and I do mean large - usually 8 to 10) are suppose to add lightness to the cakes but I haven’t found a recipe that’s been worth it. They usually lack flavor and are very heavy. That being said I went in search of desserts that could handle very little flour but would taste rich and satisfying, like all good desserts should. Chocolate was the answer.
The first two years I made these brownies for Passover, they were eaten so fast I wasn’t able to try them. The third year I got smart and doubled the batch. The recipe came from a friend and remains a favorite. They couldn’t be easier to make.
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Melt a stick of butter.
- Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup of sugar together.
- Gradually add the melted butter and mix well.
- To this add:
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3Tbsp matzoh cake meal
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Pour into a buttered square baking pan (8x8 or 9x9) and bake about 30 minutes or until toothpick plunged into the middle of the brownies comes out slightly moist.
I came across the next recipe several months ago and they’d be perfect for Passover, no flour required. They have lots of chocolate and coconut and are chewy, soft and moist. The recipe comes from Alice Medrich and they are called Chocolate Coconut Macaroons.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Combine:
- 4 egg whites
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 3 ½ oz bar of semisweet chocolate finely chopped (all food markets carry chocolate bars in this size in the baking aisle)
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt in a heat proof bowl.
- Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and stir the mixture continuously until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is sticky and hot to the touch.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto a cookie sheet that’s lined with foil.
- Flatten each cookie slightly with your fingers.
- Bake for 13 minutes.
- Cool the cookies before removing them from the foil.
Make sure you put these out while the children are looking for the afikomen. That way the adults are sure to get to taste one before they all disappear.
