Roasted Peppers in Mamaroneck
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Roasted Peppers in Mamaroneck offers casual American dining with a Mexican and Spanish influence. At reasonable prices the restaurant serves lunch and dinner-- and brunch on Sundays. The ambience is low-key and perhaps a bit chain restaurant-esque. With brick walls, pictures of roasted peppers, and soft pop music the restaurant is a cross between your local pizza place and a branch of Chipotle. Regardless of the decor, the food was delicious. Recurring flavors include roasted peppers, jalapeno, and tomato. The service was not top-notch-- the waitress seemed unsure of which dishes to recommend and she misjudged the timing of our order so the salads arrived after our entrees-- but the overall experience was very satisfying, for both my appetite and wallet.
Reflecting the theme of the restaurant, bread was presented at the beginning of the meal with roasted pepper hummus. The appetizers, each $8, hit the spot. The cornmeal chipotle fried calamari, was a perfect balance between crunchy and chewy, and was served with a succulent honey jalapeno tartar sauce. Meanwhile, the signature stuffed roasted pepper came stuffed in two ways: one half with romesco and goat cheese and the other with ground beef-- a very filling appetizer (no pun intended) -- and a good dish to share. The signature salad was nothing special and the lime vinaigrette was good but failed to provide a kick. On the other hand, the warm seafood salad was worth the wait. Be sure not to fill up on appetizers, because the entrees and desserts are just as tasty!
The entrees are all reasonable portions for one, except the large serving of paella, which is enough to share. The three red snapper tacos had a refreshing blend of flavors, while the rotisserie organic chicken was simple, not too dry, and served with a nice mole sauce. The paella tasted as authentic as any in Spain. No one at my table chose to taste from the “burger corner,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if the burgers are mouthwatering too.
All desserts are just $5 and melt-in-your-mouth good. The waitress recommended both the jalapeno brownie and the rice pudding. The jalapeno brownie with coconut ice cream sounded like a strange combination, but the subtle jalapeno and coconut flavors complemented the very rich brownie. The dessert would make anyone feel like a kid again. The warm cinnamon spiced rice pudding with bourbon sauce was not as sweet but just as delicious. As we were the only ones left at Roasted Peppers late on a Monday night the restaurant also gave us the sweet Lepe flan to try for free and we recommend that as well.
The overall dining experience made for a fun night and a full tummy and we recommend you try Roasted Peppers soon. For the complete menus for lunch, dinner, and brunch, check out the restaurant’s website at www.roastedpeppersny.com
Roasted Peppers
320 Mamaroneck Ave
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
914-341-1140
914-341-1141
www.roastedpeppersny.com
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
NYC Based Market Coming to Westchester
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Fairway Opens in Pelham April 14
“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
Lemon Chicken
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Lemon Chicken
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.
