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Written by: Stacie M. Waldman

Published: 26 June 2018

Created: 26 June 2018

Last Updated: 26 June 2018

Hits: 6525

Board games have come a long way in recent years in terms of creativity, fun and let’s face it, even perversion! Cards Against Humanity broke barriers when it rose to popularity a few years ago, and there are many other great ones out there to entertain a houseful of summer guests. What are the hottest games for summer to play with friends and adult family members, preferably with a drink by your side?

What do you Meme?
If you think you’ll play this while the kids are still awake, think again. With reviews like, “I laughed so hard I had a six-pack of abs the next morning,” be prepared for hysterical but potentially raunchy pairings of captions with memes. Up to 20 of your BFFs can play this game together and you can make the game even more fun by printing pictures of the people with whom you’re playing the game ahead of time to pair with game-provided captions.

Sleep in a Bucket
This party game can also accommodate large groups of people and is a variation on “Would you Rather?” You can come up with situations on your own for free or just buy them. A rotating judge gets a card from each player and chooses what he or she would least like to do and the person who gave them that card gets a point. For example, would you rather have all children under the age of six trying to kill you or have to maintain eye contact with your best friend whenever they had sex? Laughs and inappropriate convo guaranteed.

Fact or Fiction
This is a fun game that you can play anytime, anywhere. It’s also best to do this with people who know you, but not TOO well, so playing with friends (girls weekend?) is better than playing with family members. It’s a great game to find out more than you wanted to know about people and you can come up with your own rules such as “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” meaning anything you learn about your game-mates stays there! Everyone comes up with two things about themselves that may not be believable but are true and one thing that is not true. Everyone has to guess which of the statements is fiction. For example, which of these three things about me is not true? 1. I have ridden an elephant bareback, 2. I have my pilot’s license or 3. My now-97-year-old grandma gave me lingerie for Valentine’s Day a few years ago. A little bit of planning ahead of time goes a long way to making the game the most fun as it can be hard to think of things on the spot.

Joking Hazard
Described as “extremely not for kids,” you’ve got to put three cards together at a time to build a comic strip that your other players like. Popular phrases people use while playing this game are “OMG,” “That’s disgusting” and “I think I gave myself a hernia.” Expansion packs are available and most reviews say they’re needed after playing the game a handful of times so prepare to make the small investment if you like the original version.

Smartass
Smartass is a fun game that includes everyone in each hand, keeping your whole crew engaged. One person picks a card and starts reading off clues about a person or a place or a thing, for example. People can shout out their answer whenever they want and the card-picker keeps reading down the list of clues until someone gets it. Clues start off very vague and difficult and get easier as the reader moves down the list. Fun for trivia buffs, this is one of the “cleaner” games on this list.

Storylines
I actually have no idea what this game is called and I have no idea where I learned it, but it is literally one of the best games I have ever played with kids and/or adults (or both). You need at least 4 people for this game and up to 12 comfortably. Everyone gets a sheet of paper and a pen. Each player starts off by writing something at the top of the page. It can be anything; a line from a song, nonsense, something funny about the person to your left or right...then everyone passes the paper at the same time to the person on their right. That person draws a picture based on what is written. Before passing it to the right, everyone folds over what the original person wrote so the next person only sees the picture and they have to write a sentence based on what they see in the picture. Then the paper gets folded over again (over the picture) and the next person draws a picture based on the visible sentence (and so on). You do it until it gets back to the original person if the group is large or you can do several rounds with a smaller group. Everyone gets to read all of the Storylines (there’s no winner or loser) and it’s always hilarious! Adults, of course, tend to make the game a little grosser and more risqué. Kids tend to keep it clean with the exception of fart and poop pictures and sentences.

Beyond Balderdash
Although this game is only sold used on e-bay or through Amazon third-party sellers, it is by far my favorite game to play with a group of 4-8 fun adults. It’s a game of bluffing and creativity. There’s one real answer that the rotating dealer writes down, and every other player writes down their bluff or what they think is the real answer. There are five categories from which to choose: people (who was this person/what did they do?), movie titles (what is the plot of the movie?), dates (what happened on this date in history), acronyms (what do these initials stand for) and definitions (what does a certain word mean?). For example, one person chooses the definitions category and the word is “furfur.” They write down the true definition; everyone else writes down their proposed definition, then the person who knows the real answer reads all possible answers aloud and everyone has to guess the real answer. A point is given for guessing correctly AND a point is given if someone else chooses your answer, even if it’s not the true answer. For example, furfur might mean: 1. A type of moustache popular in the Victorian era, 2. A Siberian squirrel with 5 stripes down its back, 3. Flakes of dandruff, 4. A sea snail or 5. An edible South American fruit. Which is it?

Flickin’ Chicken
This popped up as an Amazon suggested purchase right before Father’s Day so…so bought it! In fact, the reviews were so good that I bought two!. It’s a great backyard game or beach game. Flickin’ Chickens is basically like golf except you throw a disc to a random landing point and then everyone has to hurl their chickens towards the disc hoping to hit it in the least number of hurls. The chickens themselves are hilarious. They are made out of high-quality rubber and have substance to them, and there really is little funnier than flying rubber chickens. Okay, so maybe it’s not really like golf, but it’s a great game nonetheless.

Pandemic
This is a game for a smaller group of people, like just two of you, or maybe two couples or a few friends. You all have to work together to save the world from deadly diseases. What’s nice about this game is that it requires cooperation and you either all win or all lose to a deadly epidemic. It’s suspenseful and the game has varying difficulty depending on what cards are chosen and what moves are made. Definitely a traditional board game that you’ll keep coming back to whether you win or lose. And not many laughs with this one; it’s super intense.

Cards Against Humanity
Still haven’t played this after all the hype? Do yourself a favor, add it to your game bin and hide it from the kids. It’s described as “the game for horrible people.” It’s quite distasteful so the square mother-in-law might not be the right player for this game but it’s funny and sort of sick all at the same time. One person reads a question and the rest have to answer it with their choice of prewritten cards in their hands. The reader chooses the best answer (subjectively) and that person gets a point. It’s a really creative game and many others are based on this game.

Have you played any of these games? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Do you have any favorites not listed here? Comment below!

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Written by: Judie Dweck

Published: 18 June 2018

Created: 18 June 2018

Last Updated: 18 June 2018

Hits: 8859

In my restaurant travels through the years, some spots have a special place in my memory. Many years ago I savored many fine meals at Tango Grill in White Plains. I described the executive chef Angel Magno, “an angel in the kitchen.” In a few years, when the Tango Grill closed, I followed Chef Magno to Milonga and Gaucho Grill and then lost track. How delighted I was to discover Magno at Magno’s Grill in New Rochelle, where he partnered with long time associate and general manager Vincent Reba, brother and chef Pac Magno and sister Gloria. Argentinean and Italian cuisines combine at Magno’s Grill for a truly superb culinary combination. Several dishes are signature dishes from Chef Magno’s repertoire, such as Argentinean empanadas, Magno’s paella and grilled parrillada. The setting might be very simple and casual, but the food preparation and presentation are quite sophisticated. Food of this quality deserves crisp linen cloths on the tables. The restaurant seats about 42. Wood paneling, mustard colored walls and dark wood tables and chairs fill the room. Latin inspired posters including one of tango dancers embellish the walls. There are fresh flowers on each table and you may dine at the bar, as well. Multi paned doors open onto the street. In the near future, the backyard will be transformed into an outdoor dining area for barbecues and casual dining.

Chef Magno and manager Reba have a great relationship and respect each other’s opinions. “Our food is authentic and prepared with love, the right way. Everything is house made. We believe you must walk before you run. We aim to establish comfortable, personal family feeling so our guests will return. We are very attentive to our guests.” Magno and Reba indicated,” In addition to our regular clientele, we would love to invite some well-known chefs to sample our dishes.”

Warm from the oven, the focaccia presented to us is baked fresh daily. Served with country bread, as well, it was accompanied by an olive oil, basil garlic and balsamic dip at lunch and topped with bruschetta at dinner. Try not to fill up on this, since the dishes to follow are quite generous in size. As a recent tasting began, I noted that the presentations are photo worthy. Ceviche, popular in Latin countries, takes on a delightful twist at Magno’s Grill. Presented in a long stemmed cocktail glass, embellished with crisp plantain chips it is prepared with small cubes of ahi tuna tossed with cubes of avocado, peppers, tomatoes and red onion and dressed with fresh lime juice and a touch of sesame oil. This generous cilantro flavored dish was a most refreshing starter. Argentinean empanadas were a real treat. The flaky dough crescents were filled with a lovely mixture of ground beef and caramelized onions. The two large empanadas were served with Chef Magno’s chimichurri and garnished with his signature mashed potatoes, plantain chips and a fresh orchid. Chicken, vegetable, pork and crab fillings are planned for the future. We savored a bowl of mussels with a nicely spiced cognac sauce dotted with crushed tomato and enhanced with a touch of cream. Magno’s signature crabcake, chock full of crabmeat, sets the standard for this dish with its honey mustard sauce. Sticks of thin pasta, fresh parsley and a rose petal add drama to this starter. From the Italian inspired appetizer offerings, we enjoyed tender clams oreganata, with a light lemony sauce. If you prefer to start with a salad, there is a classic burrata caprese, an innovative campo salad with baby kale, one with strawberries and goat cheese and a classic tropical salad with mango and berries, reminiscent of Tango Grill.

The entrees are plentiful and varied, with many Italian specialties and classic Argentinean grilled selections. We sampled homemade cavatelli with broccoli rabe, sausage and oven roasted tomatoes, all tossed with olive oil and garlic. A sprinkling of parmesan and an orchid added color and completed a perfect pasta dish. Very delicious was the crabmeat and shrimp risotto topped with slices of avocado. The chunks of sweet crabmeat and shrimp studded the creamy rice for a rich and delicious dish. Pork Valdostana was a mammoth sized chop filled with Portobello mushrooms, caramelized onion, prosciutto and mozzarella with a marsala sauce. The plate was garnished with Magno’s signature ring of julienne fried potatoes. It was enough for 2 meals. A scoop of lemon sorbet refreshed our palate before continuing. A walk around the block might have been helpful. Of the many fish, veal and pork entrees, we enjoyed veal martini with lemon wine sauce. A hint of butter enriched the sauce and fresh spinach topped the dish. Red snapper was a winner here. Diced mango, tomato and spinach provided a base for the almond crusted red snapper filet with a cognac and lobster sauce, a super combination of ingredients.

The piece de resistance were the Argentinean choices from the grill. We loved the classic mixed grill, the Argentinean Parrillada. It included samplings of skirt steak, hangar steak, flatiron steak. shell steak and Italian sausage which shared the plate with yucca and potato wedges and that wonderful chimichurri sauce. The varieties of steak, each had a unique texture and flavor and provided a delightful mouthful for the beef lover. Return visits may include blackened tuna with orange sauce, seafood stuffed filet of sole with scampi sauce, pork osso bucco, churrasco, mendozino steak with chorizo, mushrooms potatoes and caramelized onions, or Magno’s shell steak with roasted potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp and scampi sauce, and the list goes on. Many vegetables and side dishes are beautifully prepared, as well and a side dish of sweet plantains are a must have.

Which country would provide our dessert choices? All choices are homemade from tiramisu, to dulce de leche crepes. We chose an excellent tres leches cake and smooth and delicious flan. By the way, it took two visits to sample the many dishes offered. At the time of my visits, the restaurant was only opened for two weeks and they were awaiting their liquor license. Wines will be offered from Italy, Argentina and The United States. At lunch, a variety of paninis, wraps, salads, pastas, and entrees are offered.

Enjoy a meal at the new Magno’s Grill where the friendly staff serves the many Argentinean and Italian delights as prepared by “The Angel in the kitchen”, Chef Owner Angel Magno.

Magno’s Grill
108 Centre Avenue
New Rochelle, NY
(914) 235-0008

Recipe: Tuna Ceviche (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 pound sushi grade tuna in ¼ inch cubes
1 small red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 plum tomato, diced
1 large Haas avocado, diced
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt, to taste

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, stir onions, peppers, lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and salt. Serve in martini glasses and garnish with plantain chips

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Written by: Emmeline Berridge

Published: 12 June 2018

Created: 12 June 2018

Last Updated: 12 June 2018

Hits: 7266

Track team Seniors: Jordan Claman, Sophia Rosset, Adam RossEvery season, the Maroon and White parent’s organization hosts a sports awards dinner to recognize athletes for accomplishments in their respective sports. The spring dinner, this year held on Tuesday June 5, especially honors seniors, as the spring season is their last opportunity to compete as Raider athletes. A barbeque is followed by the general awards ceremony, which recognizes seniors for their dedication to Scarsdale athletics. Individual sports teams break into smaller rooms to present sport-specific awards after the ceremony.

The Iron Man award is the first of a series of senior awards. The Iron Man honors senior athletes who have completed 12 full seasons of athletic participation, meaning they have played a sport in every high school season. The Iron Mans were awarded to Lily Steckel for Tennis, Basketball, and Lacrosse, and Jordan Claman and Sophia Rosset for 12 seasons of track and cross country.

The first of three memorial awards, the Elizabeth Timberger Memorial Award, honors an outstanding member of the Scarsdale athletic community. Elizabeth served on the board of Maroon and White prior to her untimely death, and was a friendly, supportive, and cooperative member of the board. The Timberger award is given to a senior who helps a team not as a player, but through some other form of participation. The 2018 award went to Savannah Smith, manager of boys Varsity Lacrosse.

The Nina Mooney award is presented to a senior female athlete who “displays commitment, enthusiasm, spirit, concern for others and a positive work ethic,” per Maroon and White President Beth Dell'Orto’s presentation speech. Nina Mooney, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 54 after a courageous fight against breast cancer, organized many Maroon and White events, and was loved for her kind and boisterous spirit. The 2018 award was given to Samantha Mancini, a captain and four-year varsity player for both girls Basketball and Soccer.

The Nonie Knopp Memorial Award honors Knopp, an outstanding member of the Scarsdale community, and an avid sports fan who was devoted to Maroon and White as a vice-president and chairperson for the Holiday Basketball Tournament. The award recognizes a male senior varsity player who exemplifies dedication, commitment, spirit, enthusiasm, concern for others and positive work ethic. The winner of this award was Noah Glantz, a captain of Varsity Football, who will continue his football career at Trinity College in the fall.

The Peppers Award honors Sue Peppers, the recently retired assistant principal of Scarsdale High School, as she remains closely tied to Scarsdale schools and athletics through her daughters, who were scholar athletes at Scarsdale High School. According to Dell’Orto, “combining high standards for academics, sports, and team play have always been an important part of the Peppers Family.” The female Peppers award was presented to Lily Steckel, who has distinguished herself in athletics and academics, being voted Captain by her teammates in Varsity Tennis, Lacrosse, and Basketball, as well as maintaining a level head, passionate spirit, and an impressive academic record. Steckel will attend Dartmouth in the fall.

The male Peppers award was presented to Jeremy Wolfe, who separated himself from his peers in his captainship of both varsity boys Lacrosse and Volleyball. He was also a member of the Ice Hockey Team, and played a role in founding the boys Volleyball team at SHS. Wolfe will attend the US Naval Academy in the fall.

The Scholar Athlete Honor Society Award is presented to a top male and female student who have excelled in dedication to their sport, performance and leadership on and off the field of play, performance in the classroom, with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and accomplished SAT or ACT scores. The winners of the 2018 Scholar Athlete Honor Society award are Jordan Claman for cross country and track, and Annemarie Horn for Volleyball. Claman will attend Tufts in the fall, while Horn will play volleyball at Dartmouth.

The Scarsdale Raider award, recognizes the intangible characteristics that represent the spirit of a Scarsdale Raider--- the attitude, work ethic, and leadership qualities that the sports community hopes to instill in all Raider athletes. The winners of the Scarsdale Raider Award are Sam Seltzer, captain of Boy’s Varsity Ice Hockey and Lacrosse teams, Nash Goldman, captain of boys Varsity Basketball, and Katie Reisman, Captain of Girl’s Varsity Lacrosse and member of girls Varsity Soccer.

Although the awards only recognize a select group of senior athletes, the nature of the dinner is to appreciate all seniors as they matriculate and bring a Raider pride with them in their future endeavors.

Jordan Claman of Boys Varsity Track noted that the highlight of the spring track season was finishing his 12th season on a high note by seeing “people from all track--- mid distance, sprinting, and distance--- come together”. Claman emphasized that the team’s camaraderie was nothing like he’d ever seen before, which allowed the seniors to end their seasons on a positive note. Distinguished Senior Sophia Rosset will run cross country and track and field at Washington University in St. Louis in the fall.

Baseball: Clockwise from top: Michael Green, Matt Daniel, James Conlan, Kiran Ramachandran, Daniel Beitler, Joe Weintraub, Evan Maroney, George Samwick

Evan Maroney, captain and shortstop of the boys Baseball team, noted that his favorite part of his last season was going down to Florida for spring break with the team, mentioning that it helped the team bond, work on their game, and “have a lot of fun off of the field.” The Raiders lost in the 1st round of Sectionals against Suffern, but were able to maintain a competitive season led by a strong group of seniors. Senior Michael Green will continue playing baseball at Carleton College.

Lone Senior of the decorated boys Varsity Golf team Golf: Scott GalstScott Galst noted simply that the highlight of the team’s season was “being able to compete for the section final.” The team went on to top a formidable Bronxville squad to win their 4th Section 1 title in 5 years. With a strong core of underclassmen returning next season, Scarsdale’s dominance in boys’ golf will surely translate to success in 2019.

Lily Steckel of girls Varsity Lacrosse noted that her most memorable moment of the team’s season was a win against Mamaroneck, a team that went on to compete in the Section 1 finals. She emphasized the importance of this game, noting “Mamaroneck have been our rivals since as long as I can remember, and beating such an incredible team on their home turf as a cohesive unit was an unforgettable feeling.” The girls lacrosse team experienced hardship, as their longstanding coaches were fired just weeks before the start of the season. Still, strong leadership from their seniors allowed the team to have an enjoyable and successful season, which was encapsulated in their close-fought battle against Mahopac in the first round of Sectionals.

Girls Lacrosse: Left to right: Holly Rittmaster, Lily Steckel, Maya Kulick, Katie Reisman Not pictured: Abby Glaser(image 4, lacrosse)
Left to right: Holly Rittmaster, Lily Steckel, Maya Kulick, Katie Reisman
Not pictured: Abby Glaser

Daniel Koch, one of many seniors on a large boys Varsity Lacrosse team, noted that his highlight for the season was “beating Wappingers by 14 goals”, as the team had lost to Wappingers in the Section semifinals in a heart-wrenching end to last season. The boys’ team put up impressive statistics, including a 6-0 run to begin the season. The leadership from Scarsdale’s seniors brought the boys lacrosse program to a well respected status among Section 1 teams. Senior Seth Thornton will play collegiate lacrosse at Syracuse.

Boys Lacrosse: Left to right: (top row) Noah Glantz, Nick Coeytaux, Jeremy Wolfe, Jason Lipsay (middle row) Jacob Kahan, Sam Seltzer, Daniel Koch, Mason Marsh, John Seider, Miles Rosenstadt (bottom row) Vin Franco, John Keltz, Matt Hyman, David Love, Robert Britto

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Written by: Judie Dweck

Published: 05 June 2018

Created: 05 June 2018

Last Updated: 05 June 2018

Hits: 6698

Sandwiches come in all shapes and sizes and in many international flavors. We have savored croque monsieur from France, paninis from Italy, cemitas from Mexico, cucumber tea sandwiches from England and lamb kebab pitas from the mid-east. The classic sandwiches from Vietnam have become quite popular in the tri state area and the recently opened Grab Ly’s Banh Mi on Garth Road is serving these flavorful sandwiches with a modern twist.

Grab Ly’s Banh Mi is a tiny space with big flavors. It is sparkling clean from the stainless steel open kitchen to the front area. A wood paneled wall displays canvases of the food. There is a small counter with a few stools and a couple of benches if you choose to enjoy your banh mi in house. More popular is the take out crowd. It is convenient to the train, and you can call your order in advance. Delivery will be available in the near future.

Grab Ly’s is the brainchild of John Ly, the enthusiastic owner. He was a young child when he and his family arrived here from Vietnam via Hong Kong. “I enjoyed watching my father cook traditional dishes and soon became passionate about cooking. I aim to bring Vietnamese food with my modern touch to Westchester. I chose Scarsdale because this street is a high traffic area with available parking.” The sense of family permeates the space. Ly’s father was busy in the kitchen and his mom and sister were busy in conversation with the steady flow of people waiting for their orders. (It was only 11.30 in the morning) “I love seeing happiness on the faces of people who have tasted our food. I trained my staff, and look forward to opening additional Vietnamese spots featuring other Vietnamese specialties such as pho, the traditional hot soup. The food we offer, is part of my heritage and culture and banh mi sandwiches are my favorite comfort food.” My recent visit was late morning and there was a steady flow of customers placing orders, many were returning guests, even though Grab Ly’s had only been open for a week.

Fresh out of the fryer was a mound of avocado fries. Here, wedges of firm, but ripe avocado have been breaded with panko crumbs and fried to a golden brown. These very crisp morsels came with a well spiced sauce, a fine modern accompaniment to the 10 banh mi offerings. Egg rolls arrived in 2 varieties. We sampled both the regular, filled with minced pork, shrimp, onions, jicama, carrots and taro and the vegetarian choice, with tofu, mushrooms, carrots, jicama, onion and taro. Each order came with 2 tightly rolled cigar shaped morsels which were wrapped in traditional egg roll wrappers. A piquant sweet and sour sauce accompanied them.

We moved on to the main attraction, the banh mi. Thinly sliced pickled jicama and carrots added to the pleasure of sampling our shaking beef banh mi. The marinated wok seared sirloin steak, was cooked to rare, as requested, and a sriracha aioli added a nice kick to this filling. Very popular is the pork belly banh mi. The grilled pork belly sits beside picked papaya slaw and a slathering of sriracha aioli. Once again the vegetables added texture to a terrific sandwich. The Baja feature shrimp. Here, a julienne of fresh carrots and red cabbage are nicely seasoned and paired with panko breaded shrimp. Served on a 10 inch baguette, as all of the banh mi here are, and finished with chipotle aioli and fresh sprigs of cilantro, it was yet another discovery of a divine banh mi. Just the right amount of spice left my tongue tingling. Waiting to be tried are banh mi of lemongrass pork, beef bulgogi, surf and turf, Thai basil chicken and the vegetarian with grilled eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, pickled jicama and carrots and tofu aioli. Since each banh mi is prepared to order, you may alter the ingredients and level of spice to your individual taste.

Combo specials with a banh mi, eggroll and drink are offered. Everything here is made from scratch, and the interplay of balanced flavors of sweet, salt, sour and spice, along with the texture of crunchy vegetables and crisp 10 inch baguettes, result in sandwiches brought to a new level of enjoyment.

Cans of soda, water and Snapple are available but we stayed in the Southeast Asian mood with sweet and delightful Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee with Café de Monde coffee. Each was fragrant and tasty.

My advice is to visit Grab Ly’s Banh Mi soon. Choose from the many banh mi choices, open wide, and take a bite and I’m sure you will return soon. With warm weather ahead, I can’t think of a nicer way to spend the day, than at the beach or at a picnic in the park with banh mi from Grab Ly’s Banh Mi.

Grab Ly’s Banh Mi
62 Garth Road, Scarsdale
914 574 6007

Spicy pickled Vegetables (4 servings)

1 cup raw peeled carrots, in julienne
1 cup daikon, in julienne
1 ½ cups rice wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsps. sriracha
½ tsp. salt

In a saucepan, stir the vinegar, sugar, sriracha and salt over high heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool. Place the carrots and daikon in a non reactive container. Pour mixture over the vegetables and refrigerate. Serve on your banh mi.