Tarry Lodge, Port Chester

One place I've been to repeatedly so far has been Tarry Lodge in Portchester. It's owned by Bastianich and Batali, and it's become one of my favorite rituals. After the husband and I go for our chiropractic visits, we then head off for our lunch date at Tarry Lodge.

Between the two of us, we have tried an assortment of things on both, the regular menu as well as their lunch/brunch menu specials. Things that have been "repeats" for us have been the gazpacho w/lump crab meat (for him), the beets agrodolce (for me), and sharing the chocolate cake w/blood orange marmalade and house made pistaschio gelatto.

My favorite starters have been (as mentioned above) the beets agrodolce, the lump crab w/piquillos, the melon w/shrimp, and this weekend, I had something off their brunch menu, which was mussels and baby clams in a garlicky broth--of which, I needed more bread (to NOT sop up the broth would be a total waste. It was great.).

We have tried the lion's share of their pasta offerings, with our favorites so far being the black tagliatelli w/lobster, and this week's take on tagliatelli which was plain tagliatelli (non black) w/a buttery affectation (I wouldn't call it a "sauce" as it wasn't really saucy). The dish had a buttery taste to it, with slivers of garlic and fresh parsley, a light hand of julienned jalapeno (not really overly so, trust me, it was nice) and roasted sweet corn. Not a kernel was left in the dish, trust me.

We've also tried an assortment of meat dishes, ranging from hen, and branzino, to pork, with our favorites so far have been the variations/offerings of lamb (especially the one w/a puree of fava beans!), and this week we had the pork chop, which came with sauteed Swiss chard (I believe) and sweet peaches.

And bucking our habit for the chocolate cake (which I believe we've had three times; the other times we've had the panetone bread pudding, lemon cheesecake, and gelato), we opted for the peach crostino (peach cobbler/buckle/brown betty. It was crunchy on top, hot and bubbling full of peach slices below, and was topped with a scoop of house made vanilla gelatto. Delicious, but still, I think next time, we'll go back to the chocolate cake! It truly is the best dessert of the lot.

Cost: An affordable luxury. I wish I could afford to eat there every day, but I am glad that it is accessibly priced for a good lot of people. Your meal can be as pricey as you want it to be, whether you come in for drinks and appetizers; come in for one of their lovely pizzas; or a multi-course dinner. I believe it's reasonably priced, not overly or underly so. It is priced JUST RIGHT.

Quality: The food is, in a word: EXCEPTIONAL. We have gone perhaps a half dozen times so far, and they are consistent, without a problematic meal in the bunch.

Quantity: No "nouvelle" or "haute" cuisine sized portions here. Hearty sized portions.

Service: Exceptional, agreeable, helpful, prompt, courteous, and un-intrusive.

Location: Corner of Mill and Abendroth in Port Chester. On street metered parking, with a lot across the street in two locations.

End Result: I've gone about a half dozen (or more) times, and was satisfied each time. I'm already planning my next trip there. I am ALSO planning on making that corn and tagliatelli dish here at home. It was delicious, and I can't wait to try to duplicate it!