Four words:
Bacon.
Flecked.
Ice.
Cream.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
La Manda's, White Plains
La Manda's Restaurant
(No Website)
251 Tarrytown Road
White Plains, NY 10607-1622
(914) 684-9228
Upon the recommendation of a friend who's frequented it, and despite the many negative reviews I've read online, I cajoled the husband to try out La Manda's tonight.
I've lived in Westchester about ten years and have passed this joint to and from work every day, and finally decided "tonight's the night."
Our first red flag was that we were caught off guard when we read on the menu "no credit cards." We quickly checked our wallets and figured out we had enough for dinner.
One of the things my friend raved about was their house salad, a simple yet enjoyable combination of greens and tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and maybe some oregano. I totally forgot about this when I saw they had escarole soup on their menu.
Sadly, the escarole soup seemed more like a chicken vegetable with some random noodles in it which they simmered some escarole in the broth. It was also curiously tangy. I'm hoping it's lemon in the broth. I can't think of any reason why escarole soup would be tangy.
As far as me and my stomach are concerned, we're on standby for some agita.
The husband opted for the lentil soup, which was also sorta tangy, which we're hoping was due to whatever tomato puree or other tomato product they put in the soup.
He opted for the chicken cacciatore (boneless) and I opted for the linguine a vongole. Both entrees fell short of our expectations.
For starters, the cacciatore seemed "off," as far as texture. The chicken cubes were stringy and the sauce had the consistency of Campbell's tomato soup, which was thickened with too much starch.
The linguine vongole initially appeared promising, as the bowl atop the dish revealed a veritable mountain of small clams. It was only upon opening each of the shells that revealed the amount of clam meat that would measure roughly that of the fingernail on my pinky. I now feel sorry for all those clams that gave their lives and died in vain for my disappointing meal.
The brodo that the clams and linguine were in, wasn't flavorful enough. No white wine and the garlic was hardly noticeable. Sure there were chunks of garlic, all golden and gently sauteed, leaving the chunks with a sweet and slightly nutty taste, but for garlicky punch... there was none.
We decided to cut our losses and not attempt their desserts or coffee. I'm sure the waitress was on to us, as we had plenty of leftovers which we politely declined being packaged up for left overs.
The decor is old and dated, and part of their charm. It's a place where time has stood still. It's a cozy, familiar local family run place, and probably looks not much different than it did when it opened in 1947.
The location is nice, with plenty of alternate, off street (as in, off of Rt 119) parking.
When we got in there, there was a small line, and a short wait. People seemed friendly enough.
Wasn't there long enough to check out the cleanliness of the bathroom.
Cost for our two soups, two seltzers, and two entrees came to nearly $46. Inexpensive. I could see this as a good selling point for this place.
The husband and I are both split on whether to return to try them out one final time before giving up on it entirely or putting it in the rotation for our "usual spots."
I hold out the (perhaps it may be false?) hope that the "golden egg" of this place is their chicken or eggplant parmesan or perhaps their pizza really is their specialty.
The husband says, and I quote, "There is no force on this earth which would make me go back."
I'm just glad we gave it a try.
For me, for the area, the "Kings" of this "genre" of family style Italian restaurant/pizzeria are Nicky's and Magnotta's. So, I'd like to find out for myself how La Manda's stacks up in the pizza department.
I'll be back. Just don't know when.
(No Website)
251 Tarrytown Road
White Plains, NY 10607-1622
(914) 684-9228
Upon the recommendation of a friend who's frequented it, and despite the many negative reviews I've read online, I cajoled the husband to try out La Manda's tonight.
I've lived in Westchester about ten years and have passed this joint to and from work every day, and finally decided "tonight's the night."
Our first red flag was that we were caught off guard when we read on the menu "no credit cards." We quickly checked our wallets and figured out we had enough for dinner.
One of the things my friend raved about was their house salad, a simple yet enjoyable combination of greens and tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and maybe some oregano. I totally forgot about this when I saw they had escarole soup on their menu.
Sadly, the escarole soup seemed more like a chicken vegetable with some random noodles in it which they simmered some escarole in the broth. It was also curiously tangy. I'm hoping it's lemon in the broth. I can't think of any reason why escarole soup would be tangy.
As far as me and my stomach are concerned, we're on standby for some agita.
The husband opted for the lentil soup, which was also sorta tangy, which we're hoping was due to whatever tomato puree or other tomato product they put in the soup.
He opted for the chicken cacciatore (boneless) and I opted for the linguine a vongole. Both entrees fell short of our expectations.
For starters, the cacciatore seemed "off," as far as texture. The chicken cubes were stringy and the sauce had the consistency of Campbell's tomato soup, which was thickened with too much starch.
The linguine vongole initially appeared promising, as the bowl atop the dish revealed a veritable mountain of small clams. It was only upon opening each of the shells that revealed the amount of clam meat that would measure roughly that of the fingernail on my pinky. I now feel sorry for all those clams that gave their lives and died in vain for my disappointing meal.
The brodo that the clams and linguine were in, wasn't flavorful enough. No white wine and the garlic was hardly noticeable. Sure there were chunks of garlic, all golden and gently sauteed, leaving the chunks with a sweet and slightly nutty taste, but for garlicky punch... there was none.
We decided to cut our losses and not attempt their desserts or coffee. I'm sure the waitress was on to us, as we had plenty of leftovers which we politely declined being packaged up for left overs.
The decor is old and dated, and part of their charm. It's a place where time has stood still. It's a cozy, familiar local family run place, and probably looks not much different than it did when it opened in 1947.
The location is nice, with plenty of alternate, off street (as in, off of Rt 119) parking.
When we got in there, there was a small line, and a short wait. People seemed friendly enough.
Wasn't there long enough to check out the cleanliness of the bathroom.
Cost for our two soups, two seltzers, and two entrees came to nearly $46. Inexpensive. I could see this as a good selling point for this place.
The husband and I are both split on whether to return to try them out one final time before giving up on it entirely or putting it in the rotation for our "usual spots."
I hold out the (perhaps it may be false?) hope that the "golden egg" of this place is their chicken or eggplant parmesan or perhaps their pizza really is their specialty.
The husband says, and I quote, "There is no force on this earth which would make me go back."
I'm just glad we gave it a try.
For me, for the area, the "Kings" of this "genre" of family style Italian restaurant/pizzeria are Nicky's and Magnotta's. So, I'd like to find out for myself how La Manda's stacks up in the pizza department.
I'll be back. Just don't know when.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
ON FIRE AT THE MOMENT: BENGAL TIGER
Nothing further to report at the moment; however, there are billows of black smoke coming from the building that Bengal Tiger shares w/Star Cleaners, etc.
ETA:
For more information, check out the article on LoHud.
ETA:
19 hours later... Looks like the Latin American Cafe also bit the dust in this mega fire. I hope they manage to come back after this! Their garlic chicken was orgasmic!
Good luck to all the merchants who suffered in the fire! Glad no one got seriously hurt!
ETA:
For more information, check out the article on LoHud.
ETA:
19 hours later... Looks like the Latin American Cafe also bit the dust in this mega fire. I hope they manage to come back after this! Their garlic chicken was orgasmic!
Good luck to all the merchants who suffered in the fire! Glad no one got seriously hurt!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
10-13 Benefit, Porter House, White Plains
On Sunday, June 27, 2010, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., The White Plains PBA will be hosting a fund raiser held at the Porter House Restaurant in White Plains.
Cost is $25, and there will be a 50/50. Funds will go towards a scholarship fund for his twin sons.
On Saturday, June 12, 2010, Police Officer Michael Perry of the White Plains Police Department died of a heart attack after a foot chase and apprehending a perpetrator.
Cost is $25, and there will be a 50/50. Funds will go towards a scholarship fund for his twin sons.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Mark Your Calendar! 3/21/10
Cochon 555: The only competition in the US featuring heritage pigs from local farms, chefs, butchers, and family owned wineries.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Masala Kraft Cafe, Hartsdale
This Saturday we decided to check out Masala Kraft Cafe, located in the snug downtown area of Hartsdale.
To call Masala Kraft Cafe a "cafe," is sort of misleading. Those who are fond and knowledgeable of Indian food would call this a "chaat house." Chaat being the small or portable snack type things usually found in road side vendors in larger metropolitan areas in India (such as sev puri, samosa chaat, chana bhatura, dosas, etc).
To call it a "chaat house" is not a way to denigrate this fine establishment. I make the distinction to put a finer point on what type of place this is. It would be on par with a deli, sandwich shop or coffee shop, offering a limited menu of items for early to mid-day meals or snacks, rather than an establishment to go for a multi-course dinner.
Masala Kraft Cafe is very thoughtfully appointed with a modern, yet nondescript type of atmosphere. It is clean, modern, and accommodating, with some nice decorator touches, but without the typical decorations one would expect from an Indian establishment. Even the stoneware dishes the food is served upon has the personal touch, as each are emblazoned with the Masala Kraft Cafe name.
The restaurant itself is fairly small with about six tables and a long granite snack bar with high bar stools which face out onto the busy main street to accommodate a small amount of patrons at a time. The place was just about full when we arrived.
Parking is conveniently (and if you're not familiar with the downtown area, it's deceptively) around the corner in a municipal parking garage, we happily parked our car and walked in the cold for what we hoped would be a great lunch.
We placed our order and settled into some bar stools up front to "people watch" until our food arrived.
Masala Kraft Cafe has been open for roughly seven months, and business was bustling for a Saturday, especially one where the temperature outside was near freezing. I can only imagine how busy this place will be once the weather warms up. I gladly snagged one of their take out menus, and intend on enjoying their food by way of take out, rather than fight the crowds with a stomach grumbling.
Service was good. The person taking our order was helpful with suggestions, and the person delivering the food to where we sat was pleasant and unharried.
My husband ordered pao bajji which was on the specials menu (pao = bread; bajji = vegetables cooked on a grill with spices), however we had the option to have it served in a dosa (a crispy south Indian crepe made from fermented rice and white urad, a type of lentil), which came with coconut chutney and a vegetable sambar (a south Indian brothy soup/condiment thing made with thoor dal, another type of lentil, and south Indian spices and tomato). I ordered the channa bhatura, which is a type of channa masala (spicey chick peas with a tomato gravy) with a deep fried biscuit. Both of our items came to us hot, and made to order.
The bhatura was delicious and decadently crispy, almost too brittle for me to wrap around the channa to eat traditionally (barehanded), so I'd tear off some of the bhatura and spoon the channo on top, but I wouldn't even call the brittle-ness a complaint. Every last morsel was eaten gladly.
The dosa containing the "pao" bajji was delicious, and reminded me of a masala dosa. The chutney was fresh and intensely coconutty, and the sambar was traditional, authentic and tasty. Typically dosa is eaten by pinching off a fingerful and dunking in the sambar and then put a bit of the chutney on top for the "perfect bite."
Each component, the dosa and the sambar were delicious independently as well as together. I didn't let a drop of the sambar go to waste. When my husband finished his meal, I slurped the last few spoonfuls of his sambar down. Speaking as an American who is well-versed in south Indian cuisine (I even make my own sambar), I feel sambar could play the part of a (stand alone) soup quite nicely, especially given the cold snap we are having. Sadly, their menu does not appear to have sambar vada (vadas are deep fried fritters made from a batter of rice and lentils). I wonder if I asked for it, if it could be made as a special request.
We topped our lunch off with a faluda, which was served drink style in a tall glass. Faluda was a milky type sweet drink, flavored with rose water, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some cooked vermicelli and I believe basil seeds. I believe this is something more adventurous Americans would have to acquire a taste for. I love rosewater in sweets, but the notion of the cooked vermicelli is a little odd. But all in all a deliciously unusual treat. (At my own wedding we had faluda, as it's one of our favorite items.)
Though a tidy and limited menu, they seem to offer nearly everything you could want in the "chaat" subset of Indian food. It's all vegetarian, and all made to order. There are daily specials and a wide array of beverages from which to choose. There are interesting twists on their offerings such as their Salad Dosa, Masala Taco, and Bombay Roll; as well as an assortment of traditional items such as Masala Dosa, Papadi Chaat and Dal Vada.
Portion size, quality of food and price are all exceptional.
One last modern convenience: You can place your order online.
I wonder how far they will deliver to? Hmmm?
To call Masala Kraft Cafe a "cafe," is sort of misleading. Those who are fond and knowledgeable of Indian food would call this a "chaat house." Chaat being the small or portable snack type things usually found in road side vendors in larger metropolitan areas in India (such as sev puri, samosa chaat, chana bhatura, dosas, etc).
To call it a "chaat house" is not a way to denigrate this fine establishment. I make the distinction to put a finer point on what type of place this is. It would be on par with a deli, sandwich shop or coffee shop, offering a limited menu of items for early to mid-day meals or snacks, rather than an establishment to go for a multi-course dinner.
Masala Kraft Cafe is very thoughtfully appointed with a modern, yet nondescript type of atmosphere. It is clean, modern, and accommodating, with some nice decorator touches, but without the typical decorations one would expect from an Indian establishment. Even the stoneware dishes the food is served upon has the personal touch, as each are emblazoned with the Masala Kraft Cafe name.
The restaurant itself is fairly small with about six tables and a long granite snack bar with high bar stools which face out onto the busy main street to accommodate a small amount of patrons at a time. The place was just about full when we arrived.
Parking is conveniently (and if you're not familiar with the downtown area, it's deceptively) around the corner in a municipal parking garage, we happily parked our car and walked in the cold for what we hoped would be a great lunch.
We placed our order and settled into some bar stools up front to "people watch" until our food arrived.
Masala Kraft Cafe has been open for roughly seven months, and business was bustling for a Saturday, especially one where the temperature outside was near freezing. I can only imagine how busy this place will be once the weather warms up. I gladly snagged one of their take out menus, and intend on enjoying their food by way of take out, rather than fight the crowds with a stomach grumbling.
Service was good. The person taking our order was helpful with suggestions, and the person delivering the food to where we sat was pleasant and unharried.
My husband ordered pao bajji which was on the specials menu (pao = bread; bajji = vegetables cooked on a grill with spices), however we had the option to have it served in a dosa (a crispy south Indian crepe made from fermented rice and white urad, a type of lentil), which came with coconut chutney and a vegetable sambar (a south Indian brothy soup/condiment thing made with thoor dal, another type of lentil, and south Indian spices and tomato). I ordered the channa bhatura, which is a type of channa masala (spicey chick peas with a tomato gravy) with a deep fried biscuit. Both of our items came to us hot, and made to order.
The bhatura was delicious and decadently crispy, almost too brittle for me to wrap around the channa to eat traditionally (barehanded), so I'd tear off some of the bhatura and spoon the channo on top, but I wouldn't even call the brittle-ness a complaint. Every last morsel was eaten gladly.
The dosa containing the "pao" bajji was delicious, and reminded me of a masala dosa. The chutney was fresh and intensely coconutty, and the sambar was traditional, authentic and tasty. Typically dosa is eaten by pinching off a fingerful and dunking in the sambar and then put a bit of the chutney on top for the "perfect bite."
Each component, the dosa and the sambar were delicious independently as well as together. I didn't let a drop of the sambar go to waste. When my husband finished his meal, I slurped the last few spoonfuls of his sambar down. Speaking as an American who is well-versed in south Indian cuisine (I even make my own sambar), I feel sambar could play the part of a (stand alone) soup quite nicely, especially given the cold snap we are having. Sadly, their menu does not appear to have sambar vada (vadas are deep fried fritters made from a batter of rice and lentils). I wonder if I asked for it, if it could be made as a special request.
We topped our lunch off with a faluda, which was served drink style in a tall glass. Faluda was a milky type sweet drink, flavored with rose water, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some cooked vermicelli and I believe basil seeds. I believe this is something more adventurous Americans would have to acquire a taste for. I love rosewater in sweets, but the notion of the cooked vermicelli is a little odd. But all in all a deliciously unusual treat. (At my own wedding we had faluda, as it's one of our favorite items.)
Though a tidy and limited menu, they seem to offer nearly everything you could want in the "chaat" subset of Indian food. It's all vegetarian, and all made to order. There are daily specials and a wide array of beverages from which to choose. There are interesting twists on their offerings such as their Salad Dosa, Masala Taco, and Bombay Roll; as well as an assortment of traditional items such as Masala Dosa, Papadi Chaat and Dal Vada.
Portion size, quality of food and price are all exceptional.
One last modern convenience: You can place your order online.
I wonder how far they will deliver to? Hmmm?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
City Limits, White Plains
City Limits, White Plains
This isn't a review for a specific day, more over a collective opinion on the vast amounts of times I've been to this place.
Without a doubt, it is one of my favorite "go to" places when I'm in the mood. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I have never been disappointed (well, we WERE disappointed when they took their fried chicken off their menu a few years back) in all the times we've gone there.
Breakfast has a huge amount of offerings. For the longest time their boar sausage quesadilla was frequently ordered and has now been replaced on their menu w/a chorizo quesadilla. I'm overly fond of their veggie frittata, and on occasion have splurged w/their crab cake eggs benedict. All their baked goods are baked fresh on the premises, so any meal involving that is worthwhile.
Usually for lunch, I'd opt for their BLT on foccaccia or their burgers; the husband enjoys their shrimp wrap sandwich. A friend of mine who I meet with frequently for breakfast or lunch is fond of their ruben (which I've had at least once and loved its massiveness:) on potato bread.
Dinner for me usually is either their hanger steak, or their chicken paillard salad, or something off their prefixe menu. My husband usually gets their Bell and Evans chicken or their soba noodles, or tagliatelli. All delicious, and hearty sized portions (we love leftovers in our house).
Their service is top notch, and from what I can tell (in all the times I've been going there and a "regular" since 2001) they don't have a tremendous amount of turnover in their wait staff or their runners, so their service and quality is consistently good.
Location is convenient, and even on days when they are jam packed, there is "spill over" parking on Central Ave (metered) as well as a municipal lot across the street (also metered).
I tend to shy away from there on Friday or Saturday nights (especially if there is a big event at the County Center across the street); however, now that City Limits has a feature where you can place your order online, it's no problem to call in an order after leaving work and picking it up on my way home. I love this feature, as if there is a substitution to be made or an omission (as in no dairy for the husband), it's clearly in black and white, and rarely have we had a problem where we get home to discover there's cheese or sour cream on something that shouldn't. Very little margin for error this way. And on the rare occasion where after I've placed an order online and they ran out of something, they're very quick to call the number I provide, to let me know, and to arrange for an alternative. Terribly convenient!
I was sad to learn they closed their location at the Westchester Mall; but was immensely grateful that the Central Avenue location is open for business as usual. It truly would break my heart if this place closed up. If not for any reason I've listed above, but their chicken soup is the only thing that makes me feel better when I am sick, and is usually the first thing I attempt to eat after being sick.
Given how fond I am of this Livanos Restaurant Group endeavor, I'm now curious about Molyvos, which is in the neighborhood I frequent for appointments every two weeks. Perhaps I can convince the husband to meet me there for dinner one of these days. I have no doubt it'd be just as good!
This isn't a review for a specific day, more over a collective opinion on the vast amounts of times I've been to this place.
Without a doubt, it is one of my favorite "go to" places when I'm in the mood. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I have never been disappointed (well, we WERE disappointed when they took their fried chicken off their menu a few years back) in all the times we've gone there.
Breakfast has a huge amount of offerings. For the longest time their boar sausage quesadilla was frequently ordered and has now been replaced on their menu w/a chorizo quesadilla. I'm overly fond of their veggie frittata, and on occasion have splurged w/their crab cake eggs benedict. All their baked goods are baked fresh on the premises, so any meal involving that is worthwhile.
Usually for lunch, I'd opt for their BLT on foccaccia or their burgers; the husband enjoys their shrimp wrap sandwich. A friend of mine who I meet with frequently for breakfast or lunch is fond of their ruben (which I've had at least once and loved its massiveness:) on potato bread.
Dinner for me usually is either their hanger steak, or their chicken paillard salad, or something off their prefixe menu. My husband usually gets their Bell and Evans chicken or their soba noodles, or tagliatelli. All delicious, and hearty sized portions (we love leftovers in our house).
Their service is top notch, and from what I can tell (in all the times I've been going there and a "regular" since 2001) they don't have a tremendous amount of turnover in their wait staff or their runners, so their service and quality is consistently good.
Location is convenient, and even on days when they are jam packed, there is "spill over" parking on Central Ave (metered) as well as a municipal lot across the street (also metered).
I tend to shy away from there on Friday or Saturday nights (especially if there is a big event at the County Center across the street); however, now that City Limits has a feature where you can place your order online, it's no problem to call in an order after leaving work and picking it up on my way home. I love this feature, as if there is a substitution to be made or an omission (as in no dairy for the husband), it's clearly in black and white, and rarely have we had a problem where we get home to discover there's cheese or sour cream on something that shouldn't. Very little margin for error this way. And on the rare occasion where after I've placed an order online and they ran out of something, they're very quick to call the number I provide, to let me know, and to arrange for an alternative. Terribly convenient!
I was sad to learn they closed their location at the Westchester Mall; but was immensely grateful that the Central Avenue location is open for business as usual. It truly would break my heart if this place closed up. If not for any reason I've listed above, but their chicken soup is the only thing that makes me feel better when I am sick, and is usually the first thing I attempt to eat after being sick.
Given how fond I am of this Livanos Restaurant Group endeavor, I'm now curious about Molyvos, which is in the neighborhood I frequent for appointments every two weeks. Perhaps I can convince the husband to meet me there for dinner one of these days. I have no doubt it'd be just as good!
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