My Quest

This blog is the tale of my quest for home-made, low-salt, traditional, rustic and innovative cuisine. Special attention is given to restaurants and food suppliers in special locations, such as locally owned farms, farmer's markets, walkable people places, water view properties and to properties of notable architectural merit. Restaurants and inns are considered in light of sustainability efforts as well, and noted with a green apple for special efforts to conserve and sustain.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Tomatillo



Dobbs Ferry, New York
This restaurant is one of my favorites in Dobbs Ferry. The fresh ingredients are consistently good and some are purchased from Stone Barns in nearby Tarrytown. The chicken club burrito, which I prefer with black beans to the menu pinto (also very good), is a generous and nutritious option for days when work hours run too late for a home prepared meal. The service is friendly and the restaurant is a fun place for sit down meals with its jovial colors and tables with options for varied size parties. The appetizer chips are the best I know of in any nearby Mexican restaurant, and the salsa is also great. The proprietor responded to a student's inquiry regarding use of recyclable container and opted for some of the choices she suggested, later hiring her to work in the restaurant. Simple fresh fare and sustainable, community conscious management. A bow of respect to Tomatillo!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Savoy on Prince Street

savoynyc.com
SoHo New York
This low key establishment prides itself on its fresh ingredients and offers a comfortable and quiet atmosphere, with a wood burning fireplace in its second story dining room. The wine menu includes a fine french wine by the glass, Macon Charnay (Bourgogne), which, by the fire, sets the perfect mood for the dining experience.
The appetizers include a specialty "burrata", mozzarella in a purse form with the inside of the treat fluffy, light and moist, savory with its delicious companions of garlic toast and tomato compote. Our other appetizer was just as delightful. The farmstead sheep's milk cheese, Weston Wheel from Vermont, was perfectly matched with lightly toasted fresh bread and honey crusted pecans.
For our entrees we were both blown a bit over, for the flavors were so succulent and delightful that this restaurant quickly reached "good find" on our radar. The Florida Gulf shrimp with braised beans and bacon was in a Trinidad chili salsa sauce so delicious it compared with excellent ragout sauces I have had. My striped bass came from Rhode Island and was perfectly cooked with a crisp skin, shallots, a mushroom flavoring no longer on the menu, but I would say it was in the chantarelle family, and risotto on the plate. The fingerling potato side was its perfect side dish.
For desert we shared a concord grape Gelato so rich in flavor, although no sugar was added, that it is one of the best I have had. 
Savoy, you are my new word for savory, and I will be back for a certain return with loved ones to share you with!