November 2021 - NY Foodie Family

Winter Outdoor Dining in Westchester County

Posted on November 30, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I know that many people are still not comfortable with indoor dining. However, since the cold weather has arrived, that’s left many with the option of doing takeout only. Fortunately, from igloos to outdoor tents with heaters, there are several restaurants offering outdoor dining options. Check out our guide to winter outdoor dining in Westchester County. Please be mindful that you are dining outdoors, so it is recommended that you do dress warmly.

**As always, please check directly with the restaurant for the most up-to-date information. I also recommend prior to your visit that you call and confirm that the heaters are set up and working!

Please let me know of any other restaurants that can be added to this list! (email: NYFoodieFamily@gmail.com)

Heaters Only:

3 Westerly: (Ossining) This restaurant serves modern American cuisine. They are open daily from 12 PM – 10 PM with outdoor dining. They have a 7 foot wind barrier around the perimeter of the patio and another 6 feet of clearance for natural air flow. Each table has its own heater and they provide blankets for guests as well.

25 North: (Mamaroneck) The outdoor dining patio at this Italian restaurant is open until December 24th.

105 Twenty Bar & Grill: (Croton on Hudson) 105 Twenty Bar & Grill has heaters for outdoor dining.

Bar Taco: (Port Chester) This taco restaurant offers outdoor dining with heaters and has fleece blankets for guests.

Bridgeview Tavern: (Sleepy Hollow) Bridgeview Tavern serves microbrews and American cuisine. They have a heated beer garden for outdoor dining.

Cantina Lobos: (Pelham) This Mexican restaurant has outdoor dining with heaters.

The Dog Den: (White Plains) This hot dog joint has both outdoor heaters and a fire pit to keep you warm while you eat outside. If you want to eat in your car, they also have drive-in dining. Place your order from your car and they will bring your food out to you.

Fortina: (Rye Brook) Fortina is an Italian restaurant with three locations in Westchester County. The Rye Brook restaurant has an outdoor dining patio with heat lamps.

Fortina: (Yonkers) Fortina’s Yonkers location has an outdoor patio with heaters as well as garden dining with heat lamps.

Hudson Social (Dobbs Ferry) Hudson Social has heaters and firepits for outdoor dining.

L’inizio (Ardsley) This Italian restaurant has an outdoor eating area with heated lamps.

Lusardi’s: (Larchmont) This upscale Mediterranean restaurant has several tables outside with lots of heaters.

Nadine’s (Yorktown Heights) This Austrian/French/German restaurant has a heated outdoor beer garden. Reservations are highly recommended.

North Street Tavern: (White Plains) The North Street Tavern has an outdoor dining area with lots of heaters.

Peekskill Brewery: (Peekskill) The Peekskill Brewery has heaters in its outdoor dining space. They have several new menu items including vegan options.

Sam’s of Gedney Way: (White Plains) Sam’s of Gedney Way has a covered, heated patio available for outdoor dining. They socially distance parties and limit outdoor dining to approximately 24 guests.

The Tap House: (Tuckahoe) The Tap House is a gastro-pub that serves modern American fare. They have 10 tables outside with heat lamps.

Igloos & Greenhouses:

Augie’s Italian Restaurant: (Larchmont) Augie’s has, “private enchanted moonlight villas.” Each heated villa holds up to six guests and visits are limited to 90 minutes. Reservations are highly recommended, as they are very popular. The villas are aired and sanitized between parties.

Photo c/o Billy & Pete’s Social

Billy & Pete’s Social: (Larchmont) Billy & Pete’s has four outdoor igloos. After every use, their igloos are sanitized with a medical-grade sanitizer. Each igloo has four points of airflow for a cross ventilation system.

La La Taqueria: (Larchmont) This Mexican restaurant has five heated igloos that seat six. Each igloo is disinfected between guests and there is a 30 minute wait time between seatings to allow the structures to air out. Doors and vents of the igloo are kept open to allow for air flow.

Salsa Picante: (White Plains) This Mexican restaurant has several private igloos located on their rooftop. Each igloo seats a maximum of 8 guests. Reservations are required and have a maximum time limit of 2 hours. There is also a $50 minimum (food and drink) per person. Cancellations require 24 hour notice or a $50 no-show or same day cancellation fee is charged.

Tequila Sunrise: (Larchmont) This Mexican restaurant has 6 private igloos that can seat up to a party of 7. Each igloo is heated and has air vents to keep fresh air flowing. The igloos are completely sanitized between parties.

Tipsy Taco Bar: (Mount Kisco) This Mexican restaurant has five outdoor heated igloos.

Vela Kitchen: (Pleasantville) Vela Kitchen in Pleasantville has a couple of greenhouses for outdoor dining. They seat up to four guests and have a 90 minute dining limit.

Vintage 1891 Kitchen: (Larchmont) This restaurant serves contemporary American cuisine. They have greenhouses that can seat a party of up to 6 guests.

Heated Tents and/or Heated Enclosed Patios:

Argana Restaurant & Bar: (Port Chester) This Moroccan restaurant has an outdoor heated Sultan Tent.

Augie’s Prime Cut: (Mohegan Lake) This steakhouse has a large heated tent on its outdoor patio. Check their Instagram page, as they frequently announce 50% off menu items for outdoor tent dining only.

Benjamin Steakhouse: (White Plains) This steakhouse has a covered, heated patio that has windows and openings for ventilation.

The Brazen Fox: (White Plains) The Brazen Fox has an outdoor heated tent that is open every day.

Buon Amici: (White Plains) This Italian restaurant has an enclosed heated tent in their rear lot. The tent can accommodate approximately 65 guests and tables are socially distant apart.

Chat: (Scarsdale) Chat American Grill has an enclosed heated patio for outdoor dining.

Divino Cucina Italiana (Hastings-on-Hudson) This Italian restaurant has a heated covered patio. They leave one side of the tent open to allow air flow.

Donjito: (Mamaroneck) This Latin restaurant has a heated, covered outdoor patio.

Dubrovnik Restaurant: (New Rochelle) This Croatian restaurant has a heated enclosed patio with a retractable awning and sides.

Fortina: (Armonk) Fortina’s Armonk location has an outdoor heated tent as well as a patio with heat lamps.

Gigante: (Eastchester) This Italian restaurant has two heated outdoor patios, one which is tented.

Goosefeather: (Tarrytown) Dale Talde’s modern Chinese restaurant has a partially enclosed tent on their back patio. Two sides of the tent are kept semi-open to allow for air flow. There are eleven tables in the 20×30 foot space with 9 heaters.

Magno’s Grill: (New Rochelle) This Argentinian and Italian restaurant has a heated, ventilated tent for outdoor dining.

Moderne Barn: (Armonk) Moderne Barn has a large heated tent available for both lunch and dinner service. They also have 3 outdoor tables with heaters. Guests must call to reserve one of these tables.

Pasquale Restaurant: (Port Chester) This Italian restaurant has a large heated tent for outdoor dining.

Purdy’s Farmer and the Fish: (North Salem) This seafood restaurant has heated outdoor tents for dining as well as fire pits.

Quenas Restaurant: (Harrison) This Peruvian restaurant has a large heated tent for outdoor dining with plenty of space between tables. They also offer ponchos for guests to use if chilly.

Rye Roadhouse: (Rye) Rye Roadhouse serves Cajun and Creole cuisine. They currently have an outdoor heated tent. Once the weather gets a little warmer, they will expand their outdoor dining with pyramid heaters.

Tredici North: (Purchase) This Italian restaurant has a heated tent that is partially open for ventilation.

Underhills Crossing: (Bronxville) This French restaurant has a large outdoor heated tent for dining.

You may also enjoy reading:

December Events in Westchester County.

Hudson Valley Holiday Events Guide.

December Events in Westchester County

Posted on November 23, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Here is your December Events in Westchester County (and the surrounding area). Hope you enjoy a month filled with fun! Check back as we continue to update this post. Looking for holiday events? Check out our Hudson Valley Holiday Events Guide!

Comedy:

Levity Live (Palisade Center – West Nyack) Enjoy a comedy show at Levity Live in December. Upcoming shows include Craig Shoemaker (Dec. 2-4), Steve-O: The Bucket List Tour (Dec. 6), Corey Holcomb (Dec. 9-11) and more. Check the site for the full line up!

Date Night/Girls Night Out:

Bedford Playhouse Christmas Vacation Movie Viewing and Ugly Sweater Sing Along (Bedford) December 4: 7:30 PM, watch a screening of Christmas Vacation on the big screen. Then enjoy a cocktail and an ugly sweater contest and sing along.

Holiday Paint & Sip (Larchmont) December 7: 6-9 PM, MADE art studio and Vintage 1891 Kitchen are hosting a holiday paint and sip event. Enjoy an evening of food and drinks while painting from a selection of ornaments, holiday gifts and more.

Ring in the Holidays Adult Night at Croton Corners (Croton on Hudson) December 9: 8 PM, $30/person includes a glass of wine, 2 drinks of choice from the soda bar, hors d’oeurves and unlimited arcade access at Croton Corners.

Wood & Fire Get Ugly Party (Pleasantville) December 16: Put on your ugliest sweater for Wood & Fire’s Ugly Sweater party. $500 cash prize for the ugliest sweater! Music starts at 9 PM.

Imagine VR Studios Karaoke Night (Yorktown Heights) December 18: free entry, 8-11 PM, enjoy a night of karaoke at Imagine VR Studios inside the Jefferson Valley mall

Eat & Drink:

Taste of Westchester Cooking Demo Classes (restaurants throughout Westchester County) enjoy cooking demos from local chefs and then sample their creations. November classes include: Wood & Fire (Dec. 1), Zwilling J.A. Henckels Cooking Studio (Dec. 7), Sawmill Tavern (Dec. 8).

Clock Tower Grill Big Game Dinner (Brewster) December 8: 7 PM, enjoy a five-course exotic dinner for $65

Fairs & Festivals:

Westchester’s Winter Wonderland (Valhalla) November 26, 2021 – January 2, 2022: Experience this 1.2 mile drive-thru light extravaganza. Tickets: $25/off peak, $35/peak (per vehicle)

Kids:

Virtual Reality Teen Night (Yorktown Heights) December 10: 6 PM – 8 PM, ages 9-15, teens enjoy unlimited play and access to all standard and premium VR experiences on the VR stations and VR Simulators. Ticket price includes a voucher for pizza and water. $30/ticket

Live Music & Performances:

Concerts at Bethel Woods (Bethel) A little further to travel but some great musicians worth checking out play here. In December you can see: Eileen Ivers: A Joyful Christmas (Dec. 2) Young People’s Chorus of New York (Dec. 5) Gordon Lightfoot (Dec. 11 & 12), The Klezmatics (Dec. 19)

Capitol Theatre (Port Chester) December’s lineup includes: Chris Isaak (Dec. 1), Hot Tuna Acoustic and Electric (Dec. 4), moe (Dec. 10 & 11) *Check the site for the full lineup.

Emelin Theatre (Mamaroneck) December’s lineup includes Liberty Comedy (Dec. 3) and The Gibson Brothers (Dec. 10) *Check the site for the full lineup

Paramount Hudson Valley (Peekskill) Music is back at the Paramount. December’s lineup includes: Yellow Brick Road : A Tribute to Elton John (Dec. 3) and Beatles v. Stones: A Musical Showdown (Dec. 4) *Check the site for the full lineup

Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown) December’s lineup includes: Richard Thompson (Dec. 3)and Martin Sexton and KT Tunstall (Dec. 11) *Check the site for the full lineup

Shopping:

6th Annual the TASH Holiday Market (Patriots Park – Tarrytown) December 4: 2 PM – 5:30 PM. Stay to view the Village of Tarrytown Tree Lighting Ceremony

White Plains Holiday Market: (White Plains) December 5 – December 19: This holiday market will be held on Court Street between Martine Ave. and Main Street. Over 55 vendors and artisans will be selling their wares in individual walled sheds.

Holiday Pop Up Shop at the Jefferson Valley Mall (Yorktown Heights) December 11: The Jefferson Valley Mall and Westchester Blogger present over 20 holiday vendors for you to shop at. 12 PM – 6 PM.

You may also enjoy:

Hudson Valley Holiday Events Guide

5 Family-Friendly Hudson Valley Loop Hikes

Winter Outdoor Dining in Westchester County

Five on Friday {11-19-21}

Posted on November 19, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Hello Friday! Today is a special one because it’s my husband’s birthday! We have a fun and busy weekend planned! Here are five from this week:

1.Fall Hike – Saturday my husband and I visited Nyack Beach State Park, a new to us state park. Fall was in full effect!

2. Reading – This week I finished Always in December. This was my first holidayish read. It was a good book, but not a light and fluffy holiday read.

3. Cooking – This week some of our favorite dinners included this Apple Cider Caramelized Onion and Brie Grilled Cheese.

And this Creamed Spinach Gnocchi Bake. I omitted the toasted pine nuts and it was still delicious!

Alexia Landeau, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Jones, Julie Delpy in 'On The Verge' — *Photo Credit: NETFLIX / CANAL*

4. Watching – I finally finished watching Maid on Netflix. And I’ve started watching On the Verge, also on Netflix.

5. Dining Out – My husband and I had lunch at The Greekish Nyack after our hike. This Spanish Octopus was tasty!

6. Christmas Cards –last weekend we took our Christmas card pictures! I even ordered them last night. This is the earliest that I can remember having them ready!

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Five on Friday {11-12-21}

Posted on November 12, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy weekend! The days are just flying by. It was nice to have the day off yesterday for Veteran’s Day and I’m ready for the weekend! Here are five from this week:

1. Kids Update – The kids have been busy! Last weekend my son was in Saratoga with his Boy Scout troop. Yesterday he attended our town’s Veteran’s Day ceremony and then did road clean up. He also has stage crew and jazz band.

Tuesday night our daughter went to a special performance of The Radio City Holiday Spectacular with her boyfriend and his family. She also finished up a Red Cross babysitting class and babysat for the first time yesterday. She’s super excited to start working and earning her own money.

Sadly, most of my husband’s and my time is spent planning our schedules around chauffeuring our kids to and from their activities!

2. Reading – This week I finished reading a Netgalley ARC of The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward. It will be published in April 2022. I didn’t really enjoy it and I’m not sure if my ARC wasn’t complete, but I found the ending to be very abrupt.

3. Cooking – This week I made Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Zucchini Soup with No-Knead Bread.

I also made Nourish Bowls that my husband claimed could rival any restaurant bowl.

Margaret Qualley and Rylea Nevaeh Whittet in Maid — *Photo Credit: Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix*

4. Watching – I’m almost done watching Maid on Netflix, which is based on a non-fiction book. The show is good….just very depressing.

I also watched Passing yesterday on Netflix. I read the book last week, which is the first of the Netflix book club. The show followed the book fairly closely.

5. Baking – Besides the no-knead bread we had with dinner this week, I also made blueberry muffins. I just left off the crumb topping that the original recipe called for.

6. Eating – We love The Hummus and Pita Company in Brookfield, CT. We stopped for lunch after shopping last weekend. We shared this bowl, a falafel laffa (that was humongous, but not photogenic!) and fries.

We also got lunch from Brooklyn Organic Kitchen for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. They are a restaurant in Mahopac that makes all their dishes either vegan OR traditional. This is a picture of their take on a short rib dip.

7. Drinking – STASH kindly sent me a variety of teas to try. So far, I’ve made a big pitcher of cranberry pomegranate iced tea. I have a bunch of other tea drinks that I’m looking forward to making.

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I shared my October Reads.

Thursday I shared an updated post on Hudson Valley Holiday Events.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Hudson Valley Holiday Events Guide

Posted on November 11, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

The lights, the music and of course Santa Claus! While we are still not quite back to “normal”, more holiday events are taking place this year throughout the Hudson Valley. Check out our Hudson Valley Holiday Events Guide for all the info! Tickets are going fast for some of these events so reserve yours now!
As always, please check directly with the venue for the most up-to-date information.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On Stage (Chappaqua) Enjoy a liver performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. The show is 90 minutes including intermission. Stay for a sing-along with the cast after the show.
Dates: Select dates and times December 3 – December 19
Tickets: start at $25

A Christmas Carol at the White Plains Performing Arts Center (White Plains) A holiday show the entire family will enjoy. See the musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic.
Dates: Selected dates December 3 – 30, 2 PM and 7 PM
Tickets: $39 – $61

A Frosty Fest: (Ulster Park) Attractions include a new for 2021 choreographed light show, a drive through Frosty’s Enchanted Forest, an outdoor photo with Santa, a walk through Frosty’s Adventure, “Jingle the Elf” stage show and more.
Dates: Weekends only (Friday-Sunday) November 26 – December 19
Tickets/Price: $18.95/adult + service charge and tax, $14.95/child (under 12) + service charge and tax, Free/children under 12 months
*advance ticket purchases are highly recommended

Boscobel Twilight Tours (Cold Spring) Enjoy a tour of the mansion, decorated for the holidays. After the tour walk the grounds that are decorated with lights. Tours are approximately 45 minutes and are limited to 10 guests
Dates: Fridays and Saturdays November 26 – December 18, 4 PM – 7 PM
Tickets: $25/adults, $15/children (5-18), Free/children under 5, discounted tickets for members

Grand Holiday Illuminations at Untermyer Park & Gardens: (Yonkers) This annual holiday light show will take place at Untermyer Park & Gardens.
Dates: December 10 – January 2, 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Tickets/Price: Free, no tickets required

Holiday on the Hill at Lasdon Park and Arboretum: (Katonah) Enjoy the annual Holiday on the Hill exhibit and train show at Lasdon Park and Arboretum. The show has been expanded to include an outdoor display. Santa will be in his Holiday Cottage for visits. Tickets $10/child, $20/adult
Dates: November 27 – December 31, Thursday through Sunday

39a623e0om julie larsen maher 2159 holiday lights in snow bz 12 03 19 hy 1 — *Photo Credit: Bronx Zoo*

Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo: (Bronx)
Enjoy five lantern safaris throughout the park, ice-carving demonstrations, costumed characters and more.
Dates: Select dates November 19 – January 9
Tickets/Price: $39.95/Adult (Age 13+), $24.95/Child (Ages 3-12), $34.95/Senior (Age 65+), $17/Parking

Holiday Tea Musicale at Caramoor: Listen to live music. Then enjoy a tea service in the Music Room at Rosen House that includes tea sandwiches and holiday treats.
Dates: December 16, 17, 18, 19, concert starts at 1 PM, tea service at 2:15 PM
Tickets/Price: $65

Holiday Train Show at NYBG: (Bronx)
The New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show is back for its 30th year. Advance tickets are recommended.
Dates: November 20, 2021 – January 23, 2022
Tickets: $32/adult, $30/seniors (65+), $18/children (2-12)

Hommocks Park Ice Rink Skate with Santa (Mamaroneck) Enjoy an afternoon of ice skating with Santa and his friends!
Date: December 12th, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Admission: $10/adults (12+), $9/child, skate rentals: $5

Kevin McCurdy’s Holiday Spirit Festival: (Wappingers Falls)
This year the Holiday Spirit Festival will be an all outdoor event. Enjoy the Winter Wonderland Walk through a North Pole village, train exhibit, Santa’s Reindeer Barn, holiday entertainment, characters and more.
Dates: Weekends Only (Friday-Sunday) November 26 – December 19 and December 22 and 23, Fridays 6 PM – 9 PM, Saturdays 4:30 PM – 9:00 PM, Sundays 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Tickets/Price: Adults: $16.95 plus online fees and NYS sales tax, children: $13.95 plus online fees and NYS sales tax
Advanced ticket reservations required

LUMAGICA Light Show at Harvest Moon (North Salem) Enjoy a walking tour of illuminated animal structures and decorations through the apple orchards at Harvest Moon
Dates: Weekends only (Friday – Sunday) November 26 – December 12, then everyday December 17 – 23 and December 26-December 30.
Tickets: $31/adults, $28/child (ages 3-12)
*Tickets are for timed entry

Muscoot Farm Night Tours (Katonah) See the farm decorated for the holidays and enjoy some treats.
Dates: December 4, 5 and December 11, 12, 18
Price: $20/family, registration required

NYBG GLOW: (Bronx)
GLOW is an evening, outdoor illuminated experience at the New York Botanical Garden. During your visit you can also enjoy ice carving displays, dancers, musicians and other outdoor fun.
Dates: November 24, 26, & 27 December 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, January 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22
5 PM – 10 PM
Tickets/Price: $35/adults, $20/children (2-12), Free/children under 2
Get a discounted combined ticket with the NYBG Train Show $49/adult, $34/child

The Octagon House: Victorian Christmas Tour (Irvington) Enjoy a Victorian Christmas tour of the Armour-Stiner Octagon House. The eight-sided home will be decorated for the holidays. Tours are approximately 1 hour and recommended for ages 7+. Parking is free but limited. Masks must be worn during the tour.
Dates: Fridays – Mondays, November 12 – December 30 Tours are at: 10 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:30 PM and 4 PM
Tickets: $29/adults, $26 (youth ages 7-17)

Peace, Love, Lights: Drive-Thru Holiday Lights Experience at Bethel Woods: (Swan Lake) Enjoy an over one mile drive-thru holiday illuminated experience from the warmth of your car.
Dates: November 19, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Sunday – Thursday 5 PM – 9 PM, Friday & Saturday 5 PM – 10 PM
Tickets/Price: $28.75/car (with fees)

While you are at Bethel Woods, you can also enjoy Dinner with Santa before or after your drive-thru experience.
Dates: December 3- December 18, 5 PM – 8 PM
Price: $50/adult, $25/child

Pop-up Ice Skating Rink at the Cross County Center: (Yonkers) The Cross County Center has a Pop-Up Ice Skating rink. It’s located at Center Court near the Christmas tree. Admission: $10 for a one hour session and includes skates. Debit/credit only – no cash.

Santacon at The Valley (Yorktown Heights) Dress up in a Santa suit or an ugly Christmas sweater and enjoy a bar crawl around the mall. There will be activities for kids along the way, drink specials, Best Santa contest and more.
Date: December 11, 2 PM – 6 PM
Free to participate – food and drink sold separately

Westchester’s Winter Wonderland: (Valhalla) Enjoy Westchester’s Winter Wonderland drive-thru Holiday Light Extravaganza. Enjoy a 1.2-mile illuminated drive from the warmth of your car.

Dates: Open every night November 26, 2021 – January 2, 2022 (except December 24 and December 25)
Tickets/Price: $25/car off-peak, $35/car peak, large passenger vans/limos additional fee

White Plains Holiday Market: (White Plains)
This holiday market will be held on Court Street between Martine Ave. and Main Street. Over 55 vendors and artisans will be selling their wares in individual walled sheds.
Dates: December 5 – December 19

The Wonderland of Lights (Rhinebeck) Taking place at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds, enjoy this drive through holiday light experience.
Dates: November 25 – December 26, 2021
Tickets: $25/car

Photos with Santa:

Cross County Shopping Center: (Yonkers) Santa will be available for photos and visits in his workshop. Reservations are recommended but not required.

Jefferson Valley Mall: (Yorktown Heights) Reservations are strongly recommended. Santa and his helpers will be wearing masks and guests are required to wear masks as well.
Dates: November 27 – December 24

Welcome Santa on November 27 at 9:30 AM and enjoy breakfast with him. There will be arts and crafts, “Letter’s to Santa” writing opportunities, special guest appearances from costumed characters, Holiday Bounce House and more.

The Westchester: (White Plains) Reservations are strongly recommended. Santa and his helpers will be wearing masks and guests are required to wear masks as well.
Dates: November 12 – December 24

Enjoy pet photos with Santa on November 21, November 28 and December 5 from 7-8 PM

October Reads {2021}

Posted on November 9, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

*This post contains affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for additional info.*

Another month, another book review post. I read a surprisingly higher number of books than usual in October, with a total of seven books read. Unfortunately, they weren’t all great reads. Here are my October reads, which I’m sharing with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.

3 stars

Brunch and Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent (Contemporary Fiction, May 2020) When Molly dies, she leaves a request that her three friends (who are not friends with each other) meet up for brunch, once a month for a year. She also leaves them each an inexplicable gift. Although the friends seem to have nothing in common with each other, they follow through on their friend’s request. Through the process they learn that Molly may have known what was best for them after all. This was an okay book about female friendship that was fairly predictable.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (Contemporary Fiction, July 2021) After having sex with her best friend since childhood, Elle must decide if she is going to stay with her husband and three children or leave to be with him. The main storyline takes place over 24 hours with flashbacks to show how Elle’s life has evolved to the present. I read this book because it was a Reese’s Book Club Pick and she usually chooses books that I enjoy. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of the books that I loved. I found it to be slow and the ending confusing.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth (c/o Netgalley) (mystery/thriller, April 2022) The story opens with a wedding, where a tragic event takes place. Rachel and Tully’s mother is in a nursing home with dementia. Their father is dating and soon engaged to a much younger woman. Each of the women have their own struggles that they are secretly hiding. Each of their stories brings light on the surprising conclusion. I have been a huge Hepworth fan. This was an engrossing, fast-paced read. However, I just didn’t love this one though as much as her others.

4 stars

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (memoir, April 2021) At the age of 25, Michelle learns her mother has terminal cancer. Although they didn’t always have the best relationship, they always connected through their shared love of food. Faced with losing this part of her Korean American identity, Zauner learns to cook some of the traditional dishes she grew up eating with her mother. I heard about this book after hearing Zauner on a couple of different food podcasts talking about her memoir and Korean food. I haven’t read a memoir in a long time and this was a good one.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (mystery/thriller, May 2021) Hannah’s husband disappears, leaving her a note to protect his sixteen-year-old daughter. When the FBI start investigating her husband’s disappearance, she realizes that she didn’t really know him. This was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that more mystery than thriller.

Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking by Maangchi and Lauren Chattman (Cookbook, May 2015) I’m counting reading Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking as a book towards my goodreads reading goal because I did read this cover to cover. I am looking to learn how to cook Korean food and this is where I started. I know Maangchi has a big YouTube following and I’ll likely check out her videos. I just find cooking with a printed recipe easier. I wish she had cooking times listed with the recipes. Plus, most of the recipes in this cookbook were meat-based. So far, I’ve only tried one banchan vegetable side dish and it didn’t turn out great. But there are a couple of more recipes I hope to try out before it’s due back to the library.

The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms (Fiction, July 2021) Two neighbors, one a working mom, the other a stay-at-home mom end up waking up in each other’s bodies and get to see how the other mom lives. This was a good look at “the mommy wars” and how we all are just doing the best that we can. I’ve enjoyed all of the books by Harms that I’ve read, including this one.

Five on Friday {11-5-21}

Posted on November 5, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday! This week has been a long and busy one. I’ve been so tired all week and am looking forward to that extra hour of sleep on Sunday for day light savings. This weekend my son is heading to Saratoga with his Boy Scout troop. Here are five from this week:

1. Halloween – The kids both had parties Saturday and slept over friends’ houses. Sunday I took my son trick or treating with his friends to some townhouses near us. One of these cows is him! My daughter had some friends over and they went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and then watched a scary movie.

2. Reading – This week I finished reading The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowely Heller. This is a Reese’s Book Club pick so I thought I’d give it a try. It was a bit slow for me with unlikable characters. Overall, I didn’t think it was a great read.

3. Cooking – Dinners this week included Skillet Ricotta Pasta with Roasted Broccoli and Instant Pot Cauliflower Curry.

4. Watching – My son is one of the stage managers for his middle school production of High School Musical. Since none of us had seen it I got a copy from the library so he could become familiar with the show he’s working on.

5. Eating – This week my husband and I had a rare weeknight date at Maria Restaurant. This is a 2020 and 2021 Michelin Bib Gourmand winner and rightfully so. The food is always so good but this Wild Mushroom Ravioli was amazing!

6. HVRW – Wednesday night I attended a media dinner for Hudson Valley Restaurant week at Terrapin in Rhinebeck. This is such a beautiful restaurant and has been on my want-to-try list for awhile now. This I enjoyed this morel and wild mushroom bisque. I have to go back during the day though to explore the town.

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I posted about Badageoni Georgian Kitchen in Mount Kisco.

Check out how I make our family's weekly meal plan.

Thursday I shared an updated post on my meal planning process.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

A Peek Inside our Meal Planning Process {Updated}

Posted on November 4, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Meal planning is crucial in making our week run smoothly. It’s so nice to come home from work knowing what we will be having for dinner. It also helps us plan accordingly on busy nights when my husband and I can delegate who is going to cook. Meal planning keeps our food budget in check, since there are rarely last minute trips to the grocery store for “a few items” or multiple nights of takeout. There are many ways to meal plan and there is no one tried and true method. You really have to figure out what works best for your family. I am showing you how I create our weekly meal plan which will hopefully give you some tips and inspiration.

1. The Calendar: You can find fancy, online printable menus if that will help motivate you or you like things to look pretty. For meal planning, I do not go the fancy route. As seen above, I use the back of a piece of scrap paper and set up a monthly calendar. I plan our menus weekly and write the meals in pencil, so I can erase and move things around if needed. It’s a constant work-in-progress with lots of erasing and moving things around.

2. The Day: Deciding what day you want your meal plan to start on is up to you and your schedule. We do our weekly grocery shopping at Shoprite. The new sale circular begins on Sundays, so over the weekend I write out the menu and make the grocery list. Then Sunday mornings, my husband and I do the shopping together.

3. Time: Meal planning does take a little bit of time. Especially in the beginning if you have never done it before. One you’ve built up a library of recipes your family enjoys it will become much quicker to rotate those meals. It takes me a little bit longer, because I rarely, if ever make the same recipe twice. It takes some time for me to go through my recipe resources (see below) and pick out the new recipes I want to make for the week. However, my new routine is to get up early on Saturday morning, make myself a cup of coffee and sit on the couch watching a show while I work on the weekly meal plan. This past weekend, I was super productive and got most of November’s meal plan completed!

4. The Planning: If you are new to meal planning, it might be easier to start with some recipes that you know your family eats and enjoys and maybe aim for one new recipe a week. I recommend you use your grocery store circular to start your planning. If chicken is on sale this week, I recommend making at least one chicken dish and buying some extra chicken that you can freeze for the future. Some people prefer to have a themed dinner for each day, like Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday. This helps in keeping a consistency to meal planning. Although my meal plan varies from week to week, we always have homemade pizza on Friday nights. Once I find a recipe that I decide I’m going to make, I write it in pencil on the calendar, along with the name of the source (blog name, magazine, website). Although I will have my five recipes for the week written in, I won’t necessarily make them in that order. When we eat each meal depends on factors like which dishes have produce that may spoil or how busy our schedules are. I will then write in each box, what day I actually plan on making that dish.

5. Grocery List: After the meal plan is made I write the grocery list. I go through each recipe I plan on making for the week and write down the ingredients that I need. I circle the recipe on the calendar to know that I made sure I had everything I needed for that recipe. I then go through the grocery store circular adding in all of the other items we need that week to the list. And that is my meal planning process!

Meal Planning Resources:

So, where can you find recipes? For starters, check out the resources right here on the blog! Although I stopped posting new ones, I have a page that includes 89 of our weekly menu plans and seven vegan meal plans that I have posted!

Food blogs have become my main source of dinner recipes. There are so many food blogs out there, ranging from family focused, quick and easy meals, to more involved recipe blogs. I subscribe to several food blogs and get new posts e-mailed to me. We are vegetarian and my main focus when meal planning is to find recipes that sound delicious but are quick and easy to make.

Here are a few food blogs that I use often and recommend:

Eats Well With Others – Joanne posts vegetarian recipes. I think I make at least one recipe of hers a week. She also posts a weekly meal plan post.

Half Baked Harvest, How Sweet Eats and Pinch of Yum are all great blogs with consistently good recipes. I’ve rarely made a recipe from these blogs that wasn’t delicious. Some of these recipes can be a bit involved or require a bunch of ingredients, so just review the recipe before deciding to make it. While their blogs are not strictly vegetarian, they all post a good number of recipes that are.

Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – My friend Ashley has been running her food blog since 2006! It is full of delicious recipes and a great resource if you’re not sure what to make!

For beginner cooks I also highly recommend the website allrecipes.com. You can search for recipes by a number of different factors, including ingredients or name. I’ve found most recipes that I’ve used from the site easy to make. It’s especially helpful since there are tons of ratings and reviews. If a recipe has lots of five star ratings, it’s probably going to be good.

Try cooking recipes from several different blogs. You will eventually find you like certain bloggers’ recipe choices, presentation, photographs, etc. over others. You don’t need to subscribe to all of them! I have two meal planning folders on my phone. One is titled “Vegetarian recipes” and anytime I see a recipe I want to make I bookmark it there. If I decide to make the recipe, I bookmark it in the “Cooking This Week” folder, so it’s easier to find when needed.

And don’t forget about Pinterest. There are millions of recipes posted on that site. Start creating boards of recipes that you see that interest you and you can refer to your board for inspiration when meal planning!

I’ve found that as much as I enjoy reading cookbooks, I don’t use them very often. Most recipes can easily be found online. If you have a favorite cookbook, I’d love some recommendations!

I hope this helps give you a better idea on how to meal plan, if this is new to you! Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section or e-mail me. I’d love to hear how others meal plan and am always looking for tips on how to make the process easier!

Badageoni Georgian Kitchen {Global Westchester}

Posted on November 2, 2021 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

If you have no idea where the country of Georgia is, welcome to the club. It took a Google search for me to discover that the country, approximately the size of South Carolina, is actually part of both Europe and Asia. Luckily, you don’t need to know any of this to thoroughly enjoy Badageoni in Mount Kisco.

Badageoni is the only Georgian restaurant in Westchester County. The 65-seat restaurant is owned by siblings Inga Duignan and Giga Jankarashvili. So what exactly is Georgian cuisine, you ask? Based on its geographic location, Georgian food is influenced by the Mediterranean, Turkey and the Middle East. However, after dining at Badageoni, I can say the food is like nothing I’ve eaten before.

What should you order?

Khachapuri is a Georgian cheese bread and Badageoni serves five different varieties. We opted for Adjaruli Khachapuri because it was the first one listed. We figured this would make it the most popular and perhaps the most traditional choice ($15). This “cheese boat” is stuffed with a hot river of cheese and can be topped with a sunny side egg, which we opted not to get. It is served blazing hot from the oven, finished with pats of butter. The server directed us to mix it all up before eating. In the family of cheesy bread, I would say its closest relative is the calzone.

Badageoni serves several cold plates, most of which are vegetarian. We opted for Pkhali Rolls, eggplant and sweet peppers stuffed with walnuts and Georgian spices and garnished with pomegranate seeds ($15). The 3 eggplant rolls and 4 stuffed peppers along with a piece of Georgian cornbread was perfect for two of us. However, I’d likely order another appetizer if there were additional diners with us.

Khinkali is the national dish of Georgia. We ordered the Potato Khinkali, potato dumplings served with fried onions and yogurt sauce ($16). It was terrific. Although, in hindsight, I wish I had ordered the basic Khinkali as it is the more traditional dish. It is the Georgian version of the soup dumpling and we generally like to order the most representative dish whenever possible.

You break the pastry crust with your spoon and inside is a piping hot crock of dumplings and onions in yogurt sauce. These potato dumplings are not filled and have a similar texture and taste to a soft gnocchi. The yogurt sauce is creamy with a slight tang.

The dessert menu is fairly limited with only four choices: ice cream, ice cream with meringue and caramel, napoleon or badageoni. The server noted that the badageoni is similar to a panna cotta, which sounded interesting. Plus, it’s named after the restaurant. However, when I debated between the napoleon or the badageoni, she recommended the napoleon. We went her expert opinion.

The napoleon ($14) was delicious. I haven’t had napoleon in ages! And the serving was large enough for sharing. My husband and I each had a generous piece and we still had half to bring home for the kids. Georgian desserts are traditionally nut and/or fruit based, so I was surprised not to find a more diverse selection of sweets.

Badageoni is a recipient of a Michelin Bib Gourmand. This award is given to restaurants that serve delicious food at reasonable prices. While my husband and I are vegetarians, there are a variety of meat dishes served here. From charcoal-grilled meats (Mtsvadi) to signature dishes like Chakapuli (slow-cooked lamb in white wine with tarragon, scallions and herbs) and Tabaka (fried crispy cornish hen) ,there is something for everyone. While vegetarians can find plenty to eat here, vegans have a more limited selection.

Fall and winter are a great time to visit this restaurant. Many of the dishes are heavy on bread, cheese and pastry, which are perfect comfort foods for cold, dark evenings!

The Details:

Badageoni Georgian Cuisine
website
26 East Main Street
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
(914) 864-1666

Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 12 PM – 9 PM
Friday – Sunday: 12 PM – 10 PM
Closed Wednesdays

Parking: Street parking in front of the restaurant and a municipal parking lot behind the restaurant (free parking on weekends)

Price: $$ (expect to pay around $100 for two people to dine, (appetizer, khachapuri, two entrees and dessert) not including drinks) Portions are large enough to share an appetizer and/or dessert.