Vega - Hartsdale, NY

This is our second post for Mexican cuisine on Munching Westchester. For me, the difference between good Mexican food and bad Mexican food is the freshness of the ingredients and the execution. Because, let's face it -- The dishes are usually pretty basic and the ingredients are very similar, so a bland dish will pretty much ruin the meal.

I visited Vega in Hartsdale with a group of five friends and when we stepped into the front door, we all kind of smirked because it had the atmosphere of a club. There was a good crowd, the decor was modern and the music was louder than usual for a restaurant. Overall, a pretty good vibe for a large group.

The menu was what is to be expected at any other Mexican restaurant. It pretty much had all the classics with no twists. For drinks I tried a Mexican brew, Negra Modelo, and the rest of my party got a combination of different margaritas and a mojito. All the drinks were good and the ingredients for the mojito were fresh.

We got the usual guacamole to start on and for dinner we tried the burrito, steak and chicken Mexican salads and I went with one of their quesadillas.

I could tell you how each plate was individually, but you could've looked at all the empty dishes and figured out that we all enjoyed our meals very much. Like I was saying before, you're not going to have too many out-of-the-ordinary dishes, so it all comes to taste. My quesadilla was piping hot when it was set in front of me. The chicken was well-seasoned and juicy, and everything tasted great, with a nice balance of hotness that went with the guac and pico de gallo on the plate. Even the side dishes of rice and beans were not overlooked and went well with the meal. (I only mention that because I find a lot of places don't put much effort in side dishes like rice and it comes out either overcooked or inedible). I tried some of the steak salad and the skirt steak was very tasty, as well. Everyone was very happy with their food at the end of the meal.

While the food was definitely better than average, the prices were also a little higher as well. While your average entree will cost about $15-$25, when you start adding in drinks, it could get pricey. For a party of six, our bill came to about $200.  Again, not terrible, but for Mexican food, some people might not want to open their change purse.

Overall, if you're looking for a nice Mexican spot, take a trip to Hartsdale and check out Vega.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Kibberia - Danbury, CT

Another Danbury spot, I guess I am the Fairfield County connection, haha.

Kibberia, located on Mill Plain Rd. on Danbury's west end is located in a small strip mall. Upon entering the atmosphere takes over. Striking colors reflecting the region in which the cuisine is based out of, beautiful landscape photography hangs from the walls in this clean new restaurant. The cuisine could be considered Arab, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, I just consider it fantastic.

If you don't know what Kibbeh are... you are missing out. (Not to be confused with kibble) Basically, they are fried little balls with STUFF inside of them. Good stuff... like ground beef, chicken, pumpkin, lentils, potatoes, etc. My dish was served with a nice side of tabbouleh (bright, fresh tasting salad made of parsley, tomato, lemon juice - very simple) also a healthy portion of fresh hummus and a pita. My only complaint is that the pita is a bit dry - not a big deal though.

This meal was delicious, incredibly filling and satisfying. Most people I have recommended this restaurant to have never tried anything resembling this type of cuisine. I was so stuffed afterwards but no regrets as always.

My rating 4.5 out of 5

Pho Vietnam - Danbury, CT

Tonight after a long day of cutting up trees that fell during the snow storm 2 weeks ago, I worked up quite a hunger. I decided to treat myself to a nice meal from one of my favorite restaurants in the area - Pho Vietnam.

If you have never had Vietnamese food, I strongly suggest it. Whenever I go here, I end up getting an assortment of appetizers and soup.

The appetizers in questions are as follows - fresh spring rolls, wrapped in rice paper with pork, shrimp, lettuce and mint. Crab wontons and Vietnamese egg rolls (nothing like Chinese eggrolls). I love this stuff, delicious finger food, not the healthiest but who cares. This assortment comes with three different dipping sauces, sweet, vinegary and sweet/spicy.. what these sauces are called I couldn't tell you, but I like the variety.

I also enjoyed a nice hot and sour soup. This soup is also nothing like it's Chinese counter part. The broth is delicious and complex tasting. Tons of veggies (sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli) shrimp and pineapple.

If you are ever in the area and want to try something a bit different I suggest you give this place a try, it is seriously delicious. I did not get it tonight, but I also recommend one of their Vermicelli noodle bowls, Lemongrass and Shrimp or Red Curry and Coconut Milk dishes.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Peekskill Brewery - Peekskill, NY

For last minute dinner plans, I decided to try out the Peekskill Brewery this week for some solid bar food and a solid beer. And PB fit the bill quite nicely.

The place itself, was a typical pub setup with a separate dining room for a more intimate setting. TVs had all the college basketball games on, and the service was friendly and quick.

The beer choices are great. It's a nice mix of local and seasonal beers from Captain Lawrence to Magic Hat (Burlington VT). I decided to try the Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold (awesome beer if you've never tried it), while my date chose to go with one of their red wines.

The menu is also an interesting mix between bar favorites (wings, mac & cheese balls, nachos, sliders, etc.) and other unique items that aren't typically found in your average pub menu (kale tart, chicken liver parfait, mussels, sardines & toast).

We ordered one of their cheese sampler boards for an appetizer, which consisted of a variety of different cheeses, toasted Italian bread, sliced apples and a small side of their homemade pickles. It was pretty tasty. None of the cheeses were unique or different, but you usually can't go wrong with cheese, bread, and homemade pickles!

My date chose the chef's salad for dinner, and it was pretty good. Again, nothing crazy or different, but solid and tasty. I chose their specialty PB burger. For this post and future posts, I should warn the readers: If there is a specialty burger, or if a place is known for its burgers, I'm a sucker. While it might not take much of an advanced pallet to review burgers, I'll try my best to break it down.

The burger was fresh, not frozen, smothered in grilled onions, mushrooms, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. It was served with homecut fries, coleslaw and another one of their homemade pickles.

For comparison, I'll compare this burger to a previous post, The Burger Joint. The chop meat was a higher grade, fries were much tastier (skins still on them) and all the toppings were stacked so high, it was almost like another meal.

All-in-all, the prices won't break your budget, the drink selection is deep, the food is solid and the service is good. I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for above-average pub food, or looking for a bar to crash for a game.


My Rating: 4 out of 5

Tenampa - Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY

Buenos Dias, Munching readers. Last night, I had a craving for Mexican and decided to check out Tenampa.

Cheers

My date and I walked into the restaurant around 8 and it was pretty much empty. There was one other couple sitting in the dining room when we were seated, and nobody came in while we were there, which I thought was pretty odd for a Thursday night. The first thing we checked out was the drink menu, and I'm not gonna lie, it had a very nice selection of mid-and-top-shelf tequilas.

We went with the standard - a margarita and some fresh guacamole to start with. This was the best part of the meal. The guac was freshly made at the table and my date gave two thumbs up to the margarita.

For the main course, I chose a combo meal that came with a taco, a chicken tamale and a cheese enchilada. She chose the California burrito, which was pretty much your standard chicken burrito with re-fried beans, cheese, salsa, etc.

Best part of the meal!

Our dishes were served within 10 minutes of ordering. While the service was speedy, I don't think our waitress said more than three words the entire meal.

I started by trying the taco first, and it was OK. The tamale and enchilada  were bland, dry and sub-par. I tried some of the California burrito, and it was good, but again, nothing spectacular. I've had many burritos from Chipotle that were much tastier and cheaper. I left most of my enchilada and tamale uneaten and went back to the guacamole until I was content.

When the waitress came back, she cleaned off the half-eaten plates without asking if we wanted anything wrapped up, and she scurried back to the kitchen and then to retrieve our check. Our check was around $60 without a tip, which isn't exactly cheap, considering the best part of the meal was the guacamole.

All-in-all, we probably could've had a better Mexican dinner with some pick-up from Taco Bell and making some guacamole at home. If you're looking for solid Mexican food, I'd have to advise you to pass on Tenampa. Lo siento.

My rating: 1.5 out of 5

Mima - Irvington, NY

This past Friday, I decided that after a long work week, it was time to kick back and pamper myself a little at a nice Italian restaurant. My partner in crime for the night suggested Mima, so we took a trip down to Irvington.

Just a fair warning - If you want to check out Mima, be sure to make a reservation. I called on my lunch break that Friday and reserved the last table left for 8:30. But trust me, it's well worth the two minutes it takes to make a reservation. You can smell the great food from about a half a block away.

Buffalo al forno with some vino

The menu isn't big, but we were still overwhelmed with what to order because it all looked great. They had a nice Italian wine selection, so we paced ourselves and started with our drink orders. We chose one of their mid-range red wines, Barbera d'Asti, and it was delicious - We had no problem polishing off the bottle by meal's end.

After about an hour or so going back or forth looking over their cheeses, cured meats and appetizers, we ordered some parmigiano reggiano and their bufala al forno, which is a bruschetta-type dish with toasted Italian bread, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, garlic and pesto.

Cheese with quince sauce

In the words of my dining partner, the appetizers were "to die." The cheese came with a sweet dipping sauce that was amazing. I had to ask what it was made of and, to my surprise, was a quince sauce. If you're like me and not up to date on your obscure fruits, a quince is related to the apple and pear family, and when it's concentrated down, goes perfectly with the cheese and breads they served it with.

For the main course, we both were craving pasta. I chose the gemelli. It was hand-made, fresh and topped off with panchetta, onions and an egg cracked on top. Overall, the dish was very tasty. I could see how some would think that the panchetta could overwhelm the dish, but I had no complaints. And any time I can have an egg included in my meal, I'm all for it. I had no problem finishing my dish.

She chose the whole weat pappardelle, served with wild boar ragu, zuchini and piave. This had a much sweeter taste and the zucchini worked well with the sauce and the whole wheat pasta.

We were stuffed by the time we finished our entrees and the bottle of wine, but managed to split their tiramasu for dessert. I'm a pretty rough critic when it comes to tiramasu, and after the first bite, it took a lot of restrain not to finish the entire piece before my partner could have a taste.

Overall, the meal was great. Depending on what you order and drink, dinner could get a little pricey at Mima, but at the same time, you're not going to feel ripped off. The portions are more-than-enough and the tastes are on point. A dinner for two will surely break the $100 mark, but I've had many meals that didn't come close to this one that cost about the same. I can surely say we'll be making another trip back to Mima to try one of their other entrees.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Holy Smoke - Mahopac, NY

After a hike at Ninham Mountain and a quick visit to Chang Yuen Buddhist Monastery in Kent, NY my friend and I decided to grab some lunch at Holy Smoke, a Southern style BBQ restaurant in Mahopac, NY. Not far off from where we were.

The location along Route 6N appears to be an old converted house/farm house. Big red building, can't miss it from the road. The inside matched the exterior, a rustic kind of feel, nothing fancy by any stretch.

Then came the food... we started off with some deep fried pickles, they came with a zesty ranch dressing. Did not disappoint! Next we decided on some Pulled Pork Sandwiches. The meat was smoked to perfection and the buns were great. My only gripe was there was not much, if any sauce on the sandwich. I proceeded to saturate my sandwich with their house made BBQ sauce. That did the trick.

Washed it all down with a nice glass of Brooklyn Brewery "The Concoction" - excellent beer. Oh, did I mention they have a huge 3 page craft beer list as well as one full page of Bourbon varieties? Incredible selection.

All in all, this place is a must if you are a fan of Southern BBQ. As a member of the team "Generation Swine" who hold the title for 2011 at the Westport Blues and BBQ festival, I know a thing or two about good BBQ!

My Rating: 4 out of 5

John's Restaurant / Pizzeria - Danbury, CT

It hit me early this morning, a seemingly insatiable craving for a chicken parmigania wedge/sandwich. After thinking about it all day, I made it happen and I had a particular place in mind.

That place is John's Restaurant / Pizzeria in Danbury, CT - it's located on Padanaram Road. The place is your typical strip mall pizzeria/Italian restaurant, however it is nice, clean and friendly overall. Place was packed around 6:15 PM on a Wednesday night, usually a good sign.

After a solid 10 minute wait, I had my sandwich in hand and began to dig into it. Now, chicken parm is something that I take seriously. Growing up it was my absolute favorite thing to eat. To this day I eat it almost any time I see it on a menu. The problem is, it never lives up to my Mother's. That won't stop me... now on to the review.

The sandwich itself is quite a mess as you can see. A very generous sized sandwich, bread was very crisp and a good compliment to the saucy catastrophe dwelling within it's confines. Taste wise, pretty pretty good! Great sauce, tons of garlic and a nice sweet taste. I despise overly bitter tomato sauce, this sauce was well made luckily. Gobs and gobs of Mozzarella cheese is par for the course on a chicken parm sandwich, normally I would say you can never have enough but I think they are pushing it a little bit.

All in all a very good sandwich, I would return and perhaps try something different. They offer various types of Italian sandwiches, pizza, pasta and your other typical Italian restaurant offerings. I would certainly recommend this restaurant for a lunch or take out dinner. Next time maybe sausage parmigania, who knows?

You are probably thinking, "well, did he finish it?" You bet your sweet little tush I did. I destroyed that thing!

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

The Burger Joint - Mount Kisco, NY

For the first post of Munching Westchester, I figure it would only be right to review a staple in American food culture - the hamburger. Lucky for me a new spot opened up close to the office on South Moger Avenue in Mount Kisco.

Nom-nom-nom-nom

From looking at their website, I saw it was a chain, so it hedged my expectations a little. Then I saw the trendy "BGR" sign and thought, "Sweet. Another high-priced burger spot that gives you mediocre burgers, soggy french fries and a staff full of annoying hipsters." I apologize, Burger Joint....you proved me wrong.

The menu has some decent range, offering a lot more than just a burger with a list of toppings and sides. Some of the other burger varieties were: cuban burger, greek burger, veggie burger, ahi tuna burger, a southwestern burger, a seasonal lobster burger and a nine pound, $80 burger, appropriately named The 9 Pounder (which I believe was on Man vs. Food).

They also featured a few different variety of fries, thick-cut onion rings and fried asparagus (looked pretty good from the one person I saw who actually ordered it).

I chose to get the burger topped with cheese and their "rosemary infused applewood bacon" with fries. They ask you if you want "the works" when you order, and that includes; lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and "Mojo" sauce (similar to the typical sauce you'd find on a Big Mac). The price was OK, clocking in at $10 and change for the burger, fries and a drink (bacon and cheese are extra).

From the pic, you can see that the burger is pretty decent in size. It was cooked perfectly and the bacon was way thicker, crunchier and tastier than the limp bacon you find getting slapped on your burger at other spots.

Simply put: The burger was damn good. The fries were crispy and not over-salted, and the tomatoes were actually ripe and fresh.

Just looking around, all the other burgers looked pretty good, also. And just from the orders getting barked out by the line cooks, the shakes seem to be a top seller.

One important thing to note - especially if you stop in on a lunch break and don't want to get bogged down the rest of the day - the meal wasn't nearly as greasy as I expected. Between the plate and the food, there was a thin sheet of paper that would usually be soaking up all the filthy goodness. By the end of the meal, there were only a few spots where you could see grease actually set in, and overall, the meal didn't kill productivity the rest of the afternoon. This is a change from other spots, like Five Guys, where a take-out bag almost falls apart when you walk out of the door after they dump 8 lbs of fries in.

This is definitely a good spot to swing by on a lunch break or take a short drive to if you're craving a quick and tasty burger. Not necessarily something to travel for, but good nonetheless.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5