Because of the Yanks-Phillies World Series that starts tonight, lots of media (and the mayors) have been doing cheesesteak-cheesecake wagers. I’m glad that for our challenge, we stuck with what really is truly New York: pizza!

So if you read the article in today’s paper — here a link right here — you’ll know that I’ve [...]

Good afternoon and happy Monday. I’ve been busy trying to pull together the Philly v. New York food article for Wednesday, so I’m just now getting to the blog. Apologies to all — and look for a post soon. I’m hoping for your involvement in the battle between cheesesteaks and pizzas!

Speaking of pizzas, I made [...]

In the same vein of the Philly v. New York battle that I’m putting together for the food section, my husband and I often have Iron Pizza Chef battles in our own kitchen. We make two pizzas with different toppings and vie for whose came out best. You may remember a battle on the grill [...]

If you follow me on Twitter — it’s Twitter.com/small_bites — you know I was at Melt for lunch yesterday. We got three sandwiches. All were deliciously greasy:

From left to right: Kansas City pastrami with the “bbq”; Smoked brisket with “the mushroom”; and Rosemary pork with the Cuban”.

All that and a bag of chips.

The 411 on [...]

The thing about Wasabi Grill: I’ve been there before, and the salmon belly is so good it haunts me. So even though I was tempted by the more “lunchy” things, like a grilled tuna sandwich that looked really delicious, I couldn’t not get the salmon belly. I was trapped:

Help me plan the food section. On the chance that the Yanks take one out of the next three and head to the series, we’re planing a Philly v. New York menu.

Think about it. If all goes as planned, on Sunday, Nov. 1, the Eagles play the Giants at 4 and the Phillies play the [...]

It’s fall and my husband keeps buying apples. This easy recipe for a beautiful tart — from David Tanis’ “A Platter of Figs” — was a great way to use them.

I love the recipe for two reasons. One, it looks so fancy but it’s actually really easy to make. And also because the pastry is [...]

From an email newsletter:
Ciao Tutti,
With the arrival of cold weather, the falling of leaves and Thanksgiving right around the corner, Zuppa is warming things up!  Our kitchen has been producing some really great dishes lately and I have been adding some awesome cold weather wines.  Check out this packed schedule of things happening between late [...]

I dropped by Drop By Gourmet during my time on jury duty in New City this month. It was busy, busy, busy. I ordered the egg salad and dill with Spanish olives, pimento and watercress on marble rye bread. The sandwich was a revelation. The bread was soft and fresh. The pimento were sweet but [...]

Flying Pig on Lexington is holding a farm-tasting dinner on Wednesday the 28th. All the info, from a press release:
Healthy, local, gourmet food and education come together on Wednesday night, October 28th at the Flying Pig on Lexington in Mount Kisco, New York. The restaurant will be featuring a 12 course tasting prepared by sous [...]

The Post Road Ale House, a new American tavern on Hugenot Street in New Rochelle with high ceilings, cherrywood floors and a 25-seat bar, will open Saturday wtih an open house. It will begin serving a regular menu on Sunday.

The owner and chef is Brian MacMenamin, formerly the owner of MacMenamin’s Grill in New Rochelle [...]

Altamura, the restaurant that was supposed to open in the former Via Quadronno space in White Plains, is not going to be operated by Louis Cappelli.

A quote from Geoff Thompson, the spokesman:
After a thorough examination of a wide range of options for the space including creating its own new restaurant, Altamura, Cappelli Enterprises has concluded [...]

Good morning and happy Monday. Even though there wasn’t a bit of snow on the ground, I treated this weekend like we were having a storm in February. The fireplace got a huge workout.

On Friday, I had a friend over and we ate eggplant parmesan by the fire. I got the eggplant at the Piermont [...]

I tried to go to Blu Fig for dinner during August, but the wait was too long for a table. Last week, more than two months later, I still almost got turned away for lunch. I just got there in time to get the last available table. Blu Fig is one popular place.

And I can [...]

A reader writes:
Do you know of any Thanksgiving Day Brunch or Dinner locations in Westchester area?
I know hotels offer this but any restaurants you can recommend that won’t break the bank like Castle on the hudson?
thanks,
I was wondering this myself. If you’re a restaurant, why don’t you post your Thanksgiving information below? If I get [...]

From a press release:
Enjoy Delicious New American Cuisine With A Five Course Dinner and Dessert paired with unique style beers from the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company-

Dan Petrilli, Chef and Owner of Haven, one of Westchester’s well known neighborhood favorites, invites patrons to enjoy a savory five course menu and dessert, along with a beer pairing [...]

Dave Starkey, the co-owner of Sweet Grass in Tarrytown, says the new menu is now available. (And it looks great.) He also mentions a couple things:
We decided to go 7 days a week as we work to become that neighborhood place that is always there for you. We also have plans to begin a breakfast [...]

From our listings department: Carmel Rotary sponsors its First Annual Chili Cookoff from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at McCarthy’s Restaurant. There will be entertainment, 50/50 raffle; and  prizes for the best chili. Proceeds from this event will benefit Putnam Hospital Center. The $20 admission for adults gets you a ballot for the chili [...]

I got an email from a reader, who sent me a photo of the chorizo tacos at the restaurant:

Don’t they look delicious?

The reader, Katherine Curry, writes:
A lovely Mexican woman named Olga opened it up. She’s got two kids in the Ossining school system. The place is very small and not at all fancy inside.  So [...]

From a press release:

Glynwood’s 2009 Harvest Awards Honors Innovation and Leadership in the Sustainable Food Movement

Award Winners to Participate in a Panel Discussion on October 26 at The French Culinary Institute in New York City: “The New Future of Food:  Finding Change in Unlikely Places”

Cold Spring, NY, October 8, 2009—  Glynwood, the not-for-profit organization whose [...]

Fom a press release:

When you dig into a bucket of popcorn at the movies, you might recoil a bit at the thought of all that chemical “butter” that’s laced through it, but how about what goes into your genetically modified lunch? Rivertown Film answers that question when it presents the informative activist documentary “Food, Inc.”on [...]

Sorry for the self-promotion here, but I wanted to share some exciting news. The food section at The Journal News took third place in the Association of Food Journalists contest.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Omaha World-Herald took first and second in the circulation category. In the higher circulation category, the winners were the San Francisco [...]

Good morning and happy Monday. A little frost on the pumpkin last night, huh? My plants made it through, but I think I live in a micro-climate that’s one zone higher than everybody else because I live on the slope of the bank on the Hudson, and the water keeps my neighborhood warmer, plus I [...]

The recap from restaurants on Twitter this morning:

The 411 on 42.

The 411 on Q.

Links to Twitter:
small_bites
42TheRestaurant
Qrestaurant

Some good stories in the section today, including my all-time favorite recipe for making chicken on the grill: Hickory-Smoked Chicken —

— and Waldy Malouf’s Venison Chili with Apples:

Mmmmm.

No grill? No problem. Recipes for a make-ahead tailgate. (Me/TJN)
The Food Network’s Aaron Sanchez is coming to Stew Leonard’s to pair his Latin dishes with wine. (Linda Lombroso/TJN)
Bunny [...]

Good afternoon and happy Monday. As you know, I’m out of the office…. and I’m without my camera (I took these other photos with my iPhone) so I’ll have to catch up with my weekend later. One great thing: I went to Momofuku Ko on Friday night… and it was fantastic. No photos from there. [...]

I’m posting this live from Potato Republic in New City, where the french fries are hand-cut and the wifi is free.

Truly amazing fries. Crispy on the outside, soft and puff on the inside. Skins still on. And two dips: Jamaican curry and peanut sauce. There’s a choice of more than 20, including Caesar, ranch, bbq [...]

As I mentioned in this post here, I’ll be on jury duty this week, so I won’t be posting as often as I’d like. (Suggestions for lunch options in New City are welcome.)

But I’ll be back later today with links to the food coverage over the weekend. See you then!

Here’s Leah Rae’s story, which appeared in the paper over the weekend.

Batali and Bastianich plan gourmet market as Tarry Lodge offshoot

Leah Rae
lrae@lohud.com
October 04, 2009 22:18 PM

PORT CHESTER – Celebrated chef Mario Batali and partner Joe Bastianich are planning to give the village another venue for gourmet food with a market around the corner from their [...]

Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali will be opening B&B Fine Foods, a retail shop selling prepared foods, bread and pasta at 175-179 Main St. The building is adjacent to the Tarry Lodge, and across the street from the building that houses the Kneaded Bread.

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We’ve got a story by the lovely and talented Leah [...]