Dinner at North in Armonk

[MRS]

We ate at North last night. I have been waiting to try it ever since I had heard about it opening. I wanted an 8pm reservation, but they said all they had was 7:30, so we took it. It was our anniversary.
The decor is lovely. Very open and bright and clean. I was very surprised to see that there were a handful of tables open when we arrived. They had made it sound like they were packed when I called to beg for an 8pm..oh well. We were politely ushered to the bar, but before we could order a drink, our table was ready. ( it had been empty when we arrived). Our server presented us w/menus and took our drink order. We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and my husband ordered a Greyhound. Although they had no grapefruit juice, they did send someone to the store for some! We also had a bottle of Perrier.
The menu is not vast, but the choices were delicious. We started w/ the tuna tartare, the spinach salad w/ blue cheese, cranberries and pancetta rounds and the shaved asparagus flatbread. All were delicious- the flatbread being my fave of the 3. I had the softshell crabs over spinach, mushrooms and chickpea puree. My husband had the short ribs. I can honestly say i have never had a better softshell crab dish. Ever. The 3 small crabs were crisp, not greasy and perfectly seasoned. I jokingly remarked to our server that it's too bad that the dish wouldn't last as a doggie bag b/c i would gladly have ordered an entire other order just to take home an enjoy the next day. My husband very much enjoyed his short ribs, too and offered to share w/ me but I was eyes only for my dinner!!
The service was not rushed at all and as we sat and had more wine and pondered dessert, our server returned w/ 2 small boxes. He told the chef how over the moon I was w/ my dinner and so the chef tried to figure out how I could have a "doggie bag" after all. In one box were crabs on ice, and in the other, all the delicious trimmings that had come w/ my dinner!! He said If I use them by today, I can have it all again! I was totally knocked out by that gesture.
We had the skillet cookie and vanilla ice cream. Sort of like a giant, fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie. Yum!
The bill came to under $200-which I thought was reasonable considering all we ate and the drinks. We spoke with the owner for a bit and he told us of his vision for the place and how each of his staff bring something special to the feel of the restaurant. He was a genuinely friendly, proud owner.
Long and short...I almost don't want to talk about how good our experience was b/c I am afraid I'll never be able to get a reservation again. But it really was soooo good. Today for lunch, I will be enjoying my doggie bag. And, we will be back very, very soon.

[i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream]

Has anyone been for lunch? I would love to see a menu before going all the way up there but they still have nothing posted online. Thanks.

[MRS]

Yes it was our anniversary. In truth, and i know this is not everyone's opinion, i find that when we go out, we are doing it for the whole experience. Not just for food. So, when a dinner ends up being " expensive" but an amazing experience all the way around- to us, it is really worth it. That said, we've had inexpensive dinners that were great, tasty and terrific experiences and expensive dinners that were atrocious. It's a gamble when you dine out, and especially when you try some place brand new. I recognize not everyone would choose to spend in this way. Some might prefer to spend it entertaining at home, or traveling, or on crazy ingredients that are ordered online- or not all.
For us, we found this experience so exceeded our expectations and was SO worthwhile that I cannot wait to return. And this time, NOT leave room for dessert!

[wincountrygirl]

I agree, MRS. And you can't compare North to Pizza and Brew, by any stretch. But, I am almost more impressed in this age of the expensive meal when I find a really good, inexpensive meal.

[confitlover]

Hey all, Had dinner there on saturday night. I was very impressed. had a flat bread to share, two salads, two entrees, a cookie skillet, two cocktails and a glass of wine for $120. NOt bad at all!!! There was no entree over $29. Really thought it was reasonable for the environment and all. Cat wait to go back, but hear getting a reservation is like rao's at this point! lol

[samka]

Had dinner there on Friday. It was a wonderful dining experience. We were four adults. We each had different entrees: steak, crabs, chicken and sea bass. They were all perfect and delicious. Wonderful desserts--especially the skillet ones. What a simple but clever idea. A small skillet with a brownie or cookie--fresh baked and topped with ice cream. French press coffee too. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful people, delicious food. A bit on the pricey side--over $300 for 4 people with only 3 glasses of wine--but in my opinion worth it. Reminded me of Michael's Genuine in Miami.

[i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream]

The OP notes that it _was_ indeed a special occasion-- an anniversary. Under $200 for a celebration dinner is right on par with a full dinner at X2O including a few drinks. If the food is as wonderful as the food I've had at Tavern (the chef at North used to be there), and is served in a nice setting with what sounds like amazing service, then it does sound well worth it for a special dinner.

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X2O
71 Water Grant Street, Yonkers, NY 10701

[anonymouse1935]

All true, jhopp217.

......Under $200 for a celebration dinner is right on par with a full dinner at X2O including a few drinks.

True. But is North as wonderfully extraordinary as Peter Kelly's restaurants? I'd have to judge that for myself.

[jhopp217]

This is true, but the OP seemed to be quite pleased. And I'm still kicking myself for not making to either X2O or Restaurant X for their brunch!

-----
X2O
71 Water Grant Street, Yonkers, NY 10701

[anonymouse1935]

Hopefully, jhopp217, both X2O and Restaurant X will be there for a long, long time.

[anonymouse1935]

................The bill came to under $200-which I thought was reasonable

For two????

Ouch. Then again, it is Armonk.

I remember when a good dinner could be had in Westchester for $25. a person, then it went to $50. Now $100. is 'reasonable'. Not for me it isn't. $100. a person is a special occasion. I would hope this place is on the line of Peter Kelly's restaurants.

Oh well. TEHO.

[jhopp217]

I agree some places have gotten out of control. For example, two soups, two sub-par burgers, one beer and one soda at Emma's Ale house cost me $70 after a $12 tip for lunch a few months back - my first and last time most likely. But you can also find places with $20-25 three course specials nearby, like American Bistro, Jackie's Bistro. Not sure if they do it still, but Pizza & Brew used to do a $19.99 special which included a salad, entree, desser and a glass of wine.

If I was taking someone out for a "special occasion" and it cost me under $200 and I was oohing and aawing about the food and the service and everything else, I would consider myself lucky.

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Jackie's Bistro
434 White Plains Rd, Eastchester, NY 10709

American Bistro
8 Church Rd, Big Indian, NY 12410

Pizza & Brew
851 Central Park Ave, Scarsdale, NY 10583

[i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream]

Thanks so much for posting this. I've been waiting for a report. Do they serve lunch?

[MRS]

Shhh....don't spread the word. :) I'm honestly not sure about lunch. I guess you'll have to call. The website isn't fully completed yet, so you can't check there.

[i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream]

Haha, don't worry, I won't! :) I'll give them a call about lunch. I wish they would put a sample menu up on the website as Armonk is a long drive for me and I'd like to have some idea of what I'm getting myself into before I get there.