New French Bistro coming to Croton on Hudson
From Journal News:
Jonathan Pratt and Craig Purdy, owners of Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown Heights and Umami Cafe and MexToGo in Croton-on-Hudson, will open a French Bistro with a Moroccan flair in the former Bella Paula location at 120 Grand Street in Croton-on-Hudson this summer. They hope to be open by July.
Pratt says the menu will be classic French bistro — steak frites and frisee aux lardons and the like — with Moroccan dishes, too, such as tagines, carrot salads and mint tea. France and Morocco have had political ties since the 8th century.
The restaurant will have 50 to 60 seats inside, and 20 seats on a patio. It will look more like Paris than Marrakech, thought Pratt wasn’t sure whether they’d have a zinc bar. Bella Paula used to be split in two; one side a pizzeria, the other a restaurant. Pratt and Purdy are converting the pizzeria to a bar, which will also have seating. The working name, which may change, is Brasserie Grand.
Hoping this will be a good thing - we need some more dining options. Now if only someone will open a Thai restaurant, and a good Mediterranean place in the area, I will be SUPER HAPPY!
-
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Apr 21, 2013 04:27 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/nyr...
GOod for them but I still think it's a shame they don't take reservations............
-
We enjoyed our dinner here last night, but the price point was a little high for us choosing Tagine on a regular weekly basis. Our bill came to $72 with two entrees and 2 glasses of wine (all 3 choices of red were $9), no appetizers, no desserts.
The high quality bread and sweet butter served were a good omen for what was to follow (although having each piece placed on your bread plate by the waiter was a bit annoying). I ordered the shortrib tagine which was very flavorful and filling. My husband had the classic steak frite which came prepared rare as ordered. It was a large piece of meat, more like a filet mignon than the hanger (skirt, onglet) cut I expected. It was tender and tasty, but the side of spinach was disappointingly bland.
We definitely plan a return visit. I'm so happy to have a promising dining establishment in the area!
-
Has anyone else tried this place yet? We really used to love Umami but we feel like the quality has seriously declined in the past couple of years and we've stopped going. We've never cared much for Mex To Go so we hope this place will be a step up from their other restaurants. So much opportunity in northern westchester/lower hudson valley for great food spots, especially in Ossining/Croton area. Also, someone mentioned a Vietnamese place coming soon? I couldn't find a thread on that, any deets to share?
›1 Reply-
re: yumyumsami
GIOny
Jan 21, 2013 08:17 AM
Here is the thread on the Vietnamese place you were asking about. Not opened yet, but it sounds like soon.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/869087
-
-
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Jan 13, 2013 01:12 PM
So my husband and I went to Tagine last night! They are still not taking reservations (and it's unclear to me whether that will change or not). Basically, Tagine seems to have promise of becoming a great neighborhood restaurant. It's not necessarily a destination (though for those craving this type of food, it may be, since I can't think of any French places in the immediate neighboring towns (other than Chiboust in Tarrytown) and the only Moroccan place I'm aware of in the county is in Mamaroneck) but we are thrilled to have it nearby and will be adding it to our dining rotation.
The interior is separated into two spaces, on the left, a bar area that seems like it also could accommodate some tables as well, and the dining room on the right. The red banquettes were a bold and playful choice, and they have eclectic plates hanging on the wall. If you can, request a free standing table not along the long banquettes. We went early and at first no one was at our neighboring tables, but once it got crowded (and it did get VERY crowded), we were elbow to elbow with the neighboring tables. Also, noise became an issue once the dining room filled up (a la Cookery). So this is not necessarily an intimate, romantic dinner, but we liked the lively neighborhood feel.
Service was very polite and in general good. There was one minor slip up with our entrees being delivered after our silverware had been taken away, and we had to flag someone down to bring us forks and knives. In general, though, we found all the servers to be friendly and accommodating.
We enjoyed the food a lot. They have a pretty inexpensive wine list and four respectable beers (anywhere that has Ommegang Rare Vos gets my husband's beer stamp of approval). The raclette is a great choice for an appetizer, and I liked their version of frisee aux lardons-- with spinach instead-- though I think I prefer the classic version a bit more. My husband went for the lamb tagine, and I was a little jealous, since this, their namesake dish, may be their specialty judging from how delicious his was. I'm not a judge of how authentic it is, but it was VERY well seasoned and had a nice combination of textures and flavors. My duck leg confit was textbook good but I think the accoutrements could have been a little more inspired. It came with potatoes and mushrooms and greens. The duck was cooked very well with a crispy skin and moist interior, but I would have liked a fruity or acidic counterpoint to it, maybe a berry or fruity reduction or sauce. I can't say it was bland because it was fatty and rich and delicious but it was missing.... something. The profiterole for dessert was enormous and served split open with a huge scoop of excellent vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Overall, we really enjoyed our meal here, and judging by the crowd, a lot of people in the area are coming to check it out too. The bar was TOTALLY packed when we left after 7 with people waiting for table. All in all, this place has great promise and I hope they do well!
›3 Replies-
-
re: Elisa515
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Jan 13, 2013 02:46 PM
It was just about $100. We each had 2 drinks, so that's about $30 right there. The appetizers are a bit pricey (though there was a ton of raclette cheese in that appetizer) but I thought the entrees were fairly priced ($17 for the duck and $20 something for the more elaborate tagine).
-
-
-
LoHud's Small Bites blog has a very positive post on the restaurant, along with lots of photos.
http://food.lohudblogs.com/2013/01/11...
Anyone been yet?
›5 Replies-
-
-
re: frank113
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Jan 12, 2013 11:59 AM
Agreed but I don't personally put much stock in any of the opinions of the small bites bloggers anyway.
-
-
re: Marge
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Jan 12, 2013 01:24 PM
Slightly OT for the thread, but I took a cooking class with one of the bloggers (got a gift certificate for a present) and it was so disorganized and amateur that I think I could have taught a better class. Point is, that makes me skeptical of the "expertise" of the bloggers.
-
-
-
-
-
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Dec 21, 2012 07:08 AM
Heard from someone involved in the restaurant that they are set to open the week after New Year's, date dependent on how the soft opening goes. Can't wait till they get a website and menu up! This place sounds very promising.
›4 Replies-
re: i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Still not open, but a local blog posted a pic of the menu that was put in the window. Looks interesting, with entrees from $16 to $25.
-
re: dma1250
i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream
Jan 7, 2013 05:05 PM
So..... anyone know what's the status on this place now? I was looking forward to trying either this place or the much-anticipated Vietnamese place this coming weekend! :)
-
-
-
-
-
Nancy C
Jul 8, 2012 07:32 AM
Update - I've heard from the owners that it will be called Tagine.
›7 Replies
