Always on the prowl for new tastes, we tried these three recent entries on the Westchester restaurant scene and thought all had something good to offer: Nemea on the Boston Post Road is owned by the same family who run the ever-popular Nikos Taverna on Central Avenue. While Nikos is casual, Nemea serves a similar menu in a more formal atmosphere. The restaurant has been elegantly appointed, and the soft lighting and spacious layout make for a more gracious presentation.

However, lovers of traditional Greek tavern food will not be disappointed as all the standards are available. We sampled the tzatziki, hummus, dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves) and the spanakopita to start. While we waited for our entrees, we shared the “Elliniki” salad with feta, Kalamata olives and cucumbers as well as the kidney bean salad. . For dinner, some had grilled shrimp and others ordered whole grilled branzino, - which was deboned by the waiters tableside. Accompanied by sautéed spinach and spanakorizo, the Greek’s answer to risotto, the fish was moist, and tasty. We couldn’t resist the baklava for dessert, and it was well worth the extra calories.

Nemea
599 East Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, NY
914-698-6600

Grilled Shrimp and Spinach at Nemea

Tucked underneath City Center, you could easily miss Pranzi as you enter the maze-like, multi-level parking lot. Though the space is tight, the location is convenient for moviegoers and the menu is far more ambitious then the setting suggests. The night we visited a noisy crowd was at the adjacent table, making it difficult to converse. But once they left, things improved.

The chef hails from Polpo in Greenwich, a place where food is taken seriously– and his expertise is clear when your food arrives. For starters I had the Zuppetta Di Vongole, steamed baby clams in a flavorful Chardonnay seafood broth. We also ordered the fresh burrata, a special on the night we visited. For those looking for lighter fare, Pranzi offers 15 types of individual pizza, and the crispy crust was delicious on the Pizze de Parma that we shared. There is a full selection of pastas … including rigatoni with sauteed eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata, fusilli Della Nonna, pasta baked with sausage, mini meatballs, mozzarella and tomato sauce and black linguini with seafood. For entrees there’s veal scallopini, chicken scarpariello, rack of lamb and salmon with limoncello sauce to name a few. And if you don’t like what you see, ask for what you like. The chef is very accommodating.

Focaccia at Pranzi

Pranzi
8 City Center
White Plains, NY
914-328-4000
www.pranzirestaurant.com

And for those who want a quick bite at a reasonable price, stop in at Hash-O-Nash on Mamaroneck Avenue in Mamaroneck for flavorful Middle Eastern specialties. This menu doesn’t take sides in political conflict, featuring foods from Jordan, Lebanon, Greece and Israel. You’ll find matza ball soup, kreplach, stuffed cabbage and flanken next to Lebanese salad, moussaka and couscous.

They’re short on ambience but long on flavor and the large menu is sure to please with a big array of cold appetizers including Halloumi cheese drizzled with olive oil, baba gahanoue, --roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon and muhammara, a pureed smoked red pepper dip with roasted walnuts and pomegranante molasses. The tabouleh, packed with fresh parsley, tomato and lemon was a winner. On the hot appetizer menu there’s falafel, Lebanese sausage stuffed with ground lamb and pine nuts and spinach fatyer, which is chopped spinach and onion in a pastry cell -- to name a few. Prices for these appetizers range from just $6 to $10. For lunch or dinner there are ample portions of lamb, beef, chicken, salmon, tuna or shrimp shish kabobs, plus rack of lamb, shawarma and gyros. We also ordered the grilled eggplant and zucchini, which was cooked with care by a vegetable lover. Again, prices for their well-seasoned and generously sized entrees are not bad, starting at $16 for the main course.

Service was friendly and informed. Hash-O-Nash means grillin-n-chillin in Jordanian and you can chill there seven days a week, from 11 am – 10 pm or order take-out to enjoy at home.

Hash-O-Nash
441 Mamaroneck Avenue
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
914-630-7310
www.hashonash.com

Tried anywhere new lately? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Tired of the Westchester restaurant scene? Here’s a new place to try. We were tipped off to this Trattoria in Sleepy Hollow by some Scarsdale friends who moved west to the Hudson – and though they swore us to secrecy our meal was so delicious that we’re leaking the information to you.

Finalmente Trattoria Italiana and Wine Bar can be found on Beekman Avenue in Sleepy Hollow, just off Route 9, about a 20-minute drive from Scarsdale. If you go on a weeknight, or early on a weekend you’ll likely get a table quickly – if not, you can wait at the long bar and enjoy a glass of wine from their extensive list of Italian wines from some of the smaller producers. Be forwarned …. Finalmente does not take reservations, so come prepared to wait if you go at prime time on a Friday or Saturday night.

The restaurant was opened two years ago by Daniel Damiano who recruited Chef Desirio Donato who served as the chef at Il

Rollatine de Zucchine

The chef buys his ingredients from local sources including the farmer’s market, green market in Manhattan and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and the menu pulls classic Italian recipes from all regions of Italy. The menu is extensive – and in addition to what’s shown, there are daily specials. We can only vouch for what we tasted – but we’re hoping to return soon to sample more.

We started our meal with the Cestino da Viaggio, a Grana Padano cheese basket filled with bufala mozzarella, soppressata, olives, mixed cheeses and prosciutto di Parma. The generous platter was enough for the four of us to share. We also tried the Rollatine de Zucchine, lightly fried zucchini, stuffed with fresh ricotta and served on a bed of tomato sauce. Pictured here, it was delectable.

Lobster in Spicy Red Sauce

For entrees, we couldn’t pass on the lobster/pasta special that was featured the night we were there. We enjoyed a baked half lobster and fresh fettuccini served in a spicy tomato sauce.

We also tried another favorite, the Timballo, which is Finalmente’s interpretation of lasagna: lasagna noodles layered with béchamel and Bolognese sauces topped with Parmigianino Regianno cheese. According to Damiano, customer favorites that remain on the menu year-round include Tagliatelle Nere Con Granchio; homemade squid in tagliatelle, tossed with Alaskan king crab in a light cream sauce as well as Trofie Finalmente, pasta with chickpeas, wild mushrooms and Parmigianino Reggiano cheese drizzled with white truffle infused extra virgin olive oil. Though we opted for the pastas, the menu does include a full selection of fresh fish, beef chicken and veal dishes.

The setting is spacious and warm and we couldn’t help but notice the large mural-size painting on the wall, which is a

Cheese basket with mozzarella, soppressata, olives, and prosciutto de Parma

Finalmente Trattoria Italiana and Wine Bar
31 Beekman Avenue
Sleepy Hollow New York 10591

914-909-4787

Open six days a week
Tuesday – Thursday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday -- Saturday 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Sunday 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Imagine Candy has just opened in Scarsdale Village. We stopped by to chat with owners Bill Vogel and Donna Halperin and here is what we learned about their new venture:

How did you come up with the idea for a candy store?
Bill: I was in the corporate world and decided that I wanted a change. Being a lover of wine and chocolate, I found that there were subtle similarities relating to the palate.

Donna: Having grown many international corporate and early stage businesses, I was looking for something that spoke to my personal passions.

Together, we researched the industry, visited many trade events and many artisan producers of fine chocolate. We came to the conclusion that there was a market opportunity and a niche that was not being filled. Imagine Candy has been created to satisfy that market need.

What is your background?
Bill: Vineyards surrounded the area where I went to college. I would visit the wineries and talk with the wine makers and probably tasted 100 wines a week. After college I began working in the wine industry and worked in all aspects of the industry from retail to wholesale. I loved working with the individual family run wineries. The industry changed as large corporations began buying these family owned operations.

Are you from Westchester?
Bill: I was Brooklyn born- lived in Manhattan and moved to Larchmont when my daughter was young.

How did you select Scarsdale for the location?
We were looking for a quant community with an active town life. We looked at 6-7 towns in Westchester and thought that Scarsdale had the best synergy with the concept of Imagine Candy.

What does the store offer?
Imagine Candy is a chocolate and candy shop that both children and their parents will have fun visiting. We work very hard to sift through and curate the merchandise by finding producers that use the finest ingredients. We look for items that are special, interesting, particularly delicious… and we carry producers that you won’t see in every other store. In fact there are some items that are not to be found in any other store in New York.

When it comes to our chocolate case, we spent a year tasting 30 plus chocolatiers to insure that Imagine Candy is bringing the best to the community. When we place an order the product is made the very next day. Even our pretzels are covered in Belgian chocolate.

One of our objectives is to source the highest quality items and to buy local. We offer Belgian chocolates that are made in the USA. It is the quality of the ingredients that mean the most. Alongside the chocolate are the all time favorite candies that adults remember from their youths and also the contemporary candy like lollipops with real crickets and scorpions inside.

You can find creative gift baskets for all occasions, such as: Truffle Lovers Basket, Chocolate Java to Go, Cordial Collection, Nostalgia, Wine Lovers and more.

We love candy and art… and so we have created “Candy Arts”. This is a special program to encourage the artistic imagination and the love of candy and art. We invite the community to submit an 8 x 10 painting of any type of candy. (Stop in to receive your canvas). Four times a year a committee will select the 25 best works. Each of the winning artists work will be displayed in the store, featured on the website and will receive a $25 gift certificate for Imagine Candy.

What has been most popular so far?
The most popular items in the store have been: Ultimate Malted Milk Balls, NY Espresso Mix, chocolate covered salted caramels, our collection of chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate waffles and chocolate covered marshmallows.

I hear you will be running parties at the store – tell us about this:
We take a creative approach to children’s parties and sweet sixteen’s and of course can provide candy buffets at events. We already are in the planning stages for a few parties.

Have you received a good reception from the community?
We have had wonderful feedback with many customers returning a second or third time.

What do you sell at Imagine that would make good holiday gifts?
Imagine Candy is all about candy and chocolate… so we have wonderful boxed chocolates, the Cordial and Savory Chocolate Collections, our spectacular chocolate shoe, great gift baskets and candy related products. We believe that gifts should be personalized, so we combine different items for the perfect gift.

When are you open?
As of December we will be open seven days a week.

Anything else you would like to add?
Yes… for more information about Imagine Candy, visit our website: www.imaginecandy.com ., and because candy is fun, please fill out our Favorite Candy Questionnaire.

Imagine Candy is a state of mind…. spend time at the store and have fun!

Imagine Candy
22 Harwood Court
Scarsdale, New York, 10583
(914)723-7887
imagiinecandy.com

Fig and Olive is almost a year old. Opened just after the New Year in 2010 the ambitious new space quickly wowed locals with its sleek design, urbane atmosphere and fresh, Mediterranean ingredients. They welcomed the community inside with a few large parties and have seen a steady crowd of customers on weekend nights ever since. The long tasting table or bar allows singles to come in and mingle or dine without feeling self-conscious, and when the weather was warm, diners could enjoy wine, crostini and dinner on the patio – transporting them from Scarsdale to Nice or Beverly Hills.

With the arrival of autumn, the menu has changed to reflect seasonal ingredients and a new management team is in place after customers complained of haphazard service. These two adjustments leave Fig and Olive poised to serve Manhattan-quality meals to a suburban clientele.

We stopped by for dinner last week and were pleasantly surprised with the experience. Though the place was humming, our reserved table was ready and we were seated quickly. From the extensive wine list we were each able to select a mini carafe of the vintage of our choice – and there was also a tempting list of cocktails.

The waitress swiftly arrived with cubed French bread and a tasting flight of three artisanal olive oils for us to sample while we considered the rather extensive menu. The front page features many small plates, allowing diners with small appetites to try a few appetizers and forego a main course. While we chatted, we

Manchego, Fig and Marcona Almond Crostini

The appetizer selections include a fig gorgonzola tartlet, Mediterranean chicken samosa, sea scallop and truffle artichoke and a warm goat cheese in fig leaf served with lavender honey, fig chutney and black olive crackers.

On the winter menu, the restaurant now offers several hot soups as well as their signature Fig and Olive Salad with apple, manchego, gorgonzola, tomato, walnuts, and scallion and another with tuna and bay scallops and sesame oil.

Jamon Serrano, Pan Con Tomate, Manchego

Mainstays on the entrée menu are the Fig and Olive Tajine which is a stewed mixture of chicken marinated in Moroccan spices, with fig, olive, apricot, carrot, zucchini and cippolini onion served with couscous. We’re trying to get the recipe for that one to see if we can recreate it in our own kitchen. Other entrees include rosemary lamb chops, filet mignon or a choice of pastas.

On the fish menu there’s a bouillabaisse, salmon, lemon sole in papillote, and paella, and for those who can’t decide what to eat there’s the Fig and Olive Mediterranean Tasting that includes grilled chicken, steak and shrimp with some delectable sides. And speaking of sides, Fig and Olive is now offering delicious sides at just $6 a piece. We tasted cremini mushrooms with thyme and shallots and the sautéed spinach with fig and enjoyed both.

Warm Goat Cheese in Fig Leaf

As if that wasn’t enough we admit we tasted desserts too!

With their large menu and selections of small and large plates you can come in anytime of the day or evening and find something that’s just right. Their innovative use of vegetables, nuts and oils also makes this a good spot to go with your vegetarian or kosher friends or those on special diets. We enjoyed the flexibility of their format and the ease with which you can taste a lot and eat a little.

Give it a try and let us know what you liked in the comments section below.

Fig and Olive
696 White Plains Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914 725 2900
Open seven days a week
Click here for their hours
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