When I told a friend I was going to a new Thai place in Tuckahoe her eyes lit up. “Can we join you,” she asked? She called back to say her son decided to come along and then another couple chimed in. Suddenly our group of three had grown into a party of eight. While Thai food was popular here years ago, it's now often called Asian Fusion - - and when eating at one of the many local Pan Asian spots, you never know if you’ll be eating sushi, Chinese or tempura. However, Aries Fine Thai Cuisine in Tuckahoe is all-Thai – like the Thai food you remember from the good old days.

It wasn’t easy to find Aries – it’s tucked under the bridge near the station in Tuckahoe, and due to a closed street, we parked on the east side of the tracks and traversed the bridge to get there. The restaurant is spacious, featuring huge fish tanks filled with colorful tropical fish. The decor looks retro and the bar is dark  for now as Aries has no liquor license. It’s BYOB – but as there’s no corkage fee, it turns out to be a good deal for customers.

The menu is expansive and luckily our large table of eight afforded us the chance to sample a good deal of their selections.

The appetizer list is appetizing indeed. Unable to select which items to order, we practically ordered them all. Notable were the golden curry puffs, which were filled with chicken, potatoes, and onion spiced with curry as well as the crispy Thai calamari, fried rings of calamari served with a spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce. My favorite was the steamed Thai dumplings, which were minced chicken, shallots, and peanuts wrapped in a steamed rice noodle. We also shared the summer rolls, Aries version of crispy Thai “spring rolls” packed with carrots, lettuce, mint, and basil, accompanied by tamarind sauce. Don’t forget the soup. The Tom Ka Kai or coconut soup with chicken, and lemon grass comes in a bowl that is big enough to share and was steamy and flavorful.

No Thai meal is complete without pad Thai, and Aries version comes with a choice of vegetable, pork, chicken, beef or shrimp. These soft noodles, stir fried with egg, bean curd, bean sprouts and peanuts was enough for dinner itself.

Another dish that featured coconut milk was the Massaman curry with chicken, sweet onions and potatoes, served boiling in it own little hot pot. The curry can be made as a mild or as hot as you like – and this one is good comfort food for a cold night.

From the special menu, we opted for the grilled whole fish, served with scallions, ginger, soy, rice and vegetables. If you don’t mind looking at the head and the tail, go for the red snapper, which was moist and tasty. Someone at the table even ordered frogs legs with spicy basil – don’t ask me how it was because frogs are not my thing!

The waiter also insisted that we try the sticky rice pictured here. And as if that wasn’t enough, we sampled two desserts, a fried ice cream with raspberry sauce that was quickly devoured as well as sticky rice with sweet mango, Aries version of rice pudding.

The service was fast and the staff is eager to please. Given the amount of food we consumed, prices seemed very reasonable. Let the waiter know that you read about them on Scarsdale10583 and they are sure to give you a warm welcome.

Aries Fine Thai Cuisine
90 Yonkers AvenueTuckahoe, NY 10707
www.ariesfinethaicuisine.com
914-771-8200

Fig & Olive, Westchester will offer a prix fixe menu during a winter celebration of fine dining. Running from January 16 to February 10, this special culinary experience presents world-class dining at a discounted price. Fig & Olive patrons are invited to enjoy a variety of dishes influenced by the Riviera and Costal regions of France, Italy and Spain. The three-course prix fixe menu is priced at $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner, weekdays only. Fig & Olive is located in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center, 696 White Plains Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. Reservations required at 914-725-2900 or www.figandolive.com.

“We are so excited to bring this special menu to our Westchester location, and we look forward to serving new and loyal customers alike,” said Ludo Barras of Fig & Olive.  “The menu includes many of our signature dishes – and of course a few surprises!”

The flavorful experience begins with an assortment of plates perfect for sharing. A Crostini Tasting includes a chef’s selection of up to six varieties, including mushroom, truffle, artichoke and parmesan; gorgonzola, onion and cremini; or prosciutto, ricotta, fig, olive and walnuts. Starters also feature Provencal Carrot and Thyme Soup, Beef Carpaccio and Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio.

For lunch, treat yourself to Grilled Thyme Chicken Paillard; Salmon a la Andalucia; or a new menu addition, the Fig & Olive Painted Hill’s Farm Burger, which highlights the best grass-fed beef, crisp pancetta and pickled onions on a thyme brioche roll.

For a more indulgent dinner entrée, choose from the Fig & Olive Tajne, a free-range chicken marinated with Moroccan spices; Rosemary Lamb Chops; Penne Funghi Tartufo in a white truffle olive oil; or Provence Chicken Paillard. All are prepared with the freshest ingredients and Fig & Olives own signature olive oils.

End your meal by sampling the desserts: a Chocolate Pot De Crème, which has crunchy praline financiers and vanilla cream; or the Dessert “Crostini,” which has amarena cherry, mascarpone and pistachio shortbread with micro-basil.

Fig & Olive is located in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center, 696 White Plains Road, Scarsdale, N.Y.. Lunch: 12pm – 3:30pm. Dinner: 5pm – 10pm (M-TH), 5pm – 11pm (F). Reservations required. For more information, please visit www.figandolive.com or call 914-725-2900.

At long last, Martine’s has opened on East Parkway in Scarsdale in the former location of Rush Jewelers. This is the second location for the bakery, whose first branch is well known in Tuckahoe. Originally planned for a spring 2011 opening, the much-awaited bakery, coffee and lunch spot finally started serving in December. Residents have given this new spot an enthusiastic welcome – and are lined up to buy breads, cakes and pastries and enjoy coffee or a meal at one of Martine’s bistro tables.

The site has been nicely designed with large windows facing town, attractive display cases and marble countertops. The staff is cheerful, friendly and eager to serve up whatever your sweet tooth desires.

We stopped by for lunch and found a full complement of sandwiches, a choice of two daily soup specials, quiche, potato, eggplant and spinach turnovers (bureks) as well as croissants, pain au chocolat, muffins and scones. The long shelves along the wall were lined with freshly baked cakes to take home as well as several varieties of meltaways. We tried the marble pound cake and blueberry coffee cake and both were hits. We were told that the glazed Sicilian orange pound cake is another favorite.

The display cases included an array of butter cookies that can be purchased by the pound as well as donuts, macaroons, Danish and small pastries. There were also cakes and confections including homemade marshmallows.

We asked owner Tal Campana for a menu and she admitted that the menu changes all the time as the bakery constantly experiments, trying new recipes each week – so you’ll have to stop in and see what’s in store. Martine’s also does catering, offering hors d’oeuvres, sandwiches and desserts for luncheons, meetings and parties.

They open at 6:45 am from Monday through Saturday, so you can grab something delectable on your way to the train in the morning, or visit evenings until 7:30 and bring a treat home. Open Sundays as well.

Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe
48 East Parkway
Scarsdale
(914) 722-4949

There has been no end of speculation about what’s coming to the Five Corners. After years of deliberation about the development of the site at Palmer Avenue and Heathcote Road, a new 11,000 square foot building is now under construction, with two levels of underground parking.

Throughout the approval process, residents seemed certain that the site would house yet another drug store. The names CVS, Duane Reade and Rite Aid were bandied about by those who were fearful about bringing a large retail chain to the center of Scarsdale.

It turns out we were all fooled … in fact, the space will be occupied by a well-known Scarsdale grocer, one that has been part of the fabric of the community for years. Supersol, now Seasons plans to open in the new building in January, 2013 and will utilize the main floor of the building for a large grocery and café, with the second floor as a kitchen where all of the prepared food will be made.

The main floor will offer kosher meats and poultry, fish, fresh produce, prepared foods, baked goods, a café, and a sushi bar. According to David Gellman, the market will be upscale and top of the line throughout.

Underground parking will be shared with Balducci’s, creating a food destination site for residents of Southern Westchester.

Supersol has recently become Seasons, part of a chain of four kosher markets in Lawrence, Flushing, Manhattan and Scarsdale. Check them out at: http://seasonsny.com/index.html

And for those who don’t want to eat too much -- this just in from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner:

Weight Watchers is unveiling a newly designed store in Greenburgh with a contemporary, yet welcoming and comfortable environment. The store, located at 433 Tarrytown Road, will be open during regular retail hours, so people can stop in anytime to learn more about Weight Watchers, ask questions, purchase memberships, or simply shop for Weight Watchers products designed to support a healthier lifestyle. Members can also weigh in at their convenience in a way that is more discreet than ever before. This new store is one of 400 being opened across the country this year.

There will be a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, December 16th at 9 AM.