Food lovers guide:

By JADE D’AGOSTINO 

When a milestone anniversary, birthday or job promotion rolls around, it’s easy to fall back on tried-and-true restaurants for a celebratory meal. But the breadth of Westchester County’s dining scene induces us to keep our palates intrigued and adventurous. From sky-high dining to Hudson River views to sustainable working farms, these gems offer reason to venture outside the usual rotation.

Cenadou Bistrot + La Bastide by Andrea Calstier 721 Titicus Road, North Salem

Chef and co-owner Andrea Calstier has created two restaurants rooted in the flavors and hospitality of where he grew up in the South of France. “It’s really our intention to create a French countryside dining destination, where the owners and chef consider these places their home, and guests are welcomed as if they’re coming into our own house,” Calstier said. 

Calstier’s wife, Elena Oliver, is co-owner and serves as the general manager.

Upstairs, Cenadou revisits the Provençal home cooking that Calstier grew up eating, with shareable a la carte dishes and classics like whole black sea bass with saffron potatoes and grilled fennel. Downstairs, the one-Michelin-star La Bastide takes those same roots in a more personal direction through an evolving tasting menu.

Calstier said Hudson Valley farms often yield ingredients reminiscent of those he knew in France. “We find amazing ingredients here that we could just as easily have found growing up in the South of France,” he said. That connection extends to this fall’s menu, including Champignon, a dish of braised and smoked mushrooms, a mushroom tart and mushroom tea.

Basso by PXK 11 King St., Chappaqua

Basso by PXK brings contemporary Italian cooking under the direction of longtime Hudson Valley chef Peter X. Kelly. Drawing from his travels through Italy, from Michelin-starred kitchens in Milan to the trattorias of Tuscany, Kelly puts a modern spin on traditional dishes while sourcing seasonal ingredients from Hudson Valley farms and producers. 

The menu spans house-made pastas, seafood and meat dishes, but Sundays bring a different format. Basso’s “pots, pans & pasta” brunch is served as a continuous, tableside meal, with pastas, frittatas, seasonal fruits and salads, meats, fish, grains and risottos brought throughout the afternoon. The Sunday brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., offering diners a different way to experience Kelly’s take on Italian cooking. 

Blue Hill at Stone Barns  630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills

Globally acclaimed chef Dan Barber has brought sustainability and flavor together for more than two decades at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, set on an 80-acre working farm about 25 minutes south of Mount Kisco. “You can’t really talk about Blue Hill the restaurant without talking about Stone Barns the farm,” Barber said. “The farm itself makes the trip worth it.”

In 2019, this farm-to-fine-dining restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars. 

The kitchen cooks with ingredients that regional farms grow to maintain healthy soil, incorporating vegetables, grains and legumes into dishes that change with the seasons. That approach is why Blue Hill forgoes a traditional menu, with dishes shaped by what is available each day. This fall, Barber is especially excited about seasonal produce, from butter-like “upstate abundance potatoes” to koginut and honeypatch squashes he calls “revolutions in flavor.” 

“Our cooking is aimed to be in service of a thriving regional food system,” Barber said, “and I think flavor is the best argument for that.” 

Kanopi The Restaurant  1 Renaissance Square White Plains

Above downtown White Plains, Kanopi pairs Portuguese-inspired dining with sweeping views of Westchester and the Manhattan skyline. Located on the 42nd and 43rd floors of The Opus Westchester, the restaurant is led by chef Anthony Gonçalves and his wife, Andreia. The couple draws from the flavors and traditions of Portugal while also incorporating ingredients from Hudson Valley producers including Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook and Migliorelli Farm in Tivoli. 

Two tasting formats are offered through the seasonal menu, with a three-course prix fixe menu and a chef’s tasting menu, described by the restaurant as a “love letter to Portugal.” Kanopi’s website describes its approach as a “curated Portuguese tasca,” referencing the casual neighborhood restaurants known throughout Portugal for simple, traditional dishes. 

Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish  100 Titicus Road, North Salem

A seafood-focused restaurant housed in a 1775 farmhouse and surrounded by its working farm and gardens, Purdy’s Farmer & the Fish is led by chef, farmer and co-owner Michael Kaphan. For him, what ends up on the plate begins with what is growing outside. “It’s really just planting a seed, and three months later or two months later, putting it on a plate,” Kaphan said. 

The farm’s produce accompanies a seafood-heavy menu that includes a raw bar, daily catches and the popular scallop salad. As fall progresses, dishes shift with the harvest, moving from late-summer cherry tomatoes to colder-weather crops like sweet spinach and cauliflower. That seasonality also keeps Kaphan experimenting. After growing arugula for 15 years, for example, he is still finding new ways to serve it. “I’m always playing with the same ingredients,” Kaphan said. “‘How do you change it?’ That’s where the passion comes from.” 

The Sea Fire Grill  99 Main St., Yonkers

Set along the Yonkers waterfront, The Sea Fire Grill brings the Benjamin Restaurant Group’s seafood-focused dining from midtown Manhattan to Westchester. The menu spans a raw bar, seafood towers and USDA Prime steaks, with dishes ranging from scallops and tuna tartare to lobster mac and cheese, and the blackened Montauk swordfish — frequently praised by diners. Fresh fish and seasonal selections offer lighter options, while the restaurant’s wine list includes bottles selected to complement both seafood and steak. 

The Westchester location puts its own spin on the original Manhattan site through its waterfront setting. Floor-to-ceiling windows open the dining room to panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, while outdoor seating brings diners closer to the river during warmer months. 

Jade D’Agostino is a freelance writer and a reporter for The Daily Collegian at Penn State, where she specializes in investigative journalism.