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A Feast for the Eyes, or Palate, or Both?

By Geoff Kalish, M.D.


Creamy white polenta, smoked lamb sausage, Swiss chard and apricots

The Cookery
39 Chestnut Street, Dobbs Ferry; 305-2336
www.thecookeryrestaurant.com

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Expect to spend $75 to $85 for dinner for two (excluding wine, tax, and tip).Open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday (brunch on Sunday) and for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations may be made for Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, but are only taken Friday and Saturday for parties of five or more. Note: Only street parking available.

Open barely more than a year, this off-the-beaten-track spot garners an SRO crowd nightly—an unusual feat for most Westchester eateries. And, based on two recent visits, there’s more than ample reason for its great popularity. We encountered perfectly sized, sensibly priced portions of light, flavorful Italian-inspired fare accompanied by a modest but carefully chosen, selection of wines and low-key yet professional, knowledgeable service.


The dining room at The Cookery

In many ways, this place reminds me of popular Upper East Side Manhattan neighborhood Italian restaurants like Elio’s, Vespa, and Pinocchio. The décor here is minimalist, with a few large paintings on the walls and two sizeable flat-screen TVs over the bustling bar, separated from the dining room by a shoulder-high wooden barrier. And just as in Manhattan, the noise level produced by the casually dressed patrons might politely be termed “boisterous.” Thankfully, the focus here is on the food and wine, with flavor combinations compelling enough to overcome any auditory interference.

While a dismaying number of restaurants are increasingly pushing overpriced, mediocre wine-by-the-glass, The Cookery offers a dozen whites, 18 reds, and three sparklers—primarily hailing from Italy—all available by the glass or bottle, with a price range of $7 a glass to $60 a bottle. The pours are consistently generous. Order a glass, and you’ll get 6 oz. from a freshly opened bottle. As an aperitif, I suggest a glass of the crisp, fizzy Borgo Magredo Prosecco or the rarely offered raspberry scented, very fruity, slightly sweet, rubycolored Campo Verde Brachetto di Aqui, a legendary bubbly from Piedmonte. (See comments below for more about red sparklers.)

Winning appetizers included a special of house-made, thinly sliced, rosy and creamy mortadella served with lingonberry jelly, and a crock loaded with rounds of mildly smoked lamb sausages, sautéed Swiss chard, and apricots atop creamy white polenta. The combination of flavors mated perfectly with the Prendo Pinot Noir from Alto Alidge. Of the two salads available, we preferred the combination of bitter and sweet tastes provided by the arugula with preserved kumquats, prosciutto, and shaved parmigiano to the mix of baby arugula with blood orange segments, shaved fennel, and goat cheese.


Pizza rustica, classic Easter pie 'every day' with hot pepper marmelatta

Pastas were outstanding. The divergent flavors and textures in the al dente, smooth, thin tubes of macaroni lisci loaded with dewy chunks of octopus, spicy green chili, and crunchy pistachio came together perfectly. We washed it down with a glass of the 2004 Barini Amarone. Another pasta of note, the plump pockets of cauliflower ravioli topped with lemon, brown butter, garlic, and parmigiano, went well with a fruity, straw-colored 2007 Arneis from Giacosa Fratelli, in Piedmont.

Although we wish there had been a wider selection of entrees and we were mildly disappointed by the meager assortment of fresh vegetables offered as accompaniments, there were certainly no clunkers among the mains. A flavorful slow-cooked “corned” beef short rib was accompanied by braised potatoes, cabbage, and a mild horseradish salsa. A whole grilled branzino stuffed with fennel was served with a lemon herb gremolata and pancrisped potato cubes. And an apple-mustard sauce enlivened a fist-sized portion of crisp, heritage pork osso bucco atop white polenta that married harmoniously with a robust, red 2005 “Super Tuscan” from Barone Albergotti.

For dessert, go with the Budino, a rich chocolate bread pudding surrounded by a decadent dark chocolate sauce, or the smooth chocolate pot de crème “in a jar” coated with a thick layer of raspberry froth. And before you leave, make reservations for your next visit.

You’ll definitely want to come back.

Summertime Stunners: Sparkling Reds

Remember “Riunite on ice … that’s nice”? Well, the very sweet, fizzy red Riunite Lambrusco wasn’t everyone’s idea of nice, but that’s no reason to write off all red bubbly. Well-made, pleasantly fruity, complex, ruby-hued sparklers from Italy (Brachettos), Moldova (Pinot Noirs), and Australia (Shirazes), contain enough lively acidity to counterbalance their sweetness. They make excellent warm-weather aperitifs, alone or with a wide array of hors d’oeuvres ranging from smoked salmon pinwheels to pâté to olive tapenade on toast. While they’re usually too fruity to accompany most elegant main course items, particularly seafood and veal, they mate well with pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Also, although these bubblies tend to overwhelm the flavors of delicate desserts like crème brûlée and flan, they match perfectly with anything chocolate.

If those reasons aren’t sufficient motivation for you to try a red sparkler, here’s another: They’re reputed to be aphrodisiacs. Riunite aside, Italians trace the lineage of their most popular red sparkler, Brachetto d’Acqui (made in the northern Piemonte Region), to the highly fragrant “vinum acquense” that Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony sent in wineskins to Cleopatra to arouse strong desires for her lovers. While it is doubtful that the wine Cleopatra sipped was sparkling, her celebrity endorsement has done for Brachetto what Marilyn Monroe did for Chanel No. 5.

But Italy doesn’t have a lock on romance. In fact, a Moldovan red sparkler (made from Pinot Noir grapes) was said to be a favorite of the Romanov czarinas to rejuvenate sexual desires. Moreover, this and a number of other wines are currently used in Moldovan spas to treat “stagnated passion,” as well as “weak hearts,” “anemia,” and “pulmonary congestion.” Don’t take any of these medicinal claims too seriously. As a doctor, it’s my responsibility to tell you that the liquor store is not a reasonable substitute for a pharmacy.

Still, if you toast your health with a red bubbly, you’ll have plenty of Aussies for company. In Australia, sparkling reds are traditionally served on Christmas day with turkey and there are more than 60 brands on the “down under” market made of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Chambourcin varietals.

Becoming Well Red
While a brand or two of Moldovan red sparkling wine (like Cricova and Demidoff) can occasionally be found on U.S. retail shop shelves, you’ll have better luck finding bottles from Italy and Australia.

Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale from Banfi ($20) and Marenco Pineto Brachetto d’Acqui ($20) are two of the most widely available top-flight Italian brands in the U.S. With low alcohol content (5.5% to 7%) and not as fizzy as Champagne, they show a deep red color, with a complex bouquet and mildly sweet taste of ripe strawberries, raspberries and herbs, with a crisp, lingering finish.

Winners from Australia that can be found in many U.S. shops include the Beasdale Sparkling Shiraz “The Red Brute” ($18) and the Mollydooker Goosebumps Sparkling Shiraz ($50). The Beasdale, a true brute with 14% alcohol content, has a deep ruby hue, a vibrant stream of bubbles, and a robust bouquet and taste of mulberries and plums. The Mollydooker, no lightweight with almost 15% alcohol content, has a crimson color, a robust stream of bubbles, and a bouquet and taste of ripe cherries and hint of licorice.