Fresh Starts in Northern Westchester
By Geoff Kalish, M.D.
Great cuisine begins with topquality ingredients. Though the chefs at three
newly opened northern Westchester restaurants (F.A.B., Moderne Barn, and North)
all tout the use of only the freshest produce and provisions in their cooking,
their culinary philosophies and offerings vary markedly. In order to get the
story behind the menus, I interviewed each of these chefs, Felipe Milanes, Ethan
Kostbar, and Eric Gabrynowicz.
F.A.B.
(“French American Bistro”)
222 East Main St., Mt. Kisco, 864-1661
Chef: Felipe Milanes
Photos by Bob Buchanan Photography
Originally from Panama City, Panama, Mt. What was your primary practical
experience before becoming the chef at F.A.B.?
During culinary school I worked at a typical biker bar, cooking mainly hamburgers,
french fries and the like. After I graduated, I was employed at La Colline,
a then-popular Washington, DC, restaurant [editor’s note: now closed]
in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It was totally classical French from the menu
selection to the kitchen techniques to the way the staff was treated. When I
came to Westchester, my goal was to work for Dan Barber [the chef of Blue Hill
at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, since an excellent chef who I worked for
at La Colline said he was one of the best. I spent a year in the kitchen of
Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Locally, I’ve also worked for [area caterer]
Abigail Kirsch, consulted for Blue in White Plains, and for almost a year I
was the chef at Café Of Love in Mt. Kisco.Kisco resident Felipe Milanes
rules the range at F.A.B. (open daily for dinner, Monday through Friday for
breakfast, Monday through Saturday for lunch, and Sunday for brunch). Although
Milanes came to the U.S. nine years ago to study marketing, he found his calling
in the food world and attended the culinary arts program at Stratford University
in Falls Church, VA.
What’s your favorite style of cooking?
“New French American,” meaning the use of mainly classic French
techniques to prepare dishes from the freshest seasonal ingredients. At F.A.B.
the choices run the gamut from typical French bistro fare, like salad Niçoise,
cassoulet and duck breast, to American classics like hamburgers and mac ’n’
cheese. Importantly, the portions are large and the 
price
is affordable. And I stress these concepts in the cooking classes that I conduct
at the restaurant on Monday evenings — at which we usually have about
a dozen people who work hands-on as prep chefs and line cooks. (Note: These
classes are held every other Monday evening and cost $100 per person, including
all necessary supplies, dinner, and wine.)
Where do your provisions come from?
Mainly from the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, where our owner, Joe Mangi,
selects what he feels are the best seasonal products. In fact, because of the
wide variety of quality items available at the market, I can keep food very
consistent all year since I don’t have to depend on a particular farm
for any individual product.
What wines do you feel go best with your style of cooking?
Fruity wines like rieslings and reds from Rioja are particularly good mates
for most of the fare offered at F.A.B.
Captions: top to bottom: Chef Felipe Milanes
of F.A.B. French American Bistro; The bistro's salmon atop grilled vegetables.
Moderne
Barn
430 Bedford Road, Armonk, 730-0001
Chef: Ethan Kostbar
Photos by Paul Johnson
Originally from Wisconsin, but “living all over the place,” including
Georgia, Kansas City, Europe, and three years in Israel, Ethan Kostbar is the
executive chef at Moderne Barn, currently open daily for dinner. Now residing
in Fairfield, CT, with his wife and two children, Kostbar graduated from the
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and spent another year there on
a seafood preparation fellowship.
What was your primary practical experience before becoming the chef
at Moderne Barn?
Right after culinary school I worked at Kinkead’s, a highly respected
Washington, DC, restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue specializing in seafood. Following
my fellowship, I spent three years at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City,
including its Peacock Alley restaurant, and a stint at Gramercy Tavern as sous
chef under Tom Colicchio. Next were head chef positions at Rose Water, a restaurant
featuring seasonal cuisine in Brooklyn, and Paul Newman’s Dressing Room
in Westport, CT, and most recently at BIN 100 [in Milford, CT], where the focus
was on Mediterranean-style fare.
What’s your favorite style of cooking?
I like to use local, seasonal ingredients, preferably from suppliers that use
organic and sustainable production methods, to prepare fare that is simple,
yet provides well-balanced flavors. Based on my formal training and real world
experience,
this best translates into what I call “New American Mediterranean”
cuisine, which is what we highlight at Moderne Barn. This approach allows for
a wide choice of fare that should have great appeal to a multigenerational clientele.
For example, our current menu offers appetizer selections ranging from watermelon
tomato gazpacho to grilled octopus with a lemon-oregano dressing, and a flatbread
pizza. Main courses go from a hamburger, to seafood risotto, to heritage pork
tenderloin, to day boat scallops in a rich porcini mushroom broth.
Where do your provisions come from?
A combination of local farms and suppliers who are well known to the Livanos
family [owners of Moderne Barn] through their years of experience in dealing
with them at their other restaurants [Oceana, Molyvos, and Abboccato, all in
Manhattan, and City Limits Diner in White Plains and Stamford, CT].
What wines do you feel go best with your style of cooking?
In general, I like well-balanced, floral wines, and Wine Director Chris Gambelli
has put together a list that includes some great “old world” Rhone
Valley reds, and whites from the Loire Valley and Alsace that go very well with
most of the fare.
Captions: top to bottom: Chef Ethan Kostbar;
Moderne Barn's scallops.
North
386 Main Street, Armonk, 273-8686
Chef: Eric Gabrynowicz
Photos by Eric Isaac
Born in Queens, NY, and now living with his wife in Beacon, Eric Gabrynowicz
is the chef and co-owner, with Stephen Mancini, of North, which is open for
dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Having an interest in cooking since high school,
Gabrynowicz attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where he
graduated with honors.
What was your primary practical experience before becoming the chef
at North?
I did an internship at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe in Manhattan. From
there I went to work at two other Danny Meyer New York City restaurants, Blue
Smoke, which specializes in barbecue and Tabla, which features contemporary
Indian cuisine. At Tavern, in Garrison, where I was head chef, the theme was
farm-to-table, meaning a focus on the use of fresh seasonal provisions from
local farms.
What’s your favorite style of cooking?
I enjoy the rich flavors of Italian comfort food, particularly those dishes
that remind me of what my grandfather served at Sunday dinners. I especially
like braises — or food cooked at a low heat for a long time — like
beef cheeks and short ribs. In my cooking, I try to use classic techniques to
bring out the maximum of flavor from the freshest just-picked, caught, or butchered
products available.
Where
do your provisions come from?
Before the restaurant opened, and even now, I spend time visiting with local
farmers and providers of the highest quality fish, fowl, and beef — which
is the main source of what we use at North. Of course, to put out consistently
top-level fare, especially in the winter months, this needs to be supplemented
by what’s readily available in the marketplace. Fortunately, over the
past few years I’ve developed working relationships with a number of exceptional
food purveyors from outside the immediate area.
What wines do you feel go best with your style of cooking?
I’m a big fan of bubbly wines, from Italian lambrusco to French champagne,
all of which would go well with my creations. Also of note, my co-owner, Stephen
Mancini, who was the wine director at Union Square Cafe, has put together a
great list containing a wide selection of reds, whites, and rosés to
match the fare.
Captions: top to bottom: Owner of North, Stephen
Mancini; Madura Farms’ wild mushroom, truffle, and Lardo flatbread from
North.
Ritz Bitz
Whether
you’re bringing dessert to a dinner party, being The Best Mom Ever, or
simply indulging yourself, nothing beats the portable, portion-controlled perfection
of a cupcake. There has been an explosion of gourmet versions in recent years,
but trust us, you haven’t had a truly ritzy cupcake until you’ve
had a “Crème de la Crème” from The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester
in White Plains.
These cupcakes come in classic flavors of vanilla or chocolate cake with your
choice of vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry icing and an optional garnish. There
are also specialty and seasonal varieties such as “Blackout” (devil’s
food cake stuffed with chocolate cream and devil’s fudge icing), “Chocolate-Covered
Strawberry” (strawberry cake and devil’s fudge icing), “Lemon
Ice Box” (citrus cake with a burst of lemon cream and lemon icing), and
“Black & White” (devil’s food cake and sugary vanilla
icing with tiny black and white cookies).
The cupcakes are for sale in the lobby on Saturdays, and Saturday night is “Crème
de la Crème night” in the lounge. Stop by to decorate your cupcake
with the Ritz-Carlton’s pastry chef using a sweet array of velvety frostings
and colorful toppings or order some to go. Other days you can order cupcakes
by calling the main hotel number (946-5500). For classic flavors, orders should
be ready in about an hour; specialty flavors may take a little longer, but will
be ready the same day. –Catherine Censor
