Restaurant Week Returns to NYC

Foodies Prepare for Culinary Classics at Restaurant Week

Comforting polenta with shrimp at Trattoria Vivolo. -Photo by Morris Gut

By Morris Gut 

NYC News Network 

January 14, 2024

NEW YORK - Once again, NYC Restaurant Week is in full swing. 

Participating restaurants are required to offer special 2-course lunches for $30 and 3-course dinners for $45 & $60.  The annual promotion is organized by NYC & Co., which claims to have signed up over 500 restaurants scattered through the five boroughs. 

This year there are 12 restaurants coming out of the Bronx. Included  are: The Bronx Beer Hall and Clinton Hall in the Arthur Ave./Little Italy section; Home BX Steakhouse, Kingsbridge; Absolutto, Morris Park; Chocobar Cortes, Mae Mae Café & Plant Shop, Rosa’s at Park, and Talevera Cantina, Mott Haven; Suyo Gastrofusion, Mount Eden; Liebman’s Deli, Tobala, Riverdale; and Flava’s Restaurant and Lounge, 3rd. Ave.

Sometimes there are caveats so check ahead. 

For more info and a full list of participating eateries go to: www.nycgo.com/restaurant-week 

COMFORTING POLENTA WITH SHRIMP AT TRATTORIA VIVOLO!

Chef/owner Dean Vivolo’s new winter menu includes a wonderful Paglia e Fieno con Funghi. The Linguine Vongole is not to be missed. Chef Vivolo’s robust regional Italian cuisine is served out of a restored vintage diner just across from Harrison's Metro-North station and the new Avalon complex. Sit at the counter, tuck into a booth, or take a table in the rear greenhouse and enjoy the surprising contemporary and traditional flavors emanating from his kitchen: tasty thin-crusted pizza; fresh old-fashioned Meatballs and Sausage; Crostino di Polenta with shrimp or mushrooms; Lasagna Bolognese al Forno; Osso Buco, tender braised veal shank; or traditional Baccala. Great staff. Good wine list. Sparkling lights. Closed Mondays. Free parking. Trattoria Vivolo, 301 Halstead Ave., Harrison. 914-835-6199  www.trattoriavivolo.com

PORCHETTA AT LA BOCCA!

Caught Chef/proprietor Tony Spiritoso one day just as he was putting the finishing touches to a savory, fatty and moist boneless stuffed pork roast, Italy’s famed porchetta. Incredibly tempting as a main course or in a salad. A few slices and I was smitten. A meal here usually begins with platters from Tony’s signature antipasti bar loaded daily with tempting cured imported meats, cheeses and appetizing house made salads. Tony has brought his vintage bright red slicing machine along wherever he has been, and it sits here ready to roll at the antipasto counter. Some consider La Bocca the most authentic Italian kitchen in the area. Seasonal pastas, meats, fish and game. The wine selection is among the best in the county. The dining room is strewn with artistic columns and seasonal artifacts. There is a wine room for private events. Open 7 days. La Bocca, 8 Church St., White Plains. 914-948-3281 www.laboccaristorante.com 

CHARGRILLED OCTOPUS AT JACK’S BAR!

Owner Shane Clifford and his staff serve an enhanced Irish/American tavern menu on steroids. The best way to describe it. Generous specialties coming out of Chef Brendan Donohoe’s kitchen include a refreshing Lobster Cobb Salad, tasty Chargrilled Octopus; decadent Short Rib or Lobster Mac N’ Cheese; Seared Scallops; Drunken Egg Noodles; Bren’s Chicken Curry; a notable Burrata pizza out of their woodfired oven; Berkshire Pork Chop; and Panko Crusted Avocado Sliders. Weekend brunch. The staff could not be more friendly. Open daily. TVs. Municipal parking; free evenings. Jack’s Bar, 219 Main St., Eastchester. 914-652-7650 www.jackseastchester.com 

WINTER FARMERS MARKETS RIGHT NOW!

It’s winter and you miss visiting your favorite farmer’s market. Some of our most popular markets operate all winter, and while you may not get all the spring/summer/fall harvest can produce, it still is a good place to pick up a variety of artisanal goods such as meats, cheeses, jams, breads. Here are some locations. Happy grazing!

Ossining Winter Farmers Market, Corner of Spring & Main St., Ossining. Year-round. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.downtoearthmarkets.com 

Pleasantville Farmers Market, Metro-North Parking Lot, 10 Memorial Plaza, Pleasantville. Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 12, thru March. www.pleasantvillefarmersmarket.org 

Larchmont Winter Farmers Market, Metro-North upper lot, Chatsworth & Myrtle Blvd., Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round. www.downtoearthmarkets.com 

Irvington Winter Farmers’ Market, Main Street School, 110 Main St., Irvington. Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month. www.theirvingtonfarmersmarket.org 

Hastings -on-Hudson Winter Farmers’ Market, Commuter Parking Lot, across from Metro-North station. 134 Southside Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 1st. & 3rd. Saturday of the month. www.hastingsfarmersmarket.org 

Gossett’s Farm Market, Gossett Brothers Nursery, 1202 Rt. 35, South Salem. Year round. Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.gossettbrothers.com 

Cold Spring Indoor Farmers Market, Boscobel House and Gardens, 1601 Rt. 9D. Garrison. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.csfarmmarket.org 

Hudson Valley Regional Farmers’ Market, Hudson Valley Cerebral Palsy Association, 15 Mount Ebo Road South, Brewster. Year round: Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.hudsonvalleyfarmersmarket.org  

Westport Farmers Market at Gilbertie’s Herb Farms, Sylvan Road, Westport, CT. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.westportfarmersmarket.com 

(Morris Gut is a restaurant marketing consultant and former restaurant trade magazine editor. He has been tracking and writing about the food and dining scene in the Bronx and Westchester for 30 years. He may be reached at: 914-235-6591. Email: gutreactions@optonline.net)