Armonk’s new Lenny’s North Seafood & Steak

Armonk’s new Lenny’s North Seafood & Steak: Lenny’s North Seafood & Steak recently opened in the former Restaurant North space on Main Street in Armonk. Restaurant North took Armonk and much of Westchester by storm when it opened in 2010 by Danny Meyer protégé’s Stephen Mancini and Chef Eric Gabrynowicz.

With a smart and sophisticated renovation and Gabrynowicz, a four-time James Beard Award semi-finalist, in the kitchen Restaurant North rose to the top of the area food chain consistently scoring Top Ten Ratings for food and décor in Westchester and the Lower Hudson Valley. Mancini suffered through a difficult transition when Gabrynowitz moved to Charleston, SC in 2016, and soon thereafter decided to shutter the star eatery along with its spinoff café Market North across the street.

Lenny Balidema, owner and operator of fine-dining stalwarts Il Castello in Mamaroneck and the original Lenny’s Steakhouse in Larchmont quickly saw the opportunity to expand his reach in the county and locked up the space.

Classic Fine Dining

Where Restaurant North pioneered innovative cutting edge NYC cuisine through chef-inspired preparations in Armonk, Lenny’s North represents a return to classic fine dining. But the follow through is just as refined. Featuring prime 21-day dry aged steaks, line caught seafood, a full raw bar and house-made pastas, Lenny’s North, lives up to Balidema’s reputation for sweating the details.

In Rediscovering the Art of Classic Details, a 2010 review of Il Castello, New York Times food critic M.H. Reed wrote, “As the Food Network’s Alton Brown… noted, pasta dishes are less about the sauce and more about the noodle — and the noodles, or farinacci, at Castello were superb.” So too was the bread basket, fresh from the oven, the fish preparations, sauces and service at Lenny’s North.

The regular menu offers some good reading for foodies including the half roasted organic lemon chicken with creamy soft polenta, braised spinach and natural au jus, a grilled Berkshire pork chop, homemade pappardelle Bolognese and live Maine Lobster Fra diavolo or steamed over linguini.

Wait to hear the specials

But we tossed that aside pretty quickly when the waiter read us the specials menu – eight entrée’s deep and almost all seafood. We wound up ordering the soft shell crab, an exquisite Dover Sole in a perfectly executed Meuniére sauce, and a Halibut Francese – an inspired choice of fish for such a tradition preparation. With every flavorful bite of perfectly prepared fish and flavorful sauces, if we can borrow a phrase from M.H. Reed, we rediscovered the art of classic details.

Restaurant North is a hard act to follow, but Lenny’s in their classic way does not disappoint. There’s even some forward leaning sides and appetizers such as their duck fat home fries with chives and the baby arugula with fresh orange segments, shaved fennel, red onion, toasted almonds, crumbled goat cheese and fresh lemon vinaigrette – we like both.

Serving both Mars and Venus

Though we didn’t have the steak, there’s no questioning the pedigree of their USDA prime dry aged cuts. And with their diverse choice of fish and raw bar options, Lenny’s can satisfy any foodie desire whether you are from Mars or Venus. It’s a great new addition to the Armonk scene for special occasions, business meals or a foodie outing with friends who don’t mind taking a break from “New American cuisine with Latin and Asian influences”. And just want an expertly prepared meal with high quality ingredients and classic service that treats you like a king or queen.

(386 Main St., Armonk, 914.273.8686; lennyilc7375@gmail.com; www.lennysnorth.com)

Open Mon-Thurs 12-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-11pm & Sun 2-8pm.

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Check out our What To Eat: Restaurant Guide for the top eateries in Northern Westchester