At last a Destination Asian: Goosefeather in Tarrytown

Destination Asian: Goosefeather in Tarrytown

We have been on the lookout for a “Destination Asian” restaurant for years. It’s not that all Asian eateries are created equal. But we have not been convinced that any town’s “go to” Asian is any better than another town’s. At least after factoring in the costs in time and energy to forego your local eatery for even a scenic trip. Chef Dale Talde’s Goosefeather in Tarrytown has changed that thesis for us.

Goosefeather opened in September 2019, so this is not exactly cutting-edge stuff you are reading here. But considering that was shortly before the Covid pandemic – we are not going to apologize that it took us so long. And you shouldn’t either. Just go and see what you think of our new theory. Goosefeather’s destination status is based on a total experience approach. Namely, their celebrated chef, his innovative and well executed food, its ambience, and service. Let’s start with the ambience.

The Ambience

Goosefeather is housed in The King Mansion at the Tarrytown House Estate, on a hill above Sunnyside, the former home of Washington Irving. As one might expect in mansion dining there are four dining rooms conforming to the original layout of the house. Each adorned with elaborate trim and woodwork on the walls and ceilings, ornate fireplace mantles, brass chandeliers, and wall sconces – and because this is a hip place that draws a younger skew compared to most mansion eateries, modern touches like the Calder inspired ceiling mural on the main dining room ceiling. And the Marilyn Monroe photo over the fireplace in one of the smaller spaces. There is also a nine-seat bar in its own dedicated room with tables for two. Indoor and outdoor lounge areas with fire pits. During the warmer months they add seating on two terraces, a garden, and a front lawn.

The Chef

Chef Talde is a James Beard-nominated chef who was a three-time contestant on Top Chef and has competed on “Chopped,” “Iron Chef America,” and “Knife Fight.” And has judged on “Beat Bobby Flay.” Chef Talde launched his concept of Asian-American cuisine in 2012 at Talde in Park Slope. He followed up with two more Talde’s in Miami and Jersey City. He made his Manhattan debut in 2016 with Massoni at the Arlo NoMad Hotel in and followed up with Rice & Gold at the 50 Bowery Hotel in Chinatown in 2017.

Goosefeather’s menu is a celebration of Hong Kong cuisine with a focus on noodles, Cantonese barbecue, and dumplings. But the execution is Asian American, not Asian fusion, Asian American. In other words, it is proudly inauthentic. So much so that Talde titled his first cookbook, Asian American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from The Philippines to Brooklyn. So don’t be surprised if you see unexpected ingredients on the menus such as black truffles and dry-aged beef. And brownies.

The Food

Keeping with the spirit of the menu, we ordered a salad, a dim sum dish, a noodle dish, and a traditional entree. There is also a Vegetable section of the menu that we passed on, as we were dead set on a dessert. The Shaved Snow Pea salad with pomelo, pickled chilis and hot and sour tamarind peanuts was refreshing, delicately shaved, and demonstrated restraint on the tamarind which is not our favorite ingredient. It was the least favorite dish we had – but we would order it again. It was a great way to start a meal.

After that it was a series of showstoppers that had no equals outside of mid-town Manhattan in the late 20th century – at least that we could remember. Starting with the Duck Boa with plum sauce and savory granola that was huge. Meaning the portions were literarily huge and stuffed with duck until you got to the bottom where strategically you bit into a refreshing cucumber to cleanse your palette and move on to your noodle dish. We had the Wild Mushroom Slippery Noodle with shaved hazelnut and snow peas. It was a large flat chewy noodle that had an Italian bite to it and the sauce was loaded with mushroom umami that bounced around our palette in waves of flavor so fast we couldn’t identify any of them. And didn’t care. The Black Pepper Beef with charred onion and holy basil, was another flavor bomb and is our top recommendation. Bite-sized chunks of sirloin with layers of flavor from the onions and basil and the ahi chili that we found but did not eat. Or was that in the Slippery Noodle dish? Who knows.

The Dessert

Just don’t miss the Goosefeather Sundae with chocolate ice cream, chocolate cherry brownie and popcorn. It’s rare that we go for the all-chocolate dessert (we’re at that age, if you know what I mean.) But we had a feeling about the chocolate and cherry combo in the brownie and we were right. The brownie was moist and dense and chewy without that cloying gooey-ness that younger stomachs crave. And there was lots of it. I’m hard-pressed to recall a better brownie. That said, we had mixed reviews on the value of the popcorn, although we agreed this dessert could use some whipped cream.

Goosefeather is located at the Tarrytown House Estate at 49 E. Sunnyside Lane, Tarrytown. 914-829-5454. Or make your reservation on resy.com.

They are open Tuesday-Thursday: 5PM-10PM. Friday: 5PM-10:30PM. Saturday: 11AM-2:30PM and 4PM-10:30PM. And Sunday: 11AM-2:30PM and 4PM-8PM.

Goosefeather is closed on Mondays.