Local Eateries Get Michelin Bibs

Local Eateries Get Michelin Bibs: The prestigious Michelin Guide recently named its 2021 Michelin Bib Gourmand winners that features some notable locals and several more nearby that are worth the trip. The Michelin Guide has been handing out stars to fine dining restaurants for over a hundred years. But back in 1997 they added the Bib Gourmand distinction to recognize eateries that serve ambitious food at moderate prices. Bib Gourmand winners are recognized in their own Good Little Restaurants guide that is published each year after the Michelin Guide comes out.

More than one-hundred and twenty New York restaurants received Michelin Bibs this year from New York City’s JG Melon that calls itself a “saloon with food” and is famous for its hamburgers to Una Pizza Napoletana on Orchard Street that offers four basic pizzas and a choice of four toppings, and ice cream – and that’s it! Our interest in this list however is a lot more local than this, starting with Armonk’s own Zero Otto Nove that was named a Bib Gourmand winner this year.

Local Michelin Bib Winners

Zero Otto Nove, Armonk carries the pedigree of Chef Roberto Paciullo whose flagship Roberto’s was the Bronx’s top rated Italian restaurant, carrying a 26 Zagats food rating back in 2013. And his first Zero Otto Nove is a standout on the Arthur Avenue scene. He also has a Zero Otto Nove in Manhattan’s Flatiron district. The New York Times gave his Armonk location a Very Good rating when it opened in 2014. We did too after we sat down with Chef Roberto for a chat. (55 Old. Rt.22, Armonk, 914.273.0089; www.zerootonove.com)

Badageoni Georgian Kitchen, Mt. Kisco Westchester’s first Georgian restaurant – as in (“Well those Ukraine Girls Really Knock Me Out, They leave the West behind, And Moscow girls make me sing and shout, That Georgia’s always on my mind”) One of the countries on the Silk Road that connected Europe and Asia, Georgian  cooking marries flavors from the Caucusus, Mediterranean and other parts of Europe. Their menu features grilled meats, vegetarian and vegan choices. Signature dishes: Beef Chashushuli (slow cooked beef), Tabaka (fried crispy Cornish hen), Seafood in Garlic Cream Sauce. Try the Qveri, a Georgian amber wine fermented in clay vessels. (26-28 Main St., Mt. Kisco, 914.864.1666; www.badgeoni.com)

Southern Table, Pleasantville: This Michelin Bib winner serves inventive southern cuisine with farm fresh ingredients. And that means biscuits, grits and gravy, fried green tomatoes, buttermilk fried chicken, cajun gumbo and molcajete fajitas. The only thing that isn’t southern is their fantastic wine list that’s from all the right places such as Malbec from Mendoza, Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley and Cabernet from Napa. If you want a cocktail though its back to the southern theme with the Smokey Mountain with Redemption Rye and the Deep South Donkey with Tito’s Tequila. (39 Marble Ave., Pleasantville, 914.618.3355; www.southern-table.com)

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Less Local

Beatstro, The Bronx calls itself the Hip-Hop restaurant, a speakeasy with vibes for days and days for vibes (Think DJs & Open Mic nights.) And the menu is smash burgers, and a mac bar (three kinds of mac & cheese), a chicken & rib crib, fried green tomatoes, cornbread fried oysters, vegetarian sloppy joe, shrimp & grits, chicken & waffles, and grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and fried yucca. Feeling adventurous? Check it out after Kusama: Cosmic Nature at the New York Botanical Garden. (135 Alexander Ave., Bronx, (718) 489-9397; www.beatsto.com)

Boro 6 Wine Bar, Hastings on Hudson: Paul Dibari’s (Balthazar, Wallse, Lure Fishbar, Sessanta) classic taverna features a 40 foot marble horseshoe bar, banquets and serves more than forty wines by the glass including biodynamic, orange wines, cocktails, craft beers and cider. Plus a Mediterranean menu of pastas, braised meats, roasted fish, roasted veggeies, salads, toasts and small bites. Pictured: Loup de Mer: European Sea Bass, olive oil, smashed potatoes, pistachio gremolata. (549 Warburton Ave., Hastings on Hudson, (914) 231-9200; www.bor06.com)

Burrata Wood Fired Pizza, Eastchester: This Eastchester wood oven ‘Za meister is churning out all the elevated classics from White Truffle & Mushroom Arancini, veal meatballs, duck ragu rigatoni, lamb bolognese gnoccheti, zeppole and warm valrhona chocolate cake. Plus, soppresata pizza, prosciutto pizza, black truffle pizza, and shrooms & jalapeño pizza. Did we mention the creamy burrata? (425 White Plains Rd. Eastchester, (914) 337-3700; www.burratapizza.com)

Cafe Alaia, Scarsdale, Just a short walk from the Scarsdale Metro-North Station, Café Alaia, is a repeat Michelin Bib winner from 2020. Their Italian menu features tender spinach- and ricotta-filled ravioli bathed in a melted sage-infused butter. Squid stuffed with crab, spinach and breadcrumbs, augmented by poached cherry tomatoes, not unlike the fresh figs set atop a crostata di pere. A bar in the middle is ideal for solo or couple diners who want to mingle. (128 Garth Rd, Scarsdale, 914.725,3000; www.cafealaia.com) linger.

Dubrovnik, New Rochelle: Westchester’s only Croatian restaurant, Dubrovnik celebrates the smell of the sea with grilled fish and Croatian classics such as Riblja Juha (fish soup) and Crni Rižoto (Adriatic Cuttlefish Risotto). And everything is marinated in Croatian olive oil. Every night they bring out their fish table (think the steak tables they bring out in steakhouses) and you can see the fresh catches they have for the day. Famous for their None’s Style Octopus Salad. Finish with the Palačinke – Croatian Style Crepes with Fruit Jam. Or maybe the Kremšnita – puff pastry with vanilla custard. Just for fun, wear a Dinamo Zagreb or a Shaktar Donetsk soccer jersey and see what kind of reception you get. (721 Main St., New Rochelle, 914.637.3777;  www.dubrovnikny.com)

El Molcajete, The Bronx: The New York Times wrote, “their tacos look like bouquets, brimming with cilantro”. And they called out their “suadero, a cut of beef often likened to brisket but closer to the udder, almost as fatty as pork belly.” This modestly priced Mexican is a go for Pork Carnitas, Mole Enchiladas, Asada Fries topped with skirt steak and melted cheese, Machacha (shredded beef and scrambled eggs), Pollo Mole, Steak Chicano, Chile Verde, Siete Mares (Mexican soup with seafood), Camarones a la Creama and Mocajete Enchiladas with slices of top sirloin. (1506-08 Westchester Ave., The Bronx, 917-688-1433;

Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue, Located in the heart of the Belmont district of the Bronx, Enzo’s offers authentic modern Italian made from local and seasonal ingredients. Expect huge portions here and the “best meatballs in New York”. They serve fifteen different pastas (all fresh and for take home too) and fourteen different sauces to put on top. Prices are reasonable until you get to the premium meats and fish like Chilean Sea Bass – which can run you up to $37 for an entree. (2339 Arthur Ave., Bronx, 718.733. 4455; www.enzos.com)

Macelleria Italian Steak House, Pelham, Armonk, Greenwich: Talk about challenged branding, this “Italian Steak House” serves “American cuisine with an Italian flair.” Here you can get pastas, seafood and steak. And everything is “made by hand” (whatever that means) from “the best ingredients. Well, we can make fun all we want but Michelin thinks these guys are rocking it. And although the original Pelham location gets the Bib, you can find a Macelleria Italian Steak House in Greenwich and right in downtown Armonk in elide Plaza. (142 Fifth Ave., Pelham,   ;macelleriaitaliansteakhouse.com)

Maria Restaurant, New Rochelle: Westchester Magazine’s Best New Restaurant for 2019 gets some more street cred with its second Michelin Bib. And we’re liking their menu featuring Crispy Artichokes, Eggplant Fries, Pork Cheeks Marsala, Charred Carrots with pistachios and fennel pollen, Charred Octopus with braised butter beans, Oxtail Ragu Gnocchi, Penne Rigate with white veal bolognese, and Candy Stripe Beets and Burrata. In other words, “elevated.” (11 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, 914.636.0006; marianewrochelle.com)

RaaSa Indian Cuisine, Elmsford: Indian fine dining in Elmsford featuring sixteen different vegetarian dishes, traditional clay oven Tandoor, a host of Massala’s, Korma’s, Vindaloo’s, Jalfrezi’s, Saag’s & Chettinad’s. Plus, some rare specialties: Punjabi Goat, Awadhi Dum (lamb shank), Mutter Keema (ground lamb infused with ginger, garlic, spices, green peas) and Murgh Aam (chicken cooked in green herb and mango sauce). (145 E. Main St., Elmsford, 914.347.7890; www.raasany.com)

RafeleRye, Rye: Naples born Chopped Champion Raffaele Ronca (Rafele Ristorante, in the West Village) debuts his first sister restaurant, Rafele Rye. This new venture brings together Raffaele, who grew up in a family of butchers and has won accolades for his cooking from the James Beard Foundation and Food + Wine magazine, and Ann Mara Cacase, an owner of the New York Giants. Rafele combines classic Italian dishes with the chef’s native Neapolitan influence, and the space, features original brickwork, warm reclaimed woods in the form of ceiling beams and tables made of recycled wood from old houses and farms in the Rye area. (26 Purchase St., 914.481.8417: www.rafelerye.com)

Shiraz Kitchen, Elmsford: Mediterranean Persian cuisine comes to Westchester with Shiraz Kitchen a 2021 Michelin Bib winner. Shiraz hoofed it up to Westchester from NYC’s Chelsea district so they have city cred too. In addition to the obligatory hummus, falafel, dolme and feta stuffed dates (yum), how about some lamb shank with dill and fava bean basmati, or Cornish Hen kabobs? Their beef kabobs are all grass fed, and there’s some crazy stews. Like Celery Stew, Fesenjoon, toasted walnut and meatball in a pomegranate paste and saffron Basmati, and Bademjoo, a meat stew with eggplant, yellow split peas and dried lime. (83 E. Main St. , Elmsford, 914.345.6111: www.shirazkitchen.com)

The Cookery, Dobbs Ferry: We’ve been writing about Chef David Dibari’s Dobbs Ferry Italian for years and this is about as deserving an award as they come. It feels like an Irish pub, has a wait staff from Avenue A, and serves everything from duck liver cannoli and bucatini cacia e pepe to fried octopus with smoked tomato marinara and pistachio serrano salsa. Did we mention his famous stickabutta pie. Bring your Lipitor. (39 Chestnut St., Dobbs Ferry, 914.305.2336; www.thecookeryrestaurant.com)

Tredici Social, Bronxville: Chef Giuseppe Fanelli (Tredici North in Purchase) gets a bib for his new restaurant in picturesque Bronxville. Fanelli takes classic Italian dishes and puts his own creative spin on them, offering an inventive fare including handmade pastas, fresh seafood and fine steaks. Popular dishes include Salmon Tartar, Inside Out Meatballs, Firecracker Shrimp and Kobe Beef Ravioli. Check out the zebra marble bar. (104 Kraft Ave., Bronxville, 914.793.131.: www.tredicisocial.com)