Where To Shop for Specialty Foods

Where To Shop for Specialty Foods

Phat Olive, Katonah: If you’re holing up for a weekend cook fest or looking to pick up a quick host or hostess gift Phat Olive in Katonah is the place to start. This gourmet olive oil and vinegar emporium offers 24 different olive oils suffused with black truffle, Milanese gremolata, spicy Calabrian pesto, blood orange, cayenne and more. And 28 balsamic vinegars such as black mission fig, peach, pomegranate, Sicilian lemon, grapefruit and pumpkin pie spice. They have a good e-commerce site with live chat, shipping anywhere and a host of gift and accessory ideas. From olive oil dipping dishes and self closing spouts to chef’s aprons and serve ware. Ask for owners Matt and Jill DiCairano. (87 Katonah Ave., Katonah, 914.232.7428; www.phatolive.com)

The Hamlet British Store, Mt. Kisco: Hurry up and make friends with a Brit (Arsenal or Manchester United fan) so you can shop for them at Mt. Kisco’s groovy (newish) Brit Shoppe, The Hamlet. Or maybe you have a friend that is going to the UK. Or just got back. Or speaks English. Find some excuse to shop at The Hamlet any season – for gifts, and the best in Brit-treats and BBC style tv dinner nights or long streaming weekends. Such as: meat pies, roasties, Irish bangers, fish sticks, crumpets, and Arabian Chickpea Pie. Salty snacks such as Guinness Chips, or O’Donnell’s of Tepperary’s Chips with Bally aloe relish and cheddar cheese flavor. And for the sweet tooth Fry’s chocolate creams, salted caramels, Maltese’s Biscuits (think malted milk balls) sticky toffee pudding, Cadbury Crunchie or Digestives Biscuits. (23 S. Moger Ave. Mt. Kisco, 914-864-0324; www.thehamletny.com)

Katonah Pasta Store, Katonah: Here you can buy the same fresh pasta that they make for their sister restaurants The Blue Dolphin and Le Fontane in Katonah and Bacio Trattoria in Cross River. Kick your next “spaghetti night” up a notch or add a gourmet touch to your next dinner party without breaking the bank with their incredible Cavatelli, Gusilli, Gemeli, Gnocchi, Pappardelle, Squid Ink Spaghetti or 15 kinds of ravioli. Including crab, roasted vegetable, pear & gorgonzola and lamb or lobster for the holidays. Plus gift baskets and prepared take-away from butternut lasagna to eggplant parmigiana and roasted vegetables. (28 Valley Rd., Katonah, 914.401.9045; www.katonahpasta.com)

La Tulipe Desserts, Mt. Kisco: This little mom-and-pop pastry shop is one of the top European style gourmet patisseries in the Hudson Valley and beyond. they offer a colorful selection of delicious but not sinful La Tulipe breakfast pastry, cakes, chocolate, macrons, petit fours, marzipan, gelato, and sorbet, all handcrafted in small batches all with strict quality and consistency standards. All crafted by master pâtissier Maarten Steenman, a classically trained European grand pastry chef with decades of experience at Europe’s best shops in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Norway. (455 Lexington Avenue, Mt Kisco, 914.242-4555; www.latulipedesserts.com)

Wine Geeks, Armonk: “Big-batch wine producers buy grapes from many suppliers. To make sure all the wine tastes the same they have to manipulate it with sugars, commercial yeasts, chemicals, and flavorings,” says Wine Geeks’ Sommelier Derek Todd. A former sommelier at Stone Barns, Derek specializes in artisanal, small batch sustainably produced and organic wines and spirits. Housed in a converted gas station and auto body shop with industrial wine racks, Wine Geeks is a cool place to shop and learn about wines. Derek’s wine “classes”, offered on select Saturday nights, offer a virtual tour of the world’s best wine regions. And they have the best $15 & Under Table. (559 Main St., Armonk, 914.273.9463;  www.winegeeks.com)

Sugar Hi, Armonk: This destination “boutique” sweet shop, from Armonk’s twin sisters Hillary Assael and Elisa Weinhof is more than your typical bulk candy shop. Baker and cake designer, Hillary serves up custom cakes and her own take on fresh baked Ring Dings, Pop Tarts, S’mores, Snicker Bars, Naughty Brownies and Rice Krispy Treats. Plus, liege waffles, hand crafted chocolates, ice cream and Trendy Freak Shakes. They do cakes, custom cookie or chocolate platters for all occasions and even offer their own in-store birthday parties. (380 Main St., Armonk, 914.272.4777; www.sugar-hi.com)

Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods, Chappaqua: This iconic Chappaqua foodie lifeline is not only the best all around bakery in northern Westchester but the best and most complete purveyor of prepared foods. The bakeshop, inspired by the gateaux of Paris and the rustic pastries and tarts of Provence, offers the best specialty cakes, pies and chocolate babka around. They offer a daily menu of prepared foods from lunch to a full, five course dinner if you don’t want to miss a second of Beat Bobby Flay. Such as Shrimp Lobster BLT on Brioche to Cedar Plank Salmon, Parmesan Garlic Bread or Perfect Guacamole. They also cater 18 different holiday themed dinners from a Victorian Christmas to Passover, the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby and Valentines Day. (26 N. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.susanlawrence.com)

Mt. Kisco Seafood, Mt. Kisco: You can tell from the long lines winding onto the street on weekends that Mt. Kisco Seafood has the freshest and best variety of seafood in northern Westchester. From deepwater lemon sole to rainbow trout from Idaho, striped bass from New York, red snapper from Florida and Canadian halibut. Their shellfish comes from far and wide as well featuring Long Island clams, cockles from New Zealand, South African lobster tails, east and west coast oysters PEI mussels, and seasonal items such as Nantucket and Peconic Bay scallops. Plus sushi, freshly baked breads, prepared foods and produce.(477 Lexington Ave., Mt. Kisco, 914.241.3113; www.mtkiscoseafood.com)

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem: Famous for their apple picking festivals, Harvest Moon’s Farm Store is open year-round (mostly) offering their own fruits and veggies, free range eggs, grass fed beef and pasture raised pork. Plus dairy, honey, maple syrup, pasta and fine foods from NY State. You can even buy a whole (half or quarter) cow or pig and they have great apple cider donuts. Read our story.(130 Hardscrabble Rd., North Salem, 914.485.1210; www.harvestmoonfarmandorchard.com)

John Boys Outpost, Bedford – Open year round, Tues-Sun, 8am-6pm: At farmer John Ubaldo’s storefront market in Bedford Village you can pick up a selection of local produce plus Black Angus beef, Berkshire pork, bacon, sausage, duck, duck eggs, yogurt, honey, and cheese from 100% grass-fed cows from his Cambridge, NY farm. They also serve incredible baked goods, the best bacon and egg sandwich in Westchester County, Croissant French Toast, rotisserie chickens and whatever meat or poultry they’re cooking up – for dine in or take out. (1 Court Rd., Bedford, 914.205-3900)

Rochambeau Farm, Mt. Kisco: Farm-fresh produce and flowers from their garden. Plus meats from Hemlock Hill Farm; dairy from Battenkill Valley Creamery, Adirondack Cheese Co. & Jeni’s Ice Cream; honey and syrup from Catskill Provisions and Bee’s Knees; artisanal breads and baked goods from Joe’s Dough, Julian Bakery, Healing Home Foods Baked Granola and their own cookies, pies, quiches and preserves. Plus friendly farm animals including potbelly pigs, boer goat, sheep and lots of chickens. (214 West Patent Rd., Mt. Kisco;  www.rochambeaufarmny.com)

Mast Market, Mt. Kisco: This organic pantry with a second shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, works with local and organic farmers and makes small batches of chocolate and beyond. Including house roasted coffees, teas, stone milled heritage flours, grains, sugars, nuts, seeds and homemade jams, to house churned butters and handcrafted chocolate. Shop here for organic wheat berries, heirloom popcorn, oats and farro, maple sugar and honey. Mast Market works directly with a long list of farms from Fishkill to California who specialize in everything from organic grains, fruit and almonds and walnuts to rice coffee beans, butter and sea salt. (92 S. Moger Ave., Mt. Kisco, 914.733-9020; www.mastmarket.com)

A&S Marketplace, Mt. Kisco: It’s all things Italian at this butcher/delicatessen with a refrigerated wall of ravioli that must be worshipped. Plus Italian meats, cheeses, mozzarellas, sausages, pastas, cookies, olive oils and vinegars and more. If you must shop Italian, A&S is the place to go for cook at home or prepared foods like their long hot stuffed peppers, Italian sandwiches and baked pastas. (681 East Main Street, Mt. Kisco, 914.241-6919; www.asmtkisco.com)