Whitmans is the first to open,with Mighty Quinns (bbq) is set to open Monday. Tried Whitmans today.Had an $8 burger that was meant to be medium rare but was closer to well-done.Of the items on the classic -l,t,o,specialsauce and pickles - there was a dab of sauce on the bun, I did see a green spot,so maybe the pickle was there,seared onion never showed up,tomato was there and they did take it back and throw on a lettuce leaf (despite their telling me everything was on it already).Cheese was a $2 option,fries $5 - didn’t take either. Even for a captive audience venue,this (beef short rib blend patty) should be no more than$6 and seasoned better. I am looking forward to trying Mighty Quinn - I understand the food is smoked/cooked in a central commisary in NJ and then brought in.
Is mighty Quinn’s related to the one in the city?
That sounds truly awful - especially for $8!
Yes, Mighty Quinn has operations in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The one in the East Village is one of my favorite BBQ joints. Looking forward to them at The Westchester, but unless they have their smokers on the premises those wonderful flavors may not carry too well. Keeping my fingers crossed…
GR-
I was worried too,but was told (by an employee- who was busy training the new staff in westchester) that all the food (at the other restaurants) is prepared at a central kitchen in NJ (?) and brought in,so it must work- hope so.
Except for the unit they opened on the UES of Manhattan, you can see them working those smokers at the other stores. Maybe they do their meat prep, trimming etc. at a central location. But the actual Que’ing in house. You could tell the difference. Anyway, it would be great to have them here. We will see…
Westchester Magazine has an article on the 6 new eateries coming to the food court.
Made it to MQ today (so much for self-control).Ii’s the real deal.Decent size portions,NYC prices but the quality was there.They were “allowing” samples so tried the pulled pork and burnt ends,and had a brisket sandwich.Also brought home some sausage and had it for dinner. All were excellent. Sauce was good but nothing special - very few places seem to think the sauce is important, I do and so did pierson’s ,still my gold standard and missed. The sausage was very good, to my mind better than kreuz market, that I’ve had here - not in Texas,but I would probably stick to pulled pork and burnt ends (I’m very traditional).
Sounds great, rich51! Will definitely visit…
Went to The Westchester today to try Mighty Quinn’s for takeout. Got there about 3:30 and the food court was very quiet; 2 - 3 tables were occupied. Though there was no line, Mighty Quinns did have an ongoing stream of customers. I tasted the burnt ends and it was too smoky for my taste. Opted for the brisket instead. It was tasty but too fatty. I like my brisket/pastrami/corned beef to have some fat, but this had chunks that I had to cut off. I thought the texture was a little off, too mushy. I think it might have been better if I heated it up again. The brisket did not come with sides, only with pickled onions, sliced cucumbers, coleslaw with mayo or vinegar and red chili peppers. I ordered 2 sides at an extra cost of $3.25 each. Very good value since the small size was actually pretty large. I got potato salad and baked beans. The potato salad had bacon, onions, spices and mayo. The beans were sweet and tangy and had numerous pieces of burnt ends. Bummer is the $3 parking fee.
Currently,I have a parking meter waiver (for disability),so that is one of the reasons I go to the Westchester. I can usually find a spot on the street and “walk” in thru their parking lot. In the winter especially it is a good place to kill time and exercise. Even though there are not alot of street spots,they usually have a few open up and it is still about 1/2 the price (depending on how long you stay) and only a short walk to the Westchester entrance- either the parking lot or street entrance
Oh my - in my brisket book there is no such thing as too fatty so it must have been really fatty!
I agree, Gwenn. A little fat in BBQ is a necessity…looking forward to trying it. I do like their work in the city.
I agree that brisket, pastrami, steak, hamburger needs fat to enhance the taste and be juicy. but these thick slices of brisket had chunks of fat that I had to cut off. The fat was not even salty and crisp to make it more palatable. Perhaps the problem was that it was takeout and by the time I got home it was no longer hot. The brisket itself had a strange texture, kind of mushy. Again perhaps that was because of the fat beginning to congeal. Next time I will either eat it on site or heat it up in a pan at home.
This is a snippet of a review I wrote on CH about another BBQ place
“with the exception of the cole slaw and mac and cheese everything had a too smokey and very chemical like taste and smell to it in addition, the meat was either mush or on the verge of disintegration”
The place I was writing about I’m pretty sure uses an electric smoker. I wonder how they are smoking?
That could be the reason. That is when fat is not so good!
Which place was that?
Round up in Cold Spring
Looks awful just from that link!
Visited Savor at The Westchester the other day and it still has a way to go. Yes, Mighty Quinn’s is open as is Winston’s. Their Australian-themed Bluestone Lane Coffee Bar is open, too. Am curious about Hai Street Kitchen out of Philly and their Japanese take on a Sushi Burrito. Also, wondering about that Winston’s PB & B Burger, with Applewood smoked bacon & peanut butter? Meanwhile, Tomato & Co., which has a resto in Milford, CT. will be serving their garlic knots and Truffle Cheese Bread along with their Neapolitan pizzas…all say they will fill in the space this summer.
