My review would be a little biased as I am part of the management team for both Freelance Cafe and Seasons of Piermont (formerly Xaviars) lol. But I can assure you it is still amazing! We still have the same chefs and service staff as before. The only changes that have been made aside from the change in ownership have been interior and exterior renovations. Having been with the restaurants for over five years I encourage you to come and try it out.
Great to know! We will check it out for sure.
Thanks, Erica. Will stop by when in the area…
So, apparently Eric’s replacement at North left and they’ve been closed for several weeks. I just got this today announcing their new chef.
** Chef John Poiarkoff Joins Restaurant North
BY JULIA SEXTON | SEPTEMBER 07, 2017
While we were all sneaking off over Labor Day weekend to savor our last licks of summer, big news was brewing at Restaurant North (http://www.restaurantnorth.com/) . Owner Stephen Paul Mancini snagged Chef John Poiarkoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPjGuRwN7qQ) , who will step in as North’s executive chef. He is replacing Matt Casino, who inherited the role after four-times James Beard Award–nominated opening partner Chef Eric Gabrynowicz left the group last fall.
Poiarkoff is coming in on a career path that took him fresh out of culinary school to Danny Meyer’s The Modern. From there, Poiarkoff landed in tiny farm-to-table restaurant in Gowanus, Brooklyn, called The Pines, where he was rapidly shortlisted as a “Young Gun” by the influential dining website, Eater. Of Poiarkoff’s work at The Pines, Meyer told Eater, “When he left The Modern, everybody was so sad to see him go, because he has the whole package, just a great guy, amazing cook … When you go to The Pines you’ll see he’s doing cooking that is intellectual and soul-satisfying at the same time. You usually get one or the other, but it’s rare to get both.” Poiarkoff’s work at The Pines received praise from other food world luminaries, most notably Alinea’s Grant Achatz.
After those successes, the team behind The Pines opened Willow in Bed-Stuy with Poiarkoff at the helm. Critics praised dishes like potato and oxtail pierogi that evoked Poiarkoff’s Russian heritage, and carefully sourced meats that Poiarkoff spun into charcuterie or cured and aged in-house. Despite overwhelming critical praise for Poiarkoff’s cooking, Willow closed last summer. This left Poiarkoff a free agent until Mancini and company stepped in.
Upon Casino’s sudden departure this past July, Mancini and Restaurant North were left in crisis: Without a chef, North remained closed for the past six weeks while the team hunted for a replacement. They held multiple tastings (chef try-outs) looking for a good fit. Poiarkoff’s tasting was the one that stood out.
Says Mancini, “His food was extraordinary; it was super, super, super smart without being pretentious. Well thought out. Approachable. I was taken aback by his food, but, also, I was taken aback by his character. He’s a very level-headed intellectual, and he carries himself extremely well—but I guess the benchmark thing is that, three days later, the dishwasher was still talking about his food.”
Both Mancini and Poiarkoff come with Danny Meyer pedigrees; also, Poiarkoff’s farm-to-table sourcing at both The Pines and Willow matches the ethos of Slow Food Snail approved Restaurant North. That said, the acquisition of Poiarkoff was no walk in the park: “We had to have a pretty significant negotiation process because of his talent. We had to figure out ways to structure his contract with the group, but we were able to solidify all that about a week or two ago. Now he’s transitioning himself out of Brooklyn and coming up to Armonk full time.”
Poiarkoff is looking forward to taking his place at Restaurant North, even though it means moving out of Brooklyn, the epicenter of hip. (In this, he’s not alone—check out our feature, “The New Bohemians” (http://ediblewestchester.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/new-bohemians-local-artisans-living-sustainable-lifestyles.) ) “I thought that, with the team they have in place, and the acclaim they have already—and the philosophies they’ve had for the past eight years—it seemed like a great fit,” he says. Poiarkoff plans to honor Restaurant North’s established relationships with local and Hudson Valley farmers, and even expand them with his own relationships among local growers.
Restaurant North will hold a series of pop-ups and other events to introduce Poiarkoff to Westchester. Follow Restaurant North on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more news and announcements.
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Thanks, MB. I work across the street and came across a little planning session the other day. But we were all wondering what happened. Personally, they can only go up hill. I was not fond of the place.
Well, it will be interesting to see what happens with Restaurant North now. It was everyone’s darling for a while. Let’s give them a chance. By the way, is the food shop they opened across the street still operating?
It is and it is very overpriced and pretentious. Granola Bar is giving it a real run for its money in the Armonk ladies set.
Interesting. There is another Granola Bar about to open in Rye. I had posted about it. I wonder if it will have the same effect there…
The Armonk ladies seem to love it. The menu holds no appeal for me.
The new chef at North has been posting a bunch of photos lately and the food looks pretty good. They sent out a link pointing to their menus and it seems like they’ve lowered their prices. All dinner entrees are under $30. Interestingly, they never used to post menus on their website.
They’re also doing a fairly reasonably priced brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Wow! Thanks. They really did lower the prices! And you are right, they have never posted their menu in the past. As you know, I have not been a fan but maybe we’ll give it another try. BTW - how was Valley and how is James?
ETS - never mind, you posted about Valley. For some reason I did not get a notice that there was an unread comment there.
Has anyone been to North since the changeover? I have heard mixed things but from Open Table reviews. I’d prefer to hear from HOs!!!
Have not been but the photos on Instagram look really good. Maybe I’ll try it for brunch.
The menu does not appeal to me - it is very limited.
