no time to tarry

There was a lot of chatter when Mario Batali & Joe Bastianich came to Port Chester, NY last fall. I was curious, but thought the new restaurant would be crowded during the holiday season and might need some time to settle in. Months later the Tarry Lodge website is still non-existent, but you can get the lowdown in their press kit pdf and easily see they have a strong brand going. From the pizza box to the wonderful round business cards... I love the black, white & goldenrod that is is dead-on consistent everywhere you look. I declared that our leftovers were packed up in the most appealing pizza box ever, but my husband corrected me. The flimsy pizza box from Pepe's in New Haven is a beautiful sight to behold.


















But I digress...
We had an 8:30 reservation (try opentable) for 4 on a Friday night. After leaving the parking to the valet and any cumbersome layers to coat-check, the hostess dispatched us to the bar for a cramped (standing room only) 20 min wait. Everything improved dramatically once we were seated at a corner table on the elevated level behind the bar. The waitstaff rewarded with a complimentary round of "Fleur" champagne for our troubles. Tarry Lodge has a very comfortable, warm & inviting atmosphere. It was full up at 9 PM which I partially attribute to the chef's reputation and the pizza and pasta dinner options for under $20. In this economy, it's great to sample a wider variety sharable food without having to ordering a full dinner entree.

Some of our table favorites were the pizza with goat cheese, sliced potato and pancetta, the calamari paired with isreali couscous and a pappardelle bolognese. Ordinarily I would never order such a simple pasta dish, but our waiter wisely steered us in the right direction.

What's still on my mind?
Fusilli alla crazy bastard which Food + Wine revealed was inspired by the New Yorker cartoon. I can't explain why, but I've always loved this rigatoni (on the telephone) so much that I frequently repeat the caption out loud whenever I see spiral shaped pasta.


"Fusilli, you crazy bastard! How are you?"


Tarry Lodge
18 Mill Street
Port Chester, NY 10573
914.939.3111
tarrylodge.com