Baldwin Place is 'hopping' with new restaurants
Baldwin Place, located near the Putnam County border, is small— but in a short period of time, has gotten big in terms of the restaurant scene.
Yes, there were always pizzerias and delis but ever since Bobo's opened in March 2020, the town seems to have upped its food game, counting an upscale taco restaurant, a seafood spot and, coming soon, a gourmet pizza and ice cream eatery.
Part of the attraction, say owners, is not only the easy accessibility to Mahopac and Yorktown, but the familiarity. Michael Lubic, who owns Traditions 118 in Somers, said he has both personal reasons and logistical ones for wanting to open Trio Pizza, in the old Grand Central Market space.
"My family has been around here forever," he said. "My parents ran Pinnochio's Pizza since 1979 [where Coral Seafood is now] so we know restaurants in this area work. I also love how much traffic there is here, drawing people from Yorktown, Somers, Peekskill, Mahopac and more."
Craig Bernardi, who owns Bobo's with his brother Glen, and who grew up in Baldwin Place, agrees saying living here — and knowing the area/clientele — is key.
His dad used to own delis throughout the 80s and 90s and had his flagship store on Route 6. "So one day when we drove by the construction we thought how cool would it be if we opened up a store on Route 6 as a little homage to my fathers 'Bernardi’s Deli,'" he said.
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The fact that there's a lot of new construction and housing (shout out to the Mews and Avalon Somers), also makes the area more attractive, not to mention bustling.
"It's just time," said Nick Di Bona of Port Chester's Bona Bona Ice Cream, who's also moving into the Grand Central Market space. He said Northern Westchester (where he's from) has been a big hit for his food truck for a while now which is why the opportunity to open a permanent spot was so attractive.
"The area is hopping a lot more since COVID, with a lot of younger families moving in," he said. "We were shopping around and this just worked."
So what's new? Here's a rundown.
The Tortilla Project
Open since Jan. 23, Owner Mitch Lanyi decided on Baldwin Place because of the proximity to towns like Mahopac, Carmel, Somers, North Salem and Yorktown. "We have a unique opportunity that most restaurants don't have," he said. "To be able to provide a fun and cozy spot with exciting food and cocktails in a central location that's in the middle of a major hub for Northern Westchester and Putnam County."
His head chef, David Fierstein, graduated from CIA Napa Valley in 2005 and has more than 20 years of experience working in kitchens all over Westchester. (Lanyi himself has worked in restaurants for a dozen years, starting as a bus boy and slowly moving his way up.)
His new 40-seat spot (which will eventually have limited outdoor dining), is all about the versatility and creativity of tacos.
"I think of a sandwich as anything you can imagine between two pieces of bread and I think of tacos the same way," he said. "You can put anything on a tortilla and call it a taco. This gives Chef David and I the ability to combine our culinary knowledge to create dishes that may seem crazy in theory but end up like nothing we’ve had before." 80 US-6, 914-205-3152, thetortillaproject.com.
JV Hot Bagels
JV Hot Bagels, which has been in Jefferson Valley for 30 years, opened in February 2022, for the same central location reason others have mentioned.
Plus, Co-owner Dennis Antonucci grew up here, adding to the appeal. It helped, too, that this place was previously a bagel store. "It was easy to move in, clean it up and put our own stamp on it," said Antonucci who owns the spot with Philip Viscounti, 80 US-6 Unit 207, 914-519-6242, jvhotbagels.com.
Coral Seafood Restaurant
Fish, meat and pasta dishes are on the menu at this seafood restaurant, which opened in 2021. 63 Route 6, 914-519-6230, coralseafoodbaldwinplace.com.
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Bobo's Cafe
Since opening during the height of COVID, this Bobo's — the smallest of the cafe's five locations — is the busiest, a factor Co-Owner Bernardi attributes both to its central location on the main throughfare of Route 6 as well as to DoorDash and the influx of new housing complexes.
Among the top sellers: Acai bowls, breakfast items (their breakfast sandwich is often number one), their lunch wraps and coffee. 57 US-6, 914-519-6227, boboscafe.net.
Coming soon to Baldwin Place
Trio Pizza and Bona Bona
While some are lamenting the closing of Grand Central Market, which had been a beacon of sandwiches for 32 years, others are looking forward to its new incarnation: As a combination gourmet pizza spot and ice cream store.
It's basically two businesses in one, with the pizza — thin crust and authentic Italian-style — on one side; Bona Bona Ice Cream, with its 24 flavors and popular torched Italian meringue on top, on the other.
Lubic, along with his management team from Traditions 118, also plan to serve elevated sandwiches, including gluten-free options. The opening is planned for mid-March. 71 Route 6.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baldwin Place NY food scene is hot: What's new, what's coming
