Tarry Lodge

You know an Italian restaurant is going to be good when half of the people seated in the room eating alongside your table are speaking Italian. Add in the fact that the restaurant is owned and operated by famed chef Mario Batali and restaurateur Joe Bastianich, son of one of my all time favorite people, Lidia Bastianich, and chances are it should be pretty memorable.

I have eaten at the Bastianich restaurant, Becco, in New York City before (posted about here), and had a really fantastic, homey Italian meal. We have tried to get reservations at other Batali restaurants on past visits to NYC without luck, but luckily, as we entered Westchester County on our way back from NJ yesterday, I remembered Batali’s and Bastianich’s suburban restaurant, Tarry Lodge. We had just enough time to GPS the directions and to call ahead with a reservation before arriving in downtown Port Chester, NY.

Tarry Lodge

Tarry Lodge

Port Chester has an eclectic mix of restaurants and stores, and we kind of thought we were in the wrong place. But sure enough, we soon passed by Tarry Wine, turned the corner, and found ourselves looking for street parking right near Tarry Lodge.

The outside of the restaurant definitely sticks out from the otherwise drab surroundings, the smart green façade dotted with shaded windows. The inside is beautiful with lots of natural light, cheerful yellow walls, and fabric used as decoration rather than paintings or other art. One room offers a long, white marble bar while the other featured spaced out tables covered in white cloths.

Tarry Lodge

Near the host stand, a wooden box holds business cards from other Bastianich and Batali eateries. My goal? To eat at all of them!

Mario Batali restaurants

The menus at Tarry Lodge were a little overwhelming with tons of house-made pizzas and pastas, antipasti, and salad. Additional weekend brunch options and a pri-fixe menu, $19 for a salad and pizza, made choosing our food even more difficult!

Tarry Lodge menu

The wine list was just as extensive with a great selection of wines, including Bastianich wines, by the glass. I decided on the 2008 Bastianich Refosco as I had tried it at the Newport Wine Festival.

Tarry Lodge wine list

As I sipped on my wine, our server brought soft focaccia and fragrant olive oil with a few olives basking in its deliciousness.

Tarry Lodge wine

I don’t often eat the bread served to the table at a restaurant, but I did have a small piece of this focaccia and wished I could eat the entire plate without ruining my appetite.

focaccia and olive oil

My husband decided to take advantage of the $19 deal, and I shared his walnut and gorgonzola salad with him. Topped with tart Granny Smith apples and homemade cheese, this salad was crunchy, fresh, and steeped with flavor.

gorgonzola with walnuts

For our main entrees, we decided to sample Batali’s pasta and pizza. I ordered the Fusilli alla Crazy Bastard, yes, that was the name, which is a corkscrew pasta with a creamy pink goat cheese sauce, sundried tomatoes, and walnuts. The portion was enough for several people, and it made an excellent dinner many hours later Smile The flavors in this dish were out of control, tangy, creamy goat cheese, salty sundried tomatoes, and some bitter greens dressed up simple pasta and made it something special.

Fusilli alla Crazy Bastard

Out of all of the pizza choices, we both fixated on the pizza with goat cheese, pistachios, and truffle honey. How could we NOT get that?

The pizza had a thin crust with chewy edges, mounds of fresh goat cheese, caramelized red onions, crunchy pistachios, and sweet, earthy truffle honey. It was pizza perfection.

Goat Cheese with Pistachios and Truffle Honey

We also brought some of the pizza home for a snack later that evening. The food was so satisfying and rich that a little really went a long way.

My full belly said no to dessert, but my reasonable husband questioned when we would be eating at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants again (um, hopefully soon!), and we decided to have espresso and the mascarpone cheesecake. We managed to eat every single bite Smile

MASCARPONE CHEESE CAKE

espresso

I love eating a big, fancy, delicious lunch that includes wine and espresso. My body definitely can’t do it everyday, but it is such a nice treat and broke up our forever long drive back to Boston.

The service at Tarry Lodge was as delightful and impressive as the food, and the setting was comfortable with a definite nod to the Italian countryside. It was nice to come in from a cold, bleak day, for a little bit of comfort in the form of some homemade Italian food.

Chef Batali and friends, if you are reading this, I am currently looking for a job and would love to collaborate with you on an Italy On the Road Again, as long as my other favorite person, Gwynnie is involved. Pretty please? Winking smile

Have you ever eaten at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants or the restaurant of another celebrity chef? If you haven’t, do you have a dream restaurant?

Tarry Lodge on Urbanspoon

Tags: Dining out, Food, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali, New York, pasta, pizza, restaurant, Travel, wine

  1. Emily’s avatar

    What a fabulous, impromptu lunch! I’ve eaten at Babbo before and absolutely died and went to heaven. I’d love to go back and/or try Batali’s other restaurants. Or, you know, just hit the road with him and Gwyneth.

    Reply

  2. Jean at The Delightful Repast’s avatar

    That would be so fun! And now that we know Gwynnie can sing …

    Reply

  3. alicia’s avatar

    Now that is some great road food 🙂 much better than stopping at a roadside fast-food joint!!!! Great review.

    I’ve never eaten at a Batali restaurant – but I did eat at a few celebrity restaurants when I was in Las Vegas!

    Reply

  4. Michelle’s avatar

    This sounds like a fabulous spontaneous lunch! I love everything about this blog post…from the business cards to the pizza…and to hubby wisely choosing dessert! 🙂

    Reply

  5. Grace’s avatar

    I have heard mixed reviews, but I would love to eat at Paula Deen’s restaurant!

    Reply

  6. Simply Life’s avatar

    Oh this looks like a fabulous restaurant to try!

    Reply

  7. What'sGoodForDinner!’s avatar

    Great job on making my mouth water! 😉

    Reply

  8. Daisy’s avatar

    I have never ate at one of his restaurants but my Mom was just in Eataly in NYC. She said it was insane! This food sounds incredible. I love that you sat down to a big lunch to break up the drive home!!

    Reply

  9. Amanda @ The Hungry Wanderers’s avatar

    Yum!! A few years ago when I was in New York, my best friend and I made it to both The Spotted Pig and Babbo. Both were to die for! At the Spotted Pig, the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnudi stood out and we did the tasting menu with wine pairings at Babbo – just heavenly! I wasn’t blogging back then and hope to get back there one day to try to capture it and share it with my husband.

    Reply

  10. Raija’s avatar

    Lupa – Fabulous dinner for a private 40th birthday. Delicious food, amazing wine.

    Babbo – for a fabulous 30th birthday ;). Some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had, with amazing wines and dessert. Enjoyed my first ever taste of sweetbreads.

    I’d be happy to join you on your tour of all of their eateries 🙂

    Reply

  11. Kelly’s avatar

    Lol as I was reading the menu I was like I have to know what the Crazy Bastard is! Glad you ordered it 🙂
    The food looks delicious. I have never been at a celebrity chefs restaurant, I really need to get better at seeking these out!

    Reply

  12. Brian @ A Thought For Food’s avatar

    Looks wonderful! I haven’t been to any of Batali’s restaurant, but I think that has to change.

    Reply

  13. Elizabeth’s avatar

    Mascarpone cheesecake had me sold. The ice cream on the plate is beautiful, almost looks like burrata

    Reply

  14. MelissaNibbles’s avatar

    I want that pizza. It all looks great though. I really like their decor too.

    Reply

  15. Enrico’s avatar

    Batali is lucky you take such stunning pictures. I have to check this place out, that pizza (truffle honey) honestly??? so creative and such a bargain for lunch prices. 🙂

    Reply

  16. Megan’s avatar

    I think I’m beginning to like your husband better than you. :oP Stop saying no to dessert! But really… wow. What an amazing meal… especially that pasta.

    Reply

  17. Kimmy’s avatar

    I love Batali’s restaurants. I’ve had the pleasure of dinner at Otto for my bachlorette party and cava and snacks at bar jamon after my wedding shower. I so want to go back to both and this place looks amazing!

    Reply

  18. Julie’s avatar

    Thank goodness for your reasonable husband!! I have never eaten at a Mario Batali restaurant, but Mesa Grill in NYC, one of Bobby Flay’s restaurants, is spectacular! We’ve been there three or four times and it’s always excellent!

    Reply

  19. Dana’s avatar

    I’ve been wanting to try Tarry Lodge for a while now, and your review only makes me want to even more! That crazy pasta sounds delicious!!

    Reply

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