Blog Post: Sexton Hits St. George

westchestermagazine.com, October 17, 2013

By Julia Sexton

I remember this one so clearly. At about the same time that I was popping in and out of this restaurant for a review, I kept running into its chef outside of work. It felt supernatural—I'd managed to never meet him before. After about the fifth run-in, I was sure he'd recognize me in the dining room, so I declined to do the review. The chef and I ended up being great friends.

I wrote this weekly food blog for six years, from 2008-2014. In 2009, I won a prestigious CRMA (City and Regional Magazine Association) award for Best Blog, beating out runners up in all subjects from big city magazines—Boston Magazine, The Washingtonian, Chicago Magazine, etc. The judges wrote that my blog, "won us over with its big personality, breezy conversational tone and wonderful insider detail—the kind that makes the reader feel like an in-the-know foodie. Julia Sexton gave us a terrific behind-the-scenes look at restaurant kitchens and their complicated relationship with health codes ... And she served up a detailed, name-dropping review of a new restaurant. Thoroughly satisfying and fun." My editors were thrilled—this was a major win for WM.

So there I was, sneaking out of St. George when I ran into Chef Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge and Casa Mono/Bar Jamon. Nusser sat alone, eating dinner at the bar, looking perfectly content. On that night, St. George—one of Westchester most iconic dining rooms—was in full-on sparkle, with light bouncing off the beveled mirrors and century (+) old pressed tin. Reopened October 4, the Southside space is virtually unchanged since its iteration as Buffet de la Gare, a landmark restaurant in Hastings-on-Hudson that was in constant operation from 1980 to 2013. Buffet de la Gare’s white tablecloths are gone (along with all the formality that they imply). What remains is a cozy, neighborhood bijoux where you might find yourself after a long day of work. We chatted about Nusser’s hellacious day (which included an emergency run to White Plains hospital) while he tucked into his hard-won dinner. Of this, Nusser said, “I’ve got a scotch and a steak. I’m happy!” And, in truth, he looked it.

And here lies the charm of St. George; it’s not trying to re-invent anything. The menu created by Executive Chef Chris Vergara, who also owns Meritage in Scarsdale and Harper’s in Dobbs Ferry, is lean and constructed around the French bistro flavors that are practically imprinted in our DNA. But the classics at St. George have been passed through a filter. You won’t find those default American-style bistro dishes here—we can all name them—moules frites, coq au vin, and tuna tartare. Unlike other Westchester bistros, St. George does not offer a democratic burger, and (get this!) there’s no half roasted chicken with fries on the menu. Instead, you’ll find a solid slab of St. George’s appetizers devoted to multiple varieties of raw oysters and clams, plus, plateaux that also bear those bivalves along with cold lobster, shrimp, and crab. Then there is the charcuterie to consider.

Sure, there are some ladies that daintily pick at pinkly curled shrimps in cocktail, but that ain’t me, folks. I zeroed in on the organ meats. Vergara’s pâté de campagne was rosy and delicious, at once finely textured and satisfyingly rustic, but it was the mousse de foies de volaille that stole my heart. Sure, there was that cholesterol-laden lusciousness that one might expect from an organ whose job it is to filter, but there was also an elegance in the mousse’s texture that made the second and third bites as compelling as the first. It was so good that I considered sharing it, but my companion was defending his pillowy ricotta dumplings with fragrant chanterelles and black garlic. Everyone was happy and no one was sharing squat. Note to self: I need nicer friends.

FYI: we visited St. George within its first ten days of operation, and that is way too soon for a critical review. We encountered some minor slip-ups on our visit, but nothing particularly grave. When its rough edges get a bit rounded, we predict that St. George will fit snugly into a warm, cozy spot in Westchester’s dining scene.

While St. George’s list of wines-by-the-glass is smart and well-edited, it’s wise to check out the cocktails, all of which are perfect for sipping in this all-but-gaslit 19th-Century room. Look for Absinthe’s green fairy—in pretty personal fountains and in a truly excellent Sazerac—plus, Lillet, Champagne, falernum, Chartreuse, all whipped into potions whose very glassware (small, stemmed half-spheres) evoke history. Sweetly, St. George tips a hat to its predecessor with the Buffet de la Gare cocktail: Champagne, spiced burgundy, apricot brandy. Of the wines-by-the-glass, we loved the Petit Chablis/Chardonnay blend and the Bourdeaux, but do check out the bottles—many are gently priced ($35-$45) and encourage conviviality.

Speaking of conviviality, you’ll find that almost half of the mains are portioned for two. Says Chef Vergara, “I just love the way it looks on the table: big platters of, say, côte de boeuf, with all the little copper pots of sauces, vegetable, and potatoes. It just suits the room.” Little copper pots also arrived with our singly portioned mains, onglet with herb-scattered frites and confited duck leg with caviar lentils. Both dishes were soulful, familiar, and just what we craved on this chilly October night. Our cheeks reddened, our eyes sparkled: it was going to be a good night.

To end, we swapped spoonsfull of coffee-haunted chocolate mousse, savoring the sips of bourbon and moon-colored Absinthe that glittered in the flickering lights of St. George. Take it from me, folks, you’ll want to pounce.