Filtering by Tag: New Rochelle,Romanian

Road Trip: Crotty's Cheesesteaks: A Taste of Philly in New Rochelle

Features Interview Restaurant Road Trip cheesesteaks New Rochelle Westchester Hudson Valley Fast Casual Homepage

Andrew Dominick

Imagine NOT having to drive over 100 miles for a cheesesteak.

No, I don’t mean just any cheesesteak. I’m talking about thin-sliced, practically shaved steak, drippy golden yellow Cheez Whiz, translucent onions, and a hoagie roll that strikes that balance of soft and chewy.

Your neighborhood pizza joint that claims to have a “Philly” doesn’t count. It’s fine if you made the mistake and ordered that dry, sorry excuse for a cheesesteak once, just don’t let it happen again.

You no longer have to settle for less. Crotty’s Cheesesteaks—located directly across from Hugenot Park and a hop, skip, and a jump from Iona College—is here to save you from all the bad cheesesteaks that exist in the general area and beyond.


Cafe Transilvania Opens in Fairfield: Romanian Cuisine with a Side of Dracula History

Restaurant Openings Fairfield Romanian Hungarian Eastern European Take Out To-Go

Stephanie Webster

It’s not easy to find Romanian cuisine in the Nutmeg state. Aline and Christian Caldarariu, owners of the recently opened, Cafe Transilvania, say their new takeout spot is the only Romanian restaurant in Connecticut. The couple, both with backgrounds in hospitality and the culinary world, had intended to open a sit down restaurant pre-Covid, but the world changed, and so did their plans. Their new spot, located at 246 Post Road, in Fairfield CT, has opened to an enthusiastic response from both the large Romanian community in Fairfield County (who knew?), as well as local diners, who are excited to sample a cuisine that has previously eluded food lovers the Connecticut area.


Sexy Cocktails Debut @ NoMa Social Lounge in New Rochelle

Restaurant Cocktails New Rochelle Bar

Lou Gorfain

For decades, the locally owned Radisson in New Rochelle has been a beloved pillar of the lower Westchester community.  But sadly, the matriarch was getting a bit long in the tooth. So the family transformed her vibe from venerable to vogue, a Manhattan style Boutique Hotel.  

As one of the designers of that refurb, Colby Brock, the Food and Beverage manager, named the new restaurant and lounge NoMa Social (NoMa stands for “North of Manhattan” and bears no alliance with the renowned Noma in Copenhagen).  Colby brought in highly regarded Executive Chef Bill Rosenberg, (f.i.sh., Barcelona) to upgrade the kitchen, and she recently hired 32 year old Mike DeFalco as the Bar and Nightlife Manager.  A major mission: inject some hip to a ho-hum bar menu.

NoMa’s splashy lounge – replete with zebra stripes and a funky, deep house/electro trance playlist -- has become a hot spot for a young, party and pick-up crowd.  To add to the jump, DeFalco has set about creating a cavalcade of sexy craft cocktails.