Westchester Breakfast Club

French American Bistro
222 E Main St
Mt Kisco, New York 10549(Map It!)

Attendees: Reid, Sylvia, Andrew, Pat, Jeffrey

Reid

The Case: FAB (French-American Bistro) v. the Westchester Breakfast Club

The Venue: A storefront bistro, with sidewalk seating and a large bar on Main Street in Mt. Kisco

The Facts: After last week’s unanimously panned visit to Orfino’s, I think the gang was looking forward to a higher quality brunch experience. That motivated me to go all out and get the 20+ dollar prix fixe. For my Andrew Jackson, I got a Mimosa, a cup of passion fruit tea the size of my head, a belgian waffle with whipped cream, “seasonal fruit salad,” and a crepe citron et sucre with chocolate sauce garnish. The “seasonal fruit salad” was the only disappointment. I put it in quotes, because FAB uses the phrase not in its traditional sense, meaning “an assortment of various fresh, chopped fruits,” but as a term of art meaning “a small bowl full of grapes cut in half.”

The rest of the meal, however, was excellent. The mimosa was a bit light on the champagne, but FAB clearly used both the good stuff and good O.J., so the lower amount of alcohol didn’t bother me. The tea was both large and tasty; the loose-leaf showed that this place takes its tea seriously. The Belgian waffle had that hearty, whole grain taste to it, and a relatively high density without being chewy. The whipped cream was fresh and not too sweet, and I only wish there were some more of it. Finally, the crepe was a little light on the lemon for my taste, but the chocolate sauce decorating the plate made up for any unnoticed lack of sugar.

The service was both friendly (sometimes a little too friendly) and attentive. The bill (which came in at slightly under $20/person) wasn’t cheap, but it was definitely reasonable for the amount of food and drink we had.

The Verdict: Worth the price and the trip.

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Sylvia

For our Sunday brunch at F.A.B. in Mt. Kisco, I had made reservations for our group since it seemed that although not required, reservations were highly suggested, per the woman I spoke with on the phone. When we arrived, we found some ample parking right out front, on the street. I believe there is a huge lot in the back that also has parking available for FAB and a bunch of other stores along the same block.

When we walked in, we were the only ones inside the place. It was 11:30 on a beautiful Sunday. We were seated at a large round table. They were expecting 7, but only 5 of us showed up this week. The service was upbeat and friendly. Menus were passed out, and drink orders promptly taken. I had already indulged in a Cow Whip from Black Cow Coffee up in Croton on Hudson post-40 mile bike ride up and down some ferocious hills. A Cow Whip is basically a shot of espresso and chocolate milk blended with ice. The best recovery drink possible. But I digress. Being all caffeinated already, I opted for some tea. The tea menu was varied, but not overwhelming, and regular old Lipton was available, too. I ordered the English Breakfast Tea.

The tea came in what amounted to a bowl with a handle. It was a huge latte cup. I loved it. The tea was not a 25-cent teabag, but was of the loose leaf variety. The tea itself was fragrant and subtle with the addition of milk. It was an excellent choice.

Everything looked good. The fact that I was tired and hadn’t really eaten since the above mentioned bike ride may have been a factor. Since there were no pancakes available, I ordered the Herb Omelet, which was an omelet prepared with fresh herbs and gruyere cheese, and served with potatoes and mesclun salad. I was really hungry, and I kind of wished there was an option to get some pastries to hold me over until my meal came. But no, I guess that was the American influence of this French American Bistro.

After a little bit, our meals finally arrived! My meal looked pretty on a rectangular plate. The omelet was a bit smaller than I’m used to, but the potatoes were nice large quarters of roasted red potatoes tossed lightly in some sort of sauce.

The omelet was okay. It was different, a bit lighter than a usual omelet. I actually don’t know if it can even be called an omelet. There wasn’t much of a filling except a sprinkling of herbs and a little cheese. The cheese was good, but I couldn’t taste the herbs much. The potatoes were delicious. I love roasted red potatoes, and whatever the potatoes were tossed in, it was very good. The salad was also very good, and went well with the whole meal.

As we were finishing up, we were presented with a dessert menu. It seemed unnatural to me that Reid and Jeffrey would order lemon sugar filled crepes to go with their prix fix meals. So I had to get a nutella crepe to finish off this meal.

Is it just me, or is a crepe normally eaten with a spoon? Oh well, it looked so delicious, I made it work. The crepe was wonderfully thin, and the nutella was yummy.

In the end we paid a little more than we normally have been for breakfast. But at the same time it was brunch, and dessert was involved, so it kind of evened out.

The czar says: The menu is a little bland and safe for a French American Bistro. It’s probably a sure bet if going with a group that consists of varying degrees of picky eaters. A good place for something a little more special and a place to really take in a Sunday and linger.

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Andrew

The interior of FAB is a classic bistro-type place with a long bar at one end
of the restaurant and bench and chair seating on the other end. The
benches were down the middle so that the establishment was separated
into two areas, one area with the bar and one without. The bar had several
TVs all playing the same infomerical: The dogpedic system endorsed by
none other than Montel Williams. The dogpedic system is basically a
memory foam mattress for your pooch, which apparently is more
comfortable for your canine companion. To prove it, they dropped what
appeared to be a watermelon on an “ordinary” dog bed, which proceeded
to split in half, and then dropped a similar looking watermelon on the
dogpedic bed, which prevented the destruction of said watermelon.
Where do I sign?

Anyway, on to the food. I ordered the eggs florentine for $10.95 and a nutella crepe for 8
dollars. The eggs florentine is exactly like the eggs benedict: whereas
the eggs benedict consists of poached eggs atop a slice of Canadian
bacon and an english muffin topped with a hollandaise sauce, the eggs
florentine substiutes the pork with spinach.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had good poached eggs, in fact the last
time I did have a good poached egg was way back when I participated in
that special remote Westchester Breakfast Club review out in Queens at
Q-Thai Wine Bar. Each time after that I ordered some poached eggs
breakfast and have been disappointed by overcooked eggs. Well the
streak has been broken. FAB served up two delicious, perfectly cooked
poached eggs. The yolk had a wonderful consistency that matched the
hollandaise sauce, which was also delicious. The spinach was fresh,
and the english muffin was perfectly toasted so that it was crispy
around the edges and firm in the middle. It did a good job
capturing all the egg and hollandaise flavors. It was served with a
mesclun salad and roasted potatoes that were lightly coated with oil.
The potatoes were fresh, cooked to order, which is relatively rare in
the breakfast/brunch world. Most potato dishes are cooked way ahead of
time, sometimes days ahead, and you can definitely tell. These potatoes
were definitely fresh.

As an upscale bistro-type establishment with neat, professional
looking wait staff and nicely set tables, the brunch is well worth the
relatively high price. After a week straight of
commuter’s breakfast, it is nice to come to a place like FAB for good
eggs in a nice atmosphere.

The nutella crepe for 8 dollars, while delicious and filled with
nutella, was not as justifiable. At 4 dollars, maybe. That’s where
they getcha!

In conclusion, FAB is a wonderful brunch experience that’s well worth
going to.

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Pat

What I Had: Belgian Waffle, Almond Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding, Coffee

What It Cost: Right around $20

Worth It: Yes, with only slight reservations

The Rating: Food 4/5, Price 2/5, Service 3.5/5

The Details: F.A.B. is a French-American Bistro (hence the name) on Main Street in Mt. Kisco. With a full bar, indoor and outdoor seating, F.A.B. makes a striking first impression upon entering the restaurant. But would the food hold up? Read on, gentle reader, to find out.

On Sundays, F.A.B. serves Brunch from 11:30-3:00. I considered ordering off the more lunch-oriented part of the menu, but remembered at the last minute that we are the Westchester Breakfast Club and settled on the Belgian Waffle. The texture of the waffle was perfect, and it was served with authentic maple syrup (an especially delicious version) and a dollop of whipped cream. The toppings were outstanding, and the waffle would have been delicious…if it had been served warm. It came out and I took my first bite and it was disappointingly cold. It was still tasty, and I would order it again, but the temperature really held it back from being a great meal.

The Almond Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding, on the other hand, was served very warm. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the pudding was tasty, but it didn’t blow me away as I expected it to when I first got a whiff of it. I found myself wishing I’d ordered the nutella crepe instead.

The coffee was above average. The service was generally good, though it took a long time (which perhaps explains the temperature of the waffle; waiting for some dish to finish, the waffle sat on the plate too long before being served). Parking was easy, though it can be a challenge at times in Mt. Kisco, so plan accordingly.

The Bottom Line: Too pricey to be a regular spot, but good for a special occasion if you’re in Mt. Kisco and looking for a change of pace from The Flying Pig.

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Jeffrey

Mt. Kisco has yet to fail, 2 for 2 in my book. FAB was a definite step up from the ordinary breakfast. This high-class restaurant and bar serves very good breakfast. And why not? If you do dinner well, which I’m assuming they do, why close the doors for the morning and lose money? Keep them open and serve breakfast that tastes good!

The czar made a reservation, which we realized wasn’t really necessary when we walked into the place. It was empty except for the two people in the outdoor seating area. Yep, they have outdoor seating. Extra points for that. Then the server told us that reservations are nice to have because then they can set up a table for us. This was true since we had a reservation for 7, even though only 5 of us showed up. They were still cool about it.

The menu was laid out all on one page. You would think that with just one page of items, it would be easy to decide, but that’s where you’re wrong. I was not the only one who was stuck with the dilemma of what to order. Others around played the staring game with the menu and finally chose something when it was their turn to order. What did I order? I ordered the Monte Cristo. I’ve never had or even considered what was in a Monte Cristo before, so I was quite excited. My order was actually part of the prix fix breakfast meal, which included a coffee, a mimosa (which I opted not to get, but looked good as Reid was enjoying his), the Monte Cristo, and a dessert crepe.

We awaited our meals and began our inappropriate conversation topics. It was a good thing the place stayed empty and the employees of the establishment had a good sense of humor. The guy behind the bar even chimed in when we were discussing the finer points of the infomercials being shown on the TV behind the bar. Rest assured, if I want to drop my dog from nine feet onto a dog bed, I now know which dog bed I can trust.

The arrival of the food was a glorious occasion, mainly because I was hungry. In front of me was my Monte Cristo. Apparently, it’s just a turkey, ham, and swiss sandwich but with two pieces of French toast as bread. This is all served with Maple syrup, a fruit salad, and what seemed to me to be home made whipped cream. What a breakfast! Well, to be fair, it’s actually Sunday brunch, but still! Every bite was delicious. This wasn’t some thrown together by accident sandwich. I could tell as I cut through it that it was thought out as to which layer should be where in order to prevent slippage. This may seem to be a small task, but to the eater, it kept the meal simple and clean. I must say, if this is a regular, run of the mill Monte Cristo, the world is safe from bad Monte Cristos.

My appetite was satisfied and I was happy. I could have paid the bill, left and stayed happy with breakfast. But no. There was still the dessert crepe! I ordered my dessert crepe with lemon and sugar filling, even after some light banter and ridicule from my sister and the cute waitress about how Nuttella would have been the better choice. Well Sylvia, if you want Nuttella on a crepe, then you should order one as such. And so she did. I believe that in one way or another we all had some form of dessert for our brunch. My crepe arrived nicely folded on a plate that had been drizzled with chocolate. TAKE THAT! That’s right, there was chocolate on the plate already, so I got the best of both worlds. I win. The crepe was delicious. I love crepes. I don’t mind saying I love crepes. They are fantastic. This one keeps my love of crepes alive. There is, however, one thing I don’t like about crepes. They are short lived and go away very quickly. This isn’t a problem so much as me wanting to swim in a pool filled with crepes and having to eat my way out of it before I drown in awesomeness.

Last week I gave a decisive answer to the question, “If I need to eat breakfast in Briarcliff, where should I go?” The answer was, hands down, the Patio. If you asked the question, “If I need to eat breakfast in Mt. Kisco, where should I go?” I don’t know if I would be able to answer. Of the two places we’ve tried in Mt. Kisco, the Flying Pig or FAB, I could not say which is better. I suppose it would depend on what you’re in the mood for. Flying Pig, I would say, leans more towards a Southern feel with their biscuits and gravy, while FAB is more of a French breakfast since the “F” in FAB stands for French. Let’s just say, if it’s Sunday and where to have brunch in Mt. Kisco is the hardest decision for the day, you’re going to have a good day either way you go.

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Shelley

While the WBC was off in Mt. Kisco enjoying their FAB brunch, I was in a hotel suite in Manhattan cooking a much simpler Sunday morning meal. (The room has a kitchen, you see.)
After going to the lovely Food Emporium on First Avenue between 71st and 72nd streets and stocking up on some breakfast staples, I returned to make the following: scrambled eggs, cereal, toast. How did I do all of this? Preapare yourselves, readers, for a lesson in the culinary arts.

Some top chefs cook with their hands. I cook with my fingers. By that I mean I can push the buttons on the microwave. My fingers fly over the machine with feverish fluidity. Although there’s a stove in the suite’s kitchen, I was lacking an approprate skillet in which to cook the eggs. So instead I cracked my egg into a glass, stirred it up a bit, then poured it into a buttered microwavable bowl. From there I added a touch of milk to the eggs, whisked it up with a fork, and popped it in the microwave for 45 seconds on high. After that brief interval, I removed the eggs, stirred them a bit more, and put them back in to be nuked for 45 seconds more. After that time, voila! Surprisingly fluffy scrambled eggs.

One component done, two more to go. Up next was the toast. As my bread, I selected a lovely Pepperidge Farm hamburger bun. Why a hamburger bun, you ask? What can I say, I like things that are round, soft, and cheap. Into the toaster went the bun, to be toasted on setting “2”. I prefer lightly toasted bread, with just a hint of crunchiness. As the toast was crisping up, this left me with a good amount of time to gather the last component, the cereal. Special K is my grain of choice. Into a bowl it went, and I also added some raisins. I prefer to add fresh raisins to cereal rather than buying cereals with raisins already in them; these, I find, are often hard and unpleasant. A dash of milk in the cereal and it was ready to go. About this time the toast popped out, and I gingerly transferred the slices from the toaster to my plate. Some butter and grape jelly from the fridge were the only things still needed.

I settled in to enjoy the fruits of my labor with a tall glass of skim milk. My meal left me fueled up and ready to face the day head on. At least until lunchtime.

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