Old Stone Mill
2 Scarsdale Rd
Tuckahoe, New York 10707 (Map it!)
Attendees: Shelley, Pat, Reid, Sylvia, Jeffrey
Last week we received an e-mail from our breakfast czar suggesting the Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe as this week’s destination. Then we received an e-mail from Reid saying we should watch an episode of the television show “Kitchen Nightmares” from 2007 that featured…that’s right, the Olde Stone Mill. It was a cringe-worthy episode, but since the restaurant appeared clean and basically acceptable and since the restaurant did seem to be pretty well turned around by the end of the show, we decided to stick with our plan and head down to Tuckahoe.
After a pleasant drive down to the south side of Westchester, we arrived at the Olde Stone Mill. It’s a beautiful old stone building (built in the 1800s) and is situated next to a stream of some sort. And it turns out that ownership has changed since Gordon Ramsay visited the restaurant. As we pulled into the driveway I groaned when I saw the sign that said “Free Valet Parking” and saw the valet attendant approaching my car. I like parking my own car but more than that, I don’t especially like having to hand out extra tips. As we were getting out of the car, Jeffrey was going to take down the GPS but the attendant told us that we didn’t have to take anything with us, nothing in the car would be touched, he said. Well, yes, I’d assume so. He then told us that he was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt because he had torn his other shirt on the MetroNorth train ride up. Um…ok. Good to know, I guess?
I didn’t get a good look at the inside of the restaurant because we opted to eat outside, since it was an unseasonably warm day. The outdoor patio was located right off the bar in the front of the restaurant. The patio is covered with flagstone and there was a variety of table sizes for different sized parties. Although we were under an umbrella, we had to arrange ourselves in an unusually cozy manner so that no one had sun shining on the back of their necks. We were promptly brought water and a bread basket. It was awhile after that until we received our menus. I think they were trying to get us comfortable, so that we wouldn’t be shocked when we saw the menus. And the prices.
I’ll say this. The menus online on the Olde Stone Mill’s website don’t list the prices. Now I know why. I think many people would think twice about going to the restaurant if they saw the prices online. The prices are steep. Very steep. The cheapest thing on the brunch menu was the fruit cup at $8. For all the main dishes, however, I don’t think there was anything below $16. Jeffrey asked if anyone wanted to share the “Another Combo Platter for Two” with him (not to be confused with the regular ol’ “Combo Platter for Two”). Although it was priced at $48 (yes, $48), I went for it. Our platter came with steak & eggs, apple stuffed French Toast, and the Chef’s Omelette of the Day, which we were informed was mozzarella and sausage. All of the brunch entrees also came served with a complimentary Mimosa, Bellini, or Chrysanthemum (which I had never heard of before but learned is just champagne and cranberry juice). I chose a Chrysanthemum.
The food arrived and was well-presented. The platter was ginormous. It was alot of food. I had half of the French Toast, a small piece of steak, and half of the omelette. The steak was well-cooked, and was prepared mediuim-well as I had requested. The omelette was well-cooked and was filled with tasty pieces of Italian sausage. The French Toast was delicious; it consisted of two thick slices of bread with sweet apple pieces in the middle. And the bite of lox I took from Sylvia’s plate was good, average tasting lox.
My food was good and I enjoyed it, but I did not enjoy the price and can’t think of any way to justify it. The food, while good, was only that: good. It wasn’t spectacular, it was good. I know our combo platter came with steak, but we’re not talking Kobe beef. It was just average, Applebee’s-like steak. Not bad, but not expensive. And let’s face it, eggs are just eggs and French Toast is just French Toast. Put them together, and, in my opinion, it still shouldn’t add up to $48. Look, if Gordon Ramsay had bought this restaurant at the end of that “Kitchen Nightmares” episode, then maybe I’d feel ok about paying that much for a Saturday afternoon brunch. But he didn’t. And the Olde Stone Mill is, in the end, just a nice neighborhood restaurant. If we’re talking nice neighborhood restaurants, then I have to say, we got many of the same dishes at our visit to Terra Rustica, and the food there was of the same quality but for much less money.
So, as I’ve said, the food was good, but unless they lower their prices, I can’t see myself returning for brunch at the Olde Stone Mill. There just wasn’t enough to justify the amount of money I shelled out.
Oh, and when the valet attendant brought my car out when we were leaving, he mentioned that it was very hot in the car and asked if we wanted to stand outside of it for a minute or so. I said no, we’re tough, we can handle the heat. I don’t know, maybe the guy was lonely and wanted some people to chat with. I got into the car, adjusted my driver’s seat, which seemed to have been moved back. It was indeed quite hot in the car, so I reached to adjust the air conditioning, And as I did that, I saw why it was so hot in my car: the attendant had turned the thermostat all the way to the highest heat setting. And for that I gave him a tip?
What I Had: Eggs Benedict, Mimosa
What It Cost: $20, plus tipping the valet
Worth It: No
The Rating: 1.5/5
The Details:
Let’s start with the good. The Olde Stone Mill is in a beautiful building. They offer outdoor seating. The wait staff was decent. There was complimentary valet parking (I don’t actually care for valet parking, but some people might like that). I did not get food poisoning or a sexually transmitted disease during or after the meal. The earth did not crash into the sun (h/t Dave Barry).
Now let’s talk about the bad.
Well, one more bit of good: The plate of food looked fairly appetizing; the potatoes were cubed and cooked to a lovely golden brown, and the hollandaise appeared to be the right color and consistency. Sadly, that’s where the good of this meal ends. The food was virtually flavorless, save for the incredibly greasy potatoes. The eggs were bland, the ham was blander, and the Hollandaise blandest. There was nothing on the plate that showed even a remote interest in tasting good or being memorable.
It is not hard to season food. A little salt and pepper can go a hell of a long way, and talented chefs know how to use these seasonings (and others) to accentuate and develop the flavors in the meal. It seems no one told Olde Stone Mill.
The meal, at $16.00 plus tax and tip, was radically overpriced. There is no justification for a price point that high, unless the restaurant believes it’s something more than it is. Sylvia’s smoked salmon platter, at $22.00, was even more egregiously priced. I did have a bite of Reid’s french toast, and while it was terribly soggy, I at least found the flavor pleasant.
Olde Stone Mill’s proprietors think the restaurant is something more than it is. The chef seems to have no interest in seasoning and no interest in flavor. And the owners seem content to gouge your wallet and hope you don’t notice that you’re paying too much for flavorless rubbish.Until they bring the product up to the price point, or the price point down to the product, I can’t imagine myself going again. Or recommending that you do.
The Bottom Line: Go elsewhere for better, more sanely-priced food.
The Case: Ye Olde Stone Mille v. The Westchester Breakfast Club.
The Venue: Downtown Tuckahoe, seated outside looking at Scarsdale Road.
The Facts: As a fan of “Kitchen Nightmares,” I was excited to finally visit the site of one of Gordon Ramsay’s great success stories. Would what I find leave me breathtaken, or disranged?
Apparently, the ownership has changed since that show aired, but the restaurant was as I remember it from the show. It’s a really nice place to sit and have brunch. As for what I ate, it was alright. I ordered the apple-stuffed French Toast. Now, I admit, the menu did say that the French Toast came with maple syrup and bacon, but I expected both of those items to be on the side. In actuality, they both came as a nice little blanket for the toast. This was not such a problem with the bacon, but the maple syrup rapidly soaked through the French Toast. Between the syrup and the cinnamon apples stuffed into the toast, it became a sickly-sweet, soggy mess which I only ate half of, but was nonetheless left nauseated. This was a shame, really, because the corners of the French Toast which I managed to eat before they were fouled with syrup were quite good.
I also had my first “chrysanthemum;” a champagne cocktail made with cranberry juice. It was good, though a little light on the champagne. But it came free with the meal, so no complaints.
The Verdict: I’d go back, but make sure to order my French Toast sans maple syrup. I mean, who thought putting maple syrup on that was a good idea in the first place? It’s like putting maple syrup on apple pie. Gross.
Smoked salmon two weeks in a row! Expensive breakfast meals also two weeks in a row! Man, my wallet is not very happy with me, especially after this particular meal.
Perusing the menu, I was presented with your basic brunch items. By the way, the brunch menu on the website does not match what we saw today (where was the Italian French Toast?). Someone needs an update!
I opted for the Classic Smoked Salmon Platter. According to the website menu, it consists of red onion, capers, smoked salmon, and creme fraiche all served with a toasted bagel. What I got was smoked salmon, capers, red onion, a very generous block of cream cheese, a tiny chopped hard boiled egg, and a toasted bagel. It was plated nicely, and it was very pretty. I dug in, excited by this pretty platter.
Unfortunately, the bagel was tough. Maybe it was the toasting that ruined it, or it could be the toasting that allowed them to serve old bagels. The smoked salmon was okay, a little more bland than I would like, but okay. Nothing special. I honestly think I could have enjoyed the meal much more if that bagel was fresh. It was just so hard to bite into, and hard to chew. And that is really the one thing I’ll remember of this meal.
The meal came with a complimentary drink called a Chrysanthemum, which was cranberry juice and champagne. As enjoyable as it was, not a good idea when you are super dehydrated after a long morning run in this heat.
The czar says: All in all, not worth the $22 that I was charged for it. I can get an even better dinner meal for that price, and be much more satisfied.
Fresh from watching the Olde Stone Mill “Kitchen Nightmares” episode, I ventured south to try out an iconic restaurant, the Olde Stone Mill. I was hoping to see Gordon Ramsay, but I felt like that wasn’t going to happen. Come on WBC. We have to increase our celebrity sightings. So far we only have one!
As we sat there in the blazing sun, the paler folk sitting in the shade, I ordered a good ole Platter for Two with my best mate Shelley. It consisted of their French toast, some steak, sunny side up eggs, home fries, and probably something else I can’t remember. (Shelley remembers! It was an omelette.) It was overall a good experience. The apple stuffed French toast was tasty. There may have been too much syrup, but I didn’t mind. The potatoes were delicious. They were the perfect size for munching, and they were cooked to a nice texture. The eggs could have used a little work. If it was supposed to be sunny side up, they overcooked it. The eggs probably cooked under the heating lamps until they came out to our table. The steak was soft and fell apart in my mouth. I much enjoyed this steak for breakfast. It’s not all the time I get to enjoy such meat for breakfast.
Price-wise, I thought it was a little steep. 48 dollars for two people. For 24, I expect to leave full off great tasting food. I left with great tasting food, but I could have gone for some more food afterwards.
Should you go to the Olde Stone Mill for brunch? Yep! Give it a shot. Just expect to spend some money.