Article by ELENA COX with Photographs by JENNIFER PARENTE
A wet and muggy day turned into a warm and breezy night at Westchester Magazine’s annual Best of Westchester party. Sponsored by Sound Shore Medical Center and held at New Rochelle’s Glen Island Harbour Club (Reader’s Pick “Best Place to Get Married”), thousands turned out for the event celebrating the best places to eat, shop, play, and do just about everything else in the county. Winners were able to set up booths to showcase their services and of course, our great city was well represented.
Click “read more” link to see which New Rochelle establishments were present.
To see the entire photo gallery (114 images) click here.
Don Coqui (Best Dining and Dancing) — New Rochelle’s pretty new restaurant/bar touts “a little bit of South Beach flavor,” according to the mag. Events Specialist Alison Orlando was serving samples of their Latin inspired cuisine with Tequila Shrimp Ceviche (perfect for a hot summer evening) and Guava & Cheese Empenadas throughout the night.
“It’s wonderful,” Orlando said of their win. “We’re so honored to be here.”
Little Mexican Cafe (Best Tacos) — A hidden gem on Main Street, Little Mexican Cafe serves every type of taco you can imagine and for a bargain price. Perfect for satisfying your appetite after a game on one of their pool tables.
The cafe was in attendance last night, serving made to order pork, beef, or chicken soft tacos. Eddie Lopez, nephew of owner Edwin Almazan said business has been booming, even before the win.
“We have such a loyal customer base,” Lopez told us. “I see the same people every weekend.”
Dinner in Hand (Best Meal on Your Doorstep) — Founded three years ago by New Rochelle resident Candida Canfield, Dinner in Hand creates “delicious, healthy professional-chef prepared meals for busy people.” Order by 8 a.m. the day of (or a couple of days before) for delivery whenever you want it. Chef Amy Bach recommends her Shrimp or Chicken Francese, “a catering favorite.”
Josephine Bisco, Paint Effects (Best Decorative Painter) —Originally from Larchmont, Bisco recently combined forces with the New Rochelle interior design group, Decotrac, owned by Ruth Yankiver. Bisco specializes in custom paint finishes that look like wallpaper, adding a special touch to any room.
Other New Rochelle establishments in attendance were AOC Fine Wines, located on Huguenot St. in downtown New Rochelle, and The City Martini Lounge located in the Radisson. AOC combined forces with Sound Shore, serving ten different kind of specialty wines, while The City provided three of their 150 signature cocktails. Despite two dance floors at the event, The City, who is a four time winner of the Best Martini award, showed that they really knew how to party, creating an impromptu dance floor on the balcony. With a local DJ providing the beats, everyone kicked up their heels and had a great time.
Beautiful photography!
Great job!