Some communities in the tristate area are pretty unassuming when it comes to restaurants. They have the basic things everybody wants (a pizza shop, a Chinese place, a bagel place), but not much else. Westchester is one of those places.
Not much has drastically changed in the kosher food landscape for a long time. But The North End Grill aims to change that. The owners of the new bar and grill want to have a place with food as great as the clientele. In other words, they think the community deserves a place that people can be excited about.
The North End Grill is a little bit of everything. It’s a family restaurant with people bringing their kids (with a menu for the little ones). It has a bar and serves cocktails for the adults. But by far the most unique aspect is the sports bar element as the place features a dozen or so televisions broadcasting sports of all types.
Patrons can sit at the tables or the bar, both are welcoming. And the menu is just as diverse as the types of people the restaurant might appeal to. You might see a couple on a date, grandparents taking out their grandkids, a business meeting, or even just friends catching up. They might be having drinks, appetizers, salads, sandwiches or a whole dinner.
The North End Grill is there to be there for everybody.
When I was invited to The North End Grill, the first thing I ordered was the Pastrami Croquettes. They didn’t seem complicated, but they were certainly different from the appetizers I usually see on menus these days. Also, what could be bad about fried balls of pastrami? As it turns out, nothing. With a delightfully crunchy outside, a meaty inside of shredded pastrami, and a savory dipping sauce that added to the croquettes without overpowering them, these were a really great start to the meal and something I would definitely recommend, especially if you are looking for an appetizer that is easily shareable.
Also shareable, but going in a very different direction, go with the Tuna Street Tacos for a non-fleish option. The trio of warm, soft corn tortillas comes with a hearty portion of grilled pieces of tuna accompanied by pickled red onion, cilantro, and an extremely tasty jalapeño lime sauce. Honestly, I could have eaten pretty much anything with this sauce. It packed a bit of heat to go alongside the acidic punch of the lime and it worked perfectly with the tuna. Typically, I favor fried fish in fish tacos, but the grilled tuna went so well with everything that I’d give these a perfect score even without a crunch factor.
Staying south of the border, one of the biggest surprises of my trip north was the Taco Salad Bowl. I opted to add chicken (you can also add steak or salmon) and they offered to swap out the usual grilled chicken with the taco seasoned version that they use to make the chicken version of the tacos I ordered with tuna earlier. The result was a real winner. First of all, the bowl is huge and full of different ingredients to enjoy. Some like their taco bowls to feature lettuce, others prefer rice. Here they give you both with black beans, guacamole and pickled red onion. It’s topped with that great jalapeño lime sauce and served with house-made tortilla chips. I mixed everything up until it was one cohesive mess and enjoyed getting as much on each chip as possible. If it was the only thing I ordered, I would have been able to eat the whole thing and walk away feeling like I had a whole meal, not something I can often say for something in the salad section.
As we shift towards the more mainstream entrée options, we get to my favorite item on the menu … the Sammy Smokestack Burger. I don’t know who Sammy is, but I like their burger. It’s the restaurant’s standard 8 ounce patty on a brioche bun, topped with a medley of diced pickled hot peppers, beef bacon and their Mac sauce. The toppings all kind of mesh together into this mixture that glues the top of the burger to the bun. The peppers are legitimately spicy, but they are cooled down a bit by the sauce and the fattiness of the bacon is able to absorb some of the heat as well. This was probably one of my favorite burgers in a long time because the toppings weren’t out of control and the burger was actually easy to pick up and eat without falling apart, an underrated feature these days in the era of loaded burgers. It comes with fries or a salad and either is a fine option. As long as you can tolerate some spiciness, I demand you order this burger. You won’t regret it.
Last but not least, it’s hard to ignore the “from the grill” section of the menu from a bar and grill named The North End Grill. These choices are more your whole meal type options each entrée comes with your choice of sauce and two side dishes. I suggest you order the 14 ounce Black Angus Ribeye. It isn’t made with any sort of fancy preparation because this isn’t that type of place. It’s a high quality steak and you’ll certainly taste that with every bite. There’s nothing like a good steak and this is certainly that. With nine side dishes to choose from, you can complete your meal on your own terms and leave happy.
So if you find yourself venturing north of the city to Westchester County, stop by The North End Grill. It’s got a little bit of something for everyone.
The North End Grill
Meat – Bar & Grill – Waiter Service
Sunday-Thursday:
11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30-11 p.m.
(914) 633-3224
1301 North Ave. New Rochelle, New York
Orthodox Union (OU)
