Alot of restaurateurs would willingly trade their display kitchens and chef’s tables for a decent water view. Peter Kelly doesn’t have to trade anything. His Westchester County restaurant, X2O: Xaviars on the Hudson, has water views on three sides and a river that very nearly runs through it.
Built on a historic pier jutting into the Hudson River at Yonkers, N.Y., X2O—a fusion of Kelly’s middle name, Xaviar, and the molecular structure of water—can boast views that are pure theater. Guests can gaze down the Hudson toward the George Washington Bridge and New York City, or north to the Tappan Zee Bridge and upstate New York. Across the river from the glass-enclosed structure lie the Palisades, the imposing cliffs that dominate the lower Hudson for more than 20 miles.
The multimillion-dollar restaurant took about six years to complete, from ideation to opening, Kelly says.
“There were lots of difficulties building over the Hudson and having to restore a historical structure,” he says. “Once we put the glass on the building, the weight load on the pier changed, and it swayed. We had to have underwater engineers go in and shore up the pilings.”
But when the restaurant finally opened in 2007, it “took off like a rocket,” he says. While the restaurant mostly draws customers from around Westchester and Rockland counties, some diners travel North from New York City to take in the dramatic views.
But Kelly—who also owns and operates Xaviars at Piermont, The Freelance Café and Wine Bar, and Restaurant X & The Bully Boy Bar—doesn’t rely exclusively on the view to draw customers. Critics have been praising his food since he opened his first restaurant, Xaviars, 26 years ago in Garrison, N.Y. Reviewing X2O for the Westchester county edition of The New York Times, M.H. Reed wrote, “Diners familiar with Peter Xavier Kelly’s culinary skill can rest assured that he has designed his dishes as carefully as he has designed the space.”
AT A GLANCE Cuisine: contemporary AmericanLocation: Yonkers Historic City PierOpened: May 2007Seats: 240Per-person check average: dinner, $70+Signature items: cowboy rib-eye with brown sugar and cayenne crust, served for two; lobster crêpe with star anise glaze; ravioli of short ribs and foie gras in truffle butter; ahi tuna, with puffed rice, dried seaweed and yuzu butterAnnual sales: $3 millionMenu maker: Peter KellyOwners: Xaviars Restaurant GroupWebsite:
The 2009-10 Zagat Survey of Westchester/Hudson Valley Restaurants, ranked X2O as the most popular restaurant in the region. At the same time, Xaviars at Piermont earned the top grades for food and service.
At X2O, Kelly, a self-trained chef, offers eclectic fare that is rooted in classical French traditions but often modified with Asian flavors. For example, he marinates squab breast in soy, oyster sauce, sesame oil and fresh ginger before grilling it to medium rare. The bird is served with sweet eggplant and tamarind glaze, white-corn-and-cheddar grits, and chickpea fries.
Another popular X2O entrée is a Berkshire black hog chop with sweet-chile-braised pork belly. The chop is first brined and then grilled and served pink, while the pork belly is braised with sweet chile, a garlic-based sauce containing tomato, Chinese five-spice powder and Thai chile. It comes with creamy polenta and cranberry mustardo.
X2O also features an entrée that commemorates Kelly’s 2007 victory over Bobby Flay on TV’s “Iron Chef America.” He serves a 40-ounce cowboy rib-eye for two that has been aged and marinated in a rub that includes cayenne pepper and brown sugar. It is grilled and presented with a red bandana, creamed spinach, gratin of potatoes and sauce béarnaise.
APPETIZERS Lobster Crêpe Mascarpone & Chives, Sauce Américaine with Star Anise & Tiny Salad $ 13.50 Ravioli with Short Ribs and Foie Gras in Truffle Butter Grated Amoretti & Broccoli Raab $ 14.50 Chinese Wheat Noodle with Spicy Kimchi Ginger & Shiitake Mushrooms with Soy Butter $ 11.50 Grilled Breast of Quail Crispy Leg “Pops,” Romesco Arthur Avenue Pancetta & Polenta $ 13.50 Crispy Sweetbread Medallions “Minus 8” Vinegar, Wild Huckleberries & Hibiscus Green Peppercorn Dust & Wilted Frisée $ 12.50 Spicy Ahi Tuna Salad Avocado, Mango & Lychee Wasabi Foam $ 12.50 ENTRÉES Ahi Tuna Served Rare Puffed Rice and Dried Seaweed Yuzu Butter & Caramelized Soy Chinese Broccoli & Long Beans $32.00 Day Boat Halibut Fresh Horseradish & Scallion Risotto Tomato Lemon Grass Nage Crispy Sea Beans $27.00 Grilled Breast of Squab with Sweet Eggplant & Tamarind Glaze White Corn & Cheddar Grits Chickpea Fries $32.00 Aged & Grilled Cowboy Rib-eye for Two with Sauce Béarnaise Brown Sugar & Cayenne Crust Creamed Spinach & Potato Gratin $72.00 for Two DESSERTS Black and Brûlée with Tawny Reduction Caramel Pedestal & Candied Orange Meringue “Dacquoise” with Blueberry Compote Macadamia & Caramel Mousseline “Classic” Red Velvet Cake Mascarpone Frosting & Dark Rum Anglaise Belgian Chocolate Timbale Milk & Dark Chocolate with Caramel Center All Desserts $8.50
While Kelly keeps favorite dishes on the menu, the restaurant is seasonally driven, and currently he is working with such ingredients as day-boat halibut, soft-shell crab, fiddlehead ferns, ramps and white asparagus.— [email protected]