1 HIGH STREET
DOBBS FERRY, NY 10522
(914) 693-4130
OWNERS: BRUCE BERNACCHIA AND ANGELO LIBERATORE;
EXECUTIVE CHEF: VINCENT BARCELONA;
CHEF DE CUISINE: ENRIQUE ESTRADA
Named for the ship on which Henry Hudson first sailed up his (eventually) eponymous river, the idea for this sister restaurant to Harvest-on-Hudson was triggered by a stroke of someone’s bad luck. When Landry’s, the parent company of the tourist-driven Chart House chain of restaurants, fell into dire financial straits (it also owns Bubba Gump’s Shrimp, by the way), some of its prized waterfront real estate fell onto the market. As foodies know, the chain—which once hogged some of the most spectacular water views in the country—used its gorgeous siting to sell overpriced chain store cuisine. Its Dobbs Ferry jetty (a promontory that was built in the nineteenth century as a lumber depot) was no different from the other Chart Houses. The spot yielded stunning views of the Hudson and the imposing Palisades beyond. However, when the team behind Harvest-on-Hudson, Fort Pond Bay, took over the Chart House keys, Chef Vincent Barcelona discovered an alarming number of microwaves in the kitchen. And there was a lot of cleaning to do. A lot of cleaning. More diplomatically, Barcelona observes, “They had let it go; it had fallen into disrepair.”
The new restaurant’s theme was to be simple: Exploit the sources that the Fort Pond Bay Company had already developed with its two Montauk properties (East by Northeast and the Stone Lion Inn) to offer sparklingly fresh Long Island seafood on the banks of the Hudson. Instead of Muzac and plastic nautical maps, Half Moon offers, according to Chef Barcelona, “Beach cuisine: clambakes and microbrews. Fish cooked on the plancha. Duck tacos. Bottles of beer served in buckets of ice.” Its wraparound decks offer staggering views to the glittering lights of Manhattan. To the north you’ll see the twinkling arc of the Tappan Zee.
Whatever Barcelona is doing, it seems to be working. What was once a moribund, semi-forgotten chain restaurant (at whose heart lay banks of freezers and microwaves) is now a thronged restaurant serving as many as 600 diners per night!
(SERVES 4)
For the tamarind vinaigrette:
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons finely ground palm sugar
½ teaspoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 Thai chile, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the fragrant coconut emulsion:
1 cup unsweetened coconut juice
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 small jalapeño
1 stalk lemongrass
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
12 Kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
For the mint emulsion:
¾ teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups fresh mint leaves
½ cup corn oil or other neutral oil
For the green mango, cherry tomato, and Chinese long bean salad:
4 Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small green mango, peeled and julienned
1 small ripe mango, peeled and julienned
1 cup bean sprouts
24 cherry tomatoes
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Tamarind vinaigrette
Salt and pepper
For the black sea bass and final plating:
4 fillets of black sea bass, skin on, pin bones removed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup grapeseed oil
To make the vinaigrette: Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons water and blend the mixture until smooth. With the machine running, add the olive oil and blend until the mixture is emulsified. Set aside.
To make the coconut emulsion: Put all the ingredients except the Kaffir lime leaves into a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the Kaffir lime leaves and simmer for a few more minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
To make the mint emulsion: Fill a medium bowl with ice and water. Put the cornstarch and ½ teaspoon salt into a small saucepan with 3 teaspoons water. Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until it is thick and clear. Transfer this to a small bowl and set the bowl over (not into) the ice water bath.
Fill a large bowl with water and ice and set aside. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the mint leaves. As soon as the water returns to a boil, drain the leaves into a colander. Immediately transfer the mint leaves to the ice water to stop further cooking. Squeeze the mint leaves to drain as much water as possible, and then transfer to a blender. Add the corn oil and blend this mixture until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture and blend the mint and cornstarch mixtures until they are emulsified. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much of the emulsion as possible. Set aside.
To make the salad: In a large bowl toss all the salad ingredients with tamarind vinaigrette to taste. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To finish the dish: Dust the fillets with salt and pepper. In a large, flat sauté pan, heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat. Place the sea bass skin side down in the pan and sauté for 1 minute on medium heat. Reduce heat to low and sauté for 3 more minutes. Flip the fillets over and continue to cook them on low heat for 2 more minutes. Remove the fillets from the sauté pan and set aside. In a small pan return the fragrant coconut emulsion to a simmer.
On four large dinner plates, divide the salad and place it off center on the plates. Pour ¼ cup of the fragrant coconut milk emulsion into the center of each plate. Place one fillet on each plate, leaning onto the salad, and then drizzle 1 teaspoon of mint emulsion on the side of each fillet, allowing it to spill into the coconut milk. Serve.