71 WATER GRANT STREET
YONKERS, NY 10701
(914) 965-1111
OWNER/EXECUTIVE CHEF: PETER X. KELLY;
CHEF DE CUISINE: ERIC DIOKNO;
XAVIAR’S RESTAURANT GROUP WINE DIRECTOR: BILLY RATTNER
If the Hudson River has a legendary figure, it’s got to be Chef Peter Kelly. He practically rose, Poseidon-like, from the river itself. Kelly has spent his career on Hudson’s banks creating some of the region’s most beloved restaurants: X2O, Xaviar’s, Freelance Cafe, and Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar. None of this was given to him; Kelly is a self-made man. Unlike many of the chefs working in his echelon, Kelly’s family could not bankroll the nascent chef’s education in travel and fine dining, nor could it afford a costly Culinary Institute of America stamp of approval. Instead, Kelly’s childhood was Dickensian. When Kelly was twelve, his father died. This left Kelly’s mother, Harriet, a widow with twelve children (Peter was the tenth); the Kelly kids battled it out on some of the toughest streets in Yonkers.
Yet Kelly was hardworking, entrepreneurial, and enamored of the restaurant world. As children, Kelly and his brother, Ned (who still works with Peter), played imaginary restaurant games. Any spare money that Peter earned went toward dining out—and the juvenile Kelly was a tough customer: He sent his first steak back at the age of fourteen. By twenty-one Kelly had turned his high school, front-of-house job at the Plumbush Inn in Cold Spring into a captain position, and then he turned that into a shot in the Manhattan big time. At Laurent Restaurant, a fashionable frog pond on the Upper East Side, Kelly became the youngest captain in the restaurant’s history. But by the time he hit twenty-three, Kelly had struck out on his own. His Xaviar’s at Highlands Country Club in Garrison earned Kelly two stars from the New York Times.
Soon the new restaurants and accolades started to roll in. Four stars for Xaviar’s in Piermont (1987), raves for Freelance Cafe & Wine Bar (1989), raves for Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar (1997). But a new venture loomed that would dwarf all of Kelly’s previous accomplishments. Lured by the city of Yonkers, Kelly took over the decrepit Yonkers recreation pier, which in 2006 jutted its rusting hulk into the Hudson from a scary, nomans-land on the banks. Pouring millions into the historic pier, Kelly turned it into X2O, the glittering jewel in the Yonkers crown. It affords panoramic views of Manhattan to the south, the soaring Palisades to the west, and the glittering lights of the Tappan Zee to the north. It’s magical.
Says Kelly, “X2O grew out of an idea to return to my roots in Yonkers. I mean, this restaurant would have been a whole lot easier to build in Chappaqua or Rye, but I wanted to be a part of the waterfront. I wanted to be a part of what this city could and will be.”
(SERVES 2–4 AS A MAIN DISH)
For the caramelized shallots:
¼ cup granulated sugar
10 peeled shallots
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup brown stock or beef stock
For the steak:
1 (40-ounce) bone-in rib eye steak, cut 2½ inches thick
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
To caramelize the shallots: Preheat oven to 400°F. In an ovenproof casserole dish placed over medium heat, carefully melt the sugar and cook until it caramelizes. Do not burn the sugar. When the sugar is a dark amber color, quickly add the shallots, vinegar, and stock. Stir this mixture until the caramel is smooth, then reduce the liquid over high heat until it has thickened into a light syrup, about 3 minutes. Place the casserole in the preheated oven and roast the shallots until tender, about 20 minutes. Reserve.
To grill the rib eye: Sprinkle steak with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Rub the steak with cayenne pepper and brown sugar, then allow the steak to rest and absorb the seasoning for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, heat an outdoor barbecue grill or indoor char grill. When it is hot, grill the steak for 3 minutes on each side until its exterior is nicely charred. Continue grilling the steak, turning often, for about 6 more minutes, aiming for medium rare. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with caramelized shallots.
(SERVES 6)
For the hearts of palm salad:
3 ounces sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of sea salt and a few turns of freshly cracked white pepper to taste
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 fresh hearts of palm, cut on a thin bias
2 bunches flat leaf parsley
1 cup frisée
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bones:
3 beef marrow bones, cut into 8-inch lengths and split
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
18 ounces Alaskan king crab, shell and cartilage removed
3 cloves garlic
½ shallot
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 sprig tarragon
1 sprig thyme, stripped
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon Pernod
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Coarse sea salt
To make the salad: In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and white pepper and then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
In a large bowl toss together the hearts of palm, parsley, and frisée. Season this with 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette (reserve the remaining vinaigrette for another purpose). Season with salt and pepper to taste and set salad aside as you finish the dish.
To prepare the marrow bones: Preheat oven to 350°F. Season the marrow with salt and pepper and place the bones on a sheet pan. Pour a small amount of water on the bottom of the pan and wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped pan in the preheated oven and allow the marrow bones to steam in the oven for 5 minutes, or until their marrow is set. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the marrow to cool. Using a spoon, remove the marrow from each bone and slice it into five equal pieces.
Slice the crabmeat into small lengths and fill each bone with five pieces of crabmeat, pressing the crab sections into the hollow of each bone. Top the crabmeat with five slices of the bone marrow and set aside.
To make a compound butter: In the bowl of a food processor, place the garlic, shallot, parsley, tarragon, thyme, brandy, and Pernod and process into a smooth paste. Add the butter and cream the mixture together. Heat 6 tablespoons of this compound butter until it is just melted. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the butter over each crab and marrow bone. Place the bones back in the oven and warm just until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Toss the hearts of palm salad and plate alongside one hot marrow bone.
(SERVES 6)
For the custard:
1 Thai chile
4 ears fresh corn
3 eggs
12 ounces heavy cream
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the crab and chorizo garnish:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3–4 ounces crabmeat
2 scallions, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Spanish chorizo sausage (frozen solid)
To make the custard: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter six 4-ounce ramekins and set aside. To a large pot of generously salted water, add the Thai chile and bring to a boil.
Using a heavy knife, cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Cook the corn kernels in the boiling water for 3 minutes, then use a fine mesh skimmer to remove the corn from the water. Drain the corn and discard the chile.
Fill a kettle with water and bring this to a boil while you prepare the rest of the dish. In a mixing bowl place the eggs and cream. Beat lightly, then add 1½ cups of the cooked corn (reserve the remainder of the corn for garnish). Into a blender pour the corn mixture and puree it until smooth. Season the corn mixture to taste with salt and white pepper, then pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour boiling water from the kettle into the roasting pan until the water comes three-quarters of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until custard is set. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and keep them warm as you finish the dish.
To plate: In a medium sauté pan placed over medium heat, melt the butter. Add crabmeat and minced scallions and heat through. Season crab mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Loosen custard from the ramekins and invert one ramekin onto the center of each serving plate. Spoon the crabmeat and scallion mixture around custard and, using a handheld micro grater, shave a fine dusting of chorizo over custard. Serve immediately.
(SERVES 6)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place flour and milk and mix on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth and elastic.
Spoon in the mustard, mustard seeds, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and combine. Place a spaetzle maker (or colander) over the boiling water. Push the spaetzle batter through the spaetzle maker into the boiling water. Using a wire skimmer, remove the cooked spaetzle as it rises to the top. Allow the spaetzle to cool and set aside.
When you are ready to serve, place a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and heat until it is sizzling and light brown. Immediately add the spaetzle to the butter and sauté until it is lightly browned and puffed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.