Suburban Street, Food News
Have I got a deli for you!

The Scarsdale Inquirer (January 6, 2005)
Creative Cooking- Judie's Favorite Restaurants of 2005
Travels around the culinary world in 2005 by Judie Dweck

Before embarking on my journey of restaurants for 2006, I will look back upon the year 2005. It was a very good year from this restaurant writer’s perspective.

American, Argentinean, barbecue, Greek, Indian, Portuguese, kosher, Thai, Asian fusion, and French restaurants made their mark, with Italian restaurants visited in the greatest number. Some were new ventures; some were long-standing restaurants with a fresh outlook. The visits were many and I’m going to remind you of the ones that I especially enjoyed in 2005. Keep in mind that many restaurants from previous years are still on top of my list although this column includes only the restaurants I reviewed in 2005.

...To round out our journey we enjoyed Greek food at the new and traditional Niko’s Try the grilled octopus, saganaki-cheese flamed in brandy, grilled fish and mousaka. We enjoyed cabbage soup, tzimmes and corned beef sandwiches at Kisco Kosher...

The Patent Trader (January 20, 2005)
Petition created to save deli
Mt. Kisco Kosher owner will likely have to leave site by Patrick Gorman

The Mount Kisco Kosher Deli & Restaurant will be moving from South Moger Avenue to White Plains in May, and owner Zeev Bain said he’s saddened by the turn of events causing the relocation.

The deli had to find a new home after the building’s landlord refused to renew the lease last year, Bain said.

A petition at the deli’s counter in support of keeping the eatery here was started by anonymous patrons two weeks ago, and has already been signed by 600 customers, though Bain said he’s not sure what will be done with it.

“They may give it to the landlord, to show their support, but I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Bain said.

The Mount Kisco Kosher Deli has been at 41 S. Moger Ave. for 25 years, and Mount Kisco resident Bain has owned the business for the past 17.

Bain said he was told by the landlord, Steve Giner, last July that he did not want a restaurant at the location anymore and would not be renewing the lease.

“Basically, after being a great tenant for 17 years, they don’t want a restaurant here,” Bain said.

“We love Mount Kisco and we love out customers. It’s heartbreaking, and our customers are totally devastated.”

Giner said there is no set tenant to take over the space when it is vacated in May.

He also declined to discuss the reasoning behind the decision not to renew Mount Kisco Kosher Deli’s lease.

“We’re not commenting on that,” Giner said.

Bain, meanwhile, said he is happy that so many customers have signed the petition, even if it’s a symbolic show of support for the deli.

“We didn’t ask them to start a petition. People have been coming here for 20 years, and they want us to stay,” Bain said.

Katonah resident Lloyd Trufelman said he and his family will be sad to see the kosher eatery go.

“We were crestfallen to hear about it. It is one of the few kosher restaurants in Westchester,” Trufelman said.

There are some kosher restaurants in other parts of the county like White Plains and Yorktown, but “that’s a little far to travel,” Trufelman said.

“I think Mount Kisco is going to miss this place. This is one of the very best kosher delis in Westchester,” Dan Fisher of Mount Vernon said while grabbing a quick hot dog lunch at the deli this week.

Richard Costello of Mount Kisco said he eats at the deli regularly, and will be sad to see it leave for White Plains.

“It’s the only kosher deli in Mount Kisco, so it’ll be a shame.” Costello said.

He said he has a lot of favorites on the menu, from the potato knish to the soup specials.

Still, though he does prefer one item.

“You can’t beat the pastrami sandwich,” Costello said.

Bain said he hopes all his customers will pay a visit to the deli’s new location at 230 E. Post Road in White Plains, after it opens in May. He plans to change the name of his business to Kisco Kosher Delicatessen & Restaurant after the move.

“There are no other kosher eateries in Mount Kisco, and I’m willing to pay fair market price. But the landlord isn’t willing to negotiate,” Bain said.nts from previous years are still on top of my list although this column includes only the restaurants I reviewed in 2005.

The Journal News (May 29, 2005)
In new locale, kosher deli is still cooking
Former Mount Kisco eatery finding niche by Abby Gruen

A landmark kosher deli that lost its longtime location in Mount Kisco has found a new home in White Plains.

When Mount Kisco Kosher Deli & Restaurant was forced to move when it lost its lease in Mount Kisco after 25 years, fans produced a 600 signature petition in a failed attempt to keep it. In White Plains, it’s called Kisco Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant & Caterers, but it is already doing the same amount of business since opening May 4, 14 230 E. Post Road, said owner Zeev (pronounced “Zev”) Bain.

“I’m a new regular,” Larry Frankel said Wednesday. I ate here last week with my family and thought it was delicious.”

The restaurant serves traditional kosher deli food like hot pastrami, hot dogs and matzo ball soup. Bain kept the same menu and prices when he made the move; he just changed the name.

At lunch Wednesday, Bain welcomed all of his customers, including a steady stream of former Mount Kisco patrons.

“My boys and my wife and i were regulars at Zeev’s old place,” said Rich Coppersmith of Bedford.

By 1 p.m., the restaurant’s 30 tables were mostly full. Bain has 10 employees, and all but two part-time waitresses made the move with him from Mount Kisco.

“Everyone who works here is fabulous,” said Barbara Mellinger, 67, of Millwood, who came for lunch with her husband, Jerome, 66, after a trip to New Jersey. It was their second visit to Kisco Kosher. “we followed Zeev,” said Mellinger, whose family ate at the Mount Kisco restaurant once a week for 20 years.

Bain, 53, a Mount Kisco resident, owned the Mount Kisco Kosher Deli & Restaurant for 18 years and was planning a second eatery in White Plains. But after he lost his lease at 41 S. Moger Ave., he could not find any appropriate space in Mount Kisco, he said. “Rents in Mount Kisco are not reasonable by any sense of the word,” Bain said.

“When I was called by a broker in White Plains, I loved it,” Bain said. The space is larger and the rent is less than in Mount Kisco, he said.

White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino was thrilled when he heard that a kosher deli was considering space in his city. “I had been wanting a kosher deli in White Plains for a long time,” said Delfino. “We haven’t had one for two decades since Showcase on Mamaroneck Avenue closed.”

Delfino attended the official grand opening May 19. Instead of cutting a ribbon, he was invited to cut the tip off a large pickled tongue on a silver tray.

Nathan Horowitz, a Mount Kisco resident and regular customer of the old restaurant since 1987, has had lunch at Kisco Kosher every week since it opened this month. “A lot of people were unhappy to see Mount Kisco Kosher move,” he said.

The Scarsdale Inquirer (October 28, 2005)
Creative Cooking
In White Plains, Kisco Kosher for a good taste of nostalgia by Judie Dweck

Over the past few months, whenever I drive north on Post Road, I always wondered what would become of the former space of Dawat. When a sign appeared in the window announcing the relocation of Kisco Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant from Mount Kisco, a sense of nostalgia overtook me. Owner Zeev Bain is a traditionalist and describes his restaurant as a “Lower East Side Jewish deli.”

The new space is large, bright and airy. A large sparkling counter showcases the wonderful meats, salads and side dishes; a few steps up lead to a large dining room with shiny wood floors and posters and original artwork on the walls. Some people enjoy dining in a restaurant that over looks greenery, but the scenery here is just as appealing to me, a view of Daffy’s and other shopping opportunities.

Most of the restaurant staff has been with Bain for 19 years and attends to every detail: You won’t find sloppy ketchup bottles on the tables here.

Bain arrived in the New York area from Israel in 1968. His first job was at a kosher take-out deli. He put himself through college with degrees in business administration and computers, and went to work on Wall Street. He then decided to return to his restaurant origins and opened The Pastrami King in Queens. After eight years, he moved up to Mount Kisco, and most recently to White Plains. His goal is to “recreate and preserve the home cooking” that he grew up with. Bain loves meeting people and the smile a customer leaves with is his best reward. Being in the business for 38 years, Bain calls this his swan song and he wishes for success.

Homemade soups are available everyday, including chicken noodle, matzo ball, kerplach, mushroom and barley, and cabbage. Each day additional choices are offered like vegetable lentil, minestrone, Yankee bean, pea and chicken gumbo. Then chicken soup with matzo balls was a taste of childhood for me. The matzo balls were extremely light and fluffy and the soup was clearly made from scratch. Mushroom and barley soup was hearty and richly flavored, cabbage soup with its sweet and sour taste was excellent. Chicken gumbo had great texture with its okra and rice and pea soup was a cool weather treat.

The meats, all great quality and not too salty, are offered in sandwiched, combination sandwiches, triple sandwiches, hot open sandwiches and as platters. Corned beef and tongue, my favorites, were delicious, fresh every day and not fatty. Pastrami, roast beef, turkey and brisket were good choices as well. Side dishes to enjoy with your meats include crisp made-from-scratch French fries, coleslaw, potato salad, sweet and hot peppers, potato pancakes and a variety of knishes. I enjoyed an excellent tzimmes, with carrots, sweet potatoes, honey and cinnamon, well-seasoned egg barley and mushrooms and very tasty chopped liver.

Entrees can be ordered a la carte with potato and vegetable or as a dinner with appetizer or soup, dessert and coffee.

Try some traditional favorites of chicken fricassee stuffed cabbage, potted meatballs, Hungarian goulash, brisket and tongue polonaise, to name a few. A plate of fresh vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms and zucchini were not overcooked and accompanied the entrees.

Deli delights of boiled chicken in a pot, salami and eggs, specials and beans and fried chicken cutlet sandwich are options.

From the Middle East section, the baba ganoush was perfectly spiced with the eggplant smoky in flavor from cooking over an open flame. Falafel was crisp outside and moist within. Israeli salad, hummus, tahini and eggplant salad with homemade hot sauce and warm pita bread were enjoyed as well.

Other choices are eggs and omelets, burgers, homemade salads and smoked fish. Parve (dairy-and-meat-free) desserts include homemade apple strudel, rugelach and a variety of hamentashen.

Cycles and trends come and go, but at Kisco Kosher Restaurant you will be met with consistency and the traditional foods of Eastern Europe with a sprinkling of Middle Eastern dishes.

Whether it’s a quick lunch, dinner or a catered party, the food at Kisco Kosher Deli will please the most avid deli maven.

Westchester Magazine (March 2006)
Good Deal Dining

You have to love a place that lists hot dogs on its menu under "delicious side dishes" and considers black-and-white cookies a "gourmet" dessert. KISCO KOSHER makes no bones about it: "Our portions are large," its menu proudly declares-and, boy, are they ever. Owner Zeev Bain has been in the Westchester kosher deli business for 18 years (he spent 8 additional years in Queens at the Pastrami King, so he knows how to please the metropolitan deli fanatic).

Munch on a sour dill pickle, which will be brought to your table shortly after you're seated, while you study the extensive menu. Begin with a schmear of chopped liver on some Jewish rye (it's a must). A bowl of homemade soup (love the mushroom and barley) should fill you up for seven days and seven nights. Triple-decker sandwiches of corned beef, pastrami, and turkey stick to the ribs-and the waistline. Wash down that triple-decker with Dr. Brown's cream soda and leave just enough room to enjoy a few homemade rugalach.