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Health & Fitness

The New York Times Reviews Red Hat on the River in Irvington

A review in The New York Times on July 4, 2014 written by Steve Reddicliffe gives a "Very Good" rating to Irvington restaurant Red Hat on the River. Co-owners Jim Parker and his wife Mary Beth Dooley may have been pleased. I wasn't.

I don't know how well acquainted Reddicliffe is with Westchester County and its restaurants. He was the editor-in-chief of TV Guide,headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, for seven years, and more recently was an assistant sports editor for the Times.

But I do believe it is time for those employed in New York City and vicinity restaurant coverage to recognize that Westchester County has many great chefs who are just as talented as Manhattan's elite.

Unfortunately, the renowned James Beard Foundation is part of the problem. Each year it nominates a full slate of New York City chefs for prestigious awards but overlooks Westchester and Connecticut chefs. They are lucky if just one is chosen from their ranks. 

I guess Reddicliffe thinks we are in the sticks. About Red Hat on the River, he says it "has the energy of a big-city brasserie."

How can he explain his failure to give this waterfront gem on the Hudson River, a rating of "Excellent," (a rating it so fully deserves)? After all, he speaks approvingly of it in almost every sentence. Here is an example:

"The pork chop merits a paragraph of its own. It’s a double-cut, Berkshire number from Snake River Farms, grilled to an on-the-dot degree of doneness (cooked through, still tender) and served, in a winningly thematic way, with a bread pudding made with apples and ham, and lacinato kale that has been braised with ham hocks. It’s a pork triple play, and it’s terrific."

Congratulations to Red Hat on the River for its recognition by The New York Times. 

But what does a local restaurant have to do to get an "Excellent" rating from The New York Times? Maybe it has to move to Manhattan.

Red Hat on the River is located at 1 Bridge Street in Irvington, NY.

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