Black Rock Kitchen, Croton
Photo credit: Neal Rentz
Danbury, CT resident Eric Kupferberg said last week there were nostalgic reasons for him and his partner to name their new Croton restaurant Black Rock Kitchen, which opened in August.
The Black Rock used to be the name of a swim club located on the Croton Reservoir, Kupferberg said, adding his partner, whom he declined to identify, had an uncle who owned the club when it was in operation in the 1950s and 1960s. Croton and New York City residents were swim club members, Kupferberg said. “The town knows it. The town has an affinity for the name,” he said.
Kupferberg said the building that houses his new restaurant has been a bar or a food service establishment throughout its 100-year existence. The site was the former home of Elmer Suds Pub, he noted.
It took about four months to renovate the restaurant, Kupferberg said. “We redid the whole thing,” he said.
Kupferberg said he was formerly a chef at Tagine, a French-Moroccan restaurant located near Black Rock Kitchen. “I just liked the community,” he said. “I like the area.” So, he and his partner decided to open the new restaurant on Grand Street. “It seemed like an interesting spot to start fresh and start new,” he said.
Kupferberg said Black Rock Kitchen offers “modern American, globally inspired, locally sourced food.” He said the restaurant purchases as much food from local farms as it can. His wife, Ann, is a grower at Cabbage Hill Farms in Mount Kisco.
Some of the specialties he prepares at Black Rock Kitchen were originally offered at Tagine, Kupferberg said. “There’s steak, a bunch of seafood, there’s a really big appetizer and bar menu,” he said.
One of the bar bites are chicken wings that have the meat trimmed back a little bit to resemble lollypops prepared with Buffalo or barbeque sauce, he said. Nachos are prepared with a curst of cheese on the outside.
One of the entrees that Kupferberg and his customers particularly enjoy is baked scallops with sautéed spinach and shitake mushrooms in saffron cream sauce. “We make everything from scratch,” he said.
Steaks and burgers are among the most popular dishes at Black Rock Kitchen.
Kupferberg explained what the goals of the restaurant are. “We just want to take care of this community and provide something that they want and just really grow our customer base,” he said.
Black Rock Kitchen is located at 171Grand St. in Croton. For more information, call 914-810-7101 or visit BlackRockCroton.com.
