One of the Best Places in the Area to Make a Great 24-Hour Escape
By Richard Levy
By Richard LevyAs a travel writer with my wings still clipped, just like most folks, I’ve desperately missed getting away.
So recently I’ve had my first great escape since the onset of COVID-19. Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant & Inn in Chappaqua, one of the most heralded restaurants and inns in Westchester, was perhaps my most enjoyable 24-hour getaway.
Yes, this charming, old-world, romantic restaurant nestled in the woods has 13 gorgeous, antique-decorated guest rooms. More than 200 years ago, this was a family farm. It has also served as a Prohibition-era Roadhouse, a private girl’s school, a country playhouse where Henry Fonda and Tallulah Bankhead starred and a bed and breakfast during Hollywood’s Golden Era.
The classic white structure was built in 1879. You’re sure to be overwhelmed when you feast your eyes upon your romantic room. Ask for suite 2F if available, with its huge antique wooden sled bed. The other rooms are just as beautiful with stunning four-poster beds.
Come down before dinner to their lovely tap room for a cocktail at 6 p.m. Dinner’s a half-hour later in either their spectacular dining room or outside in the sprawling, spectacular garden terrace. Be sure to reserve a window table with a lovely view if dining inside.
Owner John Crabtree and his award-winning chefs have assembled an amazing, gastronomic menu, filled with so many enticing appetizers and entrees you’ll have a hard time deciding what to order. Their freshly-baked sourdough bread they place on the table will blow you away.
Two of the most renowned dishes are their just-jumped-out-of-the-ocean bluefin sushi tuna pizzetta (crispy sushi rice cake, tobiko, jalapeño and Japanese aioli) and their mouthwatering pan roasted Hudson Valley pork belly with baked apple, prunes and port wine sauce.
Two of their best main dishes is the to-die-for slow-braised, grass-fed short ribs with root vegetable velouté, glazed heirloom carrots, Swiss chard and crispy parsnips, and the striped bass with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and Israeli couscous.
Every dish in this one-of-a-kind gourmet restaurant is incredibly prepared and served like a beautiful painting. You absolutely can’t miss, no matter what you order. You can even choose your dishes blindfolded. Be sure to include a couple of their decadent side dishes in your order. I loved the parmesan truffle fries and cider-roasted brussels sprouts.
Leave all your wine selections up to their knowledgeable sommelier. Crabtree, the owner, has one of the country’s most envied wine cellars. Wine Spectator magazine gave his eclectic wine selection a standing ovation.
The incredible, creative desserts are not to be missed. I went gaga over their Valrhona Chocolate Gift, which is filled with molten dark chocolate and surrounded by creme anglaise.
The attentive waiter staff is old-world, serving every dish artfully while explaining how each was prepared and how each ingredient was locally and sustainably sourced.
In the morning, after a restful night’s sleep, perhaps your first away from home since COVID-19, head downstairs for a lovely continental breakfast buffet spread with lots of delicious goodies and the best coffee you’ve ever had.
After breakfast, consider returning to your room to celebrate your first night away with a romantic farewell. After all, life is short. Carpe diem.
So don’t wait, make plans now and surprise your significant other with a nearby overnight getaway.
Crabtree Kittle House is located at 11 Kittle Rd. in Chappaqua. For more information or reservations, call 914-666-8044 or visit www.crabtreeskittlehouse.com.
Hastings-on-Hudson resident Richard Levy is a former advertising “Mad Man” creative director and now a travel writer. He’s also an inventor of innovative new products and is writing and illustrating a new children’s book. You can contact him at RichardLevyTravelWriter@gmail.com.
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