Review: Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers

(Credit: Mark Vergari)

Photos:

If you're a restaurant enthusiast, you'd have to have lived under a rock to be oblivious to Chef Peter X. Kelly. The Blauvelt resident owns and runs X20 in Yonkers and his share of Rockland restos. Lucky for us, he's not one to rest on his laurels, as a recent visit to Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers proves.

The gorgeous eatery, which has been open for more than a decade, is everything a restaurant should be — and more.

Three distinct dining spaces offer a little bit of everything. The bar area has the comfortable Ralph Lauren-ish feel of a country house, with mauve walls and English-style paintings, while the airy main dining room has sunny-yellow walls and big, inviting windows that overlook a duck pond. The more formal dining room is a more stately parlor. Bonus: the reservationist will try to accommodate your choice of rooms, should you specify when you call. Decisions, decisions.

What really sets Kelly apart, though, are his gorgeous presentations and food pairings that elevate even the simplest dish to an art form. A striped bass here is served in a sweet-and-sour broth accompanied by rock shrimp and ginger with soba noodles and tiny bok choy; cutlets of Berkshire black-hog loin come with figs and Serrano ham, potato purée, and garlic broccolini. There's plenty of territory to cover, including a small-bites menu featuring "the cooked, the raw and the cured." I began my meal with the coconut shrimp — plump and sweet, with just a whisper of a Dijon mustard. My husband's Nantucket-scallop appetizer with celery root purée was equally as delicious and balanced. Main courses were just as impressive. Grilled sirloin steak (another special) was served pink, tender, and juicy — a pristine dish, accompanied by light, whipped potatoes. My husband loved the studly venison medallions; a delicate cassis sauce accentuated the deep, liquorish flavors of the meat.

After dinner, we asked ourselves how we could possibly consider indulging in dessert, but the options were all so appealing that we couldn't resist. Forever the chocoholic, my husband opted for the melting cake, which was gooey and warm and a nice companion for his double espresso, while I ordered the almond-pear tart, an ideal combination of moist crust and sweet fruit. All in all, a ringing endorsement for a place that is still special, indeed.

It seems Restaurant X keeps on getting better.

For pics to click, go Inside: Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers

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