North Star — Restaurant in Town of Pound Ridge

3 1/2 stars

For an impulse decision, this could have been worse. My top tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I drove through here on Saturday after briefly considering a stop at The Inn at Pound Ridge and not liking the valet parking vibe. We had no idea there was a cute little main drag on our way and after squealing for about 10 seconds, quickly found a parking spot and explored (and kept an eye out for nearby resident Blake Lively). There aren't a ton of dinner options available but this one looked like the best outdoor ambiance situation, so we wandered in and procured a table out on the porch. I thought they should have either trimmed back or removed the bushes right next to the porch for a better viewpoint - my dining companion felt privacy was a bigger selling point than the view, so your mileage may vary.

We'd had a legit meal a few hours ago so the apps and drink menus took center stage. I had a Manhattan (I think it was called a black one because it had rye/was on the darker side, but I could be mistaken), and we split the duck dumplings and calamari. The duck dumplings were amazing - my texture-based palate suspiciously noted a crunch, but the actual taste was off the charts. The apple rosemary puree paired perfectly with the duck confit, and it felt almost silky, which is not a word I typically use to describe an eating experience (an Evian drinking experience? Yes.). By far the highlight of the meal. The calamari was very mediocre and we ate maybe half. The texture was rubbery and the actual calamari was super salty (which was an interesting contrast to the bland marinara sauce that accompanied it). The Manhattan was okay - I actually got it at the last minute because a nearby table procured them for every guest in their party, which seemed intriguing. You could definitely taste the layers and the cherry on the bottom, but for me it just tasted like a nothing-special variation of an Old Fashioned. In hindsight I would have gotten something else, though the cocktail menu was surprisingly small - I think it literally only had four options. (There were definitely more wine/beer selections available)

The service was fine; my chum hemmed and hawed a bit in selecting the perfect outdoor table, but the host was very patient/courteous with her deliberations. Our waiter stopped by pretty regularly and despite not being on a pressing schedule, we were probably in and out of there within an hour or so. I noticed a few reviews mentioned the dark interior, which I have to agree with - it was legitimately hard to see people when you were inside, and the bartender was very proactive in directing me to the restroom without my asking for assistance, which makes me think others wander in from the porch a little disoriented from the sudden loss of light, but maybe he's just that accommodating. Either way, I'm glad we were outside and could see each other; a little more lighting could go a long way in there.

This is a a super bougie area, and you'd expect the restaurant situation to reflect that. It LOOKS like it belongs in an upper crust section of Westchester, but the overall quality ultimately doesn't get there. Pleasant...

The North Star is a great restaurant. The owner, David, is very friendly and runs a good service team. The dark interior creates a great ambience, especially on winter evenings, and Thursdays when there is a live band on are particularly good. Outdoor seating in the summer is good, provided you have applied plenty of mozzie spray. There is a good wine list too. But the food is excellent; I particularly recommend the goat cheese or endive & pear salads as appetizers, and our kids love the truffle mac & cheese. For main courses I particularly recommend the Chilean sea bass. This is one of the few restaurants I think it worthwhile to save some room for dessert, too.

My one quibble would be that the menu doesn't change much. Introducing more seasonal variation would be great, but perhaps David thinks: if it ain't...

North star is the perfect blend of local town bar and sophisticated, high-quality eatery. It has the warm, small town Cheers feel where the owner and bar staff knows everyone's name, but the kitchen adds a menu chocked full of sophisticated home run dishes. Add in live music and you have a five-star restaurant.

WHAT TO ORDER: You have to start with the truffle mac n cheese and / or the diver scallops. From there, go with the sea bass or John-boy's chicken. The burger is great and not always on the menu so you have to ask for it specifically. Desert: the ice cream cookie sandwich is fantastic. Live music on Wednesday and Thursday makes this a ton of fun.

WHAT TO AVOID: Not much. The place recently added more quality beer options but this would be another area to...