Equus restaurant at the Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown has reopened
Equus is back.
The Tarrytown restaurant, in the Castle Hotel & Spa, was closed during the pandemic, but had been opened to a limited number of diners for the past year. Now, under management — Haycreek Hotels took it over in April — the restaurant quietly opened May 25 for dinner.
The fine dining space, with the centuries-old charm of its Oak Room and its sunny Garden Terrace, is serving a family-style $125 per person, reservation-only tasting menu Thursday to Saturday, with an à la carte menu for Sunday brunch.
Garrison resident Jared Secor, who most recently was at Apropos Restaurant at The Abbey Inn in Peekskill, wanted to create something interactive and fun, so he's done away with individual plated dishes so diners can share.
On the menu at the moment — he's relying on local, seasonal items so the food is subject to change — are cooked and raw beets with ramps; farmer cheese, sunflower crumble and black truffle; baked oysters with bacon, dandelion, Adirondack cheddar and cornbread; seared striped sea bass with spring onion, English pea, new potato and an artichoke puree; spice rubbed roasted Poulet rouge with potato dumpling, asparagus, apple and maple syrup argo dolce; and a citrus poppy olive oil cake, along with a few other dishes.
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Sunday brunch features Southern influences — Secor lived there for a while — with low country shrimp and grits, a pimento cheeseburger, baked eggs, Gravlax Benedict and a grilled chicken "Caesar" wrap.
While the food has changed from its previous French-focused version, the decor — the formal Oak Room with original mahogany panels (some of which belonged to Louis XIV) and working fireplace, and the bright, airy adjacent Garden Terrace with impressive Hudson River views — has stayed the same. "It's part of the Castle's charm and why people come here," said Food and Beverage Manager Jennifer O'Neill. "So it's not something we're changing."
There is, however, a refreshed outdoor dining space and a revamped bar program. The Generals Bar, in a cozy nook off to the right before you enter the restaurant, was also closed during the pandemic before opening on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It will now feature expanded hours that mimic the restaurant hours. (A Happy Hour is down the road.)
O'Neill's focus is to make the bar more of a pre-Prohibition-era speakeasy with drinks like "The Last Word," (gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse and lime juice), "Side Car," (cognac, Cointreau, orange liqueur, and lemon) and "Ward Eight," (rye whiskey, lemon, orange juice and grenadine).
The grotto pool bar, which is only open to non-guests for private ticketed events, is also getting a slight makeover with a tropical island tiki vibe. "We want to be able to offer a range of experiences here," O'Neill said.
To that end, O'Neill is in the process of putting together events. So stay tuned to their social media for updates.
If you go
Address: 400 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown (in the Castle Hotel), 914-631-1980, castlehotelandspa.com
Hours: 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, with (ideally) two seatings: at 5 and 7 p.m.; Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are required for now but walk-ins will eventually be accommodated.
Good to know: O'Neill hopes to introduce themed brunches and other events. Spa-goers will be happy to know the Sankara spa will reopen in early June.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Equus restaurant reopens at Castle Hotel Spa in Tarrytown
