New in Rockland: Three eateries open; another one is rebranding (as a speakeasy)
Rockland's dining scene continues to evolve with three new openings — hello bagels, cookies and cocktails! — along with the rebranding of a Sparkill restaurant that will soon turn into a speakeasy and a new pretzel franchise, the first in the county.
New in Rockland: Restaurants with an Italian, Spanish focus
Sparkill: A new fine dining restaurant opens
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Just opened
Great American Cookies, New City
If you like chocolate chip cookies — and giant cookie cakes — you'll love this dessert chain, which opened on South Main Street in May. The franchise, which is just as famous for its brownies and Double Doozies (cookie sandwiches with icing), also has a location at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack. 300 S. Main St., 845-499-2167, greatamericancookies.com
Deli on the Hudson Cafe, Nyack
Farina Caffé, in Nyack since 2020, closed earlier this month and has been replaced by a new bagel shop, which opened June 9. The family-owned business, run by Alex Alarcon, his wife, Andrea Tapia, and his parents Diane Torres and Sandro Alarcon, have more than 10 years of catering experience (Alex Alarcon's uncle, in fact, owns Hole Shot Bagels in Haverstraw). Don't expect big interior changes inside — this was basically a turn-key operation — but you can expect 20 varieties of bagels (from the aforementioned Hole Shot), along with sandwiches, salads, empanadas, omelettes, quesadillas, paninis, ice cream and a full line of coffee including their specialty Spanish coffee. They also have a number of different cream cheeses. 125 Main, 845-480-5162, delionthehudsoncafe.godaddysites.com
Luna Bar, Chestnut Ridge
David Venitelli, who many may know from Harvest Moon Café and Caterers a few doors down, opened this New American bar and restaurant June 7. Venitelli, who's been cooking (and baking) for more than 25 years, said he's always wanted to open his own restaurant and felt the area was missing a place with high-quality food in a casual setting. The menu blends a lot of cuisines with everything from pork belly bao buns to buttermilk fried chicken, falafel tacos, pizzas, salads, burgers and sandwiches. An expanded menu with more dinner-like entrees is down the road.
Diners will also find a host of cocktails — there are nine different martinis (think pink grapefruit, ginger and strawberry) — along with mojitos, margaritas and a variety of draft beers. Open Wednesday to Saturday (for now) from 4 to 10 p.m. There's also plenty of outdoor seating. 811 Chestnut Ridge Road, 845-262-1283, lunabar811.com
Rebranding
Autumn, Sparkill
Autumn Restaurant is closing June 30 and rebranding into a speakeasy called Six23 Social. The change, according to Owner Denis Whitton, is due to the fact that customers seem to have shied away from French food and prefer smaller plates over large entrees. "In this economy, people aren't going out as much mid-week and spending on big entrees," he said. "And that has hurt me."
He hopes to remedy that with a new look featuring a speakeasy-style "secret" door and curtains, a darker decor and a more loungey-atmosphere. He'll still offer some of his customer favorites — beef bourguignon, bacon-wrapped monkfish, lollipop chicken and foie gras, for example — but in more of a tapas-style menu so diners can sample a lot of items. He's also planning a new high end craft cocktail menu with wine, bourbon and champagne flights. His popular weekend brunch will remain, though he may fiddle with the menu. Stay tuned to lohud and look for the newly rebranded restaurant to reopen in mid-July. 623 Main St., 845-836-3398, autumnsparkill.com
Coming soon
Philly Pretzel Factory is opening its first franchise in Rockland County sometime later this summer (think mid-July/early August). Customers can expect a wide range of hand-twisted fresh-baked pretzels along with mini cheeseburgers (in pretzel buns), mini hotdogs, cinnamon twists and party trays. 100 S. Main St., New City, phillypretzelfactory.com
Got a food tip?
Know of an opening or closing? Email JRMuchnick@gannett.com.
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: New Rockland NY restaurants, including speakeasy rebranding
