NY TIMES: Westchester
Just Over a Doorstep, Tastes of Cuba and France
By ALICE GABRIEL
Published: July 29, 2007
WITH its resurgent waterfront and proposed minor-league ballpark, Yonkers is in the throes of an urban makeover. In this climate of optimism, the owners of the former Bistro Chartreuse, Alexandre Cheblal and Stella Rodriguez Cheblal, have done a little snipping and tucking of their own, reopening their corner storefront as Belle Havana. As its name suggests, the new restaurant features Cuban-French cuisine (he is French, she is Cuban). The modern yet fanciful Chartreuse was a peach (the name still lingers on outdoor umbrellas and receipts, as though the Cheblals were not quite ready to ditch the bistro concept completely), but Belle Havana, where frosty mojitos drive the agenda, is a lot of fun, and worth a detour.

Those who knew Chartreuse would not recognize the place. The belle époque effects are gone, replaced by wooden shutters, overhead fans and gauzy white drapes trimmed with seashells. The brick walls have been painted over, but patches remain exposed in a show of mock decrepitude. A grass awning overhangs the bar, banquettes are lined with brown suede and leatherette, and a flat screen projects images of Cuba at its most picturesque. Vintage cigar posters and sculptured tobacco leaves round out the theme.
Mr. Cheblal makes food that I want to eat. His new menu includes Cuban classics like super-tender slow-roasted Berkshire pork with white rice and black beans; smoky slices of grilled chorizo stuck with slender wooden forks; delicate mussels cooked in banana leaves and bathed in a saffron-lemon butter; and a piquant tuna ceviche. The daily fish special — red snapper one night, lean salmon another — is seared and then baked, and adorned with a lively lime, ginger and mango salsa and big loops of grilled Bermuda onion. Those who loved Chartreuse will still find garlicky escargots and the best frites in the county. In fact, my favorite entree was purely French: a simple roasted game hen rubbed with fines herbes and served with buttery haricots verts and rosemary-scented baby potatoes.
Other notable entrees included grilled shrimp in a spicy creole sauce served with warm, supple flatbread, and a neatly sliced skirt steak fired up with a zippy chimichurri sauce (here, we substituted frites for yuca mash and liked the results: Cuban steak frites).
The mood at Belle Havana is relaxed — early one evening, the entire staff ran to the door to watch a sudden downpour and the ensuing rainbow — but the service, perhaps taking its cue from island life, was at times too relaxed. One night, the excellent made-to-order ceviche occupied the kitchen for a full 45 minutes (had someone run to the store for jalapeños?); our flustered waiter brought a second round of drinks at no charge, but the delay tested our patience. In another time-honored tactic, the youngsters at our table were plied with fizzy drinks stuffed with maraschino cherries — seven, to be exact — “a record,” my son said. Also, the same lilting samba tune was played repeatedly for nearly an hour; someone at our table joked that Belle Havana had a direct feed to Radio Havana, where the station was playing the one record it owned. Did the song not drive the staff as crazy as it was driving us?
But you can’t hold a grudge once the appetizers and tapas arrive. I loved the jumbled salad of crab meat, hearts of palm, avocado, radishes, cucumber, cilantro, watercress and toasted almonds, all bound with a white-truffle and citrus vinaigrette. I also liked the simple salad of bibb lettuce, blue cheese and walnuts (even though the menu promised hazelnuts), as well as toasted baguette slices spread with caramelized onions and dotted with baked goat cheese on a bed of lemony frisée. Pork paté stood out among the offerings on a charcuterie plate. Codfish fritters were unapologetically deep fried, like something from an old-fashioned clam shack; the teenagers in our group devoured them.
One of the few disappointments among the entrees was the muddled paella, which lacked the light touch that makes the dish memorable; there was no stinting on ingredients — lobster, shrimp, scallops, squid, clams, mussels, chorizo, chicken, scallions, red peppers, peas and saffron rice — but the cooking had gone on for too long.
Desserts at Belle Havana, however, made me forgive every one of the evening’s trespasses. The deep-dish crème brûlée was puddinglike, with a big hit of vanilla. Chocolate mousse laced with Cognac was dark, dense and not too sweet. Key lime tart, with its lovely browned meringue, dignified the genre. Individually molded bread pudding was wonderfully rich, cloaked in dulce de leche sauce and scattered with almonds. Banana Napoleon — a marvelous layering of puff pastry, whipped cream, white chocolate mousse and perfectly ripe banana slices — prompted a delirious “wowza!”
On another visit we happened on one of the restaurant’s weekly wine tastings, with Fred Cottineau, a wine consultant, presiding ($40 prix fixe includes pairings of wines and tapas). Scenes on the flat screen had shifted from Cuba to the Loire Valley, and although we ordered food from the regular menu, Mr. Cottineau encouraged us to sample wines from the Loire region by the glass, including a rare, honeyed 2005 Cazin Cour-Cheverny and a rustic 2005 Baudry Chinon Granges that tasted of blackberries. It was a Tuesday night. The restaurant was quiet, the service focused, the food delicious.
Belle Havana
35 Main Street
Yonkers
(914) 969-1006
www.bellehavana.com
VERY GOOD
THE SPACE Stylishly Cuban, with overhead fans, wooden shutters and bamboo trim; the small but attractive lounge area features low banquettes, throw pillows and white orchids.
THE CROWD An urbane bunch that grows increasingly youthful as the evening passes. Dress is casual. On Friday nights, live music starts at 10 p.m.
THE BAR The bar is central to the action, with mojitos in the starring role. Red or white sangrias are made with fresh fruit on the premises. The wine list is short but inspired, with a fair selection of wines by the glass.
THE BILL At dinner, tapas and appetizers, $7 to $15; entrees, $18 to $28; desserts, $7. Major credit cards accepted.
WHAT WE LIKE Escargots, tuna ceviche, toasted baguette with goat cheese and onions, crab meat and hearts of palm, bibb lettuce salad, mussels with saffron and lemon butter, slow-roasted pork, grilled prawns, skirt steak, catch of the day, Key lime tart, banana Napoleon, bread pudding.
IF YOU GO Lunch: Tuesday to Friday, noon to
5 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to midnight, with tapas served until 2 a.m. Wine-tasting menu: Tuesday, 7 to 10 p.m. Parking can be tough; a municipal parking lot is one block west on main street . Reviewed July 29, 2007