X2O Xavier on the Hudson

Peter Xavier Kelly beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay during the Battle of the Cowboy Ribeye.  Bobby Flay, losing at a grilling competition?!  His victor has got to be good.  We found out just how good last weekend at a dear friend’s surprise graduation party.

The restaurant X2O Xavier’s on the Hudson is up in Yonkers, a nice train ride from Grand Central on the Metro North.  The décor is lovely, minimalist, and reminiscent of the sea – wavy and curvy glass fixtures – which is appropriate because it sits right at the riverside.  Everything was elegant and beautiful, including the food!

First we started with Caesar’s salad and bread.  The bread was interestingly trapezoid-shaped and dusted with a cinnamon-y sugar.  The salad was delicious, if not very remarkable.

Then, we picked different items off the menu for appetizers and entrees.  I had wild mushroom ravioli and Alex had the shrimp and asparagus tempura.  My ravioli were actually more dumpling shaped with a thick and toothsome pasta and an earthy, fragrant mushroom filling.  They were swimming in a delicious dark sauce.  The shrimp and asparagus tempura were also delicious, though Alex remarked that the tempura had a deep-fried coating that was more bread-y than panko-y.  I took a little bite and found the shrimp to be very light and pleasant.

For entrees, we could pick from rock shrimp with pasta, chicken with scallion risotto, and sirloin steak with mashed potatoes.  I had the chicken and Alex had the steak.  My chicken pieces were plump and really moist.  The julienned vegetables on the side were refreshing and tasty, but my favorite part of the dish was hands down the scallion risotto.  I didn’t give it much thought initially, but the risotto turned out to be so creamy and lightly flavored with the kick of scallion.  I could probably eat a bowl full of it.  Alex’s steak was a bit on the medium side, but the little bite I had was moist and surprisingly yummy.  I am not a huge steak fan, but this was very, very good.

Finally, dessert!  We each had a little chocolate cake with a scoop of pistachio ice cream, raspberry and cream sauce, a few whole blackberries, and a bit of flaky pastry dough.  The pistachio ice cream was delightfully floral and almond-y.  Not only did I have my own ice cream…but I ate Alex’s too.

Overall, I was amazed at the quality and experience of Chef Kelly’s restaurant.  The food was rich but well-balanced, and definitely made all the more delicious by the company.