I worry about Poppy’s Cafe.

Take a stroll down Purchase St. in Rye, and the signs are unmistakable: times are tough for small business owners. Numerous shops have up and vanished, giving way to banks, empty storefronts and “Retail Space for Rent” signs.  Not far from Le Pain Quotidien is a row of vacant stores.  They’re just sitting there. You can practically see tumbleweeds.

And so I worry about Poppy’s, our local greasy spoon. Will I walk by one day and find that it’s closed, soon to be replaced by a chain store or soulless bank?  Let’s hope not.  Poppy’s is like an old car — not cool or sexy, but dependable and will get you where you need to go.

It’s a narrow space with a few tables in the back.

Best bet is to grab a bar stool and sidle up to the counter.

I’ve never actually eaten anything there other than breakfast, so I can’t vouch for the rest of the menu. The 2-egg special comes with hash browns, toast, choice of sausage or bacon, and unlimited juice/coffee refills.

Is it the best egg breakfast you’ll ever eat?  Probably not. The hash browns for instance, could use a dose of onions mixed in. But you won’t leave hungry or unsatisfied.

Poppy’s draws a steady stream of regular customers who are greeted by name and chat freely with the staff in comfortable familiarity. That’s what happens when you’ve been firmly rooted in a town for 25 years.

It’s the Cheers bar of Rye. All that’s missing is Norm planted on the corner stool.

Poppy’s Cafe
27 Purchase St.
Rye, NY
914-967-1544

My friend Diandra and I went for drinks, not to eat, and we both agreed about the certain cheese factor of Pier & Tiki, referenced in the recent New York Times review: thatched tiki bar, island music and faux tropical resort vibe, complete with tiki torches and somewhat tacky plates emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo.

Here’s the tiki bar.

The patio is expansive and roomy — even as it became more and more crowded, the tables were far enough apart that we never felt hemmed in.

It’s hard to make out, but there’s additional seating down on the boardwalk. You can see the umbrellas at the tables.  So plenty of outdoor seating options.

I took a glance at the menu: lots of seafood, plus burgers, sandwiches and meat dishes. Prices are on the steeper side. But, portions appeared generous, and you’re paying for that view.

For drinks, there’re a slew of tropical cocktails, which come in plastic cups, and if you’re lucky, with a fish gumdrop.  This is my “sangrita” — a combo margarita and sangria.

I’m forgetting the exact name now, but this was essentially a piña colada.

Both were quite tasty.

Back to the cheese factor, which extended to the clientele as the night wore on. Shirts became tighter, tans darker, and overly-gelled hair more prevalent.

But you know what?  I don’t mind the occasional cheese. Fact is, Pier Restaurant & Tiki Bar is fun. I thoroughly enjoyed myself there.  The place is a bit of tropical escapism, artificial as it may be.  With its gorgeous views and a cool breeze coming off the Sound, what more could you want during the summer?

** Note: Parking in the Playland lot costs $5, but you can use the parking voucher towards the cost of your meal or drinks, so don’t forget to present it when the bill arrives.

Pier Restaurant & Tiki Bar
1 Playland Parkway
Rye, NY
914-967-2088

A peek at Anna’s website reveals that super burritos now go for $4.85.  Still a bargain.

The national chain Chipotle Mexican Grill seems a lot like Anna’s, just on a larger scale.  Lemme tell you, people I’d talked to were pumped that a Chipotle was coming to Westchester — and now it’s here.

I naively figured the Rye Brook grand opening would be a low key affair, but boy was I wrong. The place was mobbed.  Word must travel fast.

They keep the menu streamlined: burritos, tacos and salads. You can choose your meat (beef, chicken, carnitas, barbacoa) and select from an assortment of fillings and condiments, like beans, grilled peppers, guacamole and salsas.

A sign of the times — Chipotle’s menu board states that its meats are “naturally raised.” But they don’t give any more specifics, so I have no idea what that means.

The line was long, but it did move along fairly quickly.

I tried the chicken burrito filled with black beans, rice, lettuce, cheese and hot salsa.

Hey, not bad!  I’ll contend that the grilled chicken at Anna’s had better flavor, and there was something about the way they melted the cheese onto the tortilla while it was in the tortilla steamer that was more appealing than the sprinkled-on cheese at Chipotle. Anna’s burritos are also two bucks cheaper.

But I get the popularity of Chipotle.  It’s Mexican-American fast food that’s fairly healthy and far surpasses the reprehensible Taco Bell. (Which, if I remember correctly, pumps the sour cream out of a caulking gun?  Or did I imagine that?)

As chains go, Chipotle is a good one. But my heart will always belong to Anna’s.

Chipotle Mexican Grill
100 South Ridge St.
Rye Brook, NY
914-937-0351

Sorry, I’m hoping to break the world record for most Seinfeld references in a food blog.

Anyway, Yogo Joy, Rye’s new frozen yogurt shop (across the street from Sunrise Pizza).

The inside’s like an Apple store.  Very clean and futuristic looking.

Don’t make the mistake I made and ask, “Is there a menu?” Here’s how it works: Help yourself to eight flavors of frozen yogurt at the self-serve machines, including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mango and plain tart.

Then add your toppings: fresh fruits, nuts, sprinkles, candy, etc.

Bring your concoction up to the scale at the register — pricing is based on weight.

I put together a mango frozen yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, toasted coconut, and a tiny piece of brownie.

Tasty.  Bright mango flavor and I like all the fresh fruit topping choices. Unlike in Seinfeld I don’t think Yogo Joy’s making any claims about being nonfat, but the nice thing is you can make your yogurt as healthy or dessert-like as you want it.

Newman would approve.

Yogo Joy
8 Purdy Ave.
Rye, NY
914-967-0049

This is interesting — came upon this sign on the Rye Playland boardwalk:

Oh, yeah!  I believe this is where Captain Hook’s used to be. Looks like the owners of Seaside Johnnies are taking the location to a whole new level.

And what a location… jutting out further over the water than at Seaside Johnnies, this side of the boardwalk has a panoramic view of the Sound.

Here’s a close-up look at the design drawings:

Looks nice.  That’s a lot of outdoor seating.  And waterfront, too?  This place is gonna be hopping, I can feel it.

Something to look forward to next spring!

The new digs do look great — unrecognizable from the old RG&B, and several times as big.  The downstairs bar area is wide and expansive, with the same affluent-looking crowd that used to patronize the old place.

An observation that I’ve made about numerous Westchester restaurants: it’s loud at RG&B, at least on the bar side.  The bar area wasn’t completely full on this night, yet we were all straining to hear. I don’t know what the noise level’s like in the dining room, but I imagine it’s more manageable.

Craig and his wife shared a grilled chicken sandwich with grilled zucchini and roasted peppers, which they said was excellent.  We all shared a few starters, like the potato skins with cheddar and bacon.

Fried calamari.

And shrimp poppers.

Nothing too complicated, but both fried calamari and shrimp poppers can be bland if they’re not seasoned properly.  These were well seasoned and not greasy. They revved up my appetite to the point that I ran home after we left and stuffed my face with dinner.

What do you all think of the new Rye Grill & Bar?  Have you been impressed with the food?

Rye Grill & Bar
One Station Plaza
Rye, NY
914-967-0332

First things first: According to Le Pain Quotidien’s website, the name is pronounced “luh paN koh-ti-dyaN.”

Where did Le Pain Quotidien come from??  Seemingly overnight, this cafe and bakery sprung up on Purchase St. in Rye, in the space where I believe the Gap used to be.  I run down Purchase St. on a regular basis and never spotted it, which demonstrates how clueless I am.

Look how nice this place is!  Bright and airy with an abundance of wood and exposed brick.

What struck me immediately was a common feature at all Le Pain Quotidien locations (it’s a chain, though you wouldn’t know it): the large, wood communal table, meant to foster “family style” eating among friends — and strangers.

(Tellingly, the communal table was practically empty.  I’m guessing it’ll take some time for people to warm to the concept…)

The back tables on the other hand were buzzing.  There were many servers running around, and they all seemed to sport the same ponytail.

Up front’s where all the food eye candy’s at.  Like the wall of artisan breads.

Gorgeous tarts and a mesmerizing, perfectly round chocolate cake at the bottom left.

Incredible looking pastries and muffins.

Le Pain Quotidien does breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner, using mostly organic ingredients.  On the menu are omelettes, soups, salads and open-faced sandwiches; for dinner, I saw dishes like a fisherman’s pot, roasted salmon, and sauteed shrimp and chorizo salad.  I wouldn’t say prices are cheap, but the ingredients look to be very high quality.

There were several baguette sandwiches listed on the blackboard, so I picked one up — grilled chicken with hard boiled egg, mesclun and an herb dressing.

The sandwich was huge, about a foot and a half long. Everything tasted great, especially the crusty baguette and herb dressing (loved the dill), but I could have used way more chicken.  A little thin and skimpy for such a hearty baguette.

Really nice place though, and a welcome addition to Rye’s downtown.  I’ll take a new eatery over a Gap any day.

Le Pain Quotidien
30 Purchase St.
Rye, NY
914-967-1460

If you want some truly delectable latkes, you’ve gotta go to June & Ho in Rye. It’s more of a take-out gourmet store than an eat-in place, but their potato pancakes are the ones you like and are yearning for – thin, crispy, and onion-scented. Across the street, at the Rye Country Store, you’ll find the best vanilla cupcakes ever, with a tangy frosting that may just be cream cheese-based.

Two things about this email: 1) It’s awesome — I love receiving food scoops, and 2) How in the world did I forget about June & Ho’s latkes?

I’ve admired those latkes for years — I’m ashamed to have gone so long without trying one.  Situation rectified:

Superb.  Really, just perfect.  Eating this latke instantly transported me back to my family’s Croton days and Hanukkah dinners at our neighbors’ house.  This is what a latke should be: thin, crispy, well seasoned, soft and piping hot on the inside, flavored with onion and parsley.

I ate this latke in two bites.  If it came in a sleeve like Oreos, I would have finished the entire sleeve and contemplated starting a second.

But wait, there was a second treat to try!  The Rye Country Store cupcake!

Rye Country Store deserves it own separate post — there’s just so much good stuff in there.  For now, we’ll talk about the vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.

I like cupcakes, I don’t love cupcakes.  I’m not one of those Magnolia Bakery zealots who willingly waits in line for 25 minutes at midnight for a freaking cupcake.  The frosting at times is too overwhelming and cloyingly sweet for me.

But this was a damn fine cupcake.  Moist as all heck with tons of vanilla flavor, and the glossy, smooth cream cheese frosting was really good.  Sweet, but I just picked some of it off to strike the right frosting/cupcake balance.

As you can see, I take suggestions seriously, so keep ‘em coming.  I’m listening.

June & Ho
70 Purchase St.
Rye, NY
914-967-1900

Rye Country Store
41 Purchase St.
Rye, NY
914-967-3450

When I was growing up in Westchester, the majority of my family’s friends were Jewish.  I remember going to Seder dinners, desperately trying to avoid being forced to dance at Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and eating Jewish delicacies like latkes, knishes, brisket, matzo ball soup and gefilte fish (didn’t love that one).

We also ate lots and lots of bagels; almost every weekend mom would come home with a bag of onion bagels for us to enjoy. Bagel life was good.

Then we moved to Boston.

And so began what I like to call “The Great Bagel Famine” — fifteen years of lousy Bruegger’s rocks, er, bagels, and Finagle A Bagel crapola.  Really, just bad.

Now I’m back in New York and bagel life is good once again (my family’s still suffering in Boston).  Are Westchester bagels as good as those in NYC?  I don’t know.  But for someone who suffered through years of the bad stuff, Westchester bagels do just fine, thank you.

Recently I’d settled into a comfortable pattern of getting my bagels at Lenny’s in Rye Brook.  But on the suggestions of a few readers, I decided to expand my horizons and test the bagel waters.  First up — Hand Rolled Bagels in Rye.

Can you believe I live two minutes from this place and haven’t been in years?  It’s on Purdy Ave., and I don’t usually walk down Purdy, so I completely forget it’s there.  Sorry Hand Rolled! Now I feel really stupid about not visiting — your bagels are great!

Isn’t that a beautiful golden color?  I like how it’s misshapen too — fat on one side, thin on the other.  Gives the bagel character.  I wish the outside was crispier, but the soft chewiness of the inside was spot on.  And the bagel had a good strong onion flavor. Thumbs up.

Then I was off to try H&R Bialy in New Rochelle.

This was my second try at H&R; last weekend I arrived after it had closed for the day.  I wasn’t even sure I was at the right place.  There’s no sign with the name.  Anywhere.  It says “Bagels and Deli”, but I didn’t see anything with “H&R”, so I ended up peering through the window for five minutes like an idiot.  I’m sure people who saw me were thinking, “Boy, that guy really wants a bagel.”

This time it was open and I went right in.

“Is this H&R?” I asked.

“Yeah,” the woman said, shooting me a look that conveyed, “Um, duh!!”

“Oh, okay, just checking.  I’ll take one onion bagel.”

Another beauty.  And oh, what a wonderful crunch — just the way a bagel should be.  The inside was nice and chewy — maybe a smidge too chewy.  This bagel was also denser than the one from Hand Rolled.

If I could create the ideal bagel, I’d combine the crunchy outside of H&R and the just-chewy-enough inside of Hand Rolled.  But taken separately, I enjoyed each one immensely.

You know what I’d love to do: Drive a batch up to Boston, stand inside a Finagle A Bagel and proclaim loudly, “You make dough with holes in them.  These are bagels!”

Hand Rolled Bagels
17 Purdy Ave.
Rye, NY 10580
914-967-4322

H&R Bialy
41 Quaker Ridge Rd.
New Rochelle, NY  10804
914-576-1411