This week's Table Talk section is a 'hack' for a quick but delicious, honestly priced place in Port Chester that you probably already know — but I felt the urge to write about it. We went to Crawford Park in Rye Brook for the Color Fest. The event is great; you should go next year. I love the handmade food options 🧑🏻‍🍳. Speaking of food, check out this week’s poll at the bottom of the newsletter!

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118 days in, Mayor Nathan laid out five explicit priorities at The Osborn: community engagement, public safety, fiscal resilience, flood mitigation, and a comprehensive plan. His frame for all of it: the tension between preservation and progress. The city has rebuilt its fund balance to the required 10%, improving its credit outlook. The gas leaf blower ban, effective May 1, was his first concrete act.

As of May 1, no gas-powered leaf blower may legally operate anywhere in Rye — for homeowners, landscapers, or contractors. The Rye City Council passed the ban in January; Mayor Nathan marked it as his first tangible act in his State of the City address last week.

The rule is straightforward: battery-powered and electric blowers are in. Gas is out. Violations carry escalating fines. Exemptions exist for municipal properties, schools, religious institutions, golf courses, hospitals, and non-residential lots over three acres.

Rye joins a growing list of Westchester communities moving in this direction, though a year-round ban is among the stricter approaches in the county. The city's reasoning: gas blowers are a significant contributor to noise, pollution, and carbon emissions in residential neighborhoods.

Enforcement is immediate. If your landscaper hasn't switched yet, it's probably a good idea to have a conversation with them.

DeCicco & Sons — the family-owned specialty grocery chain that built a devoted following across Westchester — is holding weekly job fairs at its future Greenwich location throughout May, a clear signal the store is weeks, not months, away.

The 20,000-square-foot space at 21 Glenville St. — the former Stop & Shop — will be DeCicco's 12th store overall and its first outside New York State. The concept: an on-site production kitchen with a hot food bar, grab-and-go meals, and sushi; freshly brewed coffee; custom cakes; and a dedicated event planner. The build-out uses reclaimed brick and wood, recycled-glass construction materials, and energy-efficient refrigeration systems.

Job fairs run every Wednesday and Friday, 10am–5pm, at 21 Glenville St.

For anyone who used to shop at Stop & Shop, this is great news.

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The intersection of Westchester Avenue, Bowman Avenue, and Monroe Place has been dangerous long enough that neighbors have a name for the problem: the stop sign is, "a mere suggestion."

A News12 crew observed drivers speeding and rolling through stop signs with pedestrians nearby — a pattern residents say is routine, not exceptional. Port Chester officials agree something needs to change. Village Manager Stuart Rabin backs installing a four-way traffic light. The catch: Westchester Avenue is a county road, not a village road, so the fix isn't Port Chester's alone to make.

The village has had this intersection on its agenda since 2022. What's new is movement on the county side: Westchester has begun a capital improvement project covering curbing, sidewalks, pedestrian infrastructure, and lighting in the area. Whether a traffic signal is part of that scope remains the open question.

Greenwich — The Cardinals' 40th is this Saturday. Greenwich High School's rugby program celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday, May 9 at Cardinal Stadium, with a halftime tribute to alumni. Eleven All-Americans and eight state championships across four decades.

Harrison — The planning board's May session is now June. The Harrison Planning Board has moved its May 26 meeting to Monday, June 8. Three unresolved applications remain on the docket: the Wegmans retail expansion, the 275 North Street subdivision, and the Renaissance Harrison Article 78 litigation still pending in Westchester Supreme Court.

Rye Brook — ECOFest returns to Crawford Park on May 30. The Town of Rye's annual environmental festival heads to Crawford Park in Rye Brook for a day of family activities, nature hikes, and green vendors. Mark the calendar for a low-key early summer tradition.

Port Chester — Waterfront parking gets a price tag next week. The marina lot on Abendroth Avenue transitions from free to paid parking starting May 20. The village has not yet announced the specific rate structure; details are expected before the changeover date. 💸

There is exactly one reason Westchester families and their nostalgic parents have been asking about Rye's beachfront park since last fall: the Dragon Coaster — the 97-year-old wooden roller coaster that has been the park's center of gravity since it opened on May 1, 1929.

The 85-foot coaster was sidelined for most of the 2025 season — a year when Westchester County scrambled to operate Playland without Standard Amusements after the management contract fell apart, and the park's deferred maintenance caught up all at once. Rides that should have been running weren't. The Dragon Coaster — 3,400 feet of wooden track, a 75-foot initial drop, and a direct line to three generations of Westchester childhoods — sat quiet through much of a summer that was already difficult for the park.

County officials spent the offseason addressing what needed to be addressed. The coaster is confirmed back for 2026.

This will be the park's 98th season — and its first with management stabilized. For anyone who grew up on the Dragon Coaster, this is the summer the park gets to be itself again.

We’ve all been there, stuck in that weekend filled with "to-dos" with zero time to breathe, let alone eat. Bar Taco in Port Chester is basically the ultimate rescue mission for those days. It’s fast, the prices are totally fair, and the food and drinks are so good you really can’t miss.

I always go with the Crispy Oyster tacos and that Street Corn—it’s loaded with cotija cheese and that perfect tangy, spicy kick of cayenne. My daughter went with the Chicken Verde, and it definitely didn't disappoint; we’d highly recommend that one too.

Open 7 days a week, 11 AM–12 AM
1 Willett Ave, Port Chester

Tip: Go early or late, but definitely avoid peak hours. Also, just a heads-up that the crowd leans a bit "younger" at night! 🕺🏻

The National Restaurant Association reports that 60% of Americans say they eat out at least once a week. In suburbs like Westchester and Fairfield, the local dining scene has become a measure of neighborhood identity.

How often do you eat at a local restaurant in one of the five Sound Shore towns?

🍝 Multiple times a week — local spots are part of my routine
🍷 Once a week — my go-to for a break from cooking
🥡 A few times a month — I explore when the occasion is right
🏠 Rarely — I cook at home or order delivery instead

Vote here!
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Last week’s poll results: What matters most to you when you think about new housing development around our communities?

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See you next Thursday!