Le Moulin Eatery & Wine Bar
1 Pierpointe Street, Yonkers   914-591-4680 

By Karen Talbot

Jul. 13, 2016:  The Yonkers waterfront where Xaviars X20 resides now has a first-rate small restaurant specializing in creative French food that opened as Le Moulin just a few months ago.

The owner and chef, Josyane Colwell, "Josie," came from the south of France (Nice) and has run a very successful catering business out of Irvington since 1990. Josie actually began her catering career in Bronxville in 1979, and I am sure many of you remember going to cocktail and dinner parties where Josie catered.

Le Moulin is located across the square from the Dolphin Restaurant and X20 on the south side facing the Hudson. Le Moulin seats seven people at the bar and twenty more at wood tables and chairs in a pleasant room with taupe walls and nice lighting, which makes for an attractive modern country setting.

Josie offers a limited menu of appetizers and entrées on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from 5:00 to 10:00 pm. Upon being seated, you are brought these divine, small buttered-crisp herbed-bread toasts in a cute silver bucket. They are so good and addictive that there is no way to eat just one!

The appetizer we shared was a scrumptious charcuterie and cheese platter with brie, petit Basque, and manchego cheese, along with French country ham, saucisson, and prosciutto. We enjoyed this tasting with a wonderful red wine that Josie selected. Next, we tried the smoked salmon rosettes, which were presented creatively around a carpaccio of cucumber filled with dressed lettuces--making it an appetizer and salad all in one. These were priced at $18 and $15, respectively.

The main course that we chose was chicken roasted pineapple habanero . . . an interesting composition of nicely roasted breast meat sliced and surrounded with bright green broccoli, haricots verts, cauliflower, and grapes over a wonderful dollop of potatoes au gratin. Josie, a chemist at heart, creates all of the sauces at the last minute, and this brown creation was flavored with orange jam and other accents.

She specializes in perfectly flavored food that is of high quality, colorful, and artistically presented on the plate. Entrées range from $25 to $35, and that evening filet mignon with Dijon mustard sauce and wild sea bass sautéed with lemon broccolini were also on the menu.

For dessert, try the chocolate ganache with strawberries . . . totally decadent, rich, and one of the best desserts that I have ever eaten!

The excellent wines are changed frequently and come from all over the world. They are priced in the $10-15 range per glass, and bottles run from $50 to $70.

Josie also operates her successful catering business by the same name out of the restaurant's kitchen. The week after I was there for dinner, she was catering twelve events to include 1,000 people! Large corporations, weddings, and private cocktail and dinner parties drive her catering business.

I would suggest making a reservation for this cozy eatery, as it is small and becoming very popular. I look forward to sampling more delectable dishes at Le Moulin.

Photo by Karen Talbot