To console ourselves after the ALDS game 2 loss, corwin and I decided to trundle up to New Rochelle to check out Mariano Rivera’s restaurant. (Yes, we were convinced by all the liners that John Sterling has been reading, touting the place on the game broadcasts.) “Clubhouse Grill 42” aka “Mo’s New York Grill” is basically a sports bar/steak pub with the decor done by Steiner Sports. The walls are well adorned with giant photos, autographed memorabilia, and wide-screen TVs. When we went in both NLDS games were on, as well as the NY Jets football game.
The front dining room is mostly a bar area, brightly lit and featuring a large sculpture of a “Holy Cow” that has been autographed by tons of Yankees. (Guess who signed right between the horns.*) The cow has the retired numbers down its tail, and the championship years through 2000 on its flank. Most of the autographs are on the back.
There is also a rear dining room, and there might have been a private dining room, as well. We were the last customers of the night (they close at 9pm on Sundays) and so I didn’t poke around as long as I might have, as the staff looked like they probably wanted to go home and I didn’t want to hold them up.
Now, how about the food? They have a fairly nice-looking pub menu, with many of the expected items like appetizers chicken wings and mozzarella sticks. (Mo’s-za-rella sticks–no, I’m not making that up…) The main items include burgers and various steaks, and the specials that night included a salmon steak and a swordfish.
I settled quickly on The Panama Special, though, as my meal of choice. A pounded, marinated skirt steak, served on mashed yucca with plantains and salsa. The mashed yucca was too gummy, though quite tasty. To snazz the yucca up I’d suggest making frites out of them instead. The plantains were perfect.
And the steak was fabulous. It’s difficult not to overcook the super-thin skirt steak, but they delivered it medium rare as requested, a nice char on the outside and still juicy on the inside. The salsa on top was piquant without being overpowering. The kitchen also gets extra points for serving the bread slightly toasted and crusty warm, a simple thing that makes a world of difference between mediocre bread and great bread.
Mo’s is in downtown New Rochelle and was fairly easy to get to from the Hutchinson Parkway. For anyone headed north after a day game at Yankee Stadium, it’s a reasonable (and reasonably priced) place to stop for a solid meal.
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(*Derek Jeter)
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