Cenadou is the restaurant this corner of New York and Connecticut has desperately needed. A high-end classic French brasserie, it becomes obvious the moment you taste the food that an actual trained chef is in the kitchen.
In this case, the chef is Andrea Calstier, who co-owns and runs the restaurant with his wife Elena Oliver, both from France. Their first restaurant Papilles on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was widely hailed before it closed in February 2022.
Previously, Calstier, who started cooking at a very young age, worked at Michelin-star restaurants including Restaurant Christophe Bacquie in France and Daniel with Chef Daniel Boulud in Manhattan. Joining the team at Cenadou are two others from France — Pastry Chef Andy Chorda who made the delicious Mille-Feuille above and award-winning Sommelier Adrien Cascio. Even the mixologist behind the bar hails from dining royalty, formerly working at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, NY.
Cenadou is a Proven�al word that means dining room and is very fitting for this restaurant as all of the activity happens in one airy but compact space that features the bar on one end and the glass-enclosed kitchen on the other. Everything that happens in between is magic, mainly the eating and convivial vibe you get the moment you walk in. On one recent visit, Martha Stewart walked in with a party of four and no reservation, but was promptly seated.
We’ve been here twice, once in the summer when they were just getting up and running and again a few weeks ago. Both visits were exceptional. From appetizers to dessert and wines by the glass, we left very happy. Co-owner Elena, a mainstay in the dining room as she spends time at each table, personally sent an email when I gave a positive review on Yelp.
On our recent experience to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary, we shared the Hudson Valley foies gras terrine, not pictured here because it disappeared too quickly. I had the beautiful duck, which was served with braised vegetables and mission figs and my husband Philip had the steak frites for the second time. We shared the mushrooms, so simple yet delicious that I can’t think of a food experience that wouldn’t be elevated by their presence.
Then came that amazing dessert, the Mille-Feuille Banofee featured above, not always on the menu. But get it if it is because you have never eaten anything like it. Perfectly crispy pastry with bananas, chocolate and carmel, it is a rapturous end to a meal at Cenadou — and shareable. Just look at those carmel ribbons! That said, the crispy profiterole, regularly on the menu, are pretty incredible too. Served with hazelnut praline and Guanaja chocolate sauce, we enjoyed and shared this on our first visit.
In terms of price, this restaurant isn’t inexpensive, but it’s also not radically expensive either, especially given the quality of the food, preparation and service. Dinner for two with two glasses of wine each and sharing a starter and dessert is between $220-250, without tip. Given its location in North Salem, a rural place with numerous large estates and horse farms, it is priced well to attract repeat customers. And you could spend $200 or more for two people at restaurants in nearby Ridgefield, CT, or even at the Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges and have a far less satisfying experience.
The best news of all: If one amazing restaurant in close proximity to our home is good, then two is better, and that’s what we will be getting soon when this gastronomic duo open a separate restaurant on the lower level of the same space. La Bastide will be a fine-dining establishment with a tasting menu that seats between 12-16 people, similar to the set-up at their former restaurant, Papilles. (Cenadou seats about 45.) It has its own kitchen and recently has started hosting wine dinners, led by Cascio.
