milkeway4

Can anyone give me input on a good restaurant for dinner one nite in July. Something on the water might be nice if possible. We don't mind a 15 or 20 minute drive. Seafood would be a good option as this is for my daughter and she loves seafood. We are coming in to visit Iona College for one nite.
Thanks for the help.

Nikki

Check out www.chowhound.com and post your question there. LOTS of people who eat out in the New York area every night and spend the rest of the day talking about it on line.

Neil

In my opinion, the best seafood restaurant in the area is the Eastchester Fish Gourmet. It is not on the water, but it is only about a 10 or 15 minute ride from the Iona campus (on Rt. 22 in Eastchester). Note: they only accept reservations for groups of 6 or larger.

milkeway4

Thanks to both of you, I will check out both options!

mrsbu

First of all I would avoid New Rochelle at night it is not a very safe area. It is run down town with high crime, poverty, high welfare and illegal alien problem, also high coruption . You might call IONA a rose between the thorns. The main streets are filled with drunks, criminals and crack addicts after dark and most businesses are either bars or those geared to forieng immigrents.
That said if you have a car and your daughter loves seafood venture to a section of the Bronx about 25 minutes away called City Island. It is a small island dedicatd to seaford restaurants some good some not so good. I imagine they must have a website or a chamber of commerce site.
I would imagine if you are going to be in New Rochelle you must be staying at the Sheraton or what ever it is called now off exit 16. Good Luck

milkeway4

Thanks Mrsbu! I'll be sure to show my daughter your post as she will be attending college at Iona in the fall and we come from a small rural upstate town. Also, thanks for the info about City Island. I'll be sure to check it out. I don't mind driving as I'm used to it and yes, we are staying at the Ramada at exit 16. Is this hotel decent or should I look to another one a short distance away?
Thanks for the help!

mrsbu

HI Mike
No the Ramada ( which used to be a Sheraton) is fine we actually stayed there about 18 months ago for a cousins wedding. The location is fine, right off the highway , try to park in the front lot if possible.
I wish I could be more helpful on City Island, one place we liked was on the right handside just as you come over the bridge. It may becalled Anna's something or other. Then another one we went to last year was all the way at the end on the left , perhaps the last one before the open air eattery.
Perhaps I should explain City Island to you. You drive over a bridge onto CI, the entire tourist center of CI is one long street flanked with Restaurants , ice cream places and bars etc. When you follow the road to the end and literally is the end you must turn around or you willl drive into the sea, there are two open air eateries, these always seem to have a party atomosphere. You stand in line and order food, wait for your number and then sit at a table.
Usually these places are filled with Happy Domeinicans and other latins playing music and enjoying life and seaford. It is an experience in itself. The sit down restaurants have varying themes , the first one over the bridge is loud and happy and has nice water views. The one at the end is more reserved and not so great views as you look intot he open air restaurant.
If you have any questions you can email me at [email protected] I know the New Rochelle area well as I used to work there. We live in Ct. now but we are still only 20 minutes away.

hank54

Mikeway:
Mrsbu is very wrong about New Rochelle being a high crime area. While there are some small areas near downtown (but not in downtown itself) that are poor, most of New Rochelle is very safe and middle class (or more -- for example, the CEO of American Express lives in New Rochelle, less than 2 miles from Iona).
Your daughter has nothing to worry about as long as she uses common sense, which is true everywhere these days.
When you visit Iona, take a drive around -- less than 1/2 mile northeast of campus are homes worth $1mm or more -- hardly a "poverty, high welfare" setting.
Now, regarding your question. The best restaurant in New Rochelle is Macmennamins (914-632-4900, reservations required) -- mostly new American cusisine, they might have some seafood; about $50 per person with wine. Also a good Indian restauraunt, Coromandel, nearby. Eastchester Fish House is good, but as the writer noted, no reservations and the wait can be lengthy. City Island is a fun place to go, but the food itself is just average.
The Ramada is decent but a much better place for just a little more money is Residence Inn by Marriott at New Roc City (an entertainment complex in New Rochelle, about 1 mile from Iona).
Enjoy New Rochelle, and don't worry, your daughter will be safe here.

milkeway4

Thank you very much MRSBU and Hank54. I really appreciate the info!. Hank54, I do have an option of staying at the Marriott Residence Inn. I assumed (incorrectly, I guess) that the Ramada would be nicer. The Marriott Residence Inn's I thought had a tendency to be run down. I will certainly check it out as I am Marriott rewards member. I remember the area with the nice homes from a 1 day visit we did last fall. They were very pretty older homes. The City Island sounds like something my daughter would like. I will give her both of your options and let her decide.
Thanks a bunch again for your help. I really appreciate it.

mrsbu

HANK54 is correct in certain areas yes there are nice areas of N.R. we have friends in Premium Point which is a lovely gated community on the water, however they choose to call it Larchmont. As only the entrance in actually in New Rochelle.
We also have friends that live in that area past Iona, they are part of the Cameron Embassy to the Un and again live behind gates. Yes the areas can be lovely but in a hole the city is not what it was decades ago. Hank I am sorry if I insulted your town, I did not mean too.
I just know what I see and read in the papers. Buying real estate in New Rochelle will never be on my things to do list.

DebitNM

As a native New Rochellean AND a graduate of Iona and a former professor AT Iona, I found the reports of New Rochelle's crime etc to be most disturbing. Granted I left the westchester area 2 years ago, I cannot believe things have changes so much. New Rochelle, like any city its size, has it share of problems. New Roc City has been built in the attempts to bring a better element to the downtown area. Iona is not in downtown area, it is located just off very nice residential area. Finally, your daughter would be fortunate to attend Iona, it will give her an excellent education especially if she is interested in Business as a major. They have state of the art facilities and the faculty are top notch!

milkeway4

Thanks Debit NM for the input. Ultimately the important item is a good college education in a safe environment. She is attending Iona for Mass communication/Advertising with a minor in Psychology.
Once again thanks to all for the input! Keep it coming if anybody has anything more to say.