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Cravings Eats & Treats, Briarcliff Manor

September 21, 2009

Cravings Eats & Treats, at 549 North State Rd. in Briarcliff Manor, NY, was just opened by my friend Erica a couple of weeks ago, and already G. is hooked on the frozen yogurt. In fact, I’m sure it’s the yogurt that had everyone buzzing about Cravings before it even opened. Aside from baked goods, sandwiches, salads, and soups, they also offer up to 6 flavors of Frogurt at a time, including the elusive slightly-sour, slightly-sweet “plain” — the same kind Bloomingdale’s serves. A small yogurt, which is more than just a kid-sized portion, starts at $3, with a long list of toppings (melba sauce, M&Ms, dried cranberries, etc.) for 50 cents each or fresh fruit for a dollar.

I’m most interested in going back for the Hale and Hearty Soup — Cravings offers three kinds a day. The Sweet Corn Chowder (gluten free, surprisingly) smelled delicious, and I like that the soups are all-natural, with ingredients I’d use in my own kitchen. A 12 oz. portion starts at $3.95, going up to $9.50 for a quart.

There were a number of guys buying salads to go the last time I was in the store. You build your own, starting with a choice of iceberg, romaine, spinach or mixed greens. Then top it with everything from hearts of palm (a favorite of mine) to mushrooms to roasted red peppers. A small salad, which includes 2 toppings plus dressing, starts at $6.95. You can add some protein on top if you’d like: roasted turkey, chicken, and tuna are available. Unique sandwiches, like a Greek salad in a pita, and paninis round out the light meal offerings.

Don’t forget the bakery — I can give you a rundown though I haven’t sampled any of it yet. Cravings has muffins, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, scones, and more. Plus, they do special orders and seasonal items — they had honey cake for Rosh Hashanah, for example.

I like the vibe of this place, shabby chic but with crisp, clean edges. You’re instantly comfortable when you step inside:

That’s my little guy eating Frogurt at the back of the store (vanilla with rainbow sprinkles). You can see that in addition to all their food offerings, Cravings is something of a gift shop as well. What caught my eye were a range of cute baking kits from Sassafras. I’d never seen them before and thought they’d make an original birthday gift.

Cravings is really a take away cafe, although there are a couple of benches with small tables. They’re right across the street from Terra Rustica, and on the way to Club Fit — I expect they’ll get plenty of business from people going to and from the gym. You can reach Cravings Eats & Treats at 914-944-4622.

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Filed under: Restaurants,Things I Love,Thinking Out Loud

Tags: Briarcliff Manor, brownies, Club Fit, Cravings Eats Treats, food, greens, mushrooms, North State Rd, NY, Rosh Hashanah, sauce, Soup, Sweet Corn Chowder, Terra Rustica, turkey