Page 14
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012
WESFOODIES
Gaucho Argentinian Grill Opens in White Plains By NANCY KING
Despite dismal economic reports coming out of Washington in what seems to be a weekly basis, it is always a pleasure to celebrate the opening of a new business. On August 6th, the Gaucho Argentinian Grill opened at One North Broadway in the space that was once occupied
by the Antipasti Restaurant which had closed down some time ago. The restaurant, opened by Moises Mera and his family will serve traditional Argentinian and Italian cuisine. The restaurant is a large one. Upon entering, patrons are greeted by a sleek modern lounge area, which contains a large tapas bar and an even larger glass enclosed wine room. Beyond the bar area and up three steps, one
enters the main dining area and it is there that you notice that there are also two private VIP dining rooms. It is the hope of the proprietors that their establishment will attract many of the sports stars and celebrities that live in the White Plains area. To ensure those prospective diners’ privacy, Gaucho
even has a private rear entrance and exit! Décor aside, what really makes this new restaurant special is the food. Argentina has long been the definitive source for beef. The Gaucho Grill serves a traditional Argentinian Skirt Steak with chimichuri sauce that is
tasty, tender and priced right at $26.00. The Gaucho Grill’s price point is also competitive with dinners ranging from $24.00 to $45.00. While it is always great to spotlight a new business, the location of the Gaucho Grill is an interesting one. The location, on the corner of North Broadway and Main Street is a block or so away from the restaurant row situated on Mamaroneck Avenue. It is also anchors a development that has had some difficulty attracting tenants. Right now, there is currently a large real estate brokerage firm and a Panera Bread Company located in the plaza, but nothing else. It is hoped that the Gaucho Grill and the Metroplex Hotel and retail complex currently under construction will put the finishing touches on the economic development that has eluded the upper Main Street downtown of White Plains. Nancy King is a freelance investigative reporter; a resident of White Plains, New York.
GOVERNMENTSection GOVERNMENT
Government Response to Testimony on Job-Assistance Programs and Childcare By SHANNON AYALA
Testimony about jobassistance programs in Westchester, at a Mt. Vernon City Council hearing, triggered an array of responses about safety, job creation, the role and capacity of the City Council and even about a commuter tax in the City of Mount Vernon. “You have 23% of the welfare cases… Mt. Vernon residents,” said Joshua Eskew, not surprisingly, subsequently to other instances of speaking out about the Department of Social Services (DSS) on their performance, or alleged lack thereof, in their pursuit of helping people find jobs. Within his allotted one-minute time slot, Eskew mentioned that only Mt. Vernon City Council President Roberta Appuzzo, attended a recent public meeting of DSS in the City. And he summarized, skipping over
some legal allegations about DSS recently echoed and expanded by local advocate Gary Fuller, by again inferring that County funds are benefiting job-assistance contractors but not recipients of services because, theoretically, people become stuck in the programs and that many, as consequence of design, return shortly after landing a job. Councilman Richard Thomas replied with statistics of his own. “We have 18% sex offenders,” he said, adding, “12% parole,” and “22% on probation.” The relevance, he said, was that this breeds unemployment. He then segued into an announcement about a public safety forum that will be conducted within the month of August and that details would soon be announced. Thomas went on about unemployment: “Last year the State issued a study on the City of Mt. Vernon that found our economy has the potential to grow by $200 million
if you reduced the vacancy rate of all the shops on Gramatan Avenue, Fourth Avenue and First Street,” where DSS is, he said. Economic growth, jobs and public safety are half of the top six-bullet points on
the Councilman’s campaign website. Similarly to Richards, Councilman J. Yuhanna Edwards parlayed the topic to something that seemed categorically separate and part of his agenda: commuter tax.
“Most of the people that work in [the aforementioned DSS building on First Street] don’t live in the City of Mt. Vernon,” he said. “Eight Continued on page 15