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Chef and owner Dale Talde, and his wife, Agnes Chung, opened their restaurant under Food Crush Hospitality in September inside the Tarrytown House Estate's King Mansion.
The historic 150-year-old estate was once owned by the man who built the B&0 Railroad.
Talde was a two-time "cheftestant" on Bravo's "Top Chef" and became one of the show's most popular cast members. Along with several other national television appearances, Talde also published a cookbook titled "Asian American."
At Goosefeather, he presides over seasonal modern Chinese fare with a focus on the trifecta of the cuisine of Hong Kong: Cantonese BBQ, dim sum, and noodles.
An international beverage selection is overseen by General Manager Carlos Baz, formerly of the Lower East Side watering hole Black Crescent in New York City, as well as Piggyback Bar in Jersey City.
Talde, a Filipino-American from Chicago spent much time in the international gastronomic capital of Hong Kong which inspired his cooking for the new venture.
While he presides over the kitchen he relishes the "grandeur of the space", especially from the outside.
Goosefeather is located on the grounds of the Tarrytown House Estate, which sits high on the hill above Sunnyside, the former home of writer Washington Irving.
The King Mansion was built circa 1840. The luxurious home had many owners before Thomas M. King, vice president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, purchased it around 1900 (B&O Railroad maintains a square on the original and present-day Monopoly board).
"It's going really well," Talde told Daily Voice Plus about three weeks after Goosefeather opened.
Food is nearly 95 percent Cantonese, he said, explaining, "The hubbub of dim sum, lots of noodles, Cantonese barbecue, which is not cooked low and slow rather a higher heat, fast cooking."
Patrons can "enjoy dim sum and noodles and have a beer for a casual dinner or come in and celebrate a big occasion. We call it casual fine dining," Talde said.
Hong Kong features include Cantonese barbecue with popular choices like roast duck, goose, and char siu -- a way to flavor and prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine.
Talde is best known for competing in two seasons of the Bravo reality television "Top Chef" cooking competition series -- Top Chef: Chicago in 2008 and Top Chef: All-Stars in 2010-11. Talde finished in sixth place in both seasons.
"I think it's a way for people, fans of food TV to connect," Talde said.
Patrons get to enjoy Talde's creations at Goosefeather, unlike fans of the TV show. "On TV, you're seeing the food and can't taste it," he said.
Talde canvassed the restaurant scene throughout Westchester asking friends and others in the region what they thought was missing.
"I saw I could focus on Hong Kong and seasonal modern Chinese food. I've spent a lot of time in Hong Kong. It's an international city like New York with many cuisines. It's a point of reference for me. Cantonese food is the most popular style internationally," according to Talde.
The Fort Lee, NJ, resident is Filipino-American and a native of Chicago where his mother helped teach him how to prepare meals.
"I like the styles of eight major (Chinese) cuisines," Talde said, describing how Chinese cuisine is generally divided into eight regional cuisines based on their geographic location. They are: Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shangdong, Sichuan and Zhejiang.
Goosefeather patrons can acquaint themselves with the Hong Kong cuisine that is mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine.
"The modern part is Hong Kong and our beverage program is international. We have old world wines from Italy and France," Talde said.
Dinner menu highlights include dim sum bites like Typhoon Lobster and Shrimp with charred lemon and garlic; Dry-aged Beef Potstickers with Chinese mustard-horseradish; and Prawn Toast with pickled chilis and crushed avocado.
Cantonese barbecue options include a Char Siu Berkshire Pork Collar with grilled scallions and spicy mustard; Wind Sand Poussin with crispy ginger and garlic; and Dale’s famous Cantonese Roast Duck with caramelized hoisin, scallions and pancakes.
Noodle and rice-centric dishes include Shrimp and Clam Noodle with Dale’s XO and chewy noodles; Crispy Chow Fun with Hunan pork shank, pickled mustard greens, and youtiao and Crab Rice with jalapeno aioli and trout roe.
Talde opened his first restaurant TALDE in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 2012. He later opened ‘Italian-ish’ Massoni in the Arlo NoMad Hotel and internationally influenced Rice & Gold at Hotel 50 Bowery in New York City’s Chinatown. He also opened rooftop bars: The Heights (Arlo NoMad Hotel) and The Crown (Hotel 50 Bowery).
He was a two-time cheftestant on Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning culinary show, “Top Chef.” He competed in Season 4 of “All Star,” Season 8 of “Top Chef Duels,” and became one of the serie’s most popular cast members. Talde also has competed on “Chopped,” “Iron Chef America,” “Knife Fight” and “Beat Bobby Flay.” He served as the head judge on “Knife Fight” Season 4, as well as a guest judge on both “Chopped Junior” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Talde will branch out from Chinese cuisine during various events like Oktoberfest Saturday, Oct. 5 to celebrate "beer, grilled sausages, and cheeses."Then on Saturday, Oct. 19, wine purveyors will highlight their beverages at Wine Crush where Goosefeather wine importers will showcase a selection of highly quaffable wines from across the Old World.
Cooking will be in the spacious King's Garden and include a wood-fired harvest bounty to accompany the wines. The menu includes Whole Roasted Char Siu Squash, Hen-Of-The-Woods Al Pastor Tacos, Whole Roasted Bacon and whole Roasted Quail.
Goosefeather is located at Tarrytown House Estate on The Hudson, 49 East Sunnyside Lane, Tarrytown. More details can be found by clicking here.
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