Restaurants in Ossining

As lively Latin music plays, guests—including celebrities such as P. Diddy—sidle up to white-clothed tables to eat large portions of Sofrito Puerto Rican Cuisine’s authentic oxtail soup, fried green plantains, and skirt steak with chimichurri sauce. They can also visit the bar area, where bartenders make specialty cocktails out of fresh fruit in front of a blue-backlit bar. DJ sets and live music keep guests entertained every night of the week, and a strict dress code—no sneakers or hats—ensures that diners do not impersonate professional baseball players.

Over the tops of neatly groomed conifers, the muted drizzle of a fountain loops over a still pond. Glancing out from the dining room of Seasons American Bistro & Lounge, away from the lofted beams and white tablecloths, the eye drifts out across the water and to the verdant rolling hills crowded with ancient trees. Inspired by the bistros and tapas bars of Europe, the menu at Seasons highlights shareable plates, which circulate during long chats measured in glasses of wine. From the ranks of bottles spring the floral bouquet of the Italian Alverdi pinot grigio and the earthy plum notes and Napa Valley sunshine of the 2005 Markham merlot. The sound of toasting glasses drifts through a bar and lounge with small tables and a wrap-around banquette decorated with cut flowers and candles that set the mood and keep somebody from setting down a cornucopia there.

At The Melting Pot, groups gather around bubbling cauldrons and dip chunks of bread and produce into molten cheese blended with sherry, lager, or dijon mustard. The cheese pairs well with a wine list, which was recognized by Wine Spectator with an Award of Excellence for the years 2008–2010. For heartier meals, diners cook meat and seafood in pots of hot oil or burgundy before tackling the chocolate fondue. They dunk morsels of cake or brownies into chocolate blended with peanut butter or sweet liqueurs for an ending to a meal that’s more decadent than riding home in a limousine lined with mink.

At The Melting Pot, groups gather around bubbling cauldrons and dip chunks of bread and produce into molten cheese blended with sherry, lager, or dijon mustard. The cheese pairs well with a wine list, which was recognized by Wine Spectator with an Award of Excellence for the years 2008–2010. For heartier meals, diners cook meat and seafood in pots of hot oil or burgundy before tackling the chocolate fondue. They dunk morsels of cake or brownies into chocolate blended with peanut butter or sweet liqueurs for an ending to a meal that’s more decadent than riding home in a limousine lined with mink.

For close to two decades, the chefs at Pasta Cucina have used tried-and-true recipes as the blueprints for their classic Italian dishes. Manager Mario Espana and his team make bellies feel like they’re part of the family with comforting plates of veal parmigiana, fettuccine carbonara with imported prosciutto, and traditional ravioli prepared with a modern twist of ingredients, including jalapeños and brandy cream sauce. Exposed-brick accents and paintings depicting rustic Italian scenery whisk diners to the Old World and create an environment more inviting than a cliff leading to a giant pile of pillows.