Steak, Traditional Irish Fare and Much More at Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub

Westchester County’s dining options include many steakhouses and many pubs. If you can’t decide between a steakhouse and a pub, your answer is a visit to the new Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub in New Rochelle. On busy Division Street a home furnishing store has been completely gutted and transformed into a tastefully decorated new place to dine – Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub. Owned by Paul Hurley, a seasoned restauranteur, the charming Mr. Hurley grew up in Dublin where he trained as a bartender and restauranteur. Upon coming to New York, he used his skills to open many restaurants in city hall, midtown and uptown Manhattan locations. Hurley said, “New Rochelle needed a spot like Hurley’s. With its opening in November, New York City came to New Rochelle. Our goal for the restaurant is to keep our guests happy and have them make many return visits. A very important quality of a restauranteur is the ability to talk to everyone. It is a hospitality industry. The best part of the business is when a guest enjoys the experience and returns often. If I were dining here I would like to share a table with my family. I would start with lobster bisque or baked clams followed by one of our Irish dishes or a sirloin steak.”

The restaurant’s design is the work of Hurley’s talented wife Finola, who works behind the scenes. The pub area has a large well stocked marble bar and several high tables. Charming bar related artwork lines the walls. You can order from the regular menu here or enjoy snacks from the pub grub selections. They include Buffalo wings, cheeseburger sliders, colossal shrimp skewers and mozzarella sticks, to name a few choices. The main dining room boasts a glowing stone fireplace surrounded by comfortable leather chairs. Brick and dark wood and tufted brown leather banquettes give a warm cozy feel to the dining room. Care is even evident in the rest rooms. The ladies room walls are lined with photos of movies leading men and the men’s room has photos of actresses. Upon entering these areas a smile is sure to come to your face.

Executive Chef Manuel Balcon, who worked with Hurley in the city, heads the kitchen. I was seated at a white linen clad table and was graciously served by waiters Mario and Ruben. Tuna tartare arrived as a combination of ripe cubes of avocado and very fresh tuna marinated and tossed with white and black sesame seeds. The generous mound of goodness was garnished with sesame topped cucumber slices. Next, the popular baked clams were small, whole and tender with a well flavored crumb topping. Fresh lemon and a buttery sauce added to the plate, nice for dipping. Future beginning might include crab cake, sizzling Canadian bacon or char grilled sizzling oysters or perhaps the very popular lobster bisque. For a lighter start, a classic Cobb, Caesar or iceberg wedge salad or a lovely arugula salad with beets, goat cheese, pistachios and a raspberry walnut vinaigrette are good starters.

The steak and chop board offers prime fillet, tomahawk ribeye, New York Sirloin, porterhouse, veal chop, rack of lamb and short ribs. We savored the prime fillet. It arrived as ordered black and blue with a sprig of herbs as a garnish. There were typical steakhouse sides of creamed spinach, and hash browns. We ordered Brussels sprouts, quartered and tossed with bacon and drizzled with honey. The honey added a nice flavor. We also enjoyed a selection of wild mushrooms and onions. A variety of sauces are offered with your steak, but I prefer mine unadorned.

With Hurley’s background beginning in Ireland, some Irish traditional fare is offered here, as well. Would I try Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, or bangers and mash? It was chicken pot pie that I chose. The individual oval casserole was chock full of white meat chunks of chicken, carrots, celery and potatoes in a creamy sauce. Topped with house made puff pastry it was very satisfying.

Weekends offer nice options at Hurley’s. Try the Sunday brunch from 11- 4. Some choices are lobster omelet, eggs benedict, corned beef hash, challah French toast and a Hurley burger. Paul Hurley indicates that,” Sundays are made for prime time Sunday roast. They offer roast prime rib of beef with horseradish cream, mashed potatoes and vegetables with natural beef au jus.

Monday through Fridays offer a prix fixe lunch, a good value with choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert. If you enjoy an early dinner during the week, take advantage of the early bird special dinners. If sandwiches are your desire, try a selections from the sandwich board, each served with French fries. Roasted chicken club, salmon BLT, prime rib dip, and corned beef on rye are some choices. Hurley’s extensive and ambitious menu seems to offer something for everyone. Popular entrees of grilled salmon, surf and turf shrimp fra diavolo, seafood towers and a variety of burgers are possibilities, as well.

Desserts of key lime pie, cheesecake, chocolate mousse are among the many desserts.

For a dining experience including steaks and chops, pub fare and Irish specialties and much more served with Irish hospitality in a beautiful warm setting, pay a visit to Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub in nearby New Rochelle.

Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub
15 Division Street
New Rochelle, NY
(94) 738-6000

Recipe:
Hurley’s Steakhouse and Pub Tuna Tartare (serves 2)

Ingredients:

300 grams sushi grade tuna in small cubes
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsps. toasted sesame seeds
Seaweed salad, recipe below
1 avocado finely chopped
Handful chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime, fresh
Pinch salt and pepper

For the sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
2 spring onions, chopped
2 Tbsps. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. each of sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey

Directions:
Add the cubed tuna, green onions and sesame seeds to the bowl of sauce and mix together. In a separate bowl place avocado, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper. Garnish with seaweed salad (recipe follows) and toasted sesame seeds.
Seaweed Salad:
Ingredients:

1/2 ounce dry mixed seaweed
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
½ Tbsp. sesame oil
½ Tbsp. soy sauce
½ Tbsp. sugar
Salt to taste
½ Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
½ scallion finely chopped

Directions:
Place seaweed in bowl with cold water. Soak for 5 minutes and drain of excess water. Whisk together remaining ingredients and toss with seaweed. Place on top of the tuna tartare.