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Published: 30 May 2018

Created: 30 May 2018

Last Updated: 30 May 2018

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Become a Music Together teacher and begin a fulfilling and flexible career! Music Together, the award-winning, international early childhood music and movement program developed in Princeton, New Jersey, is offering an exciting three-day Teacher Training Workshop at Starlight Starbright Music, 78 Garth Road, Scarsdale, July 13-15, 2018. Participants who successfully complete the three-day training become eligible to teach Music Together classes, either at an existing location or by applying for a license to open and operate a Music Together center of their own.

Being a Music Together teacher is a flexible, fulfilling, and exciting part-time career choice. The thousands of successful Music Together teachers around the world are musicians, actors, dancers, stay-at-home parents, educators, and retirees. No formal academic degree is required to become a Music Together teacher.

The upcoming three-day workshop provides opportunities to learn about how to assess children’s rhythmic and tonal development, techniques for presenting Music Together materials, strategies for lesson-planning, and much more. There will also be live early childhood music demonstration classes on each day of the workshop, teaching children and their parents using the Music Together curriculum.

Since 1987, Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Artistic Director of Music Together, has been a pioneer in teaching parents and caregivers how to nurture their children’s musical growth. “Our mission is to enable children and the adults who love them to become comfortable with musical expression and to develop musically at their own pace,” says Guilmartin. “Childhood music development is a natural process, just like language development. Every child is born with the ability to make music. Our teachers provide the right environment to nurture and support that music making. We welcome teachers to the Music Together community who are passionate about music education and supporting the bond that music creates between young children and their parents and caregivers.”

The cost of the three-day Music Together Teacher Training is $475. Graduate credits, CMTE credits, and CEUs are available. For additional information and to register, visit www.musictogether.com or contact Chris Marietti at (800) 728-2692 x326 or cmarietti@musictogether.com.

Music Together is an internationally recognized, developmentally appropriate early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through grade two. First offered to the public in 1987, the Music Together curriculum, co authored by Guilmartin and Dr. Lili Levinowitz, is based on the recognition that all children are musical. All children can learn to sing in tune, move with accurate rhythm, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, provided that their early environment supports such learning. Music Together offers programs for families, schools, at-risk populations, and children with special needs in over 2,500 communities in 41 countries. The company is passionately committed to bringing children and their caregivers closer through shared music-making and helping people discover the joy and educational value of early music experiences. More at www.musictogether.com and www.facebook.com/musictogether.

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Written by Judie Dweck

Published: 05 June 2018

Created: 05 June 2018

Last Updated: 05 June 2018

Hits: 6448

Sandwiches come in all shapes and sizes and in many international flavors. We have savored croque monsieur from France, paninis from Italy, cemitas from Mexico, cucumber tea sandwiches from England and lamb kebab pitas from the mid-east. The classic sandwiches from Vietnam have become quite popular in the tri state area and the recently opened Grab Ly’s Banh Mi on Garth Road is serving these flavorful sandwiches with a modern twist.

Grab Ly’s Banh Mi is a tiny space with big flavors. It is sparkling clean from the stainless steel open kitchen to the front area. A wood paneled wall displays canvases of the food. There is a small counter with a few stools and a couple of benches if you choose to enjoy your banh mi in house. More popular is the take out crowd. It is convenient to the train, and you can call your order in advance. Delivery will be available in the near future.

Grab Ly’s is the brainchild of John Ly, the enthusiastic owner. He was a young child when he and his family arrived here from Vietnam via Hong Kong. “I enjoyed watching my father cook traditional dishes and soon became passionate about cooking. I aim to bring Vietnamese food with my modern touch to Westchester. I chose Scarsdale because this street is a high traffic area with available parking.” The sense of family permeates the space. Ly’s father was busy in the kitchen and his mom and sister were busy in conversation with the steady flow of people waiting for their orders. (It was only 11.30 in the morning) “I love seeing happiness on the faces of people who have tasted our food. I trained my staff, and look forward to opening additional Vietnamese spots featuring other Vietnamese specialties such as pho, the traditional hot soup. The food we offer, is part of my heritage and culture and banh mi sandwiches are my favorite comfort food.” My recent visit was late morning and there was a steady flow of customers placing orders, many were returning guests, even though Grab Ly’s had only been open for a week.

Fresh out of the fryer was a mound of avocado fries. Here, wedges of firm, but ripe avocado have been breaded with panko crumbs and fried to a golden brown. These very crisp morsels came with a well spiced sauce, a fine modern accompaniment to the 10 banh mi offerings. Egg rolls arrived in 2 varieties. We sampled both the regular, filled with minced pork, shrimp, onions, jicama, carrots and taro and the vegetarian choice, with tofu, mushrooms, carrots, jicama, onion and taro. Each order came with 2 tightly rolled cigar shaped morsels which were wrapped in traditional egg roll wrappers. A piquant sweet and sour sauce accompanied them.

We moved on to the main attraction, the banh mi. Thinly sliced pickled jicama and carrots added to the pleasure of sampling our shaking beef banh mi. The marinated wok seared sirloin steak, was cooked to rare, as requested, and a sriracha aioli added a nice kick to this filling. Very popular is the pork belly banh mi. The grilled pork belly sits beside picked papaya slaw and a slathering of sriracha aioli. Once again the vegetables added texture to a terrific sandwich. The Baja feature shrimp. Here, a julienne of fresh carrots and red cabbage are nicely seasoned and paired with panko breaded shrimp. Served on a 10 inch baguette, as all of the banh mi here are, and finished with chipotle aioli and fresh sprigs of cilantro, it was yet another discovery of a divine banh mi. Just the right amount of spice left my tongue tingling. Waiting to be tried are banh mi of lemongrass pork, beef bulgogi, surf and turf, Thai basil chicken and the vegetarian with grilled eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, pickled jicama and carrots and tofu aioli. Since each banh mi is prepared to order, you may alter the ingredients and level of spice to your individual taste.

Combo specials with a banh mi, eggroll and drink are offered. Everything here is made from scratch, and the interplay of balanced flavors of sweet, salt, sour and spice, along with the texture of crunchy vegetables and crisp 10 inch baguettes, result in sandwiches brought to a new level of enjoyment.

Cans of soda, water and Snapple are available but we stayed in the Southeast Asian mood with sweet and delightful Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee with Café de Monde coffee. Each was fragrant and tasty.

My advice is to visit Grab Ly’s Banh Mi soon. Choose from the many banh mi choices, open wide, and take a bite and I’m sure you will return soon. With warm weather ahead, I can’t think of a nicer way to spend the day, than at the beach or at a picnic in the park with banh mi from Grab Ly’s Banh Mi.

Grab Ly’s Banh Mi
62 Garth Road, Scarsdale
914 574 6007

Spicy pickled Vegetables (4 servings)

1 cup raw peeled carrots, in julienne
1 cup daikon, in julienne
1 ½ cups rice wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsps. sriracha
½ tsp. salt

In a saucepan, stir the vinegar, sugar, sriracha and salt over high heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool. Place the carrots and daikon in a non reactive container. Pour mixture over the vegetables and refrigerate. Serve on your banh mi.

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Written by Judie Dweck

Published: 21 May 2018

Created: 21 May 2018

Last Updated: 21 May 2018

Hits: 6856

Eating in, takeout and delivery are the many options offered at Little Thai Kitchen, conveniently located on the Popham Road Bridge at the Scarsdale train station. Seating about 20 people it is a very casual spot to savor the tantalizing taste of Thailand and a fine alternative to the usual Chinese or pizza takeout meal.

I stopped in for lunch recently and chatted with Manager Jeab, who indicated that lemongrass, lime leaf, basil, and chilies are some of the important ingredients in the Thai kitchen. “At Little Thai Kitchen, everything's made to order so we can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. We enjoy welcoming and serving guests who are familiar with our cuisine, as well as those who are trying it for the first time.” It’s nice to know that gluten free dishes are available and msg is not used in their cooking. Jeab said, “Our cooking is nicely spiced clean food.” The owner Billy Peter Rung, met with success in Scarsdale and new branches of Little Thai Kitchen have opened in Chappaqua and Rye.

Simplicity is the best way to describe the atmosphere of Little Thai Kitchen. The seating here consists of white plastic molded chairs, a long bench, many shelves housing a variety of sauces and relishes, white dishes and paper napkins. The focus is clearly on the food. Delightful aromas are evident as you enter Little Thai Kitchen. For a tiny restaurant the menu is very extensive. We started with the classic tom yum soup. This savory soup has a hint of tartness. We enjoyed ours with shrimp. Lemongrass and lime leaves gave it a unique flavor and prepared us for the many starters to follow. Chicken satay was nicely grilled on a skewer and served with a classic house made peanut sauce which enhanced the thinly sliced chicken breast. Beef satay is available, as well. Thai curry puffs arrived as a thick flaky pastry crust exploding with a tangy mixture of minced chicken, onions, potato, and curry powder. They were very flavorful and were perfect with a sweet plum sauce. Several variations of dumplings are a nice starter. We enjoyed the basil chicken steamed variety, as well as pan fried pork dumplings. With warm weather on its way, two good choices are po pia sod and summer shrimp rolls, each wrapped in rice paper. The shrimp roll is filled with shrimp, vegetables and basil and the po pia sod is flavored with fresh mint and vegetables, for a very refreshing taste. Hoisin sauce complements these rolls.

Salads are a popular part of a Thai meal. Papaya salad combines green papaya, carrots, tomatoes, peanuts and Thai fresh chilies. It usually includes fish sauce, but that can be left out upon request since it is an acquired taste. Yum Nam Sod is a must try suggestion with ground chicken, lime dressing, chili, onion scallion and roasted peanuts. Of the many salad choices, duck, beef, chicken, tofu, calamari and shrimp are the main ingredients.

Entrees of duck, chicken, flank steak, seafood and vegetables are numerous. Classic and impressive curries are offered, as well. We loved our Thai Massaman Curry, with coconut, beef, onions, potatoes, carrots and peanuts. The sauce was just divine and worked well with the fragrant jasmine rice. If you prefer your curry without coconut, try the jungle curry with eggplant, string beans, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and basil. Red, green, yellow and panang curry are offered here as well. Among the entrees we loved the flavor of the cashew chicken with pineapple, onions, bell peppers, celery and cashew nuts. Noodle dishes are standard fare in Thailand. Choose from drunken rice noodles spicy in a basil sauce, pad see -ew with broccoli, egg and soy sauce or as we enjoyed pad Thai. These thin rice noodles were combined with bean sprouts, eggs, peanuts and chicken and flavored with tamarind were a fine rendition of a classic dish. You can also enjoy your rice noodles in a big bowl of Thai noodle soup with shrimp, chicken, tofu, duck or beef. Thailand is one of the greatest rice growing countries in the world. If rice is your desire, there are several varieties to choose from. Try the Indonesian nasi goreng fried rice or perhaps the fresh basil fried rice. Future entrees may include duck tamarind, Thai mango chicken, beef basil, shrimp with three flavored sauce and sweet and sour fish. This is a very busy kitchen with so many delicious choices.

It was time for dessert, and I just couldn’t resist the mango with sweet sticky rice. The ripe mango was peeled and thickly sliced and sat beside a mound of Thai sweet sticky rice and coconut cream. A sprinkling of sesame seeds completed this perfect dessert. My beverage of choice was Thai iced coffee, a sweet ending to a lovely meal.
After a few meals at Little Thai Kitchen, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and nam prik pao will become part of your culinary vocabulary. Thai cooking is a varied cuisine that is beautifully executed at Little Thai Kitchen. Try it soon.

Little Thai Kitchen
13 Popham Road, Scarsdale
914 472 6600

Tom Yum (Thai shrimp soup) serves 4-6

10 cups cold water
1 ½ pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined, reserve shells and heads
2 stems lemongrass, pounded to release flavor *
2 inch piece of galangal *
2 whole chilies *
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil
3 leaves of kafir lime, torn into pieces*
2 shallots, sliced
2 Tbsps. nam prik pao [chili paste]*
2 Tbsps. salted fish paste*
¼ cup fresh lime juice
4 grape tomatoes, halved
6 button mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsps. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
*Available in Asian markets

Wash the shells and heads and drain well. Heat oil in a saucepot. Fry heads and shells until pink. Add water, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, whole chilies, and shallots and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock and discard the solids. Return stock to a boil and add the shrimp and simmer for about 4 minutes until cooked. Add fish sauce, chili paste, lime juice, tomatoes and mushrooms and heat. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve.