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19 Main Street Tarrytown NY 10591 (Map) (914) 703-6511
When the WBC first visited the then newly reopened Mint in February 2012, we were underwhelmed by our breakfast experience. In fact, we were disappointed. But, in the name of science! (ok, in the name of hungry tummies), we decided to give Mint another try, this time with far more pleasing results. After all, this year they had an actual printed menu. Things were off to a good start indeed.
Attendees: :jump_to_Sylvia:, :jump_to_Reid:, :jump_to_Jeff:
:a_Sylvia:
Like people, restaurants deserve a second chance too.
As you may recall, our first outing to Mint did not go too well. But I was determined to believe that it was just jitters, and that we had just paid them a visit too early before they settled into their breakfast service groove.
I was right. A year later I am pleased to say Mint has done well.
There aren’t many breakfast-y items on the menu, but everything sounded delicious, albeit a bit pricey.
As we mulled over the menu, our waiter, someone who apparently was in Reid’s high school class, suggested a pot of Moroccan Mint Tea for the table. It was a brisk chilly day, so that was an easy sell.
I ended up choosing the Tuscan Breakfast, which was eggs with a tomato feta rosemary sausage and toast (I think that was the description).
The tea was very good. It was pleasantly sweet with a subtle minty-ness to it. The pot lasted the three of us the duration of the meal.
My breakfast was tasty. At $16, I was hoping it would be a sufficient amount of food, and it was. The eggs were cooked sunny side-up and rested on top of many mini sausages smothered in a very flavorful tomato sauce complete with onions and peppers. The sausages were pretty good; more tomato/cheese-esque than meaty, and also therefore had a softer texture. 
There were also some boiled purple potato chunks served on one side of the dish. The toast was two thick slices of a delicious baguette. Perfectly crunchy exterior, oh so soft and fluffy interior and toasted on the grill. An excellent vehicle to mop up all that delicious tomato sauce!
As we were walking in, I couldn’t help but notice a huge cake stand piled high with baklava (I mean, how can I miss something like that?), and I instantly started that internal debate of whether I should order one for dessert later.
No need to debate since we were presented with one on the house. Sweet! It was nice and honey sweet. Still flaky with a nice thick, meaty nut filling (layer). I think it was walnut.
The czar says: A year later, Mint has finally found its feet and is running really well. The service is pleasant, the food delicious. A bit pricey, so not somewhere I’d stop in for everyday, but a nice place for a leisurely high-quality meal in a very nice inviting space.
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:a_Reid:
The Case: Mint v. The Westchester Breakfast Club
The Venue: Main Street, Tarrytown
The Facts: I wasn’t there the last time the WBC ate at Mint, so I lacked Jeff and Sylvia’s bad memories from the service, and bad karma from failing to leave a tip. Now, Sylvia says that she did that “accidentally,” and I’ll let the reader make his or her own judgments, but I will use font and “punctuation” to imply my own views on the issue.
Anyway, though I came in to Mint tabula rasa, my tabula was immediately de-rasa-ed (or is it the other way around?) when I ran into a high-school classmate who would be our server. For a normal person, this would not be a problem, but for a weirdo like me, it created all sorts of anxiety. As such, I will not comment on the service, except to say that hot tea should not be served in glasses. As a Semite, I recognize that it is the tradition of many near-eastern cultures to serve tea in glasses, but we live in the modern world. Chinese people don’t do math on abacuses (abaci?), Pacific Islanders don’t travel long distances in dugout canoes (canoi?), and we should not have to drink hot liquid out of handle-less containers made of a substance that readily conducts heat.
That rant aside, the Moroccon Mint tea was actually quite good. A bit sweet, very minty, and more refreshing than your classic breakfast tea, it was an excellent lunch beverage on a cold day. My meal, the duck-confit and buffalo mozzarella sandwich was likewise on the sweet side. In retrospect, I should have expected that combination to hit the sweet taste buds a little harder, but when ordering it, I imagined it would be something more towards the savory side. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it. Though sweet was the most prevalent flavor, it did have a distinctly savory aspect, as well as unmistakeable hints of citrus-y sour. The steak fries helped round out the palatte with some needed salt. The plate was equally varied texturally; crispy bread, gooey cheese, chewy duck and sticky…what is the “confit” part of a duck-confit? Well, whatever it is, it gave a pleasant stickiness to the proceedings.
The Verdict: I didn’t bother eating the somewhat boring looking leaves they called a “salad,” but I still feel I got my money’s worth. Not that my former classmate will think so, since Sylvia probably (definitely?) pocketed the money I laid down as tip.
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:a_Jeff:
My first time at Mint for breakfast was riddled with issues. The food was overpriced for the quality and the service was lacking. At the time, they had just re-opened and they were still learning how to be a full-blown restaurant. We had to give them a second chance. So how did they do?
Well, to be one hundred percent honest, they did very well. I had a Duck Confit panini. It was delicious. It was also served with a nice salad on the side and fries. All of it was amazing, and well worth the price of about 16 dollars. The sandwich would also be really good for a meal/snack the next day. It holds well enough and works really well in a toaster. I enjoyed the experience enough to start recommending Mint to people for either breakfast or lunch, or brunch.
OH! I almost forgot. We ordered a pot of Mint tea. It was delicious. You should try it.
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