Dolphin Restaurant: Award-winning Waterfront Culinary Destination Makes Being an Insider Deliciously Cool
Dolphin Restaurant in Yonkers has long been a favorite summertime gathering place for its incredible waterfront views of the Hudson River, the lights of Manhattan and the Palisades cliffs. Now that the weather’s turned brisk, it’s time to discover what the locals already know: Dolphin Restaurant is a favorite destination for indoor dining and enjoying drinks in the bar and lounge too.
It’s got classic and inventive cuisine – seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends – with a cool vibe, moderate prices, and a cozy, yet modern, ambiance. There’s plenty of parking nearby (both on-street and in a municipal lot) or, thanks to the convenient parking valet service for waterfront restaurants, you can start enjoying yourself as soon as you spy the Dolphin’s well-lit marque on Van Der Donck Street.
And now there are two awesome new reasons to go to Dolphin to appreciate fine dining with impressive waterfront views: Happy Hour and Ladies Night!
Dolphin Restaurant is a fun place to meet friends after work for a drink and a snack, and their enticing menu may tempt you to stay for dinner. Happy Hour is Monday through Friday, from 4-7 p.m., and Friday night is Ladies Night (7 p.m. until closing). You’ll find delicious appetizers to satisfy your palette – like Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Shishito Peppers, Grilled Octopus or the Dolphin Restaurant’s famous Mac N Cheese – and great drink specials like half-price martinis and $6 glasses of wine. Relax and socialize in their beautiful lounge, which features translucent onyx marble and stone, soft LED backlit lighting and comfy white leather couches as well as benches and wooden bar stools. There’s a large flat screen TV so you can catch the game too. Dolphin Restaurant is a casual, upscale place to gather with a small group of friends or co-workers – or that special someone – before or after a meal.
This family-owned waterfront destination features an eclectic and satisfying menu all year long, one that emphasizes seafood with its raw seafood bar, wasabi tuna, miso-glazed Chilean sea bass, Amaretto butternut shrimp and other specialties. They offer a delectable marinated Argentinean skirt steak, 12 oz Angus sirloin, Spanish paella and a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free entrees, as well as kid-friendly choices.
Dolphin Restaurant is a first-choice for holiday parties, family celebrations, business functions and other large and small group gatherings too. The restaurant accommodates up to 200 people in its contemporary dining rooms, with private party rooms available for groups up to 100. It’s a great place to book business and networking events, with options ranging from simple passed hors d’oeuvres to six-course sit-down dinners. (Note to self: Plan ahead and reserve now for a summer gathering in the large outdoor seating area overlooking the Hudson River.)
“We execute well on parties,” says General Manager Jimmy Rugova, who runs the family-owned restaurant on the pier with his three brothers (Dean, Agron and Skel) and his father, Elio. The family patriarch immigrated to the United States as a young man, says his eldest son, Jimmy. “My father’s the embodiment of The Great American Dream. He came here from Montenegro, worked hard and good things have happened,” says Rugova. “He still works as a maître d’ at one of our three restaurants. We opened Dolphin in 2010 and Café Hudson next door the following year, and in 2013, established Char Restaurant in Fairfield, CT.”
“Our chef at Dolphin Restaurant, Jason Perez, has been with us about a year now, and does a great job. People say really nice things about our menu, which features seasonal dishes and daily specials. So many people tell me our lobster mac n cheese is the best they ever tasted,” he says, “and our crab nachos have been an awesome signature dish since day one. Another signature dish, The Sea, features a tomato saffron broth, potatoes and spinach along with clams, PEI mussels, jumbo shrimp and lobster tail.”
Isn’t it time you checked out Dolphin Restaurant? Stop in this week for Happy Hour or Ladies Night! The kitchen is open daily at 4 p.m. for dinner, and serves until 10 p.m. (Monday through Thursday) and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday brunch is served from noon until 3 p.m., with dinner on Sundays from 4 to 9 p.m. The restaurant serves lunch every day from 11:45 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Dolphin Restaurant
1 Van Der Donck Street
Yonkers, NY 10701
Phone: 914.751.8170
info@dolphinrbl.com
www.dolphinrbl.com
Recipe: The Sea
Yields 1 Serving
Ingredients:
2 each 13/15 Shrimp
3 oz lobster tail (Cut in Half)
3 each Little Neck Clam
9 each P.E.I. Mussels
2 Tbsp Tomato (Canned Chopped)
1Tbsp Garlic (Sliced)
1 Tbsp Shallots (Minced)
6 oz Stock (Lobster or Chicken)
1 oz Basil (Chopped)
1 pinch Spanish Saffron
Salt & Pepper (as needed)
3 each Fingerling Potatoes (Pre cooked and cut in half)
4 oz Baby Spinach (Sautéed)
1 oz garlic (Chopped)
2 oz brandy
2 oz Olive Oil (half for spinach and half for seafood)
Method:
For fingerlings: In a small pot add fingerlings, salt to taste and cold water to cover potatoes, bring the water to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Shut off flame and leave the potatoes in the hot water for ten more minutes. Remove the potato and let cool in the refrigerator. Cut in half when cold. Set aside.
For spinach: Add oil and chopped garlic to cold sauté pan; sweat garlic till lightly toasted, then add spinach and cook till leaves are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For seafood: In a large cold sauté pan, add olive oil and sliced garlic; cook garlic till lightly toasted. Remove from flame and add tomatoes, saffron, lobster tail, clams, basil, potato and brandy. Return to flames CAREFULLY (watch out for your eyebrows!!!). Cover and when the clams start to steam open, add shrimp and mussels. When shellfish are fully open, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowl and garnish with the warm spinach.
Enjoy!