Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate This Week: acai bowls in Chappaqua
If you're an acai aficionado, look no further than Bobo's Cafe, which opened in Somers in 2015 and has since expanded into a mini empire of five locations in New York and Connecticut along with a new one called Bo to Go at the WestMed Building at 3000 Westchester Avenue in Purchase (it opened Aug. 14th).
Craig Bernardi (his dad, Paul, is "Bo") said what makes their acai bowls so good is that they source their own acai and use their own recipes. Plus there are lots of toppings, from fresh blueberries to granola, coconut, strawberries, Nutella, honey and chocolate.
Other winners include their sandwiches, which range from the Hot Chick (chicken cutlet, Bobo's hot honey, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese and cabbage slaw on a toasted baguette) to Heritage (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, sriracha on a toasted baguette) to the Schmelt (tuna or chicken salad, tomato and Swiss on multi-grain). Leading the pack in terms of popularity is The Number One made with bacon, egg, cheese, hash brown, avocado and housemade sriracha on a croissant.
Bernardi said he and his brother Glen (they own the cafes together), have always found inspiration in staying up late at night, thinking of wild food combinations — and then executing them. It helps that the two grew up in the restaurant business; their father owned delis for many years.
"Plus," said Bernardi, "we had an Italian grandmother."
Muchnick's recap of the best: Where to eat before summer ends in Westchester, Rockland
I've been to their Somers and Baldwin Place locations but like the coziness of Chappaqua, at the Metro North station (and also near great S. Greeley Ave and King Street shopping). What's great about each spot is that they're all community-focused with a neighborly vibe, a wide assortment of muffins and pastries, and a nice selection of grab and go sandwiches, salads and coffee, all of which effortlessly streamline from breakfast to lunch.
Many items are also gluten-free.
Plus, the owners have a great sense of humor on both their Instagram, where their tagline is "Bo Knows Coffee," and with their menu names such as the Kale Yeah salad, Irma's Quesadilla and Pico-Chu avocado toast. I'm still holding out for one named Muchnick's Munchies or Lohudfood. Stay tuned!
If you go
Address: 1 Station Plaza, Chappaqua, 914-861-8001, boboscafe.net
Other locations in Somers (249 US-202, 914-276-2233); Baldwin Place (57 US-6, 914-519-6227) and Ridgefield, CT (32 Danbury Road, 203-894-5463).
Got a 'Best Thing I Ate' suggestion?
I'm aways up for new ideas — and new discoveries. Email your thoughts on where I should head next at JRMuchnick@gannett.com. My "Best Thing I Ate" runs online every Friday and in print Thursday's.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud food reporter's best thing I ate is acai bowl in Chappaqua
