Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate: Root2RiseNY's avocado toast (& more) in Pleasantville

Jeanne Muchnick, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read

I'm a healthy eater — which is why Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville ranks among my top Westchester cafes. I love that Owner Jyoti Tewani's mission is all about creating foods that are both good-tasting and good for you.

Plus, it's easy to go with a friend who has special dietary needs as everything is vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, local and organic.

Lohud Food & Dining Reporter Jeanne Muchnick with Jyoti Tewani, the chef and co-founder of Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville. Photographed Oct. 16, 2023
Lohud Food & Dining Reporter Jeanne Muchnick with Jyoti Tewani, the chef and co-founder of Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville. Photographed Oct. 16, 2023

Their avocado toast is the best thing I ate this week.

Since it's sweater weather and I love being cozy, I also can't get enough of their Mulligatawny soup, an Anglo-Indian red lentil and coconut milk broth infused with fennel, cumin, and cardamom, topped with cashews and scallions. They also do a hearty Harvest chili made with seasonal root vegetables and beans (served with pumpkin cornbread) and an addictive (and warming!) Black Daal with black lentils and red kidney beans. Plus, just added: Butternut squash soup.

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They also, hands down, do the best gluten-free bread including a delish foccaccia, Naan, brioche bun and artisanal baguette.

Enjoying the avocado toast at Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville. It's the best thing I ate this week. Photographed October 2023
Enjoying the avocado toast at Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville. It's the best thing I ate this week. Photographed October 2023

It's partly why the avocado toast is so good. Aside from the open faced sourdough, the topping is a super fresh slightly spicy smashed pea guacamole that's finished with hemp hearts and pea shoots.

I'm also never going to say no to their pumpkin and apple crumble muffin, their chocolate chip cookie, superfood breakfast cookie (rolled oats, coconut, almond butter, dried cranberries, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds) and brownie bliss. I'm also a fan of their salads, plant-based burgers and pizzas. The cafe also sells their own granola and sauces such as garlic chili oil, herb oil and spicy aioli.

Most important, they're not just for diners who are vegan and/or gluten-free. Instead, said Tewani, who has a background as a nutritionist, they're simply for customers like me, who like eating clean.

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The two-year-old cafe, with a few seats inside and out, also has great coffee, smoothies, juices and teas. And, there are other health-oriented items to buy such as crackers and chips, curated by Tewani. It's just one more reason to visit Pleasantville, one of the most dynamic food towns in Westchester.

The Mulligatawny soup at Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville, accompanied by gluten-free bread, is a favorite of Food Reporter Jeanne Muchnick.
The Mulligatawny soup at Root2RiseNY in Pleasantville, accompanied by gluten-free bread, is a favorite of Food Reporter Jeanne Muchnick.

If you go

Address: 359 Manville Road, Pleasantville, 914-769-8460, root2riseny.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

FYI: The cafe does catering and meal plans with Tewani big into food education.

Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate is avocado toast at Root2RiseNY