A cornucopia of great movies light up the spring season at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Look out for Alex Garland’s dystopian “Civil War”; the mischievous “Wicked Little Letters”; and “One Life,” the extraordinary story of Nicholas Winton and the World War II kindertransport children. (Make sure you have tissues at the ready for this last one.)
But there was another debut at the Burns this April, the launch of its Take 3 Wine Bar & Café.
Located on the top floor of the theater and the culmination of the recent theater renovation project, the new food and drink outlet has been made possible thanks in part to a gift from JBFC board member Ginny Gold, in honor of her late husband, Marty Gold, a member of the JBFC board of directors for many years, who also happened to be a wine connoisseur.
Take 3’s café menu features sandwiches, salads, pastries and baked goods from local businesses, including neighboring Second Mouse Cheese Shop and Irving Farm New York, along with bread and pastries from Baked by Susan in Croton-on-Hudson and Balthazar, the Manhattan restaurant and bakery. The wine list is short but eclectic, the whites and Rosés kept on ice on the counter.
On a recent visit, I took in all that was on offer – much of it, like the wine displayed on the counter – and also sampled quite a few of the treats.
Chief among those and presented on an attractive bamboo tray was wonderful charcuterie, with tangy salami slices folded onto two skewers, along with a fine selection of cheese. La Dama Sagrada, a raw goat’s milk cheese made near Toledo in Spain, had an almost sweet-sour tang that I enjoyed, and the French Roquefort was at its absolute peak. The Two Red Lines cow’s milk cheese with its two thin layers of smoked paprika, courtesy of Lazy Lady’s Artisanal cheese in Vermont, was perhaps the most rewarding, though, not least because it was relatively local. With such great cheesemakers and cheeses here in the Northeast, I’d like to see more of it on the café menu.
Hot dishes included a spicy, rich tomato soup and a sizzling mac ’n’ cheese, made here with cauliflower, both presented in beautiful pastel blue/gray Le Creuset pots. A generously-sized turkey sandwich, packed with meat and vegetables, was zesty and flavorsome. So was Peruvian purple corn Feel Good Booch kombucha tea, brewed locally in Peekskill.
For dessert, there are stuffed Belgian chocolate-covered goodies from Posh Pretzels https://westfaironline.com/exclusives/where-the-poshabilities-for-pretzels-are-endless/ in Tarrytown – and yes, they were definitely a cut above – besides the aforementioned baked goods. Take 3 also sells the popular Popinsanity artisanal popcorn in a variety of flavors, which makes a great alternative to the generic “movie” popcorn you can still buy at the theater counter at street level. (Popinsanity is also certified kosher.)
Beer drinkers get a good choice of Hudson Valleys brews, including the cleverly-named Freshchester from Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. in Mount Kisco and pales ales from Soul Brewing Co. in Pleasantville. Moving on to wine, a Fogscape Chardonnay from Monterey – all peaches and jasmine on the nose – got my vote. Again, some local North Fork wines would be fun to add to the list at some point.
Wine tastings, movie quiz nights, promotions such as a glass of wine with your movie ticket, as well as longer opening hours, may all be considered once the café has settled down, said Jesse Modica, Jacob Burns’ director of theater operations.
Seated at one of the large communal tables in the Jane Peck Gallery, adjacent to Take 3, I was also able to enjoy an exhibit of Bill Gold’s movie posters, including his designs for “Camelot,” “Casablanca” and “Mystic River.” The exhibit runs through Aug. 31.
With Take 3 an added attraction, the Burns will begin its annual “Star Wars” season on “Star Wars Day,” May 4, as in “May the Fourth Be With You.”
Take 3 is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; and noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. JBFC members enjoy 10% off their bill. For more, visit burnsfilmcenter.org.
