Welcome To Comfort

If you drive by the Comfort Inn & Suites of Nanuet too fast, you may miss any indication that a comfortable, gem of a 95 seat restaurant and lounge lie inside.

The Windsor Grill Restaurant & Lounge (425 East Route 59, 845-623-6000, http://www.windsorgrilleny.com) promises fine dining and live music in Rockland County. From 8 - 11 p.m. on Friday evening, it plays host to the hottest Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Rock and Pop artists in the area – minus a cover charge! Dinner can be enjoyed prior to or during the show, or you can enjoy your pub menu food and the music from your seat at the bar.

There's not a bad seat in the house. The Windsor Grill opens at 5 p.m., and Monday through Saturday a special Prix Fixe Dinner Menu for just $15.95 per person is offered.

"This is," says Jeff Weinberger, who oversees the operation with his brother Stuart, "excellent dining at an affordable price."

Craig Hoffman, and Culinary Institute of America graduate, is the Executive Chef, and the menu is 100% his doing. Comfort Inn & Suites and Windsor Grill owner Jeff Weinberger tells me why. "The chef knows best. I'm involved in different businesses. It's about letting people do what they do best." And with regard to Friday evenings at the Windsor Grill. "We're building up a following. There's not a lot to do in Nanuet on Friday evenings. What we do here is more for adults." Then, with a smile, he adds, "This is more than just a movie."

The Weinberger family took over the former Sheraton Motor Inn in 1994, and the property now consists of 50 luxury suites and also standard hotel rooms. All the rooms, and the rest of the hotel, gets an at or near perfect rating from the County of Rockland. The weekdays are always busy, as a lot of the hotel's business comes from New Jersey and Rockland County.

In addition to the Windsor Grill, the hotel is also home to the adjacent 6,000 square foot all new Regency Ballroom and Conference Center, of which Lauren Abreau is the Catering Director.

"My job," she confirmed with a smile, "is to help you plan your most memorable events." There is a 250-person capacity for weddings, and numbers get as high as 300 for conferences. These events are an exciting time for Hoffman and Weinberger.

"It's an art form, an inner flair. We love working with the customer," says Weinberger.

Hoffman agrees. "I love working with clients. Creativity is important. It gives clients the feeling that they're important, and they help when designing the menu."

"The best part for me is when a client tells me what they want and I have to make it happen."

Make it happen. Apropos words for the Windsor Grill dinner menu. The week of the September 27, hot Prix Fixe items were Hoffman's grilled tuna bruschetta, as well as his braised red wine pot roast ("It was excellent," chimes Weinberger"). However, the regular menu also features a strong offering of small plates if you're in the mood for smaller fare, and a variety of pastas, salads and soups, seafood and grilled steaks, and even a children's menu. Special orders can be accommodated.

Comfort – pun indeed intended – right off of Route 59.

"I want people to feel comfortable coming here," says Jeff Weinberger. "This is family hospitality. – you get treated like a guest. You do it the way you want to do it."