Mediterranean-Flavored Market-and-Restaurant Going Up in Croton

Work has begun on Casper + Hopscotch, a new treat for foodies on the Old Post Road.

It's easy to triangulate this new business's location: it's next to the Black Cow, above the Croton Academy for the Arts—in the space that was Grouchy Gabe's.

Owner Genco Luca was the chef du cuisine at Harvest-on-Hudson for the past four years. Before that, he was chef at Barbella in NYC. 

He's organizing the new place as a combination specialty food market and eatery. There will be a selection of wines, cheeses, produce and meats, emphasizing Hudson Valley products, and some prepared foods to eat in or take out. 

Plus an assortment of foodstuffs from the Mediterranean, he explained, plying this reporter with dates, figs, baklava, and fig cake. And Belgian chocolate, which isn't from the Med but who cares.

Mike Grant and the Black Cow will be furnishing coffees from Turkey, Yemen and Italy.

At 5 p.m. the ambience will change, as the concentration will be on dinner patrons inside and on the patio.

The patio, constructed on the brick area that used to contain that old weathered picnic table, will be fenced off with flower boxes, with an entrance from inside, and a pergola for shade.

Luca hopes to be open in six weeks or so. "It's going to be nice," he said, taking a sip himself of a delectable Greek olive oil he'll be carrying.