“In the Hudson Valley, you can eat well and explore where the food comes from,” says Nancy Gold, president of The Gold Standard. Gold is an organic gardener and known to grow her own vegetables.
Restaurant & Tavern Now Open
N
estled in the peaceful village of Stone Ridge, with Woodstock to the North, New Paltz to the South, and the Catskill Mountains and Shawangunk Ridge all around, we are only 95 miles from mid-town Manhattan. Fine Dining, Cozy Tavern, and Excellent Accommodations Available.
culinary adventures
Chefs Weigh In Local restaurants are gearing up for the event and have high hopes that it will fill seats during a notoriously slow month for the industry and tourism in general. “The good thing about HVRW is that it really kind of fills the void during the week, especially in this economy,” says Charles Fells, co-owner and chef of The Artist’s Palate, a contemporary American eatery located on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. The restaurant has participated in HVRW almost every year since it opened in 2007. Fells owns the restaurant with his wife Megan, a CIA grad. In December, Megan appeared on the Food Network’s “Chopped,” a cooking competition hosted by celebrity food critic Ted Allen. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is Maine lobster mac and cheese, which costs $12 at lunch and is also served as an appetizer at dinner. This year, the Artist’s Palate will offer three to four choices in each category of appetizer, entrée, and dessert on its HVRW menu. (The restaurant is not participating in the event on Friday and Saturday nights.) When asked what he plans to achieve from Restaurant Week, Peter Cantine, co-owner of The Bear Café in Woodstock, says, “To introduce new people to the restaurant and participate in a regional event.” The Bear Café serves New American, which Cantine describes as, “French culinary technique with local ingredients and borrowings from international cuisines.” Agnes Devereux of The Village Tearoom in New Paltz is looking forward to meeting some new diners. “I expect to find some new people to discover my restaurant that don’t know about it and to showcase some of the local farms that we buy from,” says Devereux, owner and head chef. Devereux says the Tearoom gets meat from Moveable Beast Farm in Accord, as well as polenta from Wild Hive Farm in Clinton Corners and milk from Ronnybrook Farm in Ancramdale. One dish that stands out on the Tearoom’s eclectic regular menu is crisp roasted chicken, which is supplied from Murray’s Chicken in New City, and served with a chutney made from local apples,Yukon gold mashed potatoes and pan gravy. Terrapin in Rhinebeck, which also offers New American, makes an effort to source local. “We are using Hudson Valley Cattle Company, which is serving beef from the Hudson Valley and the surrounding areas,” says Terrapin owner and head chef, Josh Kroner. Some of the highlights on the Terrapin dinner menu include a horseradishcrusted sushi-grade ahi tuna with miso aioli and pork tenderloin served inThai orangecoconut curry. Kroner said this year Terrapin’s specialty HVRW menu will include the Thai pork, as well as a hanger steak, local Hudson Valley chicken, and some pastas. Babycakes Café in Poughkeepsie, a newcomer to HVRW this year, also promotes local food purveyors. “We do all local, organic, seasonal, fresh ingredients as much as possible,” says General Manager Tanner Townsend. Another establishment participating for the first time is American Bounty at the CIA. CIA Senior Director of Food and Beverage Operations Tom Peer thinks customers will enjoy “dining in the Bounty on a discount.” Peer notes that another CIA eatery, St. Andrews Café, has participated in HRVW previously. “We have had a good response to the restaurant week and a lot of customers have had good things to say about the program and the discount, so we’re excited about it,” says Peer. Eager Eaters But restaurateurs are not the only ones excited about HudsonValley RestaurantWeek. Diners are ready to go out and sample some of the food the valley has to offer. Poughkeepsie resident Kelly Thompson is eager to dine out. “I am always excited to go out to eat during Restaurant Week. It is a great opportunity to take complete advantage of the chefs and owners of the wonderful restaurants in the Hudson Valley. The prices are always reasonable and I love to see what menus have been put together,” said Thompson. About 90 percent of diners indicate that they will return to a restaurant at another time after HVRW. “I hope to try a few new places, including Il Barilotto [in Fishkill] and La Stazione [in New Paltz],” said Karen Sager of Poughquag, a teacher who has attended HVRW for three years. “I love Restaurant Week. By March, you are so tired of the indoors, but it is still crummy out so you need a little push to get you out and going and HVRW definitely does that.” So as the weather warms, jump on a train, take a drive, or stay overnight at an inn in the scenic Hudson Valley and taste the scrumptious dishes featured at some great local restaurants during this year’s HVRW. Bon appetit! Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is presented by The Valley Table magazine. Major sponsors are American Express,WHUD Radio, The Gold Standard, Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, Westfair Business Publications, Brooklyn Brewery, BrotherhoodWinery, Dutchess County Tourism,Westchester County Tourism, and Sysco Albany. For more information visit www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com.
3/10 ChronograM CULINARY ADVENTURES 71