If you grew up in the Hudson Valley, like I did, there is a good chance that you dined at Ship Lantern Inn at least once, and most likely it was for a special occasion. It’s that type of place—the place you go when you want to treat yourself or take someone out for a top-notch dining experience and it has been that way for almost a century. “We’re in our fifth generation of some families celebrating at the restaurant. I love hearing the stories about a grandpa or great-gran

Whether you’re a resident, or a worker on Poughkeepsie’s Main Street, you’ll welcome Café Sweet Spot. Owner Ingrid Hernandez’s dream of recreating “one of those cafes in the West Village with really fresh ingredients put together very nicely, my kind of comfort food.” has turned into a reality. Café Sweet Spot is a modern café with subtle Caribbean infusion or inspiration. They are open for breakfast and lunch; dinner is coming soon. We went for lunch. We found plenty to choo

Elvis is in the building. And he’s running the show at La Cabanita, a resurrection of a Poughkeepsie favorite, now occupying a former church on Main Street. Mexican is the name of the game here and along with the classics, be prepared for some Oaxacan treats. Oaxaca, if you’re not familiar with it, is known for 7 moles. At La Cabanita, along with the classic mole negro, you can also opt for mole estofado or Amarillo, all served with chicken and rice. There is plenty of more f

For all of us who eat out a frequent basis, we know that the cost of dining out can add up quickly. How would you like to eat out more and spend less? Welcome to the new Chronogram Smartcard. Many of you know Chronogram from its beautiful magazine. found throughout the Hudson Valley. The magazine, which started in 1993, offers an insider’s peek into lifestyles, ideas and cultural events in the Hudson Valley—covering everything from politics to horoscopes and of course, wha

It was the last thing I expected from Barbaro an Italian newcomer to Millbrook. It was described as “crispy squid, herb-cornichon aioli, spicy arrabbiata”. It was delicious! It was more than delicious, it’s raised the bar for fried calamari (trust me, days later I turned down the chance for fried calamari at a legendary Boston seafood restaurant). The squid was incredibly tender, even the little tentacle pieces, lightly breaded and perfectly fried. The two sauces that accompa

It’s always fun to get to sit down with the owner of someplace you’ve eaten at and liked for a while. I got to sit down with Buffy Arbogast of Babette’s Kitchen in Millbrook recently and talk to her about what it takes to run a café. Babette’s Kitchen is celebrating 12 years in business--6 years in their current location, the “sunny side of the street” according to Buffy. She started Babette’s Kitchen in May of 2000 and “never looked back.” We chatted over a really refreshing

Normally, HudsonValleyEATS focuses our stories on the independent restaurant and business owners but sometimes we need to make an exception, especially when a company serves their community so well. There’s a restaurant near you that helps their neighbors everyday! T.L. Cannon owns 62 Applebee’s restaurants in Upstate NY, Connecticut and Northern Pennsylvania. “The foundation of our business is commitment to the community and being a part of our neighborhoods.” For the past

You’ve probably driven past Paula’s Public House on New Hackensack Road in Poughkeepsie. If you’re someone like me, you’ve driven by it many times. This time we stopped and had lunch. The restaurant opened in 2016 after Paula Young Borra bought the property with a vision of creating a friendly gastropub, where people could come in, feel comfortable, relax, and enjoy good conversation. She hit the nail on the head. We started lunch by splitting the seared sesame crusted Ahi tu

No Microwave, No Freezer, No Desserts A cash only restaurant with no desserts, no microwave, no freezer, and no advertising! Oh, and their menu is just one page long, and they only serve Heinz ketchup! This can only be the Blazer Pub in Purdy’s, NY, owned by the O’Leary family. I’ve been coming to this classic roadside joint for over thirty years. It makes me happy! Springsteen and James Taylor songs fill the jukebox, caricatures of former Yankees cover the walls, and youn

You know it’s a great restaurant when the diners are mostly restauranteurs! That’s exactly what Janet and I experienced when we had lunch at Ms. Fairfax in Newburgh. Janet knew every chef or restaurant owner who walked through the door! Philippe Pierre opened Ms. Fairfax in the fall of 2015 in a spot which was once the former cafe, Martha. Pierre kept the George Washington-themed name to honor the headquarters located on Liberty between Washington and Lafayette. Ms. Fairfa

Wild Game Dinners, High Roller Bourbon Nights, Junk Food Dinners, & Secret Tasting Menus! These are just some of the fabulous themed dinners created by Cassie and Rich Parente, owners of the Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, NY. Recently, the dynamic couple began working with Laura Lee Holmbo, a brand management wizard, to create the Alchemy Project, a traveling supper club bringing together top local chefs who raise money for various Hudson Valley charities. On May 2, Alchemy i

Nic L Inn has been a fixture by the Poughkeepsie waterfront for a number of years. The service is friendly and the food is always good. We decided to pop in recently to check out a new menu item—a red wine linguini prepared table-side in a giant wheel of Grana Padano (a close cousin of Parmesan). Since we know from past meals there, that the portions are generous, we decided to start with the linguini and skip appetizers. Our server wheeled a cart over that had a small burne

Occasionally, I am lured to take one step over the line from Hudson Valley into CT to visit a border town like Kent, Danbury or Salisbury. Recently, I was obsessed to see the CT Housatonic River ice jam which had made the national news! In mid-January several families were evacuated and a section of Route 7 was closed after a mile-long ice jam in the Housatonic River caused excessive flooding in Kent. After hiking to the top of Kent Falls and taking lots of photos of the

Can you imagine having your restaurant staff prepare 1,200 hot meals a week for neighborhood kids? What about making a habit out of always putting quarters in a stranger’s expired parking meter, or paying for the meal of the guy behind you in the drive-thru? “Kindness is a currency,” says Leslie Lampert, executive chef/owner of Love Hospitality in Mt. Kisco, NY. Leslie Lampert has been talking with her mouth full for more than 30 years. As Senior Editor at Ladies' Home Jou

One of the big advantages good chefs have over the rest of us, is the ability to properly season food. Although all the dishes we had the other night at Essie’s in Poughkeepsie were really well seasoned, it was that night’s special, skate, served with Jerusalem artichokes, broccolini, potatoes and mushrooms in a spiced brown butter sauce, where this was deliciously apparent. If you’re a fish fan and you’ve never had skate, you owe it to yourself to try it, and way Brandon Wal

Silvia (named for owners Doris and Betty Choi’s grandmother) opened in August on Mill Hill Road in Woodstock. There’s a big deck (open in warmer weather) and a discreet sign over the door. Once inside, you’re looking at a big open dining room, an active, open kitchen and a smaller more intimate room with additional seating and a lively bar. We were seated at a corner table near the bar, where we could see all the kitchen activity. The star of Silvia’s open kitchen is a m

The Amsterdam, in Rhinebeck has had a lot of press. What did we think of it?

Dessert, the grand finale of the Chef’s Table at Mohonk Mountain House is truly spectacular and at some point in your life, you deserve it. After polishing off ten amazing savory courses, including a cheese course with “carbonated” grapes—yup, they distract you by making a preview dessert--little ice cream magic with homemade mini ice cream cones and liquid nitrogen, which essentially turns anything creamy into ice cream in a flash. While you’re enjoying the cones, two giant

A great deal of Main Street in Poughkeepsie is easily overlooked, especially the area I think of as being downtown. It’s probably because, unlike a lot of Main Streets, it's not a walking/strolling area. You need a purpose, a destination, and Rabbit & Turtle wants to be that destination. The name Rabbit & Turtle is a play on Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare”–the famous story that involves a rabbit who challenges a slow-moving tortoise to a race. Rabbit & Turtle offer