When you enter the building at 40 Cannon Street, in the heart of downtown Poughkeepsie, the tendency is to head up the stairs towards a café that’s serving in the morning, but if you were paying attention to the name (which I wasn’t), you’d know to head downstairs to the cellar that 1915 Wine Cellar calls home. The cozy, brick lined room is well worth searching out. There’s a long bar along one side, with plenty of seating and a chance to peer at all the current bottles. Ther

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

COFFEE, CONVERSATION & COMMUNITY If you’re in the mood for an organic espresso with a shot of caramel, stimulating conversation and some community building, then the Crafted Kup in Poughkeepsie is the spot for you. At its flagship location on Raymond Avenue near Vassar College, the Crafted Kup draws students, commuters and neighbors. “When I bought this place, my goal was to appeal to both Vassar and the community, and it’s nice to have something to offer to both aspects of P

Peter Newman never really thought he’d be running Poughkeepsie’s iconic hot dog business, Noshi’s Coney Island. When asked by Hudson Valley EATS how he got into the hot dog business, he said “it was a quick surprise. It was for sale and I just happened to pop in, had lunch with my wife, sat here, made my observations.” “It’s small, it’s quaint, it’s me, it’s personalized.” Like many restaurateurs, his introduction to the business was as a dishwasher when he was 15. He’s got a

If you are a wing lover you may find it hard to believe but there was a time when chicken wings were the least desired and expensive part of the chicken. Today, that is far from the case--wings are one of the most popular item on any appetizer menu, especially during football season. According to the National Chicken Council, during Super Bowl weekend, it is estimated that over 1.33 billion wings are consumed in the US. But you don’t have to wait until Super Bowl to “get you

Sometimes you’re really rooting for a restaurant to be good and to survive. Since we’re always on the lookout for ethnic food in the HV and love Middle Eastern foods, this was the case when we first saw the sign for Casablanca, a new Moroccan restaurant in what’s quickly becoming Poughkeepsie’s Restaurant Row. It’s run by a husband and wife, Azeddine and Mary—he’s Moroccan, she’s Irish and has a soft spot for all things related to Casablanca, the movie. Stills from the film

Promise me pizza (or almost anything else) cooked in a wood burning oven and I’m there. When Lolita’s opened in the former Crave space with a shiny new wood-burning oven, producing pizzas and pasta, we needed to check it out. In nice weather you have your choice of a secluded terrace under the Walkway Bridge, lined with plants, or the lively dining room. After joking about the pea appetizer (Janet loves peas, me not so much) we decided on the cucumbers with ricotta salata, mi

6 Cafe Hotspots to Visit in The Hudson Valley If you’re anything like myself, I simply cannot imagine a day without coffee. Actually, I can't even imagine a day without at least 3 cups of coffee. I’ve spent my fair share of time exploring places in the Hudson Valley looking for some of the best cafes and coffee shops around. I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite places to stop by taking into consideration the coffee quality, affordability and atmosphere. The Poughke

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

The Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory is just celebrating their first year and celebrate they should! It’s a wonderful space where on the ground floor you’ll find comfy chairs, tables to work at with Earth Wind & Fuego and North River Roasters to keep you properly fed and caffeinated. We stopped in for lunch to check out Earth Wind & Fuego. Their goal is to provide great lunches with a healthy twist or as Madeline Sabril Henriquez says it’s a “paradigm shift to what people typic

Who doesn't like a good movie, especially one about a restaurant and a sassy chefs? Oh, and did we mention, it supports a great cause. Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 29th and come enjoy the premier of "The Sassy Chef", a special film written, produced and featuring individuals supported by the Arc in collaboration with The Art Effect. It's all a part of An Evening of Discovery:A Night on the Red Carpet, the annual signature benefit event put on by the Arc of Dutchess

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

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

The True Meaning of Comfort Food Some foods are comfort foods for different reasons. The Latin dish of roast pork, rice and beans is one, and when you get it from JJ's2Go in the Poughkeepsie Plaza, sometimes it truly is food that comforts. Tucked away in a corner of the mall, you’ll find Josephine Quiles ready to dish up breakfast or lunch. JJ's2Go has a simple menu, roast pork, pork chops or chicken stew with rice, a daily special, a few varieties of empanadas and fried plan

A home-made meal delivered to your doorstep. A warm smile and a big hug! Lots of love & well wishes! All of this is only a part of the wonderful service provided by the Sparrow’s Nest of the Hudson Valley which provides two meals, twice a week, to the families of caregivers and children diagnosed with any type of cancer. HISTORY Sparrow’s Nest of the Hudson Valley was created in 2012 with the simple idea of cooking for the families of local moms diagnosed with cancer. The d

Are you hunting for a weekend adventure filled with lively music, fitness, films, speakers and yummy food? Well, look no further than the Hudson Valley Vegfest, a major expo and festival devoted to vegan living. The event will highlight game-changing vegan businesses, world- renowned speakers, musicians, filmmakers, plant-based chefs, health & fitness gurus and all-around innovators. They come from as far away as Ethiopia, California, Colorado, and our very own Hudson Valle

Even for experienced chefs, feeding 300 people is a challenge. Especially when you don’t know what’s going to be on the menu until you hit the kitchen. That’s why the first HVEats Heroes are Chef Mark Margiotta of Brasserie 292 and his brother, and sous chef, Jesse. On May 3Oth they have generously offered to take over take over the kitchen for the Lunch Box at Dutchess Outreach allowing the staff to attend a day-long conference and retreat. If you’re not familiar with it, Du

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

If you've ever thought about joining a CSA, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project has a few spots open for the 2017 season and here's why you should grab one. There are a couple of things that make this CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) different. First of all, you get to choose what you want each week. There's a board that tells you what the options are that week and how much of each you get. It's usually 5 different things for a small share and 10 for a large one. If you're lik