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 choose from on the menu, but we were stricken by the interesting options we saw on the special board. Since it all sounded so good, we decided to go for it and we ordered three entrees for the two of us.
We started with the jerk chicken made with a proprietary house blend of spices. It was perfectly spiced, hot but not killer. Unexpectedly the chicken was also smoked, adding another level of flavor to the dish. The smoky taste was nice but not overpowering and went exceptionally well with the spices.
The new entree on the special board was the Dominican chicken and we decided to try it. Once again, it was a dark meat quarter, I grabbed the leg and Janet the thigh. Made in traditional Dominican style the chicken was braised and had a tangy sauce with complex flavor. It was delicious with the rice and beans it was served over.
Next up, Chop Cheese off the regular menu, which has slowly become one of my new favorite sandwiches. For those of you who don’t know what it is, its ground beef coated in melted cheese on a toasted bun. Their version made with provolone and American cheeses also has pickled jalapeños and came with a side of golden-brown fries. Yum!
Since 2 chicken dishes and the chop cheese didn’t seem like enough for us, they sent over the chicken curry for us to taste. It was really good too. So, which chicken dish was our favorite? Honestly, it would be tough to choose, we liked them all.
Just to torment us or something, they sent over a slice of their homemade apple cake with caramel, butter cream frosting. The apple cake and a great looking lemon meringue pie were the desserts for that day. The cake tasted as impressive as it looked, especially the creamy, not too sweet frosting. Reminding us of something you might serve on Thanksgiving, the cake was made with warm spices like nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon. The two of us managed to eat most of it (the rest made a wonderful breakfast the next morning).
We haven’t had breakfast there yet but our friend went for Sunday brunch and had the chicken and waffles. She liked it so much that she had to tell us about it. Along with sending us a picture, she said, “It came with a sriracha and maple syrup combo dipping on the side. It added a nice kick if you dared to. It was really good!! The waffles were crisp and delicious".
Other breakfast/brunch items sound worth trying too such as the caprese egg sandwich with mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and eggs on bread or a roll. Or what about the breakfast tacos with slow roasted orange-glazed pork, jalapeno crème, pico de gallo and fried egg?
Even the classics like bacon, egg and cheese on a roll gets an upgrade with smoked Gouda stepping in for the cheese.
Café Sweet Spot is located on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. “Our location is interesting. We are in the middle of two neighborhoods. One side is corporate with state and county buildings and to the other side we have the people who live in the neighborhood.” Hernandez tells us, “the staff and I work hard to bridge the gap. We want the neighborhood people to think of the restaurant as a place they can come all the time and for businesspeople to feel comfortable bringing their clients. But mostly it is about really good food. It’s a nice place to come in and shake it up, like the song says.”
For now, Café Sweet Spot is open for breakfast and lunch but as soon as they get their liquor license dinner is on its way. They offer both take-out and delivery and also offer a loyalty program that is worth checking out.
296 Main Street
Poughkeepsie, New York 12601 845-392-9900 info@cafesweetspot.com
