Hudson Valley Restaurant Week 2010 Starts Monday; $20 Lunches, $28 Dinners
From March 15 through 28, 140 participating restaurants serve three-course prix-fixe lunches for $20 and/or three-course dinners for $28 (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity). Plus, it’s a celebration of local. Chefs feature products from surrounding farms and artisanal producers and offer wines, spirits and beverages produced in the Hudson Valley.
Chef Eric Gabrynowicz of Tavern in Garrison applauds a speaker at the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week kick-off party in February at Harvest on Hudson in Hastings on Hudson. Chef Vincent Barcelona is in the background. (Angela Gaul/TJN)
And don’t forget — here on Small Bites, we’ll be covering as many local restaurants as we can, with the help of my volunteer guest bloggers. Scroll down to see their introductory posts…. we have some pretty enthusiastic food lovers!
If you still need to make your reservation, here’s a list of all the participating restaurants:
Rockland County
Duke Ocean Grill in Tappan.
Hudson House in Nyack.
Il Fresco in Orangeburg.
Il Portico in Tappan.
Lanterna Tuscan Bistro in Nyack.
Louie’s on the Avenue in Pearl River.
Marcello’s Ristorante in Suffern.
Mount Ivy Cafe in Pomona.
Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar in Congers.
Two Spear Street in Nyack.
Union Restaurant & Bar Latino in Haverstraw.
Woody’s Parkside Grill in Sparkill.
Westchester County
121 Restaurant & Bar in North Salem.
42 in White Plains.
80 West in White Plains.
Bistro Z in Tarrytown.
Blu in Hastings-on-Hudson.
Cafe of Love in Mount Kisco.
Caffe Regatta in Pelham.
Caravela in Tarrytown.
Casa Brusco in Eastchester.
Casa Rina in Thornwood.
The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry.
Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua.
DiNardo’s in Pound Ridge.
Division Street Grill in Peekskill.
Don Coqui in New Rochelle.
Enzo’s in Mamaroneck.
Equus at the Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown.
Goldfish in Ossining.
Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry.
Harvest Grille at the Marriott in Tarrytown.
Harvest-on-Hudson in Hastings-on-Hudson.
Il Sorriso in Irvington.
Iron Horse Grill in Pleasantville.
La Bocca in White Plains.
La Lanterna in Yonkers.
La Panetiere in Rye.
Le Fontane in Katonah.
Le Provencal Bistro in Mamaroneck.
Legal Sea Foods in White Plains.
Lexington Square Cafe in Mount Kisco.
Luce in Somers.
Luciano’s Italian Ristorante in Yonkers
Marc Charles Steakhouse in Armonk.
Mauro’s Restaurant in Ossining.
The Melting Pot in White Plains.
Mighty Joe Young’s in Hartsdale.
Mima Vinoteca in Irvington.
Morgans Fish House in Rye.
Niko’s Greek Taverna in White Plains.
Off Broadway Restaurant in Dobbs Ferry.
Opus 465 in Armonk.
Orissa in Dobbs Ferry.
Peekskill Brewery.
Rain Water Grill in Hastings-on-Hudson.
Red Hat on the River in Irvington.
Rini’s Ristorante in Elmsford.
River City Grille in Irvington.
Roasted Peppers in Mamaroneck.
Ruby’s Oyster Bar & Bistro in Rye.
Ruth’s Chris in Tarrytown.
Rye Grill.
Scaramella’s Ristorante in Dobbs Ferry.
Sonora in Port Chester.
Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown.
The Tap House in Tuckahoe.
Tombolino’s in Yonkers.
Toscana in Eastchester.
Tramonto in Hawthorne.
Valhalla Crossing.
Via Vianti! in Mount Kisco.
X20 in Yonkers.
Zanaro’s in White Plains.
Zitoune in Mamaroneck.
Zuppa in Yonkers.
Putnam County
Bird & Bottle Inn in Garrison.
Le Bouchon in Cold Spring.
Cathyrn’s Tuscan Grill.
Hudson House River Inn in Cold Spring.
Riverview in Cold Spring.
Sentrista in Brewster.
Tavern at Highlands Country Club.
The Terrace Club in Mahopac.
Valley Restaurant at the Garrison.
After the jump, the restaurants in the rest of the Hudson Valley, including Colombia, Dutchess, Ulster and Orange.
Colombia County
Blue Plate in Chatham.
The Greens at Copake Country Club in Copake Lake.
Dutchess County
American Bounty Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.
Amici’s in Poughkeepsie.
Aroma Osteria in Wappingers Falls.
The Artists Palate in Poughkeepsie.
Babycakes Cafe in Poughkeepsie.
Beechtree Grill in Poughkeepsie.
Cafe Amarcord in Beacon.
Charlotte’s in Millbrook.
Cosimo’s in Poughkeepsie.
Crave Restaurant & Lounge in Poughkeepsie.
Crew Restaurant & Bar in Poughkeepsie.
The Brown Derby in Poughkeepsie.
Hudson Ribs & Fish in Fishkill.
Hyde Park Brewing Company in Hyde Park.
Il Barilotto in Fishkill.
La Puerta Azul in Salt Point.
McKinney & Doyle in Pawling.
Number Nine in Millerton.
Piggy Bank in Beacon.
Portofino in Staatsburg.
Red Devon in Bengall.
Sapore Steakhouse in Fishkill.
Shadows on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.
Starr Place in Rhinebeck.
Stissing House in Pine Plains.
Terrapin Restaurant in Rhinebeck.
Twist in Hyde Park.
Orange County
Backyard Bistro in Montgomery
Beebs An American Bistro in Newburgh.
Big Easy Bistro in Newburgh.
Cena 2000 in Newburgh.
Catherine’s in Goshen.
Cosimo’s Brick Oven in Middletown.
Cosimo’s Brick Oven in Central Valley
Cosimo’s on Union in Newburgh.
Il Cenacolo in Newburgh.
Il Tesoro in Goshen.
Iron Forge Inn in Bellvale.
Nina in Middletown.
The Thayer Hotel at West Point.
Torches on the Hudson in Newburgh.
Ulster County
36 Main Restaurant & Wine Bar in New Paltz.
Bear Cafe in Woodstock.
Beso in New Paltz.
Depuy Canal House in High Falls.
Hidden Cellar Restaurant in Marlboro.
La Stazione in New Paltz.
Raccoon Saloon in Marlboro.
Ship Lantern Inn in Milton.
The Village Tea Room in New Paltz.
As always, for more information, go to HudsonValleyRestaurantWeek.com.
Photo Caption: eric05
Hi Liz, I think you and your readers should be aware that Crabtree Kittle House is calling to “confirm” restaurant week reservations that were made over a month ago and are telling customers unless they move their reservation to either 5 or 9 pm they have to order off the a la carte menu. Needles to say I canceled my 7 pm reservation and have crossed the establishment off my to do list forever.
Wow, that is really nasty of them. Did you have a Friday or Saturday reservation or was this a weeknight? Many restaurants are not participating on Saturday, but I agree it’s not a nice thing for them to do. 42 did the same with me last year, and my reservation was on a weekday, although they did so pretty soon after I had reserved on Opentable.
I had 7pm Saturday night reservations. I had called the restaurant directly to reserve and specifically said I was dining for Restaurant Week. Even if I was given wrong information at the time, I think the restaurant should stand behind its employee’s mistake and keep the Restaurant Week reservation. Like I said, now they’ve lost two diners for life.
Hi Liz, I just wanted to recommend to your readers McKinnney & Doyle in Pawling. I have lived in Pawling for about 4 years and this place never seems to disappoint. It is a cozy atmosphere with fantastic fare. The menu is usually slightly pricey so this is the perfect opportunity for people to try a great place without breaking the bank.
Theresa I hope you don’t mind, I posted your comment on The Valley Table’s Facebook page, they are the ones who actually run HVRW.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Valley-Table/283101518656
Found x20 in Yonkers highly over rated. Spectacular scenery but, food was just ok. They would not accept Discovery card and they also made an error in calculating the bill.
First, it’s Discover (not Discovery) and I always joke with people that each time they run a 5% cash back promotions at restaurants, I learn how many good restaurants do not accept Discover. I do not think it’s all that uncommon and don’t see why you found the need to complain.
Sorry you did not enjoy your meal there, I know I have never had anything less than a great meal at X2O and look forward to another one next Saturday. But every so often people do post that they did not like it. I am not sure if their expectations are wrong, or they just do not like Peter Kelly’s style of food, or enjoy bashing a popular place.
There is a $3.00 charge for valet parking at X20. I would have preferred just giving a tip… Thought this to be a bit tacky the same as the comment about my typo.
Made reservations and went to Equus(the Castle)today. They accept Discover Card.
Why didn’t you mention the $5 valet parking charge at Equus? At X2O, the $3 charge is there every day and you have the option of parking yourself on the street if you want (also it is not run by X2O and normall costs $8). At Equus, they only charge for parking during Restaurant Week (it’s free at other times and provided by the restaurant) and there is no option but to park there. And unless things have changed since I ate there two years ago, they added tax and tip onto the $5.
HVRW is a great idea in its conception to portray a value and raise awareness of food in the area.However the 20 dollar lunch tag ended up to be a bit pricey for a “lunch” once drinks and the tip were added.
Upon a dinner choice,our experience was with X2O.The food was subpar and poorly done.The service? I would expect a restaurant of this caliber to provide some form of teaching or training to show them just what service is.
Other than that,it is just what it was….a poor experience with a bad taste left in the mouth once a valet IMPOSES a fee for parking.Then it is no longer called valet parking…extortion would be a better word.
I will continue to be enthusiastic for HVRW as it is a great idea,just not for X2O.
I agree with the lunch issue. RW pricing last year was $16 for lunch and I think it was much more appropriate. At $20, I believe lunch is more expensive than even NYC RW.
I’ve always had great service at X2O. I’ve heard people complain that they hover and they preferred to be left alone. I am not sure what sort of training you are complaining about but it would be interesting to hear your specific complaint(s).
As for imposing a fee for valet parking, perhaps you are confused about the meaning of the word valet. It means someone parks your car for you. It does NOT mean it’s free. And the fee is not a tip, it is a charge for parking your car. The parking is run by another company and it is not just for X2O, it is for the other restaurant(s) in the area (I know of one, there are probably others). They normally charge $8. X2O eats part of it and only has the customer pay $3 and that is true all year. And there is no requirement that you use their parking. There is on-street parking as well as a municipal lot a couple of blocks away (which I might add is NOT free, even at night, at least not when I used it a few years ago).
Contrast this to Equus, which does not normally charge for parking (just for RW) and has the parking only for their restaurant. You have to drive quite a distance into their grounds so there is no option of parking on the street and walking.
Ate dinner at Crabtree Kittle House at 3:30 reservation today. Service was not all that attentive but the food was excellent. Big crowd when we left at 5:30.
Tonight we dined at Hudson House in Cold Spring. We had a reservation for 2 at 6pm. The room was 3/4 full when we arrived and we were seated next to a large noisy party of 12. We watched as a table of 4 asked to be moved but there were no other tables for 2 for us to be moved to. Subsequently our meal was extremly stressful as we could not hear each other. The food was only so so. Uninspiring crab cakes and lobster bisque as a starter, Chicken wraped in bacon and dijon crusted sea bass were all catering hall style entrees. A big disappointment all around. We could not wait to leave.
We made a last-minute reservation for 4 at Goldfish on Saturday night. I felt the portions were small which I also found last year during restaurant week at Crabtree Kittle House. I will avoid restaurant week in the future. Goldfish is a great bargain for the price fix luncheon that they normally serve. I could not believe the dessert sampler which touted fruit, chocolate triangle and cheese cake. I have never seen such a small 1 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch sliver of cheese cake. Were they serious? Also the bowl of lobster bisque was less than half full. Totally overpriced. It was no bargain.
When I went to Equus there was no charge for parking!!!!!!!!!!
Regina, you should not write off HVRW just because of a couple of bad experiences. I’ve found that most places do not serve small portions, and in fact the “rules” say they aren’t supposed to. We ate at an amazing place by the name of Red Devon (north of Millbrook) on Saturday night and yes the portions were not particularly large (the server did acknowledge they were smaller than the normal menu), but between the 3 courses there was enough to make us full (we just did not have leftovers to take home like usual). Other places we’ve been to have served full size portions. We had dinner at Terrapin in Rhinebeck yesterday and all of us had enough left over to have for lunch today.
Given that Goldfish had a price fixed menu for dinner year round (although maybe not Saturday night), I never really saw the attractive of going there during RW.
I agree with Regina, I think that HVRW is not worth the trouble, the crowds, the small portions, I’d rather go back to these places when they are quiet and operating under normal circumstances.
Let me tell you a story about Equis, and you may never eat there again regardless of parking fees. I have eaten there several times, never during HVRW, but this December was my last time. I couldn’t finish my meal and asked to have it wraped, the waitress said she wasn’t sure if she could do that for me (WHAT?) – she took my plate and returned with a three inch by 2in plastic container which she plopped down in front of me and walked away. I don’t know what left me more speachless, the fact that she had no class or training or that she could fit the rest of my meal in this container and present it NOT in a bag of some sort (I guess she figured I should just put it in my purse.) Well – that was not the end of the story – it gets better. Later that eveing, I was hungry and decided to finish my meat(since SHE didn’t think I deserved to eat what was left of my vegatbles and didn’t pack them) What happened next freaked me out – IT WASN’T MY FOOD – my steak was well done and this was almost raw, clearly not MY food. The next morning I called the restaurant and had to leave a voice mail, it took them two days to get back to me – the manager said he was shocked and he would look into it and call me back – that was three months ago – I guess I sholdn’t hold my breath. Yes – even the best restaurants make mistakes, but this was not a case of just a rude employee, this was a health dept issue and they should have offered some sort of compensation for the overpriced meal – or at least followed up as promised. Oh and back to valet parking – 42 wins the booby prize – the Ritz charges $10 and they lost my car Friday night for 20 mins and didn’t offer a comp. Again, not looking for freebies, willing to pay for great service and food. X2O is the best hands down!
Yes, 42 charges more for valet parking, but at least you have an option there, you can park across the street or even on the street if you get lucky (not sure if it’s free at night). And they charge it all the time. Equus continues to get my parking ripoff award because a) you really have no choice but to use their valet, there is no place you could park it yourself unless you want to walk a distance into the property, and b) they only charge for parking during HVRW. And bonus c) when I ate there 2 years ago they added it to the pre-tax/tip bill, which meant it was actually 25% more than $5.
ali, just saw your message about not being charged for parking at Equus. Did you check your bill? I’d be really surprised if they’re not charging given that it’s on the HVRW site and they’ve done it the past two years. If they’ve stopped charging for it, then good for them.
Bill since you seem to be the one answering all the comments here, is there another place to have users post comments? this entry is so far down on the list it is hard to find. Are other diners giving personal reviews somewhere else? What is the criteria for “guest bloggers” to be able to review the restaurants in HVRW?
Corine, you’re welcome to post comments wherever you wish. If you hit the Small Bites header bar at the top, you’ll be taken to the first page of the blog, and you can scroll through to see all the reviews guest bloggers have been doing. If the restaurant you’d like to comment on or review isn’t covered, you’re welcome to leave your review here or on any post you see fit. There’s also a thread on chowhound.com and a facebook page for the Valley Table magazine.
I put out a call for volunteers for guest bloggers about a month ago, and put the criteria in writing for all to see. Here’s a link to the ground rules:
http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/2010/02/05/hudson-valley-restaurant-week-ground-rules-for-guest-bloggers/
Let me know if you have any more questions!