Now Let's Go Eat!

Welcome to The Valley Table's Hudson Valley Restaurant Week blog! We have a lot of eating out to do in the next two weeks, and we'll be sharing our experiences with you here. From Westchester to Columbia County and everywhere in between, we'll hit as many of the 81 participating restaurants as possible, and we hope you will too! Let us know what restaurants you've been to, and what you think of Restaurant Week in general. To quote one of our favorite singers, Lyle Lovett, "It's time for dinner now let's go eat."

Cheers,
The Valley Table Staff

Valley Restaurant at The Garrison

If you're in the mood for a jaw-dropping view, may I suggest making a reservation at Valley Restaurant, in Garrison. I dined there on Thursday evening, which was technically their first night open for the season. The kitchen didn't miss a step, and neither did the sunset.

It was so beautiful, in fact, that we decided to have a drink at the World's End Bar before the meal, to test out their new Hudson Valley cocktails and check out a view slightly more spectacular than the one from the dining room. The cocktails were fresh and inspired (gin & tonic with elderflower & fresh thyme, anyone?), and a good hint at the meal to come.

THE MENU
For the first course, I chose the short rib raviolo - a single disc of pasta, filled with tender, flavorful, braised beef, over eggplant that was possibly the best eggplant I've ever had, and a smear of roasted pepper. My friend, Kitty, opted for the cauliflower soup. Of course, we shared both. The soup was the knockout hit - smooth, creamy, and intensely flavorful.

For entrees, we shared the Flatiron Steak, and the Chicken. The dishes were described so simply, but were a perfect representation of how simple ingredients can make impressive, flavorful dishes. Ingredients at Valley are always sourced locally and/or sustainably - the meal is as pleasing to the conscience as it is to the palate.

For dessert, we tried the fried mini apple pies, and the chocolate tart with red beet ice cream. I've had enough of the molten chocolate cake phenomenon, but have to admit that this was delicious, and the beet ice cream was fantastic.

And then there were those apple pies...memories came flooding back of fried dough at state fairs in Maine...the smell, the taste, the powdered sugar...everything except that awful sickening feeling that tends to come shortly after eating a giant plate of fried dough and then hopping on the roller coaster. The little pies brought me the same sense of nostalgia, significantly better flavor, and were easy on the stomach. Thank goodness. It seems that every culture has some sort of fried dough creation - it's inevitable, I think, and honestly something to celebrate. I'd like to think of these as the Hudson Valley's contribution, and I hope they stay on the menu.

At Valley, the staff is on top of their game. Shortly after we sat down, Kitty commented to me in a whisper that the table was a little wobbly. Not five seconds later, the host showed up saying "let's see if I can fix that table for you." When we almost knocked a fork off the table, I saw a busser, who was at least 15 feet away, subtly, quickly, move towards us to catch it. (when it didn't fall, he just smiled and went on his way). Having managed restaurants, I know those are the details that count. I still watch tables and diners in that hyper-alert way, and impressed when I see the same at other restaurants. There's a balance to be reached as well, and Valley has it. In a restaurant so aware of your every need, it's easy to feel almost too taken care of, you feel that you have to be on your best behavior too - mind your manners, cross your legs, talk about civilized topics. The challenge for the restaurant is to make you feel at ease in such a "proper" atmosphere. I don't know about you, but top notch "service" isn't worth feeling uncomfortable and out of my league. I've never felt that at Valley. The vibe of the place, from table settings to servers' uniforms, to food presentation, is casual elegance, and I, for one, really appreciate it.

Valley is sporting two newly appointed co-chefs in the kitchen, and a phenomenal pastry chef. If opening night is to be any indication of what's to come this season, I think we're in for a great ride.

Harvest Cafe, New Paltz

Tuesday was a day off, in terms of restaurant week dining, but Wednesday night I headed to Harvest Café, in New Paltz for my third Hudson Valley Restaurant Week dinner. I was joined by my friend Alice, director of Certified Naturally Grown. CNG is a really terrific certification program for farmers that provides an alternative to the government’s organic program. We made a reservation for 5:30, to allow time to get to a special showing of the documentary King Corn at the Rosendale Theatre. More on that later.

I’d never been to Harvest Café, but knew that the chef was a big supporter of Winter Sun Farms, a winter CSA that I am a member of. Winter Sun’s employees spend the summer minimally processing, and then freezing, produce from several local organic farms, to be distributed once per month to members – December thru March. It’s a terrific program, and through it I’ve been able to enjoy San Marzano tomato puree, whole raspberries, strawberry coulis, broccoli florets, sweet corn, and many many more products, all winter long. It’s reasonably priced, and a delicious way to get a taste of summer during the “off season”. Harvest Café’s chef was featuring a number of Winter Sun items on his Restaurant Week menu, and we were excited to see what he’d come up with.

Harvest Café is located on the second floor of Water Street Market, a collection of shops and cafes within easy walking distance of downtown New Paltz. It offers a stunning view of the Shawangunk Mountains, as well.

The menu:

Appetizers
Winter Sun Farms Butternut Papaya Squash Soup with Fizzled Leeks • Fresh Sage Cream
or
Coach Farm Goat Cheese Strudel with Spinach • Caramelized Onion • Petite House Salad

Entrees
Ricotta Gnocchi with Oven Roasted Tomatoes • Shaved Pecorino Romano
or
Chicken Pot Pie Murray’s Chicken • Winter Sun Farms Root Vegetables • Herb Pastry
Or
Filet of Salmon • Tomato Fennel Broth • Chorizo • Spinach • Onions

Desserts
Spiced Hudson Valley Apple Cake
Russel Farms Wild Flower Honey • Ginger Anglaise
or
Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Russel Farms Orange Blossom Honey Drizzle


We both ordered the strudel – who could resist? It was essentially like a slice of spanakopita, but with tangy, smooth goat cheese in place of the feta, and just a thin layer of phyllo dough on top and bottom. Delicious. The chef had made local wine suggestions for each course, but we each just ordered one glass for the whole meal – I had Millbrook Vineyards Pinot Noir, which was excellent, and Alice chose Whitecliff Vineyards Chardonnay.

For the second course, I went with the Chicken Pot Pie, and Alice had the gnocchi. Winter Sun’s Root vegetables added terrific depth of flavor to the pot pie, and the chicken was moist and flavorful. Pot pie is one of my favorite dishes of all time – it brings me right back to my childhood - summers spent in Dexter, Maine, where a local woman sold her fresh pot pies, made from scratch using meat from her own chickens & home-grown vegetables. The crust was to die for. Unfortunately, chicken pot pie has been largely relegated to the freezer case - mass produced, using tasteless chicken from factory farms, bland vegetables, and a crust that I don’t even want to think about. A true food tragedy. Thus, in my humble opinion, it’s a cause for celebration when a great chef re-creates the pot pie with top quality meat, fresh local vegetables, and homemade pastry. This one was excellent, and creative. A ramekin of pot pie “insides”, with an herb pastry (baked separately) sitting atop it like a jaunty tam-o-shanter on an old Irishman. Just delightful.

We both had the ricotta cheesecake for dessert. I was incredibly thankful to see that it was a small slice, and told the server so! I’m not the kind of person who orders dessert with every meal, and just having a taste of something sweet, especially if it’s cheesecake, is perfect for me. It was delicious. All in all it was a wonderful, low-key dinner.

As a side note, I highly recommend the documentary that we saw afterwards – King Corn. If you’re at all concerned with our subsidized food system, and especially if you’re not yet concerned, you should see this film. It’s funny, inspirational, powerful, informative, and not at all “preachy”. The theater was packed – standing room only – and it’s available now on netflix. Check out http://www.kingcorn.net/

Cheers!

Note from Blog Administrator

Please be aware, constructive criticism is more than welcome, this blog is not a place to bash restaurants. I will delete any posts deemed to be too negative. The best place to express your concerns with a restaurant, is with the restaurant's owner.

Thank you.

Cathryn's Tuscan Grill, Cold Spring

During the first Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, back in 2006, I dined solo at Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill on a chilly, rainy night. The meal was memorable for many reasons, foremost among them the convivial, comfortable atmosphere of the place. I had such a good time that I’m rather embarrassed by the fact that I hadn’t been back since. I decided to amend that on the 2nd night of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week 2008. Cathryn’s is open on Mondays (rare among restaurants) so I decided to support it on what can be a slow night in general. Again, I dined alone, at the bar, and had a simply wonderful time.

I always think of M.F.K Fisher’s writing when I’m dining alone. She contended that not only should you not be ashamed to dine alone, you should celebrate it. Here’s one delightful quote, of many: “In general, I think, human beings are happiest at table when they are very young, very much in love or very alone.” While I certainly enjoy eating with friends and loved ones, I relish the opportunity to dine alone. Without fail, I will at some point find myself in an interesting conversation with someone new (This time I would up chatting with a former Cathryn’s employee (now turned wine salesperson) about gardening) and I find that I savor my food, eat more slowly, and have time to think and reflect on the day, the food, and life in general. It’s an experience I highly recommend.

But on to the meal…

The Wine
Cathryn’s has a phenomenal wine list, testament to the fact that Cathryn herself was a wine salesman in a past career. I love wine, but don’t pretend to know the first thing about it. Luckily, both Cathryn and her staff do. My server recommended a wonderful 2006 Dolcetto from Bruno Giacosa for $42. It would have been delicious on its own, but also matched the food perfectly. As with last year, I took most of the wine home, nicely packaged in a special bag that Cathryn provides to anyone who doesn’t want to finish a bottle – a very nice touch.

The Food
I’m an offal fan, so was delighted to see an appetizer of Sauteed Chicken Livers with Capers over Polenta. The livers were perfectly cooked, the square of polenta was moist and flavorful, and the capers added a great tang. The dish was attractive and delicious, and just the right sized portion. When I’m eating out 9 or 10 times in two weeks, I really appreciate portions that aren’t enormous. For an entrée, I chose Grilled Nile Perch with Porcini-tomato coulis. Moist, simple flavors, not too heavy – just what I want in a fish dish. Dessert was a tougher decision, but I tried the Mediterranean Citrus Cake. Basically a white cake (which normally I’m not a big fan of), it had an amazing texture – not to moist, not too dry, not too crumbly, with a pleasant, subtle citrus taste, and a dollop of lemon curd on top. It turns out Cathryn makes many of the desserts herself, and often invents the recipes. This cake had a “secret ingredient” that hopefully she won’t mind my sharing – olive oil! Instead of butter, or another fat, she uses flavorful, healthy olive oil, which she credits for creating the texture I referred (and described poorly). I would say it also accounts for the lightness of the dish. When I showed surprise she chuckled, saying, “Well if I called it Olive Oil cake, no one would order it, so I just call it Mediterranean.” A smart woman indeed. It was the perfect end to a wonderful evening of simple Italian flavors, and simple Italian hospitality.

*The full menu for Cathryn's Tuscan Grill is available at www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com

Aroi Thai - Rhinebeck

My husband and I were in a good mood, as we drove down to Rhinebeck where we met Anne and Jesse to celebrate the first night of Restaurant Week. We’d wanted to go to Aroi since it opened, and were looking forward to getting together with Anne and Jesse. This was a perfect opportunity

The building that houses Aroi is a darling Rhinebeck gem on East Market Street with a front entry hall and two dining rooms, one on either side. The staff was very friendly, and we were seated right away. Upon entering the left dining room, the generous size of the table and the serenity of the subdued blue hues and muted palate made an immediate impression. The lighting was well balanced, but unobtrusive. We were seated by a window but still warm, even with the chill outside.

There were interesting choices on the Restaurant Week menu. For an appetizer, I ordered the papaya salad, while my husband chose the spring roll. The papaya salad was long and thinly grated papaya over lettuce and had a sweet, tangy and hot dressing. I should have tried Rob’s tofu spring roll. It looked terrific and disappeared quickly! I’ll let Anne tell you about what she and Jesse ordered.

For our entrees, both of us asked to substitute the vegetarian versions off of the lunch menu and the staff was accommodating. We ordered the Tofu Pad Thai which was very tasty. The flavor was well balanced, sweet, salty, sour and peppery, as a good Pad Thai should have.

For desert we both choose the banana spring roll, never having seen it on a menu before. Intriguing! It didn’t disappoint. Creamy sweet banana wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, fried and drizzled with honey. It was the perfect finale.

We had a nice time. Good company and scintillating conversation are part of the Restaurant Week experience. It’s a great reason to go out and enjoy!