Open For Business: Heritage Food + Drink in Wappingers Falls

Shaking up the Route 9 dining scene by merging bold flavors and comfort foods.

 

Lit with Edison bulb chandeliers, Heritage Food+Drink has the feel of a barn constructed in central Brooklyn, with potted succulents adorning onyx wood tables and exposed rafters overhead.

On Route 9 in Wappingers Falls, the country modern exterior of Jesse Camac’s restaurant sticks out among its neighbors like a Scotch egg at a McDonald’s. And that’s exactly what he wants.

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“I didn’t want anyone to think we were some big conglomerate or chain,” he says. “Who said we can’t do a mom-and-pop restaurant in a big-box environment on Route 9?”

Co-Executive Chef Frank Camey, a CIA graduate, brings his expertise in high-volume kitchens and stick-to-your-ribs cuisine, while Co-Executive Chef Max Renny boasts an intimate knowledge of the bold flavors currently dominating the Manhattan food scene. According to Camac, the collaboration between these two chefs embodies the concept behind Heritage Food+Drink.

“I want to give the people what they want, but I also want to get them a little out of their comfort zone,” he says. With starters like pork belly bites, “cheesesteak” pie, and apple+ancho chili glazed pork ribs, Camac and his chefs aim to combine familiar ingredients in unrecognizable ways. Staff favorites include the miso-glazed black cod, spicy tuna crispy rice, and maple-glazed pork chop.


Related: Heritage Food + Drink Finds Daring Chefs and Drool-Worthy Dishes


Aspiring sommeliers should make reservations for Wine Wednesdays, when every bottle of wine on the menu will be discounted 50 percent, and a pianist will serenade diners with a set list ranging from Sinatra to the Rolling Stones.

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For brunch fanatics, the build-your-own Bloody Mary bar can’t be missed. “There’ll be three different blends of Bloody Mary mix, [each] with different spice levels,” says Camac. “We’ll have pickled shrimp, we’ll have bacon — so you’ll literally be making your own Bloody Mary.”

With so much variety, there’s something for everyone, says Chef Camey. “Whether you’re the foodie from Beacon or Rhinebeck, or the blue-collar construction guy who just wants a burger.”


Heritage Food + Drink
Open for dinner at 5 p.m. Mon–Sat and 4 p.m. Sun.
1379 U.S. 9, Wappingers Falls; 845.942.8776;            

www.heritagefooddrink.com

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