Café Mio
For the Insta-Gram
Great natural lighting and impressive presentations make this a top spot for the mom or grammy who has more Instagram followers than you. Tucked inside a plaza on Gardiner’s Main Street, Café Mio doesn’t mess around when it comes to breakfast and lunch. Chef Michael Bernardo pushes ubiquitous dishes like huevos rancheros well beyond the ordinary smattering of salsa on eggs. Here the huevos top a neat stack of corn tortillas, black beans, avocado, pickled jalapeno, and sour cream that makes this notoriously messy dish so much more satisfying to destroy. Banana-bacon French toast and wild salmon cake with lemon-dill slaw are other standouts.
Gardiner — 2356 US-44, 845.255.4949
Garden Café / Photo by Dion Ogust
Garden Café
For the Health Nut
Truth be told, we should all be health nuts, but not every restaurant makes it as easy or as enjoyable as the Garden Café. This vegan restaurant combines global flavors with plant-based cuisine that runs the gamut from a red lentil vegetable enchilada with coconut tomato cream sauce to a red bean, sweet potato, and rice burger. Aside from inventive entrées, salads, sandwiches, juices, and smoothies comprise the remainder of this refreshing menu where the focus is on local, organic ingredients — perfect for the mom who won’t touch the artificial stuff.
Woodstock — 6 Old Forge Rd, 845.679.3600
Peach Pit Juice Bar / Photo by Shannon Deo
Peach Pit Juice Bar
For the Executive
If “I’m off to a meeting!” is a phrase your mom utters on a daily basis, skip the table service and slide into her busy schedule without missing a beat. Grab one of Peach Pit’s eclectic smoothies like the Vanilla Gorilla with banana, dates, vanilla protein, honey, and coconut milk. Take it up a notch with a full-blown smoothie complete with toppings like granola, fresh fruit, coconut flakes, and chia seeds. Small bites like oatmeal and avocado toast are also available.
New City — 62 Main St, 845.708.5312
Peck’s Arcade / Photo by Paula Patterson
Peck’s Arcade
For the Aficionado
This Troy landmark is closed on Sundays, so no need to worry about Mother’s Day crowds. Celebrate a day early with their veggie-centric dishes that pop on the plate. But Peck’s is also one of two Hudson Valley restaurants to earn a place on Wine Enthusiast’s list of “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2018.” Their selection, which features heavily of natural wines, varies in terms of origin, price, and style; a smaller selection is available by the glass. Order champagnes and sparkling wines for optimal pairing with the food here, which rotates on a weekly basis with small tweaks daily.
Troy — 217 Broadway, 518.326.3450
Heritage Food + Drink / Photo by Whitewater Imagery
Heritage Food + Drink
For the Mimosa-minded (aka The Mimomsa)
If brunch is more about the beverages for your mom, then Heritage is the place to be. For $15 (and purchase of an entrée), you can get two hours of bottomless mimosas — and not just run of the mill OJ and champagne; mix things up with grapefruit or apple. Bloody Marys and brunch cocktails provide additional opportunities to imbibe, although we’d be remiss not to mention the food here: split an order of tater tot cacio e pepe with crispy bacon au poivre, parmesan, and fried egg; then dive into the endless list of entrées: omelets, smoked salmon hash brown, strip steak sandwich, “Brie LT,” and crème brulée French toast — yeah, you read that right.
Wappingers Falls — 1379 U.S. 9, 845.298.1555
Heritage Food + Drink / Photo by Whitewater Imagery
Mercato
For the Nonna
For the mom who regards all Italian cuisine with a cautious eye, Mercato Osteria and Enoteca is a surefire pick to put her at ease. Chef and Owner Francesco Buitoni, a seventh-generation pasta maker and a veteran of New York’s restaurant scene, serves fresh, local, organic Italian fare, and as such the menu rotates daily. Starters and salads contain classic combinations like caprese with buffalo mozzarella and basil or shaved fennel and baby artichokes with parmigiano Reggiano. Fresh pasta gets the proper treatment with traditional sauces like Bolognese and arrabiata, and secondi selections — though sparse — bring out big flavors with seared meats and fresh seafood.
Red Hook — 61 E. Market St, 845.758.5879
