It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Ok, maybe we’re not talking about the same thing as Andy Williams was, but, in our humble opinion, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW) is most definitely one of the best reasons to live — and eat — along the Hudson River. After all, when else can you score a divine three-course lunch ($22.95) or dinner ($32.95) for a prix fixe price from some of the region’s leading restaurateurs?
This year’s food-filled event takes place over a whopping two weeks from Monday, March 11 to Sunday, March 24. While there are nearly 200 restaurants participating in this spring’s rendition, here are a few of our top places to grab a seasonal bite.
MacArthur’s Riverview Restaurant at the Thayer Hotel
West Point
While MacArthur’s is already a must-visit for over-the-top brunches on Sunday mornings, it’s also a favorite for Restaurant Week lunches and dinners. Visit during the middle of the day for chicken and waffles with sriracha maple syrup and house-made donut holes or swing by at night for shrimp hush puppies in a corn bread batter, steak frites with parmesan fries, and a chocolate peanut butter explosion that is every bit as decadent as it sounds. P.S. Take a peek at the wine list while you’re there! The selection of California reds is more than a little enticing.
Chicken & dumplings at Melzingah Tap House / Photo by Scott Snell of SDS Imagery
Melzingah Tap House
Beacon
Melzingah only opened last year, but it’s already something of a favorite spot for Beaconites, who can’t get enough of the Mediterranean grilled cheese and decadent poutine. Keeping in line with its comfort food-centric menu, the restaurant will serve HVRW specials like a warm Brussels sprout salad, made with bacon and blue cheese, for lunch, and a divine rendition of chicken and dumplings for dinner. If you love cozy mood food in a chill, inviting atmosphere, Melzingah Tap House is most definitely the place to spend HVRW.
Stuffed French toast and breakfast pizza / Photo provided by Norcina
Norcina
New City
Since Norcina opened a little over nine months ago, it has fast garnered a reputation for its homemade pastas and mozzarella cheese, both of which are made from scratch inhouse. On the menu for HVRW, Italian flavors shine through every course. Diners can tempt the palette with the bestselling charred Brussel Caesar salad or the house-made burrata, then indulge in the simply delicious handmade rigatoni ragu. For a meat-centric option, the herbed chicken, which uses free-range, organic chicken from Cascun Farm, sits beautifully on a bed of wild hive stoneground polenta.
Pernil con mojo / Photo provided by Ramiro Jimenez
Ramiro’s 954
Mahopac
If Latin American food is your jam, you’ll want to make that reservation call to Ramiro’s 954 now. Located in Mahopac, the eatery entices with fusion flavors that spotlight the powerful ingredients that define the cuisine. In honor of HVRW, Ramiro’s goes all out with its signature empanadas de picadillo and pernil con mojo, a slow-braised pork shank in a tomatillo-avocado sauce with garlic mojo and black beans. For dessert, prepare to develop a mild addition to the tres leches cake, which just so happens to be gluten free.
Stewart House
Athens
When you want to turn your Restaurant Week meal into a Restaurant Week experience, look to Stewart House in Athens. The dreamy boutique hotel and restaurant in Greene County is a delight for foodies who crave an honest-to-goodness escape. As part of its celebratory menu, the eatery maintains a farm-to-table focus with dishes like creamy spring radish soup and fried chicken sandwiches with vinegar slaw. When it comes time for the sweet finale, go for the chamomile tapioca pudding with rhubarb and strawberries. It’s just the thing to cleanse your palette and get you in the mood for spring.
The Village TeaRoom Restaurant & Bake Shop
New Paltz
With menus for both lunch and dinner during Restaurant Week, The Village TeaRoom is a delight at any hour of the day. From appetizers to entrees, the menu sings with the flavors of spring in the Hudson Valley. Treat yourself to comfort food dishes like cheddar cheese and brown ale soup, turkey pot pie (lunch only), or sweet and sour brisket (dinner only), but make sure to save room for dessert, which is most definitely the shop’s specialty. Chocolate stout cake and old-fashioned sticky gingerbread tempt during lunch, while the entire dessert menu is up for grabs once the dinner bell tolls.
