Bar Brava
Spanish
After saying goodbye to downtown Newburgh’s Southern-style restaurant Mama Roux, co-owner Phillipe Pierre got to brainstorming—what new concept would resonate with the city? The answer: a tapas bar with great food, chilled drinks, and accessible prices. So far, it’s been a hit, whether for a full meal or simply a sip and a bite—with frequent live music as the backdrop.
Chef’s Notes
Inspired by a recent trip to the Basque region of Spain, Pierre thought a menu led by small, manageable plates would work better for customers than fine dining. “They can decide how much or how little they want. It’s a format that can be appropriate for any occasion,” he says. The kitchen is helmed by chef Mike McCree, a Culinary Institute of America grad. His previous experience as a private chef in Barcelona allows him to cook up Spanish dishes that are authentic and innovative.
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Start out with an array of “pintxos,” which Pierre says are small bites meant to be enjoyed at the bar, before moving on to more substantial tapas dishes like fried calamari over arugula with saffron aioli. Save room for the popular paella, which can be made with chicken and chorizo, a vegetable medley, or seafood (PEI mussels, littleneck clams, and shrimp).
Newburgh’s Bar Brava specializes in authentic, innovative Spanish tapas.
Cheers
The drink list is filled with a variety of beers from local breweries such as Warwick’s Drowned Lands and Sloop in East Fishkill, as well as wine sourced from several Spanish provinces. Don’t miss the selection of specialty cocktails—the Manhattan Perfecto (a mix of rye whiskey, vermouth, Alvear Fino en Rama, and a cherry) is a standou
Details
96 Broadway, Newburgh
845.561.2040
La Bastide By Andrea Calstier
French
Following the success of their first HV restaurant Cenadou Bistrot (which was featured in our 2023 Best New Restaurants guide), husband-and-wife team Andrea Calstier and Elena Oliver opened a fine dining experience in the same building’s downstairs space in February. Derived from the French word for Provencal country house, La Bastide is an intimate experience akin to dining in the owners’ home, says Calstier. “We only have six tables, which allows me to connect with everyone while preparing their meal.”
Chef’s Notes
“The French gastronomic meal is part of our heritage and much more than just cooking. We always think about the experience of dining with us as a whole,” says Calstier. Choose between a four- or six-course tasting menu experience, in which all of the dishes are inspired by both the culinary traditions of Marseilles (the French seaside city the couple previously called home) and the bounty of the Hudson Valley region. “Seasonality is always key to my inspiration. We’re lucky to be in an area where we can find great products.”
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After being seated for the full tasting menu experience, diners are greeted with a selection of seasonal canapes—small bites of bread or pastry with a savory topping—before moving on to an amuse bouche, an array of entrées that change with the seasons, and a cheese course. At press time, Oliver and Calstier referenced the charcoal grilled black sea bass with caviar, artichokes, and sake and razor clams marinière, along with salade verte with grilled celtuce, as standout dishes. Dinner ends on a sweet note with desserts such as La Bastide’s Andoa Noire Grands Cru Chocolate, fresh local goat cheese served with high quality chocolate and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cheers
For an extra special dinner, add a wine pairing to the tasting menu and indulge in a specially selected glass from La Bastide’s 74-page wine list. Or, go for one of the bar’s eight signature cocktails, all named for areas where locally famous horses are from—an homage to the equestrian culture of North Salem. “Our current favorite is the Lily,” Oliver says, “made with rum, pineapple, and coconut milk. It’s perfect as an aperitif.”
Details
721 Titicus Road, North Salem
914.485.1518
Matilda
New American
Danielle and Ely Franko, the husband-and-wife duo behind Greene County getaways The Hunter Houses, as well as Paracasa general store and Day June Luncheonette, present yet another hospitality endeavor: The Henson Inn and on-site upscale restaurant Matilda. Housed in a former hotel that dates back to the early 1900s, the locale required hefty renovations to bring it to its current form: a moody space filled with vintage finds and natural touches that complement the surrounding Catskills as well as the locally driven dishes. Per the team, “This is the restaurant we want to be in, designed intentionally as a place to gather and marvel at this beautiful world.”
Chef’s Notes
The Frankos co-own the establishment with chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra, the team behind the NYC haunt Wildair. Produce, meat, and dairy at Matilda are cultivated by local farmers, and the menu changes often to reflect what’s in season.
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Expect plenty of plates with intricate flavor pairings, such as the popular wood-grilled oysters with bone marrow, pumpkin seed oil, and sorrel, or the striploin (sourced from Highland Hollow Farm in Schoharie) with capers and tomato bearnaise. If you’re craving something sweet, order the chocolate mousse, served with fresh whipped cream, candied hazelnuts, and maple caramel crunch.
Cheers
Matilda has an extensive bottle list (ranging in price from $56 to $306) and carefully crafted cocktails, plus a special menu for customers who opt to sit at the bar. Small bites of oysters and chickpea fritters can be enjoyed with a sip like the savory Garden Martini, a mix of gin, tomato, cucumber, carrot, and celery.
Details
39 Goshen Road, Hensonville
518.73.4160
Mirador
Spanish
The combined effort of hospitality veterans Nick Africano, Harry McNamara, and Massoud Violette-Sheikh, Mirador is a love letter to the Andalusian province of Spain—its food, culture, and sherry wines. The cozy space in Midtown Kingston is inspired by the tabancos (taverns) in southern Spain, places where all ages can gather and enjoy a meal. “We want to be accessible and comfortable, but also have options that carry deeper references to the trends and themes in Spanish cooking,” Africano says.
Chef’s Notes
“Spain is such a monolith of gastronomy,” says Chef Violette-Sheikh (the former sous chef of the now-closed Michelin-starred restaurant Bâtard). “When it comes to the kitchen program, our ethos is to take the huge vocabulary of techniques, flavors, and ingredients Spain provides us with and find ways to extrapolate them within our context as a wine bar in the Hudson Valley.” The food menu is divided: on the left, you’ll find classic tapas, and on the right, original interpretations of traditional Spanish dishes and flavors.
At Mirador, the bar program is as important as the food.
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For the full experience, start with tapas and then move on to an entrée. You can’t go wrong with the patatas bravas—crispy fingerling potatoes topped with pimenton, dehydrated tomato, and garlic aioli—and the tosta matrimonio, a mix of vinegar- and salt-cured anchovies layered over seeded pullman bread (from nearby Rising River Bakehouse), hay-smoked butter, and lemon gastrique. “This dish represents Mirador: a combination of Spanish classic tradition, innovative interpretations of the classics, and excellent technique all combining soulfully,” Africano says.
Cheers
At Mirador, the bar program is just as important as the food. Africano’s passion for Spanish wines comes through on the bottle list, with sherries (he recommends a glass of the Gutiérrez y Colosia, Sanger Y Trabajadero Oloroso), amontillados, vermouths, and classic reds and whites imported from across the Mediterranean country. House cocktails include the Mirador Gin + Tonic (the classic with the addition of grapefruit and rosemary) and the Martini Mirador. Africano remarks that “every ingredient in the martini is Spanish, down to the olive, the brine, and the cube of sherry vinegar gelatin.”
DETAILS
636 Broadway, Kingston
845.514.2983
Nirvana
Indian
Ever since they opened Indian eatery Cinnamon in Rhinebeck in 2011, husband-and-wife team Chaminda and Shiwanti Widyarathna have been a respected facet of the HV culinary world. So much so, after a longstanding Woodstock Indian restaurant announced it would be closing its doors, the Widyarathnas were approached by the town’s chamber of commerce and the building’s landlord. “The town was really keen on having an ethnic restaurant, and we felt it was the right market, so we decided to go for it,” Shiwanti says.
Chef’s Notes
Whereas Cinnamon focuses on classic dishes, this new endeavor offers innovative takes on Indian cuisine from around the nation with an emphasis on responsibly sourced local ingredients. The lunch and dinner menu rotates with the seasons, while the weekend brunch selection changes every few weeks to use the freshest ingredients available.
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The sea bass entrée has been a hit. A modern interpretation of traditional Tandoori cooking, the filet is rubbed with mint, cilantro, peppers, garlic, and ginger before it is roasted in the cylindrical Tandoor oven and served with grilled seasonal vegetables. Fans of Punjabi fare can go for the Malai Kofta, handmade paneer dumplings with ground vegetables coated in crisp quinoa and simmered in a cashew-almond sauce with turmeric and fenugreek.
Cheers
Plenty of red, white, and rosé wines by the glass or bottle are available to pair with your meal, along with a concise selection of creatively designed cocktails. Standouts include the Trip to Goa, Goan triple-distilled cashew spirits with chili and lime juice, and the Lychee Martini, which features lychee and lime juice swirled with vodka.
Details
4 Deming Street, Woodstock
845.684.5696
One With Land
New American
When Jared and Tara Braithwaite moved to Pine Bush last year, they had a clear vision for their upcoming restaurant: an upscale but casual spot that prioritized working with in-season ingredients sourced throughout the Valley. In its first year, One With Land (a nod to both the menu’s ethos and the business’s popular predecessor, the Hoot Owl) has been received well by customers from the immediate Orange County area and beyond. “If you don’t have a reservation, it’s challenging to fit you in. We’ve never been busier,” Jared says—and the buzz is well deserved.
Chef’s Notes
Before coming to Pine Bush, Jared spent years in the NYC restaurant industry, including stints at Michelin-starred Public in Manhattan and Colonie in Brooklyn—both used HV-based vendors, and upon opening One With Land, the Braithwaites already had trusted suppliers. On the menu, you’ll often find meat from Veritas Farms (New Paltz), cabbage from MX Morningstar (Hudson), and yogurt from Willow Pond Sheep Farm (Gardiner) that the kitchen turns into labneh. “We really try to be hospitality-driven and make great-tasting, seasonal food that feels different from what people know without being unrecognizable,” Jared says.
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The spice-crusted lamb ribs entrée served with a honey glaze and yogurt is a can’t-miss menu mainstay. “We started offering it on the first day, and we haven’t been able to take it off the menu.” If the shaved celery salad (with dates, pistachio, Parmesan, basil, and a chardonnay vinaigrette) and the mushroom pâté are available, be sure to try them both. Finish your meal with a slice of olive oil cake, topped with seasonal fruit and whipped mascarpone.
Cheers
The emphasis on eating local doesn’t just apply to the food; a majority of the drinks served at One With Land are produced in New York, from the six beers on tap to wine from Fjord Vineyards in Milton. Cocktails, like the popular spicy blood orange margarita crafted with jalapeno-infused tequila, blood orange, and agave nectar, are mixed with shrubs and syrups made in-house.
Details
26 Awosting Road, Pine Bush
845.524.4219
Via Cassia
Italian
After escaping the fast-paced NYC culinary scene and spending four years on a centuries-old estate in Italy, Gaetano and Meigan Arnone were ready to put down roots back in the States. Inspired by friends who relocated to the Hudson Valley, the couple looked for real estate on Hudson’s main drag and stumbled upon a listing for the building that formerly housed Ca’Mea. Fast forward a few months, and the locale was transformed into an eatery imported straight from a European side street.
Chef’s Notes
“We wanted to make the restaurant a place that reminded us of the simple trattorias that we enjoyed eating at in Italy,” Chef Gaetano says. For the Arnones, this means preparing a small menu of dishes they enjoy eating and making, with an emphasis on quality 70ingredients from a mix of local farms and Mediterranean-based producers, paired with preparation techniques that Gaetano perfected while working at the popular Manhattan eateries Babbo, Otto, and Eataly.
Via Cassia is an authentic trattoria in Hudson that incorporates quality ingredients from local farms.
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You can’t go wrong with any of Via Cassia’s pasta dishes, which are crafted with noodles that are made fresh daily. The Bucatini all’Amatriciana—with guanciale, tomato, Calabrian chilis, and Pecorino Romano—and the rigatoni with Sicilian pork ragu (“it’s the first dish I ever made all by myself as a child,” Gaetano says) are inspired by the chef’s Italian-American roots. Finish your meal with a scoop of vanilla gelato with EVOO or strawberry sorbet drizzled with balsamic.
Cheers
The drink menu features an array of Italian-sourced wines (including the entire catalog from Principe Corsini Winery, a part of the estate where the Arnones lived and worked in Tuscany) priced at $12 a glass and up. Via Cassia’s cocktail, or aperitivi, list features classics such as negronis and palomas, as well as specialty drinks like The Tainted Lady—mezcal, Campari, pineapple, lime, and rosemary syrup—a tribute to a bar that once stood on Warren.
Details
214 Warren Street, Hudson
838.667.4338
Willa
New American
When the owner of tapas bar 52 Main decided to call it quits, longtime staffers (and couple) Alanna Broesler and Jim Buhs were quick to take over the building with their own restaurant dreams. Enter Willa, an eatery-slash-bar that focuses on serving hyper-seasonal food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere. (In honor of Broesler’s pet pot-bellied pig, Willa, pork products are left off the menu.)
Chef’s Notes
Willa’s seasonal menus are influenced by Broesler’s experience in sustainable agriculture and food systems and Chef Daniel Meissner’s connections to local farms—before heading up the kitchen at Willa, he was the culinary director at Stonewood Farm in Millerton. Per Broesler, “Our ethos is to source as much as possible from local producers and bring fresh, delicious food to people. Dan’s very creative and skilled at making things bright-tasting and light.”
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The farm-to-table fare at Willa changes throughout the year to highlight what’s in season, but according to Broesler, the Kinderhook smash burger—a classic with all of the fixings elevated with beef from Kinderhook Farm—is a perennial favorite. At press time, other hot dishes included a scallion pancake with braised lamb and cabbage, duck served with smoked cornbread and sweet corn and peppers, and a sake kasu ice cream topped with candied tomato and basil oil.
Cheers
Head bartender Nikki Stein mixes creative cocktails, mocktails, and sangrias to accompany your meal. Try a sweet and savory sip like the Variation on a Theme (rye whiskey, mead, peach, lemon, bitters, absinthe rinse, and black pepper) or a zero-proof Shirley Who? made with house pomegranate grenadine, blueberry, and ginger beer.
Details
52 Main Street, Millerton
518.789.0252
