It’s a well-known fact that some of the world’s best food and drink comes from France. But if a trip to Paris or Provence isn’t currently in the budget, you can enjoy the country’s staples a little closer to home in the Hudson Valley.
At the likes of Le Gamin Country, for instance, you can just pop in for a coffee and a croissant. For full-blown foodies in search of a little slice of heaven, look to The Bocuse Restaurant, where you’ll scarf down a three-course meal prepared by chefs-in-training at The Culinary Institute of America.
With that said, who’s ready to nosh on some escargot?
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Les Baux
Millbrook
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Whatever your appetite calls for, Les Baux will deliver with French classics as imagined by Chef Herve Bochard. After traveling the world and earning international recognition for his cooking in France, Bochard decided to share his gift for food with the Hudson Valley. Whether you come for a small plate or les plats—that’s Baux-speak for entrees—you’ll rave about your meal. Note: Les Baux will reopen on October 19.
The Bocuse
Hyde Park
The opportunity to enjoy a meal prepared by a CIA-trained chef is a foodie’s top score, and this is especially true at the school’s on-campus fine-dining restaurant, where students and faculty run the show. (Both lunch and dinner are offered as a three-course prix fixe for $46 and $60, respectively.) Choose from options like foie gras served with strawberry compote, steak tartare paired with a gruyere waffle, roasted duck breast, or a classic steak frites made with filet mignon. And while the handcrafted tarts, crème brûlées, tableside ice cream, and chocolate caramel mousse are delicious options for dessert, the cheese plate is a savory, satisfying finale at lunch or dinner.
Brasserie 292
Poughkeepsie
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Poughkeepsie is a central hub for foodies in Dutchess County, so it’s no surprise to find this stellar French bistro in the city’s historic Main Street district. Start off your meal with the macaroni and cheese appetizer, which features butter poached Maine lobster as part of the gooey, cheesy goodness. As for entrees, you’ll have a tough time deciding between a seafood dish—think pan-seared scallops, pan-roasted salmon, and grilled brook trout—and land-sourced fare like dry-aged strip steak and wild boar ragu.
Brasserie Le Bouchon
Cold Spring
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You will find this charming bistro tucked in the heart of Cold Spring. Serving French classics like cassoulet and escargot with a dash of beer garden fare, it has remained a popular staple for over 20 years. You won’t want to miss the five unique takes on the classic moules frites, with toppings like apple, tomato relish, chorizo, and bacon. Savor your food indoors in the cozy, red-painted dining room or take your meal outside to the quaint garden patio.
Brigitte Bistro
Red Hook
Though he hails from Guerrera, Mexico, Owner/Chef Randi Jiminez honed his French technique under some of the most celebrated chefs in the world, including Daniel Boulud and Christian Delouvrier, who introduced him to the power of braising. “It allows you to turn a cut that can be a little bit tough into something amazing,” Jiminez says. While classics like coq au vin, steak au poivre, and duck confit are always on the menu, the vegetables and sides change seasonally, with most sourced from Greig Farm in Red Hook and Veritas in New Paltz. For lighter fare, consider the pan-seared cod with cockles, tomato, and fideo, or the seared branzino with roasted and puréed eggplant and aigre doux tomatoes. Whichever you choose, the signature Brigitte cocktail of gin, hibiscus syrup, lemon juice, and prosecco will prove to be the perfect dining companion.
Authentic dishes from these bistros will have you feeling like you traveled to the heart of France.
Le Canard Enchaine
Kingston
For just shy of three decades, those in the know have relied on this Stockade District staple to satisfy their cravings for expertly prepared French dishes. For starters, go for classics like the hearty onion soup, escargots, and chopped endive salad. Then, tuck into mains like the branzino in a mustard cream sauce, confit of duck, and pepper-crusted salmon with honey mustard served over red cabbage ragu. Happy hour specials are also a crowd-pleasing draw, with regulars popping in for discounted glasses of French wines, martinis, and weekly drink specials, paired with light bites.
Cenadou Bistrot
North Salem
Indulging diners in the comfort foods they enjoyed while growing up in the South of France, Chef Andrea Calstier and his wife Elena Oliver preside over this casually elegant bistro with the same precision and excellence as their Michelin-starred fine dining space situated downstairs. That translates to steaming bowls of moules with croutons, tomato butter, and anise herbs, as well as escargots in puff pastry, duck breast with black mission figs, and terrines of foie gras with sour cherry chutney. Outside the walls of the modern farmhouse-style venue, the outdoor patio beckons on warm summer nights, as does the pétanque court (similar to bocce), where guests can compete with each other and practice throwing boules (small hollow balls) while waiting for a table or just enjoying a sip under the summer sky.
Champêtre
Pine Plains
Jetting off to Provence is possibly the only way to experience food more bona fide than the items prepared by Chef Michel Jean, who grew up in the South of France. Fried blue oyster mushrooms, bouillabaisse, duck magret with fresh cherry sauce, and steak frites are all customer favorites. Pork and lamb are sourced locally from Black Sheep Hill in Pine Plains and Dashing Star in Millerton. Jean and his wife, Patricia, preside over their 12-table restaurant where paintings of the Hudson River that Patricia collects line the walls, as diners relax on antique chairs that were once part of the décor at the famed New York City haunt The Colony Club. Be sure to grab a drink at the bar, where the mixologist, Tracie, will craft a cocktail based on your personal taste and preferred flavor profile. “She has an incredible palate,” says Patricia, “and is very intuitive.”
Le Gamin Country
Hudson
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In our opinion, every town should have a little French café where patrons can order a beer and a latte at the same time. If that—sadly—isn’t the case in your hometown, make a voyage to Le Gamin Country in Hudson, where you’ll find small plates and a great atmosphere. The eatery has everything from croissants to ratatouille to escargot, but it absolutely does not have Wi-Fi. Instead, it urges Gamin-goers to “pretend it’s 1995 and talk to the person next to you.”
Le Perche
Hudson
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Live out your Parisian fantasy by sipping espresso with a croissant at Le Perche, or come in the evening and order from the dinner menu. The nighttime offerings include summer squash soup, duck confit hash, Manila clam toast, and a local roast beef sandwich. As for wine, the restaurant has a sizable list, with over 20 from which to choose.
Le Petit Bistro
Rhinebeck
It doesn’t get much better than pairing oysters with a crisp glass of Alsace rosé while sitting at a lilac-hued marble-topped bar or a cozy bistro table sampling classic French fare (steak tartare, escargots) complemented by surprises like fish or shrimp tacos and pasta carbonara. And save room for dessert, namely the lemon crème brûlée or the frozen pistachio souffle—either is guaranteed to elicit that sweet je ne sais quoi we all crave at the end of a satisfying meal in an inviting setting.
Rūna Bistro
New Paltz
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Although this eatery first opened as a “French-ish” bistro, owner Clare Hussain has evolved her restaurant with the influence of Bengali-Indo culture as she was born in Bangladesh and her father is Bengali. Hussain also varies her menu with North African, Basque, and Vietnamese dishes on top of her traditional French fare. Open just for dinner, the bistro offers a quiet corner of New Paltz’s busy village the chance to enjoy fresh air, delicious food, and one-of-a-kind wines.
Saint George Bistro
Hastings-on-Hudson
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This new-French bistro puts a modern spin on French classics using seafood, fine meats, and seasonal vegetables. Of course, we would be remiss not to mention the wine selection, for which you’ll pay between $12 for a glass of the Blanc de Blanc and $105 for a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin (doesn’t that just sound fancy?). Speaking of fancy, adventurous eaters simply must order a plate of escargot.
Sidewalk Bistro
Piermont
Owner Daout Celestin credits a combination of the atmosphere, fantastic food, and friendly staff as the ingredients to running his successful restaurant, which has been a hotspot on bustling Piermont Avenue for the past 16 years. And as the name implies, customers can enjoy summer-centric meals such as salad niçoise, poached lobster with avocado and truffle vinaigrette, or seared duck breast with duck leg confit and cauliflower purée while sitting al fresco on the avenue. Or, grab a table in the beautiful back garden for shareable pizzettes with pastry-thin crusts. Then, wrap things up with a refreshing Grand Marnier nougat glacé dotted with crunchy caramelized roasted almonds.
Related: 8 Eateries to Check out This Hudson Valley Restaurant Week
