The Apiary
Photo by Steph Mossey
Named for the bees that pollinate Arrowood Farms, The Apiary puts seasonal and locally foraged ingredients on the plate. Menu highlights include local tomatoes with basil and radish-top pesto, beet-orange tacos, and Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese or farmhouse mustard. Ten taps pour Arrowood Farm brews, but if beer isn’t your thing, there’s a curated wine list and playful cocktails, like the Bees Knees with gin, lemon, and honey simple syrup.
236 Lower Whitfield Rd, Accord; 845.253.0389; www.arrowoodfarms.com
Now open in Peekskill is Apropos, the fine-dining restaurant at the highly anticipated Abbey Inn & Spa, a 42-room boutique hotel in a renovated convent overlooking the Hudson. Executive Chef John Paidas’ menu skews Mediterranean, featuring house-made fresh pasta (twisted lorighittas with fennel sausage and broccoli rabe, for example), charred peaches with whipped ricotta and hazelnuts, dry-aged beef burgers, a rib-eye steak with cauliflower agrodolce and anchovy butter, and crispy local chicken over sweet-corn cream.
900 Fort Hill Rd, Peekskill; 914.739.3546; www.aproposrestaurant.com
Focused exclusively on naturally leavened breads and pastries, Breadfolks opened in Hudson in June. Retired photographer Norman Jean Roy trained in San Francisco to make organic, high-quality baked goods, including country sourdough, seeded loaves, baklava cruffins, and croissants filled with ham and cheese or dark chocolate.
322 Warren St, Hudson; www.breadfolks.com
Operating in the backyard of Hudson’s Rivertown Lodge, Fuego 69 is a pop-up concept from the owners of Lil Deb’s Oasis (which has remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic). The seafood-heavy menu features grilled plates — New York tuna crudo with husk cherries and fermented shiso, scallop-jalapeño skewers, mushroom-miso buckwheat flatbreads, whole grilled porgy with wild greens and pickle relish, and s’mores — with 69 cents from each dish donated to racial justice organizations and community causes.
731 Warren St, Hudson; www.lildebsoasis.com
Nigerian cuisine comprises the majority of the menu at Keobi, which opened in Albany in April. Dishes to try include thinly sliced beef suya, yam porridge with leafy greens and shrimp, peppered stock fish, spiced peanut soup, and tomato-based jollof rice with fried plantains, vegetables, and a choice of meat.
189 Lark St, Albany; 518.977.3991; www.keobirestaurant.com
Owned by the Nham family, who moved from Vietnam to Rockland County in the 1970s and 1980s, Little Vietnam brings the cuisine’s unique blend of sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and savory to Nyack. On the menu are rich pho with sliced beef, meatballs, and/or tripe; Vietnamese chicken soup; green papaya salad; rice paper rolls (shrimp-avocado, lemongrass-beef, garlic pork); banh mi, Vietnamese-style pork chops; steamed catfish; and mango sticky rice.
327 N Highland Ave, Nyack; 845.358.4628; www.littlevietnamnyack.com
A trip to Rome inspired the oblong, sourdough pies at Mercato Roman Pizza Works in Tappan. Made with non-GMO ancient wheat, soy, and rice flours, the dough is cold-fermented for 72 hours, resulting in pizzas with a crisp, chewy texture and less gluten than your corner-shop pie. Signature pies includes a San Marzano Margherita; spicy pepperoni; Gorgonzola-bacon; Yukon Gold potato and truffle-scented sottocenere cheese; and even a vegan pizza, topped with cashew cream, blistered tomatoes, and avocado crema.
31 Rte 303, Tappan; 845.606.9000; www.mercatopizza.com
At Oaxaca native Ruben Lopez’s Tortilla Taco Bar in Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood, house-made corn tortillas are the base for tacos and crispy vampiros, with citrus-marinated steak, grilled chicken, pork al pastor, and a daily vegan selection. The same fillings can also be turned into quesadillas, tortas, rice bowls, salads, and Mission-style burritos. Rounding out the menu are sides (chips and guac, elote), hibiscus agua fresca, 20 tequilas and mezcals, and house Margaritas and Palomas.
38 Broadway, Kingston; 845.481.4569; www.thetortillatacobar.com
