Fall is about more than chilly temps and gorgeous foliage. It’s also about food. In addition to the proliferation of requisite (but delicious!) pumpkin-and-spice everything, from lattes to pies, the arrival of fall also brings with it something locals really look forward to: Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. Presented by The Valley Table magazine, the bi-annual event, held November 2 to November 15 (as well as two weeks in March), unites more than 200 restaurants across the region. In addition to offering their daily menus, these eateries will also put special three-course, prix-fixe menus in the spotlight for $29.95 (or $20.95 if it’s lunch).
While such affordable, creative feasts are incentive alone to visit these establishments, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week also affords the opportunity to savor the wealth of hyper-local produce grown directly by the restaurants. Given the abundance of farms — there are more than 2,500 of them — found throughout the Hudson Valley, it’s not surprising that many chefs want to tend to their own robust gardens now. For example, three-quarters of the vegetables and herbs used in the kitchen at Purdy’s Farmer & the Fish, in North Salem, are plucked straight from the restaurant’s terraced garden. Likewise, the rooftop garden at Union, in Haverstraw, is home to the likes of zucchini and pineapple sage that chef Jose David Martinez incorporates into his Latin-inflected dishes. Cold weather-craving kale, carrots, and thyme are also found growing in the backyard of Brewster favorite Clock Tower Grill.
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The Hudson Valley teems with breweries, too, and, for this month’s Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, several chefs are embracing these brews in their cooking. At Yonkers Brewing Co., for instance, prosciutto-stuffed chicken features a mushroom sauce laced with Yonkers’ own Honey Blonde Ale, made with local honey. Elena Angelides, the chef at rustic Daryl’s House Club, in Pawling, will be searing pork chops seasoned with rosemary, accompanied by hot and sweet cherry peppers, and deglazed with Peekskill Brewery’s IPA. Daniel Crocco, executive chef of Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie, is also putting pork in the limelight for the occasion. His tenderloin will be brined and smoked with Pop’s Imperial Maple Pumpkin Ale. The epitome of autumn, the brew is crafted with maple syrup tapped from 90-year-old Dutchess and Putnam County trees before resting, with a blend of spices, in barrels that once housed Ancram-made Hillrock rye. For a complete seasonal spin, the pork is served with sausage, maple-braised belly, sweet-potato purée and caramelized turnips.
“We cook with beer all year-round, but fall is prime for mixing the flavors of our seasonal brews with savory braises, sauces, and vinaigrettes,” says Crocco. “It’s just something that successfully heightens the dining experience.”
For the full list of events and participating restaurants, visit www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com.
