Loved locally for their near-legendary burger pop-ups at Rose Hill Farm (not to mention their sought-after catering services), Wilson and Nadia Costa firmly planted their culinary boots in the heart of Red Hook, last winter, when they opened Misto, a worldly takeout shop.
Misto—the Portuguese word for mixed—is a perfect name for the store as well as for the Costas. Wilson was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and raised in Queens, while Nadia is of Ukrainian descent. But they’re quick to dispel the notion that they’re preparing Brazilian/Ukrainian fusion cuisine. “We make what we want to eat,” Wilson says, and their influences come from far and wide. Utilizing prime Hudson Valley ingredients, specials might include feijoada, the national dish of Brazil, prepared with house-made sausage; Indonesian Massaman curry with grass-fed beef, porchetta stuffed with fennel pollen, rosemary, and garlic, and Thai chicken soup with lemongrass fresh from Nadia’s garden.
Wilson is Misto’s head chef, whose first experiences in the kitchen were cooking Brazilian dishes with his grandmother. Later on, he spent years working with French-trained chefs in the city including at Soho’s Manhattan Bistro where he met Nadia. Moving to the Hudson Valley after 9/11, he worked at Le Canard Enchaine in Kingston, Gigi’s in Rhinebeck, and Hudson’s Ca’Mea, while Nadia worked front-of-the-house for Terrapin in Rhinebeck for 17 years.
Wilson had been eyeing the space in Red Hook for over 10 years and when it became available, he jumped on it. Why open a food shop instead of a restaurant? It’s simple—they can close at 6 p.m. and have dinner at home with their kids. The Costas live in Germantown, but their young sons go to Red Hook schools. The oldest used to say, “I wish we lived in town. All my friends walk into town and go to each other’s houses.” Now he has a house in the village—with chef-made treats!—so he and his friends often drop by the shop after school.
Local fan favorites include the vegan chickpea curry with potatoes, squash, garlic, ginger, and coconut milk; meaty veggie burgers bursting with flavor from beets and black beans; pickles in a masala brine; cod fritters served with a black garlic aioli; and Brazilian mortadella sandwiches given a Hudson Valley twist with McGrath’s beer-washed Hootenanny Cheese.
Nadia creates Misto’s desserts (most are gluten-free) that include a standout mango tres leches cake and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Sweets aside, don’t miss this Ukrainian mama’s Brazilian cheese bread that is rightfully considered “to-die-for” by many Red Hook residents, who like to think of Misto as their multinational food court in the Hudson Valley.
Misto Eats
7466 S. Broadway, Red Hook
845.835.8044
Website
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