Poughkeepsie native Carlo Porco — formerly of 52nd Street Café in Poughkeepsie and Tuscan Bar & Grill in Campbell Hall — has now put his entrepreneurial imprint on Porco Café Fresh, a European-inspired bistro and wine bar. Inside the airy, neutral-hued dining room, which once housed the Busy Bee Café, locals sit down to satisfyingly imaginative dishes such as Cajun Firecracker Shrimp slicked in shallot-Chablis-Sriracha butter and burgers melding beets with black beans and brown rice. Afterwards, orange marmalade spiked crème brûlée ensures dinner conversations continue to flow. A stone’s throw from Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Porco Café Fresh also rescues hospital employees and visitors from ho-hum cafeteria grub with convenient, on-the-run lunches that star sandwiches like warm roast beef nestled in caraway-sea salt brioche.
Porco Café Fresh
138 South Ave, Poughkeepsie
845-337-3487; www.porcocafefresh.com
