Nestled in the new Heartwood at Vassar Hotel, The Salt Line Hudson Valley restaurant debuted on July 30 this year and features a menu deeply rooted in the Hudson Valley’s rich agricultural heritage. The Salt Line Hudson Valley is not just a place to eat; it is a destination where each dish tells a story.
The Heartwood at Vassar Hotel and The Salt Line Hudson Valley were developed through a collaboration between Vassar College and Olympia Hospitality, a hotel development and hospitality company based in Maine.
What to Expect
Part of Vassar’s college campus, the newly constructed restaurant is named after the northern salt line of the Hudson River, or the meeting point between brackish and fresh waters. Similarly, The Salt Line Hudson Valley serves as a meeting point for rustic charm and modern elegance, as well as a space where alumni and community members alike can meet, share ideas, and dine deliciously.
The visionary behind the Arlington restaurant’s seasonal menu is Executive Chef Zachary Taylor Lovenguth. At 29 years old, Chef Lovenguth, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, brings a passion for sustainable cooking and local sourcing to the table.
The Salt Line Hudson Valley features a full-service restaurant, the Night Owls Bar, and a weekend brunch service. The Night Owls Bar includes a wide selection of craft cocktails, local beers, fine wines, and, of course, signature bites within what serves as a relaxed setting for both socializing and unwinding. On weekends, the brunch menu offers traditional breakfast items and unique dishes that highlight local produce from the region.
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The Salt Line Menu
The menu is thoughtfully curated to showcase the changing seasons, ensuring it is always evolving. Prices across the various menus range from $7 to $42, catering to various budgets while offering a diverse dining experience. Each visit offers something new and exciting to try, with dinner options designed to display the freshest seasonal ingredients.
“The vision is to provide a unique dining experience where you are eating locally sustainably sourced products, highlighting the bounty of the region we are in,” says Lovenguth.
The Salt Line Hudson Valley’s current dinner menu features a wide array of dishes that showcase the culinary variety of Poughkeepsie. Highlights include heirloom squash gnocchi with maitake mushrooms and brown butter sage sauce, and a wild mushroom lasagna with three-cheese bechamel. Both seafood and meat lovers can indulge in the market fish accompanied by green lentils and Brussels sprouts, or the savory French-cut chicken breasts paired with mushroom risotto.
Additional menu options run the gamut from Italian to American flavors, with dishes like rigatoni Bolognese enriched with whipped ricotta and pecorino, and the Salt Line smash burger topped with gruyere and red onion jam. Vegetarian choices such as the piri-piri cauliflower steak and hearty dishes like the red wine braised short rib serve as enticing fare for every guest at The Salt Line Hudson Valley.
Sourcing Ingredients
The Poughkeepsie restaurant sources its ingredients through a vast network of local producers, ensuring both quality and freshness. For organic meats, it partners with Northwind Farms, while Veritas sources a variety of produce from farms across New York State, including Hepworth Farms, MX Morningstar, Dagele Farms, Blackhorse Farms, Sorbello, Nostrano, and others. Additionally, Tivoli Mushroom Company supplies fresh mushrooms, adding another layer of local flavor to the eatery’s dishes.
Creating an Atmosphere
Frank Lukaitis, the restaurant’s food and beverage manager, strives to make the atmosphere welcoming for all guests and his staff.
“For me, hospitality stems from a feeling of warmth,” he observes. He emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where everyone feels valued and connected, not just through the service provided, but also through engaging interactions that build lasting relationships. This approach ensures that each visit to The Salt Line Hudson Valley is both memorable and deeply personal.
“I want people to grow to expect from us what they can’t get anywhere else. Above all else, my goal every step of the way is to create a space where people can forget everything that’s going on outside of The Salt Line doors,” he adds.
Together, Lovenguth and Lukaitis focus on forging strong connections with guests, their team, and local producers, integrating these relationships into every aspect of The Salt Line Hudson Valley.
“Between the carbon-neutral building, the farm-to-table food, and the overall elegance of the restaurant, there is a lot to experience here,” emphasizes Lovenguth.
The Salt Line Hudson Valley is located at 165 College Avenue in Poughkeepsie and welcomes guests seven days a week. The restaurant offers a limited bar menu from Sunday to Monday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and a full restaurant menu from Tuesday to Saturday during the same hours. Weekend brunch is featured on both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations can be made through Resy. For more information, visit the website.
Related: Where to Take Home the Tastiest Pie in the Hudson Valley
