The Grange
Ninety-five percent of the menu at this Warwick spot is grown at their certified organic farm about 10 minutes down the road, which is why chef and owner Jim Haurey describes it as “a farm that has a restaurant” and not the other way around. Haurey doesn’t plan dishes in advance, preferring to improvise with whatever items his partner and grower, Dominique Herman, supplies him with. This means ingredients at The Grange rotate so frequently that servers occasionally edit the chalkboard menu during service. Come fall, look for items like tromboncino, a “funky summer squash” that Haurey cures and incorporates into soups and risottos. Another fall favorite is roasted Jack-Be-Little pumpkins stuffed with house-smoked lamb bacon, Brussels sprouts, and blue cheese.
Warwick — 1 Ryerson Rd, 845.986.1170
Local 111 photo courtesy of venue
Local 111
Helmed by the 2015 and 2016 Best Chef in Columbia County, Local 111 maintains close relationships with farmers and purveyors to keep the menu fresh and exciting. As the leaves change color, owner and Chef Josephine Proul will be rotating her menu to incorporate autumnal flavors. Be on the lookout for bright dishes like raw shaved Brussels sprouts with lemon pecorino vin, radish, and pear as well as lots of root vegetables, like parsnips and sweet potatoes with crispy onions or cured cabbage with shaved turnips, carrots, onion bits with mint and lime vin.
Philmont — 111 Main St, 518.672.7801
Bartlett House photo courtesy of venue
Bartlett House
With Nicole Craft, formerly of Robert’s Pizza and The Spotted Pig, now running the kitchen at Bartlett House, the goal is to strike a balance between traditional and modern fare using ingredients that are seasonal and inspiring. In the past, this has translated to dishes like mixed chicory salad with avocado, pistachio, and blood orange, as well as roasted chicken with carrot orange blossom glaze. Plus, a new feature of the bakery/café/restaurant this season is its Sunday Supper Club series, which features a specialty, whole-roasted meat.
Ghent — 2258 Route 66, 518.392.7787
Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar
Peter Kelly’s acclaimed Restaurant X will meet the cool weather head-on with roaring fireplaces and quaint wooded views. A veteran of seasonal cooking, Kelly will be bringing quintessential fall ingredients to his menu: sage, lingonberries, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, apples, cranberries, and more. Expect game-based dishes like quail wrapped in cured ham, and venison medallions plated with spaetzle, as well as creative combinations like roasted butternut squash custard served with blue crab. Desserts will be just as tantalizing, like the old-fashioned apple and cranberry cobbler with house-made cinnamon ice cream.
Congers — 117 North Route 303, 845.268.6555
Miss Lucy’s Kitchen photo by Preston Schlebusch
Miss Lucy’s Kitchen
“Hyper-seasonal” is how owner Michelle Silver describes the menu at Miss Lucy’s, since it changes much more often than every three months. In October, dishes will shift towards the heartier end of the spectrum, with crowd-pleasers like turkey pot pie and cheddar biscuits as well as butternut squash and apple soup. And since Miss Lucy’s took home the Readers’ Pick for Best Comfort Food in the Hudson Valley, you know they’re doing it right. We can hardly wait for the desserts, either: honeycrisp galette with Calvados ice cream, quince cake with chai ice cream, black mission fig bread pudding with orange blossom pistachio ice cream? You’re going to want to sit down for this.
Saugerties — 90 Partition St, 845.246.9240
