Good Food, Good Wine Elevate the Hudson Valley Dining Experience

We talk a lot about our excellent dining scene, but if you step out of our little Valley bubble, you’ll find that we’re not the only ones who think our region has got a good thing going.

Three local restaurants — Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, and Fish & Game in Hudson — recently landed much-lauded spots on the 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2017 list, published in the August issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. No small feat, given the tally not only criss-crosses the entire country, but includes heavy-hitting newcomers like June’s All Day in Austin and Senia in Honolulu, in addition to fine dining stalwarts like La Bernadin and The French Laundry.

So what sets these places apart? Each venue was selected by the discerning taste of the Wine Enthusiast editorial staff, culled from a year’s worth of wining and dining at researching venues that offer inviting, provocative, or otherwise consistently delicious food and wine experiences.

Crabtree’s Kittle House, for instance, is renowned for its deft preparation of menu items and stellar service, but also houses a wine cellar of more than 40,000 bottles, many of which were chosen by, or with the counsel of, some of the world’s best winemakers themselves. A coveted reservation at Blue Hill, on the other hand, will grant you a drink pairing that promises to turn you on your head. The bottle list spills across nearly a hundred pages of New and Old World wines alike, continuing on to offer a substantial lineup of ciders, beers, and spirits. Opting for their chosen pairings means you may experience a few pours made from all the same elements except one, resulting in completely different taste profiles, a classic-cut red strangely attuned to an artisan hot dog, a tingling domestic cider, or an imaginative riff on a Manhattan.

Chef Zak Pelaccio of Fish & Game was flattered by his Hudson restaurant’s mention on this year’s list — which, by the way, marks the third year in a row — “The folks at Wine Enthusiast are truly insightful, always on the cutting edge with what is happening in the wine world today. I’m honored to have made their list this year and in years past.” Each wine offered at this terroir-driven standout has been made by precise hands and a minimal intervention mindset, making each pour that much more representative of its place of origin.

With Valley venues increasingly considering drink options (locally sourced and otherwise) in conjunction with their menu, all fingers crossed we see even more area eateries grace next year’s lineup.