Chef Susan Crocker of Backyard Bistro in Montgomery is one of many Hudson Valley chefs to feature local products on her menus.
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Newburgh, New York -- Farm-to-table eating is more than a trend, and chefs and consumers alike are discovering the pleasure of local Hudson Valley ingredients. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, March 15-28, is fortunate to include among its participants many restaurants that make a point of connecting with local food producers and featuring seasonal foods on their menus. In fact, the use of locally produced ingredients by area chefs is one of the reasons the event has become so popular.
“For some chefs, using ingredients from local farms is part of the foundation and fabric of who they are and a reflection of where they live,” says Janet Crawshaw, event organizer and publisher of The Valley Table magazine. “Agriculture in the Hudson Valley matters and we are delighted to see so many of our participating restaurants committed to supporting local farmers and producers."
It helps to be surrounded by farm country. At The Village TeaRoom, a European-style tea room in farm-rich New Paltz, chef/owner Agnes Devereux uses many ingredients from surrounding farms on her menu. Her Restaurant Week menu will include braised short ribs from nearby Movable Beast Farm cooked in port wine and local honey, and served with Wild Hive Farm polenta made with Ronny Brook Farm cream. Also in New Paltz is Beso, where chef Chad Greer, a transplant from California’s food and wine-rich center, buys locally for his creative New American menu.
Jerry and Susan Crocker, chef/owners of Backyard Bistro in Montgomery, highlight local ingredients on their seasonal menu. “For Restaurant Week, I reserved oxtails from Hudson Valley Cattle Company months ago to make sure I’d have them,” says Jerry Crocker. Crocker is also excited about the micro-greens he is getting from neighboring Late Bloomer Farm. Chef Eric Gabrynowicz has been creating memorable farm-to-table dishes at the picturesque Tavern in Garrison for the past few years. His Restaurant Week menu features Hudson Valley duck confit and local apple cider-glazed pork cheeks. Catherine’s Restaurant in Goshen features local Pine Island onion soup and chicken livers from nearby Murray’s Chicken.
At the Iron Forge Inn, a 1760s farmhouse in Bellvale featuring a modern American menu, chef/owner Erik Johansen takes advantage of produce and livestock from the surrounding “Black Dirt” farm region. Another popular farm-to-table restaurant is Red Devon in Bangall (near Millbrook), where Chef Sara Lukasiewicz has created an ultra sustainable, ultra-local menu. The restaurant raises its own beef and makes its own sausages.
Other restaurants new to Hudson Valley Restaurant Week but committed to sourcing Hudson Valley products are: Crave, the trendy new hotspot in Poughkeepsie; Café of Love in Mount Kisco uses local ingredients to create French/American farmhouse fare; and the small, casual Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown, where chef Tommy Lasley uses all grass-fed meats and produce from Stone Barns Farm in Pocantico Hills.
Appreciating the fine wines of the Hudson Valley, restaurants are adding them to their wine list. Restaurant X in Congers has introduced its own private label of Millbrook Pinot Noir, and Hudson Valley wines are available at Backyard Bistro in Montgomery, Marcello’s in Suffern, The Bear Café in Woodstock, Red Devon in Bangall and Cosimo’s in Newburgh. Diners will find Hudson Valley craft beers and ales on tap at numerous restaurants including Beebs in Newburgh, Terrapin in Rhinebeck and The Peekskill Brewery.
Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is a 14-day celebration of fine dining in the Hudson Valley. Participating restaurants offer restaurant goers three-course lunches at a fixed price of $20 and/or dinners for $28. For a complete list of participating restaurants, go to
www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com.
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