Along with the Hudson Valley's growing fame as a food producer, it has become a magnet for restaurateurs eager to put their personal stamp on the farm-to-table movement. Not that long ago, the local diner or bar was often the best (and only) option in town for eating out. Now even small hamlets like Germantown are home to eating houses run by Brooklyn expats (see Gaskins, below). New eateries are popping up all over, putting their creative spin on local ingredients—whether it's Garden House's eggplant carpaccio or Frogmore Tavern's pastrami tacos. There's greater emphasis on setting, too. As the competition has heated up, so has the focus on polished décor and outdoor seating, with enchanting patios increasingly common. From Southern comfort to rustic charm, we break down some of the most interesting newcomers to the Hudson Valley dining scene.
COMMUNE SALOON, SHINDIG, and TINKER TACO LAB
Woodstock's culinary revitalization is in full gear, with new restaurants emerging around town, the Garden Cafe under new ownership, and the Bearsville Complex's renovated courtyard open for business, complete with food service and fire pit. Overlooking the courtyard, the new Commune Saloon serves up tasty, seasonal small plates, such as the grilled Black Horse Farms asparagus with Dijon vinaigrette and cured egg, and exquisite craft cocktails like the pickled ramp martini. Just down Tinker Street is Shindig. The tiny storefront eatery is packing in locals and tourists alike with modest prices and modern takes on comfort food. The mac and cheese offers a rich blend of Gruyère, Fontina, béchamel, truffle oil, and a Parmesan bread-crumb crust—for just $10. Steps from Shindig, Tinker Taco Lab is breaking new ground with its authentic Mexican street tacos and tamales. Owner James Jennings makes his cheese, cream, pickled vegetables, and tamale and taco dough in-house. Try the best-selling pork-belly confit taco with jalapeno jam.
Commune: 297 Tinker Street, Woodstock; (845) 684-0367.
Shindig: 1 Tinker Street, Woodstock; (845) 684-7091.
Tinker Taco Lab: 54h Tinker Street, Woodstock; (845) 679-8226
FROGMORE TAVERN
Frogmore Tavern's new rooftop patio is reason enough to check out this eatery. The sleek pine patio and bar seat 65, neatly doubling the restaurant's capacity. Inside, Frogmore—note the frog figurines above the door—has the dark good looks of an English pub, but save for a nod to the UK with its ultrarich Scotch eggs, the menu smacks of Southern comfort. Here you'll find BBQ shrimp and grits, poutine with fried chicken livers and crispy pork belly, and house-smoked pastrami tacos with pickled jalapeno—as well as many other freshly smoked meats. If these dishes don't fill you up, pile on a side of hush puppies or a bowl of dirty rice.
63 N. Front Street, Kingston. (845) 802-0883
GARDEN HOUSE
Opened last summer by the owners of Rosendale's popular Big Cheese shop, Garden House takes the concept of community gathering place one step further with a huge outdoor garden—the centerpiece of which is a wood-fired oven that produces such delicacies as goat cheese pizza and grilled red snapper. Chef Naheda Hamdan, a Dubai Hilton alumna, is Jordanian, and her Middle Eastern influence permeates delectably seasoned dishes like the kofta kabob with parsley, garlic, onion, and freshly whipped lemon-garlic sauce. Among the numerous satisfying vegetarian plates is a roasted half eggplant with chopped tomato smothered in tahini. In cooler months, the restaurant's cheery farmhouse-style interior makes for an inviting refuge.
4 Hardenburgh Lane, Rosendale. (845) 658-3131
GASKINS
Comfort food has found a new mecca in the Columbia County hamlet of Germantown at Gaskins. Veterans of Brooklyn stand-outs Diner and Marlow & Sons, Nick and Sarah Suarez have brought urban chic to country dining. The restaurant space is airy, sleek, and rustic all at once, with a marble-topped bar offset by rough-hewn wooden tables. Gaskins' connection to local farmers is strong—it sources from 20 farms, including Hearty Roots, Common Hands, and Montgomery Place Orchards—and this shines through in the simple fare. Heirloom tomatoes are tossed with peaches, basil, and chorizo. Fried chicken is served with slaw and honey-butter hot sauce. Mussels and clams are roasted in the wood-fired oven and served with potatoes. Shishito and padron peppers are coated with sea salt and lemon. Gaskins has a well-developed cocktail program and a list featuring small-batch natural wines. There's a small deck on the street for al fresco dining.
2 Church Avenue, Germantown. (845) 537-2107
LUCOLI PIZZA
For locals lamenting the area's scarcity of thin-crust pizza (Pizzeria Posto in Rhinebeck notwithstanding), Lucoli to the rescue! Syrian-Italian owner Nobile Attie is not just a longtime Hudson Valley restaurateur—he's also a designer of wood- and gas-fired ovens for top chefs like Bobby Flay and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In keeping with Lucoli's industrial vibe, the restaurant's two brick ovens are front and center when you walk through the door—and also key to the taste of his crispy, superflavorful pizzas. Customers can choose from more than 20 toppings, among them Mediterranean staples like olives, artichokes, feta, tahini, and eggplant. The healthful emphasis extends to house-made mozzarella and roasted-tomato sauce, organic ingredients, homegrown herbs, and gluten-free and whole-wheat crust options. Among Attie's innovations is his popular Lucoli, a folded-over pizza "sandwich" stuffed with goodies.
7476 South Broadway, Red Hook. (845) 758-5600
MAYBELLE'S
Opened about a year ago in a space once occupied by an Art Deco soda fountain, Maybelle's retains many of those period touches, including the chevron-style mirrors and light fixtures. The food here is equally artful and emphasizes farm-fresh ingredients (as does co-owner Jamie Parry's Milan outpost, Another Fork in the Road). Among the playful savory-sweet combinations are the carrot salad roasted in coffee with Thai basil pesto, and the pan-seared scallops with English peas, pea tendrils, blackberries, and shiso. The house-made mozzarella with warm bread and olive oil is simple but inspired. For now, Maybelle's is BYOB with a liquor license pending, but it plans to serve a smoky black lager and other interesting artisanal beer.
355 Main Street, Catskill. (518) 719-1800
OLE SAVANNAH SOUTHERN TABLE & BAR
Riding the Hudson Valley BBQ trend, Ole Savannah has taken over the Steel House Restaurant's former space in the stately Cornell Steamboat building, along with one of the most scenic waterfront settings in Kingston. The restaurant, co-owned by Mark Guido of Mariner's Harbor, combines BBQ and comfort food, another big buzz phrase these days. Guido and his two partners brought in culinary consultant Kenny Callaghan, former executive chef of New York City's celebrated Blue Smoke BBQ restaurant. The result: tasty Southern classics like pan-seared blackened catfish, house-smoked pulled pork shoulder, and fried green tomatoes with buttermilk ranch dressing. Not Southern enough for you? Add a side of collard greens or house-baked biscuits. Bonus: Kids eat free Sunday through Thursday.
100 Rondout Landing, Kingston. (845) 331-4283
ROUGH CUT BREWING CO.
Brothers Jesse and Bart Cummings closed Oscar restaurant in the tough economy of 2011, but in June, they reopened in the same location with a can't-miss concept: a brewpub that serves delicious, inventive food, along with plenty of inexpensive bar options. The duo teamed up with homebrewer/carpenter Kayne Konecny, who gave the space an artful rustic-industrial makeover and concocts ambrosial beverages—think Pomme d'Orange Belgian Tripel with orange blossom honey and homemade candy sugar. Chef Bart Cummings douses steak in rich sauces like green peppercorn and brandy cream and tops his tasty lamb burger with figs, red onion, and feta.
5945 Route 44/55, Kerhonkson. (845) 626-9838
SCHATZI'S PUB & BIER GARDEN
Looking for a little slice of Bavaria? Schatzi's is the closest you'll come in the Hudson Valley. This pub serves up five types of German sausage, from an Andouille with spicy cheddar to a slow-smoked pork and beef brat. Or try the schnitzel—instead of the traditional red cabbage, it comes with a sweet braised purple-cabbage aioli, a creative twist that characterizes many of Schatzi's dishes. With 15 tap lines—11 dedicated to craft beer and four to German beer—there's plenty of good cheer flowing here. Take a jaunt on the Walkway over the Hudson, then plop yourself under an umbrella on Schatzi's bluestone patio with a Hefeweizen and a warm Bavarian pretzel with creamy homemade beer cheese.
202 Main Street, Poughkeepsie. (845) 454-1179
YOLO BISTRO
The mission of Yolo—You Only Live Once—is to offer unique fusion dishes served in chic surroundings. Chef Joseph Barlow has done his fair share of traveling, and it shows in creations such as the five-spice-crusted salmon napoleon with warm Asian slaw, sesame soba noodles, and crispy wontons. Even the Yolo Burger has foreign flair thanks to its Brie stuffing. The newly renovated space, former home of Indian restaurant Cinnamon, pays homage to the Hudson Valley with soothing earth tones, a stacked-stone wall, and a granite-and-stone bar with an opalescent glow. It's the perfect setting for sipping one of Yolo's inspired craft cocktails.
260 North Road, Poughkeepsie. (845) 345-9230
