Dining Delights: Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

by Mark Gerlach, February 25, 2010

The Hudson Valley is known for its robust and forwarding thinking food scene. With The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) nestled in Hyde Park, the area is home to some of the best chefs in the country, and many of the world-class restaurants peppered throughout the region serve local milk, cheese, meat, vegetables, and wine. Spotlighting the area as a culinary destination, the 4th annual Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW) will run from March 15 through March 28 to feature the area as a culinary destination.


Hudson Valley Restaurant Week organizer Janet Crawshaw says the two-week celebration has really taken off since it started in 2006 with 70 restaurants. “[Restaurant Week] showcases the Hudson Valley as a great culinary destination and it brings awareness worldwide, or certainly across the country, that there is something happening here.”

For the first time this year, Restaurant Week will include weekends. An estimated 150,000 people are expected to dine out, about 25,000 more than in 2009 when 87 restaurants participated. “It really gives restaurants an opportunity to introduce themselves to brand new customers and it also gives them a chance to say thank you to returning customers by giving them this great deal,” says Crawshaw, publisher of Valley Table magazine, which focuses on regional farms, food, and cuisine. According to surveys, at least half of the customers who dined out were trying the restaurants for the first time.

Crawshaw says she plans to go to as many restaurants as she can and hopes others will do the same. “I want to hear that the restaurants are buzzing and that the people are really enjoying themselves.”

HVRW also highlights local farms and products. “For us, that’s what it’s about—building business relationships that help support a local food system and food industry,” says Crawshaw.