5 New Places to Eat in the Hudson Valley this May

Bimi's Canteen

In May, Chatham's beloved cheese shop, Bimi's, will throw open the doors to their new bar/restaurant Bimi's Canteen. In the kitchen, chef and Chatham native Josh Kelly will turn out a hyperlocal and cheese-forward menu (macaroni gratin, anyone? Fondue?). The opening entre list includes indulgent picks like a Grimaldi Farms organic culotte steak; Overlook Farms roasted chicken served with saffron rice, Pucker's pak dong, and grilled lime; and a traditional French bouillabaisse. Pastry chef Claire Raposo is a decorated Le Cordon Bleu alum, while the bar program is headed up by Boulud group veteran Andrey Matseyev.

Mill and Main Restaurant

Since opening their provisions market/cafe Mill and Main in 2021, Claudia Sidoti, Paul Weathered, and their son Christopher Weathered have revived Kerhonkson's short Main Street with fresh-baked pastries, espresso drinks, and a bright interior. After much delay, the second phase of their project—Mill and Main Restaurant—is finally opening mid-May. With the kitchen helmed by Christopher, whose CV includes Blue Hill at Stone Barns, expect a short, punchy menu accessible farm-to-table fare. Apps include pigs in a blanket with curry creole mustard ($14) and lamb meatballs with whipped ricotta ($16) with mains like pan-roasted brook trout with limoncello ($28). There are also plenty of inventive and hearty vegetarian options like the tamarind nut-crusted cabbage with crunchy quinoa and coconut curry ($22). 

Atelier Ku-Ki

On the heels of their successful bento box pop-up, Atelier Ku-Ki, Yoko and Kristiaan Ueno have opened a permanent location for their Japanese food concept inside Made X Hudson's creative collective on Main Street in Catskill. Here they dish up farm-to-table bento boxes and Japanese confectionery treats using local produce to take-away or eat in-house. There are three meal options—two meat protein boxes and one vegetarian—at $20 each, as well as two Onigiri appetizers ($4-$5 each) and a dessert box. Offerings like teriyaki wild salmon come accompanied by sides like Japanese potato salad, chikuwa isobe-age tempura, tamagoyaki, kale and carrot ohitashi, pickled vegetables, nori, lotus root, red shiso furikake, and salt kombu.

Cafe Con Leche

The former Halcyon Cafe space on Mill Street next to Old Mill Wine and Spirits in Rhinebeck has a new tenant, Cafe Con Leche. It is the second location for chef Phil Cordero's Puerto Rican restaurant, which opened its flagship storefront in Wappingers Falls in 2018. The Rhinebeck outpost is smaller in scale than the original location and has a narrowed focus on cafe items—coffee and baked goods—while also serving beloved Puerto Rican favorites like empanadas, chicken chicharron, and pernil (slow-roasted pork.)

Moonburger

On April 22, Kingston's meatless fast food phenomenon Moonburger inaugurated its second location on Main Street in New Paltz with a cool, retro-futuristic interior in the old location of Mexicali Blue. Expect MB's signature tight menu of offerings (oat milk shakes, griddled Impossible burgers—with and without cheese, fries—spicy and not) plus a special weekend treat. On Friday and Saturday nights from 11pm to 2am, Moonburger New Paltz switches over to a night shift menu with plant-based nuggets and waffle fries, available exclusively at this location.