Iron & Grass
3521 Route 9, Hudson | Ironandgrass.com
Working with little more than a two-unit induction burner, chef Mark Fredette built up a big reputation for himself out of a tiny kitchen in the Clermont Cafe on the Tousey Winery property in Clermont, turning out uncommon, ambitious dishes like squab with blood orange confit and golden turnip slaw or octopus with a mild chili rub. This spring, Fredette closed the cafe to focus on opening Iron & Grass, a grass-finished chophouse on the outskirts of Hudson with seasonal sides. The steak menu offers cuts ranging from an eight-ounce petite sirloin ($26) to a 38-ounce Tomahawk ($140). You can also order a half spatchcock chicken ($26); pork caponata, served with eggplant, pepper, tomato, and rice ($24); or ahi tuna ($24). There’s even a vegan miso eggplant dish ($16).
Apizza!
121 Main Street, New Paltz | Coalovenpizza.org
At a time when Biden is aggressively pushing for the transition to green energy, it may come as a surprise to learn that New Paltz’s newest pizzeria is proudly coal-fired. But it’s less rare than you might think; in fact, many of the places that bill themselves as brick-oven pizzerias are using coal-fired ovens. Adam Monteverde, former pizzaiolo at Grimaldi’s, has taken over the space next to Bangkok Cafe on Main Street. There are two base pies: the regular, made with organic San Marzanos and extra virgin olive oil; and the white. Customize your order with 40 toppings ranging from honey to pesto, prosciutto, or truffle oil. There are gluten-free and vegan options available. In addition to the pizza, there are calzones, a house antipasti platter, salads, and a range of starters from the oven, like the baked clams oreganata ($14) and house meatballs ($12). And we have no idea how the finances of this work out, but during weekend brunch there is a three-for-one cocktail special from 10:30am-2pm.
Secret Vegan Cafe
38 McEntee Street, Kingston | Veganjunkfood.co
Sure, IKEA made Swedish meatballs famous, but have you ever tried Dutch meatballs? Breaded and fried, bitterballen are classically made with beef, stock, and roux. In the Netherlands, they reportedly eat over 300 million of these tasty croquettes a year. After going vegan in 2017, it took Dutch immigrant Kim Hoederman and her husband Jeff Semones two years to perfect a mushroom-based vegan version. In 2019, the pair launched Vegan Junk Food to bring these environmentally friendly, plant-based snacks to bars, restaurants, and caterers in the region. And in September, the couple threw open the doors to the Secret Vegan Cafe in Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood, a new breakfast and lunch spot serving up plant-based indulgences like breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, burgers, fries, apple pie, and beignets, plus coffee.
Mill & Main
317-319 Main Street, Kerhonkson | Millandmainstreet.com
At the end of Kerhonkson’s short Main Street (different from the main drag, which is inexplicably called 42nd Street) sits a formerly vacant, run-down, and flood-damaged building. Claudia Sidoti and Paul Weathered acquired the building at auction in 2017 with dreams of creating a combo restaurant, coffee shop, and market in the storefront space with apartments upstairs. After months of renovations, the coffee shop and provisions component opened in early October, carrying a range of local goodies from producers like Acorn Hill Farm, Casella Salumi, Damn Good Honey Farm, Hudson Valley Fresh, Tree Juice, Fruition Chocolate, Jane’s Ice Cream, and Hawthorne Valley. The restaurant component, with food & bev direction under the couple’s son, Christopher Weathered, a Blue Hill at Stone Barns alum, is set to debut later this fall. The menu will feature seasonal produce and recipes from the owners’ Colombian, Caribbean, and Italian heritage.
This article appears in November 2021.
