Governesses, though outmoded, played an important role on many of our childhood TV screens. We think fondly of our technicolor tutors like Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. But with its new Poughkeepsie restaurant, ESS Hospitality Group is doing more than just feeding the birds. Combining a Mary Poppins-inspired theme, lobster thermidor, and a stunning waterfront view, owner and hospitality industry veteran Melanie Lemieux opens her third gastropub. The Governess, which has taken over at the old Ice House in the riverfront Waryas Park, celebrated its grand opening on July 25.
The Poughkeepsie Ice House, originally used to store and ship ice carved from the Hudson River, was a beloved waterfront restaurant and staple of the community from 2012 to 2020. A cocktail and a meal on the water amongst the daily bustle or the annual festivals in the park was a gratifying experience for locals and visitors alike. After the restaurant closed during the pandemic, Flores Taqueria took over the space in 2021, but closed less than a year later. In the search of a new operator for the municipally owned property, Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers emphasized the need for a destination-quality venue that fit in with the rest of the waterfront’s offerings. ESS Hospitality fit the bill.
Lemieux has a long history of successful restaurants and bars. First came The Baroness in 2013, a retro spot in Queens serving cocktails and burgers inspired by Lemieux’s great great grandmother. The next Queens endeavor was The Huntress in 2018, the Baroness’ wild counterpart, with a menu focused on whiskey, wings, and venison. Now dropping in Poughkeepsie, The Governess is the refined tutor of its two sister establishments.
Since 2020, Lemieux has been splitting her time between the city and her home in Wappingers Falls. She loved the area so much that when she decided she wanted to open a third restaurant, she had her eyes set on the Hudson Valley. “This location, in particular, I’ve had my eyes on for a little over a year now. Once they put out the request for proposal for the new operators of the space, I jumped on the opportunity,” Lemieux says. “I spent a lot of time on that proposal and in meetings with the city, trying to convince them that we were the best team to really bring a brand new life to this beautiful property right on the waterfront. With the view alone and the patio, we didn’t have to do much to make it spectacular.”
Besides bringing the building up to code, ESS didn’t have to make many renovations to the space. It’s all in the decor—going with the Mary Poppins-inspired governess theme and logo, a custom-made, seven-foot-wide steel umbrella hangs from the ceiling over an array of Singer sewing table bases that Lemieux sourced across the tri-state area.
As for the menu, the stylings aren’t all that different from their other two locations. Its signature twists on classic American food include their lava macaroni ($16), with six cheeses and pretzel crumbs; maple sriracha wings ($14); and burgers like Le Ranch ($22)—a charbroiled burger with shaved ribeye, swiss, buttermilk ranch, runny egg, and barbecue sauce. The restaurant is working with local vendors like Earth to Table to bring locally sourced ingredients into the kitchen. Being riverfront, their menu highlights seafood with offerings like a family-style seafood boil ($72), a raw bar platter of clams, oysters, and shrimp ($36), and pan-seared salmon ($37).
Food isn’t all ESS has to offer—in the city, they’re known to put on small live music events and an annual dog beauty pageant. This new space is a huge upgrade compared to the small square footage that comes with being in the city, and with the growth, they’re hoping to utilize the space with even bigger events in Poughkeepsie. Using the park space, they plant to hold big holiday events like a Halloween festival with a hay bale maze and haunted house as well as a market during the months of November and December. Once the weather cools and they’ve found their footing, ESS hopes to hold their dog pageant in late August, with potential sponsors from big brands like Tito’s.
“I really imagine some families inside celebrating with the kids, with the grandparents and still having a bachelorette party outside, or another table having some mimosas and a party,” Lemieux says. “Just an all inclusive space where everybody can have a good time together.”
The Governess will be open everyday except Monday, with planned hours of 12-11pm on weekdays and 12pm-1am on weekends, with their kitchen open late daily. By the fall, they’re hoping to be open seven days a week.
