Best Menus Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Fall 2016

We scoured the menus for all your local faves who are participating in Hudson Valley Restaurant Week and came up with three menus that jumped off the page for us. We list them here along with the three best menus from our list of eight Worth the Trip eateries that sound yum and are an absolute steal at $29.95. See all the local players and all eight of our Worth The Trip picks for HVRW.

Best Local Menus

Cafe of Love – Mt. Kisco: Lesley Lampert’s “farm to table global adventure” makes this year’s list of the best local menus. We’ll start with the Seafood Ceviche Taco with shrimp, hake & avocado-lime cream. For our entree, we can’t pass up the Rack of Lamb (at these prices) with chestnut-parsnip puree, braised cabbage, apples & turnips. And, we’ll finish with the Almond Croissant Bread Pudding with creme anglaise. You may like …

First Course:

Wild Mushroom Soup, coconut milk, crispy brown rice/ Kale & Roasted Root Jewels Salad, Delicata squash, beets, carrots, parsnips, crispy quinoa, maple-sage vinaigrette/ Pumpkin Pierogies, ricotta, pecans, butter, sage, cream, nutmeg

Second Course: 

Quinoa, Roasted Roots & Brussels Sprouts Risotto, pomegranate seeds, cranberry-mustard dressing/ Seared Scallops, Brussels, brown rice & bacon timbale, rosemary-carrot jus/ Oven Fried Chicken, mac ‘n cheese waffle, wilted fall greens

Dessert: 

Flourless Chocolate Cake, almonds, brandy, espresso whipped cream/ Apple Fritters, salted caramel sauce/ Soco Creamery Sorbet, mint & rosemary

Winston – Mt. Kisco: Two years in a row for Winston. Once again we’ll take the Pan Seared Crab Cake. This year’s version is served with guacamole and smoky chipotle sauce – last year’s had an Asian theme. Plus, the Grilled Hanger Steak with Singapore Fried Rice, a sunny side up egg and a soy glaze. And the Creme Brûlée Duo. You choose…

First Course: 

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, beets, Brussels sprouts, frisee, sunflower seed puree & sweet soy glaze/ Beef Yaki Dumplings, house-made with garlic chives & soy vinaigrette/ Pan seared Crab, guacamole & smoky chip-tel sauce

Second Course: 

Seared Cod with zucchini and squash ribbons, leeks, onions and gribiche/ Mushroom Pasta, Fresh Cassarecce pasta with a truffle mushroom Ragu/ Grilled Hanger Steak, Singapore Fried Rice, sunny side up egg & soy glaze

Dessert: 

Dirty Winston Bar, raspberry sorbet/ Crème Brûlée Duo, vanilla and chocolate

251 Lex – ­ Mt. Kisco: 251 Lex doesn’t mess around. They offer a selection of 8 starters, 9 entrees and six desserts for HVRW. We’re going with the Clam Avgolemono Chowder with orzo, lemon broth, celery and fennel cracker; the Fennel Crusted Spanish Mackerel with potato skordalia & bok choy, and the Chocolate Pot De Creme. You might also consider:

First Course: 

Dayboat Ceviche, mussels, scallops, octopus, calamari, chiles, cilantro & lime/ Lemon Chicken Wings, Tsatziki, harissa chile oil & dill/ 6 Shucked East Coast Oysters, Wellfleet, MA, mignonette

Second Course: Sizzling Spanish Octopus, cous cous, chickpeas, red wine vinaigrette/ Goffle Farm Chicken Breast, roasted potatoes, pistachio-arugula pesto/ Rosemary Rubbed Lamb Tenderloin, mint yogurt & lemon potatoes

Dessert: 

Fig Napoleon, pistachio, cinnamon whipped cream/ Apple & Walnut Baklava, orange honey syrup/ Selection of Jane’s Sorbet or Ice Cream 

Best Menus Worth the Trip

The winner! Crave Restaurant – Poughkeepsie: We like the short HVRW menus and this is a good one. We’re starting with the Celery Root Velour (cause of the bacon and walnuts). Then it’s on to the Pork Cheek ‘Put Au Feu’ (cause of the pork cheeks). And we’ll finish with the Chocolate Cremeux (cause of everything, the chocolate, the graham cracker and the fig and salted caramel ice cream). Wouldn’t you?

First Course:

Celery Root Veloute, apple, walnut, bacon/ Sky Farms Greens, pear, blue cheese, candied onion/ Pork Belly, cabbage, caramelized onion, mustard

Second Course:

Beef Tri-Tip, potato puree, charred broccoli, Brussels sprouts, jus/ Chicken, polenta, barley, corn, Hon-Shimeji mushrooms, Salmon, saffron arancini, cauliflower, capers/ Pork Cheek ‘Pot Au Feu’: marble potato, baby carrots, turnip, cippolini onions/ Butternut Squash, quinoa, maitake mushrooms, squash, Robiola cheese

Dessert:

PB&J: peanut butter cookie, peanut butter mousse & concord grape sorbet/ Chocolate Cremeux: graham cracker, fig & salted caramel ice cream/ Granny Smith Sorbet, butterscotch pudding, granola

Il Cenacolo – Newburgh: Anybody who puts pot roast on their HVRW menu must know something. So we’re going with that for the main course. We’ll balance the pot roast and mashed with drizzled truffle oil by starting with the Tuscan peasant salad. And then it’s on the the cinnamon raison rice pudding – ’cause who makes rice pudding?

First Course: 

Panzanella Toscana, Tuscan peasant salad/ Mistro Terra, variety of beans, vegetables, parmigiana cheese, dried meats/ Asparagi Burro Nero e Parmigiana, steamed asparagus with brown butter and parmigiana cheese/  Fungi Ripen, stuffed mushrooms/ Sarde in Padella, fresh Portuguese sardines sautéed with caramelized onions, arugula/  Zuppa Di Dentice, red snapper soup

Main Course

Penne al Vitella e Salvia, veal sauce, white wine, celery, carrots & sage/  Pappardelle all Amatriciana, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper/ Rigatoni all Buttera, hot and sweet sausage, peas/ Rigatoni Sugo di Manzo, Bolognese Sauce/ Stracotto all Fiorentina, traditional Italian pot roast, mashed potatoes, truffle oil/ Pollo all Cacciatora, chicken stew, white wine, tomato sauce, garlic, fresh sage, dried porcini mushrooms, Osso Bucco, slow cooked, leeks, sun-dried tomato, white wine, tomato/ Dentice al Livornese, red snapper sautéed with white wine, light tomato sauce, garlic, black olives, capers/ Salmone Guazzetto Bianco, garlic, tomato sauce, white wine

Dessert

Chocolate Lava Cake/ Tiramisu/ Pumpkin Pie/ Bread Pudding/ Cinnamon Raisin Rice Pudding/ Homemade Gelato & Sorbet

X2O Xaviars on the Hudson – Yonkers: We’re going with the Crispy Tuna Roll “Tempura” though we may regret passing on the Warm Custard of Foraged Mushrooms. Then it’s the Catskill Mountain Brook Trout with garlic & lemon crumbs (cause it’s local fish and there’s also that portobello hash. (Though if you’ll join us, we’ll share that with the Defiant Beer Braised Short Ribs with white cheddar & corn grits and the Brussels sprouts with the port glaze.) For dessert, we’re having the Belgian Chocolate Tart – sorry, not sharing! 

First Course

Mousseline of Chicken Livers, vegetable pickle, grain mustard, sliced baguette/ Warm Custard of Foraged Mushrooms, Snipped Chives, Buerre Blanc/ Ulster County Field Greens & Goat Cheese, mustard vinaigrette/ Green Onion & Black Truffle Risotto, shaved Parmigiano/ Butternut Squash Bisque, ginger marshmallows, pumpkin seed oil/ Crispy Tuna Roll “Tempura”/ caramelized soy, wasabi mayo/

Second Course

Pan Roasted Hudson Valley Chicken with Fresh Herbs, truffled potato puree, sauté of squashes/ Roast Rack of Heritage Pork, apple fritter, savory butterscotch sauce, sweet potato Puree with ginger & garlic/ Catskill Mountains Brook Trout with Garlic & Lemon Crumbs, root vegetable, portobello hash, watercress, Ronny Brook sauce/ Honey and Sake Glazed Salmon/ ragout of orzo & broccoli rabe mushroom jus, pear tomatoes/ Defiant Beer Braised Short Ribs of Beef, white cheddar & corn grits, crispy Brussels sprout Brotherhood Port glaze/ Hudson Valley Foie Gras & Beef Cheek Ravioli/ crushed amoretti,i truffled Port glaze/

Dessert

Organic Carrot Cake, Mascarpone frosting, rum crème Anglaise/ Pumpkin Pannacotta, spiced cake, vanilla syrup, Amaretti cookie/ Belgian Chocolate Tart, dark chocolate ganache, shortbread crust, pistachio foam/ Deconstructed Hudson Valley Apple and Cranberry Cobbler, brown butter custard, soft cream/ Banana & Walnut Bread Pudding, vanilla bean ice cream

See everyone Who’s Playing Locally and all 8 of our Worth The Trip Picks

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