Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Spring 2020

admin Posted OnMarch 5, 2020

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Saltaire in Port Chester is Worth the Trip for HVRW

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Spring 2020: Foodies know the drill! HVRW lasts from Monday March 16 to Sunday, March 29. During HVRW you can get a three course lunch for $22.95 or dinner for $32.95 at 121 restaurants in Westchester County and 121 more throughout the Hudson Valley. It’s a great excuse to duck your head into your favorite local eateries. Or explore some new restaurants out of town. Here’s a list of local participating restaurants, five more “worth the trip” and some of the best HVRW menus we could find.

Want to know more – click the links to see our Restaurant Guide.

Who’s Playing Locally

Armonk: Beehive (Dinner: Mon-Sun) Armonk’s favorite three meal eatery. Fortina (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) Straight forward Italian from wood-fired ovens from Chopped! champion and 2018 Next Food Network Star winner Christian Petroni. Lenny’s North: (Lunch Mon-Fri & Dinner Mon-Sun) Fine Italian dining from Lenny Balidema of Il Castello in Mamaroneck and Lenny’s Steakhouse in Larchmont. Moderne Barn (Lunch: Mon-Fri, Dinner: Mon-Fri & Sun) Ever popular New American from the Livanos family, owners of NYC’s Oceana & Molyvos. Zero Otto Nove (Lunch: Tues-Sat & Dinner: Tues-Thurs & Sun) Arthur Avenue legend Chef Roberto Paciullo’s exquisite Armonk calling card.

Brewster: Clock Tower Grill (Lunch: Tues-Fri & Dinner: Tues-Sun) Get your grits on at this popular locally-sourced Brewster bistro that does amazing things with bacon.

Chappaqua: Crabtree’s Kittle House: (Lunch: Mon-Sat & Dinner: Mon-Sun) A Chappaqua institution (pictured left) from the days of Henry Fonda and Talulah Bankhead. Le Jardin du Roi: (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) Comfy French bistro serving pain perdu to steak au poivre.

Croton Falls: Primavera: (Lunch: Mon-Fri & Dinner: Mon-Sun) Very good traditional Italian in a landmark Victorian house on Rt. 22. Try the duck ravioli in walnut sauce. (pictured right)

Harrison: 273 Kitchen: (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) This tapas style, wine bar next to the Harrison train station serves up pure Mediterranean seafood preparations from Chef Constantine Kolandranis of 8 North Broadway fame.

Hawthorne: Tramonto by Zuppa: (Lunch: Mon-Fri & Dinner: Mon-Fri & Sun) Traditional Italian from the DaMaro group, owners of Mimo Vinoteca in Irvington.

Katonah: Le Fontane: (Lunch: Tues-Sun & Dinner: Mon-Sun) Southern Italian from the Abbate brothers of Capri – sister to Katonah’s Blue Dolphin and Cross River’s Bacio Trattoria.

Mount Kisco: La Camelia (Lunch: Mon-Fri & Sun & Dinner Mon-Thurs & Sun) Spanish charmer in 18th-century colonial, serving tapas and Iberian specialties received a coveted “Excellent” rating from M.H. Reed of the NYTs. Lexington Square Cafe: (Lunch: Mon-Sun & Dinner: Mon-Fri & Sun) All your favorite dishes in a spacious dining room with 17-foot ceilings. Locali Pizza & Bar: (Lunch & Dinner: Tues-Sun) Village Social’s Joseph Buetti teams up again with Chopped! star Mogan Anthony in this pizza and pasta house in the Mt. Kisco train station. Tipsy Taco (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Thurs & Sun & Dinner) Village Social (Lunch: Mon-Fri & Dinner Mon-Thurs & Sun) Trendy New American with good bones and bar scene. Chopped! star Chef Mogan Anthony pioneered local street food is chic movement. Winston (Dinner: Tues-Thurs & Sun) Fine dining with a Prohibition era vibe. Editor’s choice! One of our favorite restaurants – ditto Governor Cuomo.

Pleasantville: Pubstreet: (Lunch & Dinner: Tues-Thurs & Sun) Pubstreet hits high notes for its exciting space and hopping bar scene in the Pleasantville train station, formerly occupied by The Iron Horse Grill. Vela Kitchen (Dinner: Mon-Thurs & Sun) Creative New-American menu in Pleasantville from former Strega owner and Larchmont’s 1891 Vintage Kitchen. Our BFF’s favorite spot.

Pound Ridge: Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean Georges: (Lunch: Mon-Fri), Three-Michelin star chef, Jean Georges Vongerichten’s charmer in Pound Ridge.

North Salem: 121 Restaurant: (Lunch: Mon-Sat & Dinner: Mon-Thurs & Sun) One of our favorite bistros from Jean Georges protege, Chef Beck Bolender. Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish: (Lunch: Mon-Sun, Dinner: Mon-Thurs & Brunch: Sun) Farm to table meets dock to table, meaning there’s a farm behind the restaurant and an owner is a leading seafood wholesaler. Editor’s choice!

Somers: Traditions 118: (Dinner: Tues-Thurs & Sun) Italian fine dining in the former Maxime’s space from Michael & Lisa Lubic, grandchildren of Michael Lubic Sr. of the original Eduardo’s in Mt. Kisco.

Thornwood: Risotto: (Lunch: Fri-Sun & Dinner: Tues-Sun) Risotto eight ways! And classic Italian specialties in Thornwood.

Yorktown/Yorktown Heights: Peter Pratt’s Inn (Dinner Wed-Fri & Sun) Chef Jonathan Pratt always puts a modern spin on traditional dishes in this Revolutionary War era colonial home across from the Davenport House – General George Washington’s command post. Nadine’s (Lunch Sat-Sun & Dinner Mon-Sun) Christian Scheinle’s Ferench-German spin-off of his family’s NYC Sel et Poivre serves up Scallops & Shrimp Provenzcal, Bratwurst, Sauerbraten, red cabbage and spatzle. More Yorktown players.

Worth The Trip

Le Provenzcal Bistro, Mamaroneck (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Fri & Sun) We found this gem on a recent trip to the Emelin Theatre. Strolling down Mamaroneck Ave., five or six that eateries caught our eye – all with a good urban vibe and interesting menus. We settled on Le Provenzcal Bistro and are happy to see it on the HVRW menu – so we can recommend it to you. Don’t let the white tablecloths throw you, Le Provenzcal has a casual vibe emanating from a friendly waitstaff and a hip crowd. Not to mention all the classic French bistro dishes: Escargot, Steak au Poivre, Coq Au Vin, Duck Confit and Beef Bourguignonne. (463 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck; (914) 777-2324)

Eastchester Fish Gourmet, Scarsdale (Lunch: Thurs-Fri & Dinner: Mon-Thurs & Sun) This nautical fine-diner was spawned from a local fish market serving Scarsdale since 1981. EFG as locals call it, makes daily shopping excursions to the Fulton Fish Market for the restaurant and the market. They landed a coveted Excellent rating from the New York Times in 2013 – and have been sailing along ever since. Their regular menu features everything from Whole Grilled White Sea Bass and Pan Seared Golden Snapper to a Tuna Poke Bowl and a Lobster Cobb Salad. (837 White Plains Rd., Scarsdale, 914-725-3450)

Saltaire, Port Chester (Lunch: Wed-Sun & Dinner: Tues-Fri & Sun) We can’t resist putting Saltaire on our HVRW Worth the Trip list – almost every year. That’s how much we like it. The New York Times gave Les Barnes’ aquaculture emporium an Excellent rating. We like it for like it for its great industrial renovation in a cathedral ceilinged, hundred year old grain warehouse along the Byram River. And the fish happy menu, with a killer raw bar, that can be served in their swank bar/gastro pub with a contemporary vibe or in the cavernous main dining room (pictured). (55 Abendroth Ave., Port Chester, 914.939.2425)

MP Taverna, Irvington (Lunch Mon-Sun & Dinner Mon-Fri & Sun) & Dinner: Another repeat for our HVRW Worth the Trip list is Chef Michael Psilakis’ MP Taverna. It’s simply one of our favorite restaurants and one of Westchester’s best. Psilakis’s modern approach to Greek cooking earned him a Food & Wine’s Best New Chef in 2008. A Bon Appetit and Esquire Magazine Chef of the Year, he’s been gracing magazine covers and doing guest appearances on TV every since. The owner of five restaurants including Kefi on Columbus Ave., he competed in the Food Network’s Chopped! All Stars Tournament in 2015. Read our review. (1 Bridge St., Irvington, 914.231.7854)

Cena 2000, Newburgh (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) If you can’t get in to Il Cenacola (the legendary Newburgh Italian doesn’t play HVRW on Saturday nights) try Cena 2000, it’s more casual cousin with fantastic views of the Hudson River and Highlands. Like Il Cenacola, you will find a great wine list and an elevated Northern Italian menu (Quail Risotto, Grilled Octopus, Tuscan Fish Stew, Grilled Calamari, Grilled Duck Breast or Veal Scallopini with sautéed spinach). And you can watch the boats go by. Does that work for you? (50 Front St., Newburgh, 845) 561-7676)

Best HVRW Menus

Aroma Osteria, Wappinger’s Falls (Lunch: Tues-Sat & Dinner: Tues-Fri & Sun) Some chef’s go out of their way to make this HVRW menus special. This legendary upscale Tuscan in Wappinger’s Falls, a perennial Zagat’s Top-Ten in Westchester & the Hudson Valley, is one of them. We’re loving the Neapolitan Style Meatloaf. We’ll pair that with the Grilled Rainbow Trout over Sicilian Caponata or the Penne with basil and walnut pesto with wild American shrimp and wild mushrooms. You can have the Tiramisu or the gelato trio, we’re going with the Chocolate and Almond Cake from the Isle of Capri with Raspberry Sauce. And we’re not sharing! (114 Old Post Rd. Wappinger’s Falls, 845.298.6790)

Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar , Congers (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) You can still get a 6:30 table at Chef Peter Kelly’s pond-side country restaurant in Congers – but don’t wait. Call today! Yes, he’s in Chapter 11 but he’s not going anywhere. And he can still cook. One of Westchester’s most celebrated chefs, Kelly appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and beat Bobby Flay in Battle Cowboy Rib Eye. And he offers a Whole Roasted New York Sirloin with Sauce Bernaise, Mousseline Potatoes and Haricots vert on his HVRW menu. (Amazing, no?) Organic Carrot Layer Cake with mascarpone frosting and creme anglaise for dessert. (117 N. Rte. 303, Congers, 845-268-6555)

The Roundhouse, Beacon (Dinner: Wed-Sat) Tie your HVRW dinner to a trip to the Dia Beacon and check out this waterfall view from your table at The Roundhouse. If that’s not enough reason to put it on your HVRW list check out this menu. The Carrot Ginger Soup with toasted coconut and kaffir lime and the Oxtail Croquettes with Spicy bourbon mustard and sea salt could be the two best starters we found on any of HVRW’s Spring menus. Chocolate Brownie Torte, Roasted Pear and Coconut Panna Cotta for dessert. Book a room and spend the night in this historic textile factory built in the early 1800s. (2 E. Main St., Beacon, 845-765-8369)

273 Kitchen , Harrison (Lunch & Dinner: Mon-Sun) 273 Kitchen, Constantine Kalandranis’ sister to his 8 North Broadway in Nyack, (that has previously appeared on our HVRW list) was a 2015 Lo-Hud Top Restaurant. With lime green banquettes and whitewashed recycled barn wood it is a hip wine bar with a tapas style menu. And we love their HVRW menu. Namely, the White Anchovy & Stuffed Grape Leaves, Dayboat Shrimp Ceviche for starters. The sizzling Spanish Octopus with Mediterranean Orzo Salad and Grilled Branzino Filet with Lemon Soaked Potatoes. And how good does Warm Chocolate and Halvah Cake sound for dessert? (273 Halstead Ave., Harrison, 914-732-3333)

Peter Pratt’s Inn: Yorktown (Dinner: Wed-Fri & Sun) Chef Jonathan Pratt always tries to put his best creative foot forward for HVRW. This year we really like the sound of his starters: Caramelized Fennel & Onion Bisque (GF, V); Blue Crab Falafel, Za’Atar Lebneh, pickled turnip, preserved lemon, and Foie Gras & Sweetbread Sausage. His entrees are not too shabby either: Monkfish Osso Buco, citrus gremolata; Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, celery root puree, and Stuffed Roasted Veal Breast, wild hive polenta – all GF. For dessert he’s making a GF Carrot Cake, a Crustless Key Lime Pie, a Flourless Chocolate Cake and his home made ice cream. (673 Croton Heights Rd., Yorktown; 914.962.4090.