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Rhinebeck Terrapin Some of the area’s suavest food emanates from this one-time Baptist church at the edge of downtown. It’s actually two restaurants in one, a wall having been installed to divide the former sanctuary into a formal restaurant on one side and a lively bistro and bar on the other. In contrast to local restaurateurs who tout indigenous cuisine, chef-owner Josh Kroner, an ex-New Yorker, favors “the world’s most diverse flavors from far-flung origins.” That translated at lunchtime to some of the most intense tastes we’ve enjoyed. The signature roasted garlic soup was comforting yet kicky, embellished with sherry, wine and cream plus and topped with an ancho chile crouton. The barbecued duck quesadilla, a fixture appetizer on the dinner menu, was light and soothing with a superior mango-avocado salsa. The oyster po-boy in a baguette was a knife-and-fork affair that was enough for two to share. Only the niggardly glasses of fumé blanc wine disappointed. At night, the fairly extensive menu ranges from a half-dozen pastas and several vegetarian dishes to roquefort-crusted filet mignon with port wine sauce. The chef might poach Pacific halibut with enoki mushrooms over dashi broth and udon noodles, enliven pork tenderloin with a Thai orange-coconut curry and spicy jade minted rice, and wrap sliced moulard duck breast and braised confit in crêpes and serve with peking sauce. Start with lobster and shiitake mushroom cakes with citrus aioli or a crispy salmon spring roll with ginger sauce. Finish with a sweet cheese blini, warm chocolate cake with molten center or a selection of house-made sorbets and ice creams. Similar fare is available in the high-ceilinged bistro/bar, whose popularity tends to overshadow the fine-dining operation. In either venue, you will eat creatively and well. The soaring dining room with something of a modern Asian look and well-dressed tables on two levels is quieter and more refined. (845) 876-3330. www.terrapinrestaurant.com. Entrées,
$19.95 to $27.95. Dinner nightly, 5 to 10 or 11. Bistro, $9.95 to $13.95. Lunch and dinner daily,
11 to midnight or later.
40 West This rustic, two-story space with exposed beams and
a wraparound balcony hints of its former life as a blacksmith shop.
Co-owners Thomas Turck and chef Wesley Dire, a CIA grad, run a
low-profile operation that wins plaudits for some of the most innovative
cuisine in the The main floor consists of a bar along one side, a tiny kitchen in back and a handful of tables flanked by high-back blond cane chairs with leopard-print seats. Most of the dining takes place in the upstairs lofts, with the waitstaff scurrying up and down narrow stairs to deliver the dinner fare. Muted gray-green walls soften the beams that frame the room and frosted blue lights illuminate the bar. The seasonal menu combines Asian and Southwest influences. We’d gladly make a meal of such appetizers as a smoked chicken spring roll with Asian radicchio, the house-cured salmon niçoise with quail eggs and haricots vert, the fried oysters with wasabi-lime vinaigrette, and the phyllo-wrapped goat cheese served warm with Lebanese fig jam, toasted crostini and mixed greens. Equally enticing are main courses ranging from
barbecued king salmon with cilantro-lime vinaigrette, zucchini frites
and chipotle whipped potatoes to grilled filet mignon with white truffle
jus and smoked Cool the palate with such desserts as crisp almond tuile “cones” filled with lemon mousse and drizzled with raspberry coulis, an old-fashioned cobbler with dried cherries, macerated figs and vanilla ice cream, crème brûlée with papaya and crystallized ginger or pineapple-sambuca granita. The fairly priced wine list holds some not-often-seen offerings from near and far. (845) 876-2214. Entrées, $20 to $26. Dinner nightly except Wednesday, 5 to 10 or 11
Somewhat hidden along Rhinebeck’s main street, the facade is unassuming and easy to miss, except in summer when sidewalk tables catch the eye. The interior is relatively small and minimalist, with a circular bar in front and a pair of dining areas, one with a high ceiling in front and the other with a low ceiling in back. The rich wood tables are left uncovered. The window ledges are adorned with bottles and foodstuffs, the burnt sienna walls are dotted with local artworks, and a couple of high beams and ducts are left exposed. It is not as showy or over the top as its website might indicate, even though the owner is Laura Pensiero, a cookbook author, nutritionist and culinary consultant. Laura helped turn part of a former automobile showroom in Rhinebeck into an urban-modern trattoria and moved into the limelight following the departure of founding chef Gianna Scappin, her ex-husband. Subsequent chefs execute the original menu she calls
“Hudson Valley Mediterranean,” a personal interpretation of
traditional Italian dishes made with the bounty of the The heart of the menu are the changing pastas and risottos, perhaps rigatoni with spicy sausage, peas, tomatoes and a touch of cream or funghetti, herbed gnocchi with peas, pearl onions and spring mushrooms, topped with shaved pecorino and crispy prosciutto. The handful of main courses include baby chicken roasted under a brick with sausage, pan-roasted salmon with smoked paprika jus, veal scaloppine with wild mushrooms and parmesan shavings, and ribeye steak grilled with rosemary and olive oil, sliced and served with Tuscan fries. Four vegetables are available as side dishes. Tiramisu, lemon tart brûlée and cantucci, the house-made biscotti with almonds, are typical desserts. The all-Italian wine list represents many regions and is on the pricey side. (845) 876-1007. www.gigitrattoria.com. Entrées,
$22.95 to $36.95. Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday Le Petit Bistro His staff took over where retiring
chef-owner Jean-Paul Crozier left off, and their loyal fans report this
long-running French charmer – an enduring culinary treasure amid
Rhinebeck’s sea of new faces – is better than ever. Manager Dan
Bleen assumed ownership and was joined by Joseph Dalu from the late Old
Chatham Sheepherding Company Inn kitchen as chef. Pine walls and floors give the
40-seat dining room and half-circle bar at the side a warm,
country-French look. Except for globe lamps inside wooden frames, the
decor is simple and the atmosphere convivial and intimate. The French menu starts with classics
like onion soup, pâté maison, smoked trout and escargots bourguignonne.
English dover sole, offered meunière or grenobloise, is a house
specialty and the priciest item on the value-priced menu. Sea scallops
with crushed black peppercorns and cream sauce, duck with chef’s
choice of sauce, veal scaloppine, frog's legs, rack of lamb provençal
and steak au poivre are among the choices. Regulars tout Joseph’s nightly
seafood specials. Scallops provençal, pan-seared yellow pike,
pan-roasted sablefish, and pasta with clams and scallops were posted on
the chalkboard at our latest visit. Desserts include crème caramel,
mocha mousse, raspberry frappe and peach melba. (845) 876-7400.
www.lepetitbistro.com. Entrées, $16.95 to $27.95. Dinner,
Thursday-Monday 5 to 10, Sunday 4 to 9. Sabroso Its name means tasty or
delightful, and both descriptions suit this new Latin-inspired
restaurant in the space vacated by the late Cripple Creek Restaurant.
Self-taught chefs Marcia Miller and Erica Mahlkuch and partner
Christopher Long created a soft, sunny L-shaped room with buttery colors
and pastel accents. It’s a pleasant backdrop for food spanning a range
of South American countries. The trio operated Caffe
Bocce for ten years in the small Grazers are in their
element with such tapas as a trio of seviche or a trio of arepas with
roasted corn salsa, lime crema and queso blanco. Or you might try
littleneck clams with chorizo, tomato and a cilantro-lime pesto; chile-dusted
calamari with guafillo sauce and poblano-lime aioli, or sugar-cane
skewered shrimp over field greens with hearts of palm, papaya and
pomegranate-ginger vinaigrette. For main courses, the
chefs might wrap halibut in a banana leaf, stuff it with tostones
(plantains) and serve it in a chipotle-citrus broth, or stuff a whole
red snapper with coconut-cilantro rice and finish it with a tomato-mango
sauce. The paella bears chicken, chorizo, shrimp, mussels, clams and
papaya. Other options include fire-grilled tuna with tropical salsa and
a quinoa salad, roast guava-plum duck with a chayote sweet-potato hash
and grilled skirt steak with sweet potato fries and chimichurri. Typical of the desserts is
a dense French chocolate cake laced with cointreau and served with
banana ice cream. Sangria, mojitos and wines
from (845) 876-8688.
www.sabrosoplatos.com. Entrées, $19.95 to $28.95. Dinner nightly except
Tuesday, from
A perfect five-star rating from the
restaurant reviewer for the Poughkeepsie newspaper followed the opening
of this snug little hideaway in a twenty-seat storefront across from the
famous Beekman Arms. The stars were for the food offered by Culinary
Institute of America graduate Anthony Balassone, an alumnus of Le
Pavillon in Poughkeepsie, and the baked goods of his wife Leslie. Their
menu is surprisingly ambitious for so small an enterprise. The patisserie in front opens at 8
a.m. for croissants and brioche. Come lunch time, the kitchen offers a
handful of interesting choices, perhaps seafood chili with cornbread,
house-smoked salmon fillet served on a mixture of greens and roasted
porcini mushrooms, pizza of the day and sliced flank steak on a toasted
baguette. The gratinéed vidalia onion soup laced with Anchor Steam ale
makes a good starter. So does the award-winning roasted garlic soup with
crème fraîche and an herbed brioche crouton. For dinner, chef Tony prepares such
treats as a classic bouillabaisse, pan-roasted salmon fillet with a
light braised shallot and baby spinach cream sauce, sliced pork
tenderloin with apple-raisin compote, oven-roasted duckling glazed with
a honey-peach reduction and charbroiled filet mignon with hunter sauce. Start with a terrine of roasted
garlic layered with pesto and Coach Farms goat cheese or a grilled
portobello mushroom with sautéed shrimp and pesto sauce. Finish with
one of the more than twenty exceptional desserts from the pastry case. Artifacts and calico items adorn a
shelf above the pale blue wainscoting of this pure and simple place with
white-linened tables. The wine list features boutique vineyards and good
values. (845) 876-2749. Entrées,
$16.95 to $21.95. Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday 11 to 2:30. Dinner,
Wednesday-Sunday from Material excerpted from Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2006. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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