Westchester Eats

FOURTH ANNUAL HUDSON VALLEY RESTAURANT WEEK COMES TO REGION’S CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES

MARCH 15-28

More than 125 Restaurants Offering a Wide Array of Culinary Adventures at Discounted Prices

NEWBURGH, New York - The Hudson Valley’s largest and most successful dining promotion, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, returns to cities, towns and villages throughout the region March 15-28. Now in its fourth year, this much-anticipated multi-county dining extravaganza features more than 125 restaurants offering three-course prix-fixe lunches at $20 and/or dinners at $28.

Last year’s event drew more than 125,000 diners, who discovered new culinary experiences at area restaurants. Restaurant goers will have an even wider choice of restaurants and cuisines this year, including Nuevo Latino, Moroccan, Portuguese/Brazilian, Greek, New Orleans/Innovative American, as well as Contemporary American, Italian, French bistro, fondue, and steak and seafood houses.

“The Hudson Valley food scene is vibrant. The Valley is home to the country’s foremost cooking school, a nationally recognized center for food and agriculture, celebrated artisanal cheese makers and world-class wineries and distilleries, and some of the best chefs in America,” says Janet Crawshaw, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week organizer and publisher of The Valley Table magazine, the recognized authority on all things food related in the Hudson Valley.

Because agriculture is still the Hudson Valley’s biggest industry, the use of locally produced ingredients on Restaurant Week menus is key to the event’s popularity. “Chefs find inspiration and amazing ingredients in the surrounding farms,” says Crawshaw. “They go all out to use locally produced ingredients, from venison, duck and heritage pork to artisanal cheeses.”

For the first time this year, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week will include two full weekends, making it even more tantalizing for those looking for a tasty getaway. Many Hudson Valley hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts are offering discounted rates during Restaurant Week, so adventurous foo dies can spend a weekend or longer sampling menus at some of the finest restaurants in the region while treating themselves to mini-vacations.

In addition, overnight accommodations are available on the premises of some of the participating restaurants. Among them is the gothic-style Thayer Hotel at West Point with breathtaking river views; the Kittle House, a 12-room historic landmark inn in Chappaqua; the Bird & Bottle Inn in Garrison and the historic Hudson House River Inn in Cold Spring. To view lodging discounts and packages, go to www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com/links.php#lodging

Another exciting development for the event is a promotional partnership with Metro-North, which is encouraging passengers to take advantage of the many dining opportunities that are within walking distance of train stations along the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines. One new restaurant, Via Vanti, is actuall y located in the Mt. Kisco train station.

“We are delighted to partner with MTA Metro-North in inviting people from throughout the New York Metro area to discover the culinary pleasures of the Hudson Valley,” says Crawshaw.

Newcomers to Hudson Valley Restaurant Week this year include American Bounty at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Cafe of Love in Mount Kisco, Brasserie Le Bouchon in Cold Spring, The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry, Il Portico in Tappan, Babycakes Cafe in Poughkeepsie and the ever-popular Bear Cafe in Woodstock.

Hudson Valley restaurant goers can dine in a wide variety of wonderful settings. Hudson House of Nyack is located in a former village hall and jailhouse, where the jail cells now serve as the wine cellar and the walls are adorned with pressed tin dating back to the 1800s. Charlotte’s, set in rolling hunt country in Millbrook, serves country European fare in several charming dining rooms, each with a fireplace.

Two restaurants are ho used in former train stations–the Iron Horse Grill in Pleasantville and Valhalla Crossing in Valhalla. Restaurant goers looking for a “big city vibe” can visit Nina Restaurant in Middletown, serving Classic American cuisine in a neatly restored factory. Union Restaurant in Haverstraw offers continental cuisine with a Latin twist in an upscale hacienda setting. The Village Tearoom in New Paltz, located in a former 19th century tailor shop, serves sophisticated comfort food highlighting local farm products.

Many restaurants feature views of the majestic Hudson River, including Amici’s and Shadows on the Hudson, both in Poughkeepsie, Torches on the Hudson and Big Easy Bistro in Newburgh, Blu Riverfront and Harvest-on-Hudson in Hastings, Riverview in Cold Spring, Two Spear Street in Nyack, or the dramatic Xaviars X20 in Yonkers, with 25-foot vaulted ceilings and views down the river to the Manhattan skyline.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is presented by The Valley Table. Ma jor sponsors are American Express, WHUD Radio, The Gold Standard, Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, Westfair Business Publications, Brooklyn Brewery, Brotherhood Winery, Dutchess County Tourism, Westchester County Tourism, and Sysco Albany.

For more information, visit www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com

The Hudson Valley also has been coined “The Napa Valley of the East”.  Laura Pensiero, chef/restaurateur of Rhinebeck’s acclaimed Gigi Trattoria has penned this wonderful cookbook.  The message promotes what we’ve been hearing all along: “Eat local, eat seasonal.”  Worth every cent. I highly recommend it. Support your local farmers’ markets and follow Laura’s lead.

RECIPE: Goodbye-Winter Choucroute
Pages 52-3

Makes 12 to 14 Servings

“What a dramatic and aromatic presentation this dish makes in the dead of winter! On particularly cold nights, we prepare our Mediterranean version (seasonal with pancetta and prosciutto) as a special for our customers. At the last of winter, we kick the season away with a full-on party at my farmhouse, serving the choucroute with crusty breads, pickled vegetable, and Alsatian cheeses and wines and beers. We use all sorts of fresh, cured, and confit meats from local producers. The ingredients list is long (and flexible). But the presentation is really not fussy; you chop the vegetables and meats into large rustic-looking chunks and cook the choucroute slowly for several hours, melting the vegetables, tenderizing the meat, and perfuming the house. Enjoy the whole process.

Ingredients:

3 pounds sauerkraut, preferably organic
1 medium onion, studded with 12 to 14 cloves
¼ cup olive oil
6 ounces nitrate-free bacon, cut into 2-to-3 inch chunks (I use Mountain Products Smokehouse slab bacon, or pancetta)
1 pound pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3-inch-long segments (I use Mountain Products Smokehouse)
7 ounces bratwurst, sliced into 3-inch-long segments
6 ounces kielbasa (I use Northwind Farms), sliced into 3-inch-long segments
One 8-ounce end piece of prosciutto
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
1 cup Alsatian white wine, such as Riesling or Gewürztraminer
1 bouquet garni (our mix: 6 parsley sprigs, 6 thyme sprigs, 6 fresh sage leaves, 2 bay leaves, and a cinnamon stick, tied together with string)
4 cups chicken or beef stock or reduced-sodium broth, heated

Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly, and drain it. Spread the sauerkraut over the bottom of the an attractive 6-quart casserole, preferably one with a lid (otherwise have aluminum foil ready to cover). Place the clove-studded onion in the center. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 275? F.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the pork shoulder and cook until the pork and bacon are nicely browned, another 5 minutes. Add the bratwurst, bockwurst, and kielbasa, and continue to cook until all the meats are well colored, 5 to 7 minutes. Finally, add the prosciutto chunk and the celery, carrot, onion, and juniper berries.

Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes, Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the skillet, until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 minutes.

Transfer the meat, vegetables, and pan juices to the casserole. Add the bouquet garni. Pour the stock over the meat and vegetables. The liquid should come to about 1 inch below the top of the meat and vegetables; add water or more stock if it doesn’t. Cover the casserole with a lid or foil, transfer it to the oven, and bake for 3 to 4 hours (this is a dish that will only improve with more cooking). Add a bit more liquid, ½ cup at a time, if needed, during the cooking time to prevent drying.

Remove the lid and the bouquet garni. The dish will not likely need salt, Serve immediately, straight from the casserole.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve with any combination of the following parslied boiled young potatoes, caramelized apple slices, pickled vegetables, grated horseradish, and/or a variety of mustards. (To caramelize apples, peel, core, and cut them into 1-inch-thick rounds. Cook in butter over medium heat until browned on both sides and soft but still structured.) And of course, serve Alsatain wine or beer.

Holy Smoke (aka H.S.) rings in Valentine’s Day with a visit from Sierra Nevada for a Brewery Series Night Sat Feb 13th. H.S. will have a huge selection of Sierra on tap including Life &Limb, 2007 Bigfoot, and a cask of wet hopped Harvest. For a complete tap list go to holysmokebbq.net.

They have tweaked their famous BBQ menu for the weekend . They have added Lobster tails, Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout Fish and Chips and their new Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

Holy Smoke always does it right!

Holy Smoke

21 Route 6N

Mahopac, NY 10541

845-628-9795

www.holysmokebbq.net