The spring season is a foodie’s dream in the Hudson Valley. Mushrooms, ramps, and other foraged foods elevate local farm-to-table menus. Of course, the true highlight of the season is the spring edition of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.
Running from March 21 to April 3, this celebration of local eateries showcases the creativity of chefs. Sit down to a three-course, prix-fixe dinner for $39.95 at any of the participating restaurants. In addition, we spoke to several chefs to identify the inspiration behind their special dishes.
City Winery Hudson Valley, Tony Moustakas
Montgomery
Q: What was your overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu?
A: My inspiration for the spring HVRW menu is based off our City Winery founder Michael Dorf’s mantra, “Indulge your senses.” So, I focused on some core restaurant menu items as well as some new spring menu additions.
Q: Which HVRW menu item(s) are you most excited about?
A: I’m most excited for the spring vegetable risotto, featuring asparagus, peas, and fava beans with herb oil. In addition, we are eager to serve the Angel Wings pizza, which showcases local ricotta, pistachio, and truffle honey. Plus, for dessert, we have a whipped mascarpone with sweet wine macerated berries.
The Dutch, Colin Stone Crompton
Saugerties
Q: What was your overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu?
A: It’s important to me to keep the flavors of the Catskills first, as well as keeping the spirit of The Dutch intact.
We will have our classic Dutch Onion soup made with Guinness. In addition, it’s served with local cheeses and bread sourced from our friends at Bread Alone. We source as locally as we can given the seasons, which has helped me befriend a lot of the locals and have the opportunity to work with some great people here in Saugerties. For instance, we get our proteins from a series of local farms throughout the Hudson Valley through our partnership with Veritas Farms.
Q: Which HVRW menu item(s) are you most excited about?
A: The Catskill brown trout with celeriac is a dish I’m excited to explore again, as the fish here happen to be some of the best freshwater fish in the world. The escabeche is a preserved vinegar-based medley of winter and root vegetables used in cultures worldwide, and is a perfect pairing with such a delicate piece of fish.
Additionally, it allows me to showcase things that might not ordinarily work in a pub atmosphere. I can play around with my own influences growing up in the tropics of South Florida surrounded by all kinds of acidic flavors used primarily in Cuban cuisine.
Heritage Food+Drink, Frank Camey
Wappingers Falls
Q: What was your overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu?
A: My overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu was basically providing food that anyone would relate to but with a twist. I was keeping it simple but exciting at the same time.
Q: Which HVRW menu item(s) are you most excited about?
A: One item that I am very excited about is the Korean corn “queso” dip with rice paper cracklin. Similarly, the carbonara salad is another highlight [featuring pork belly, market lettuces, cacio dressing, pickled onions, and a poached egg]. I’m really looking forward to seeing how people react to these two items.
Le Jardin Du Roi, Joe Quartararo
Chappaqua
Q: What was your overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu?
A: At Le Jardin Du Roi, our ultimate inspiration was to have a menu diversified enough to give every diner a different perspective on what we offer. We have evolved from purely French fare to an amalgamation of many different tastes and cultures.
Q: Which HVRW menu item(s) are you most excited about?
A: We are most excited about our authentic pit-smoked barbecue items [like our St. Louis-style spare ribs, served with hand-cut fried and a kale salad], as well as our boneless fried chicken [served with bacon jalapeno mac n’ cheese, broccoli, and bacon red eye gravy on the side].
We believe it reaches out to a whole new area of expertise we want our patrons to experience.
New York Restaurant, Francesco Gallo
Catskill
Q: What was your overall inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu?
A: The inspiration for this year’s HVRW menu came from the two past years that we all have to experience, and it translates on a big focus on comfort food, the kind of meal you get at mom’s house, a menu that satisfies the body but also the soul. Another important element in the creation of the menu is the mix of all the different cultures and that melting pot that New York state is known for.
Q: Which HVRW menu item(s) are you most excited about?
A: My absolute favorite is the mushroom risotto, We make it just like my mom makes it, with bold flavors and a lot of love. We are also very excited to feature in this year’s menu the Tour of Poland, is something that we are well known for and is a big crowd pleaser.
For more menus and the full list of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week participants, click here.
