HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Halloween in the Hudson Valley!

If you are interested in checking out Woodstock on Halloween make sure you are around for the Halloween parade which will start at 4:30 pm around the Village Green in Woodstock on October 31st. If you prefer indoor trick or treating, head to the Hudson Valley Mall. There will be trick or treating at the Food Court from 2-4pm on Saturday, October 31st. Rolling Rock Restaurant by the Food Court serves awesome food. I haven't gotten around to blogging about them yet, but they have great burgers and salads. Here is a website for the Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston http://www.shophudsonvalleymall.com/calendar.asp?action=detail&incDate=10/31/2009. Happy Halloween!

Rainy Day Trip: Last Chance Restaurant--Tannersville, NY

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When the weather forecast in the Hudson Valley calls for 100 percent rain showers and I don't have any birthday parties or events to go to, I try to discover a new restaurant. Today we set out for a "drive-to-who-knows-where" around 12 noon. My husband remembered this diner in Hunter that we once went to during our courtship, but turns out his memory was a bit fuzzy. The diner was actually in Tannersville, which is a few miles from Hunter. When we got to the parking lot though I had a change of heart because I thought the Last Chance Restaurant in Tannersville had a bit more curb appeal than the greasy spoon diner.  I'm happy we made that U-turn!  The Last Chance restaurant is a very cozy and family friendly place. They also sell local cheeses, candies, maple goodies, and merchandise.  My husband was really hungry so had to ask the waitress his standard "What's the heartiest thing you got on the menu" question. She sold him on the chicken pot pie. As you can see from the photo it's huge! 

I was good and ordered the veggie cheese burger and donated the potato knish.  It was delicious!  They also have S'mores Dessert item for $13.99 that looked really interesting.   Maybe next time! I would suggest you avoid the candy selection up front until your kid finish their meals. If you want to spend an overnight in a quirky, but comfortable place then Villa Vossila is your best bet in Tannersville. I have to admit I haven't stayed there since the late 1990s so things might have changed, but when I stayed there the food was really good. The best part is hanging out in the jacuzzi watching the snow fall!  Here is the website in case you are curious, http://www.villavosilla.com. It's also within 5 minutes of skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating activities. There are a couple other cafe type places to eat in Tannersville, but it looked to me like Last Chance was going to really be our best chance at some fine dining! Tannersville is a cute sleepy town that really gets hopping once the snow comes!  For info on Last Chance Restaurant, visit http://www.lastchanceonline.com. Last Chance Restaurant, 602 Main Street, Tannersville, NY. 12485. (518) 589-6424.

Pumpkin Picking, Hay Tunnel & Hay Ride Fun at Gill's Farm in Hurley

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I really lucked out today! I got invited on a field trip on the perfect Indian Summer Day here in the Hudson Valley. Is there anything more fun than an off-road hay ride when it's 70 degrees out? The kids loved the hay ride at Gill's Farm. The "off-roading" portion where the tractor driver drove us through a swampy marsh was the highlight. After the hay ride, we tested out the hay tunnel. (I barely made it out of there and got my knees nice and muddy! Dress accordingly if you are going to try this). We ended the morning with pumpking picking. Most of the pumpkins were in excellent shape. There is also a store on the site that sells apples, homemade cookies, jams, and other gourmet farm stuff. The only negative is there is only a porty potty--no real bathroom on site. The "pumpkin shooter" launches pumpkins on weekends. I would call ahead of time to verify this as the season will be ending before you know it! Gill's Farm, Route 209, Hurley, NY.

Easy Pumpkin Picking at Sunfrost Farms--Woodstock, NY

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 I stopped by Sunfrost over the weekend for a snack, and I noticed a few well-dressed weekenders out in front comparing pumpkins. If you don't feel like schlepping through a pumpkin patch to find your perfect pumpkin, then Sunfrost is a great no-mess alternative.  You won't ruin your manicure here and the pumpkins are beautiful!   I also took a photo of the wheatgrass which is equally beautiful. I tried the wheatgrass here last summer for the first time, and won't be trying it again even though I know it's supposedly very healthy for me. The taste is too gritty and grassy for me. I blogged about Sunfrost's sandwiches and smoothies earlier in the year here on April 17th. Sunfrost Farms, 217 Tinker Street (Route 212), Woodstock, NY 12498 (845) 679-6690.  
If you are starting to think about spending Halloween in the Hudson Valley, be sure stop by the village of Woodstock on Halloween afternoon for their annual parade and festivities. I think the parents have as much fun putting their costumes together than the kids of Woodstock do!  I'm hoping to find time to do some get-your-hands-dirty-pumpkin picking in these next two weeks, and I'll report my findings here.

Adam's Fairacre Farms: Lots of Hudson Valley Good Stuff!

I love Adam's!  It's where you go grocery shopping when you want to splurge a little. We go there every other week when I am in the mood for seafood, extra fresh fruit and veggies. It is also jam packed the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. 

Besides food, they sell plants, pumpkins, gift baskets, and lots of kitchen accessories.  Today they had their annual Fall Harvest Festival from 10-4, we all had a blast. There was a petting zoo,  bouncy houses and bouncy slides, candy apples, pumpkin painting, face painting, even a ventriloquist show!  It was a bit dizzying, but fun. The best part was the food, which they sold at rock-bottom prices, I'm assuming as a way of giving back to their community and the customers. For $14 we got 2 hot dogs, 2 burgers, 1 seafood wrap, 1 shrimp cocktail, 1 hot roast beef sandwich, 2 sodas, 1 water, 2 donuts, and apple dessert with ice cream. I'm looking forward to their Christmas festival when they host Santa Claus and have a whole bunch of holiday activities. They will have Harvest Festival at their Poughkeepsie location on Sunday, October 11th (tomorrow) and at their Newburgh location on October 17th.  Definitely worth checking out, especially if you have little ones. For more info on Adam's Fairacre Farms and their other locations in the Hudson Valley visit http://www.adamsfarms.com.

Birthday Cakes for Kids and Grown-ups: Deising's Bakery-Kingston, NY

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 The Fall is birthday season at my house so birthday cakes have been on mind lately. Yesterday I got to pick my own birthday cake after my husband treated me to a hearty breakfast at Deising's Bakery and Coffee Shop in Kingston. The bakery is an institution in Kingston. As you can see the donuts, fritters, cupcakes are real old-school-no-skimping-on-the-good-stuff desserts!  I could eat this stuff all day if I let myself.  Deising’s has a catalog of specialty birthday cakes for kids too. There are also some really cute ones for baby showers. Of course, they also make wedding cakes though I have yet to taste one of their wedding cakes. My birthday cake was really good. I loved the vanilla custard they use in the layers.  Gluten-free cookies and other baked goods are also available. They sell homemade dog biscuits too. Deising's Bakery. http://www.deisings.com

Birthday Dinner: Cucina Restaurant--Woodstock, NY

I didn't know where my husband was going to take me for my birthday night dinner. Since it was my birthday, he left it up to me. I picked Cucina in Woodstock because it is close to home, open on Wednesdays, and it's just a nice special occasion "splurge" restaurant. Set in a restored farm house, it is very cozy and elegant. They had a dinner prix fixe--$29 includes choice of appetizer, an entree, and dessert. We both went for the Prix Fixe. I started with the preserved tuna in olive oil with onions, tomatoes, black olives. My husband started with the pizza with mozzarella, prosciutto, and greens. (The crust is very thin, but the pizza is huge!)  For entree: slow cooked salmon on mashed potatoes. He had the rib eye steak. Both entrees were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I had the gelato sampler for dessert. The meal was delicious from start to finish.  The lights flickered on and off during the dinner due to the wind storm so that added a little drama to the meal too!  Cucina is great place to bring someone for a special occasion. (Proof --a fellow diner sitting at the table next to ours was celebrating her birthday too!  The server put a candle on a piece of ricotta cheesecake! ) I had my cake when I came home--will post a photo of my birthday cake soon.  Cucina Woodstock, 109 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY 12498. (845) 679-9800. http://www.cucinawoodstock.com. Reservations are suggested here, especially on the weekends.

Joshua's Cafe: Wi-Fi & Insane Hot Chocolate

Today was the perfect day to indulge in a power cup of hot cocoa, salted caramel hot cocoa with whipped cream in chocolate syrup to be exact at Joshua's Cafe. (The downstairs is a restaurant that serves mediterranean food, and the upstairs is a cafe).  The presentation was over the top, I'd say. It was very rich and kept me buzzed and satisfied for the rest of the afternoon while I covered the Woodstock Film Festival. I wish I could see all the films, but I don't have time. I did see Splinterheads today, which was an interesting film about carnival romance, Geo-Caching, and the trials of being a slacker. I will post photos of the film festival soon. http://www.joshuascafe.com. 51 Tinker Street, 845-679-5533.

10th Annual Woodstock Film Festival has begun!

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 I'm so looking forward to checking out a few films at the Woodstock Film Festival (http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com) this year. Films will be screened in Woodstock, Rhinebeck, and Rosendale beginning today and ending on Sunday, October 4th.  My favorite part about the film festival is getting to meet the film makers during the Q & A session after the film. It's a really very laid back and cozy film buff environment.  This is really one of my favorite weekends to be out here. If you know someone in the Hudson Valley, this is the weekend to see if you can crash on their sofa.  I wrote an article about the festival for Hudson Valley Metromix. You can read it hear Woodstock Film Festival Best Bets.