HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Kick-Off at CIA in Hyde Park: Bocuse tour, chefs, media & appetizers!

I had a great time at the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week's Kick Off Event at the CIA last night. This year Hudson Valley Restaurant Week runs from March 11th - 24th and will include over 170 restaurants in 7 counties. Participating restaurants will offer three-course prix-fixe dinners at $29.95 and three-course lunches at $20.95. It was my second time at CIA. I was invited to take a Bistros and Brasseries class in September 2010 and blogged about my experience. (It was a fun class, but sadly I'm still cooking turkey burgers for my family).  

First order of business was a tour of the new restaurant Bocuse.  Stephan Hengst, Director of Marketing & Communications at the Culinary Institute of America took us on a tour of the new CIA restaurant Bocuse, named after Chef Paul Bocuse, who Hengst explained was the first celebrity chef and the first chef owner.  At the opening gala of the restaurant, the 87-year-old paused while on a tour of the kitchen, and yelled, "Give me a pen!" and signed the new white tile on the kitchen wall.  

(The space which used to be home to the Escoffier room went through a major renovation). The restaurant functions as a classroom for students at the CIA. The idea is to bring back the table side dining with traditional French cuisine that Chef Bocuse made famous, and give it a modern twist.  Hengst showed off an hand-churned Kitchen Aide ice cream maker that can blend ice cream using liquid nitrogen table side, which makes the dining experience very interactive. "Hand cranked and directed poured directly in. The end product is the most amazing ice cream you ever tasted!" said Hengst.  Bocuse restaurant was designed to adhere to the proportions of a classic French classic restaurant, with a more sleek contempary style. As I looked around, I could definitely imagaine myself here on a future date night enjoying the Black Truffle soup, and sampling a smoked Manhattan. 

After the tour, Janet Crawshaw Publisher off The Valley Table and founder of the event presented awards to Dr. Samuel Simon from Hudson Valley Fresh and Chef John Novi from Depuy Canal House in High Falls. Dr. Tim Ryan, President of the CIA presented an award to Peter Kelly, Co-Chair of the Advisory Board, and president of Xaviars Restaurant Group.

There were about 200 or so attendees chefs and restaurant owner at the networking event. CIA students were passing out delicious hors dheurves, and different vendors were there pitching their products to restaurant industry folks.  The 2 restaurateurs I was hoping to interview (Tom Struzzieri of Diamond Mills Hotel and Tavern and Chef Owner Josh Kroner of Terrapin) weren't there, but I did chat with Cathryn Fadde, the charming owner of Cathryn' s Tuscan Grille, of the Cold Spring Harbor. Just as she was about to give me more juicy details of her most memorable dining experience, an $800 dinner she enjoyed in Philadelphia, one of the Quinn & Co. public relation folks whisked her away from my table for an interview.

I also met Executive Chef Brandon Collins from Swift at The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls. Swift opened in July 2012, and he is very excited about the new space which is now available for weddings and special events. I'm really looking forward to Hudson Valley Restaurant Week! I like to try out a restaurant that I haven't been to before. This year I'm planning on dining at Swift. I have to confess I have never been to Beacon! What about you, which restaurant will go to Hudso Valley Restaurant Week? 

 

Chef Bocuse with Bridget Bardot 

Impromptu autograph from the Chef Paul Bocuse

 

Private dining room at Bocuse 

Chefs in training in Bocuse kitchen

 

 

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Janet Crawshaw of The Valley Table

Yours Truly

Let the networking begin!

Nicholas Schweers and Abbey Scalia of Quinn and Co.

Appetizers cooked with care and precision!

 

 

6 Sexy Valentine's Day Menus in the Hudson Valley: Where to dine with your Valentine

Depuy Canal House: A vegetarian valentine made with quinoa, spinach, eggplant, duxelle Maitake mushroom and poached egg. The heart is made with red pepper and the sauce is also red pepper.

 

It's that time of year again, when local chefs express their romantic sides. The following restaurants offer Valentine's Dinner menu that are sure to seduce your palate and your partner!

1. Chef Ric Orlando has created a sexy menu for New World Home Cooking. The Notorious Safe Sex Platter for Two for $24, which includes Venezuelan Spiced Chocolate Drops, Oysters on the Half Shell, and Perfect Olives, among other aphrodisiac delights. The Platter is served with a blind fold. A "Raw, Barely Cooked, and Chilled Seafood Menu" is also available from the a la carte menu. Seafood lovers can go for the Seafood Safe Sex Platter for $65.

2. Panzur in Tivoli is offering a special Valentine's Day Menu featuring "the same ingredients prepared in contrasting ways symbolizing how we can be completely different and exactly the same" for $75 per person, minimum of two people per party.

3. Cucina in Woodstock is having a Three-Course Valentine's Day Dinner Prix Fixe for $49, which includes a glass of prosseco.

4. You can woo your honey in a 200-year-old tavern at Depuy Canal House in High Falls where Chef John Novi has created an extravagant Valentine's Day a la carte menu for food lovers. You can start off with a Valentine's Lovers Beautiful Chocolate Kiss Cocktail.

5. Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap in Big Indian is offering a “Have a Heart” Valentine’s Day Dinner on February 14th. A portion of the night’s proceeds will go directly to the Heart of the Catskills Humane Society.

6. Prefer to stay home and celebrate, but don't feel like cooking? Leave it to Gigi's Market in Red Hook. Gigi Market has a special menu "Treats & Sweets for Lovers and Loved Ones"  which includes creme brulee for 15, strawberry profiteroles with vanilla cream filling, and more. "Romantic Dinners for Two for Home" offers Truffled Lobster and Fontina Ravioli with sweet peas, and Oyster Stew with roasted garlic. At Gigi Trattoria restaurant, you can enjoy a 5-course Valentine's Dinner to celebrate Amore or order from the a la carte menu. The 5-course menu is $65.

Date Night: Liberty Public House: Romantic, festive & delicious American cuisine

My husband and I had very interesting holiday date dinner at the Liberty Public House a week ago. After a friend told me that Liberty Public House had the best french fries in the Hudson Valley, I had to investigate! Although I have walked by this restaurant many times, I have never been inside it. (It took over the Starr Place restaurant location after Starr Place closed).  When I entered, I felt like I had been whisked away to an old Washington, D.C. restaurant. American flags and American history memorobilia decorate the walls, and a glowing white Christmas tree sits atop a table in the center of the room. It was 6pm on Sunday night and the restaurant was starting to get crowded.

I had been craving potato pancakes all week after seeing so many friends post their latkes on Facebook so I was really excited to see potato pancakes as an appetizer on the menu. Tom had the house cured gravlax on potato crepes with sour cream and caviar. Liberty Public House has a nice wine list, and I'm not the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess, but it was nice to drink a glass of Channing Daughters wine as I pass by that winery a million times when I'm in Long Island, but I never stop. The table next to us was going all out with champagne bottle service at the table. 

For the entree, Tom enjoyed the Liberty burger & Freedom Fries. (And, yes those garlic fries were quite memorable!)  For my entree, I had the grilled salmon with horseradish potatoes, which was cooked to perfection.  We shared a toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  (I was so into dessert that night that I forgot to take a photo of it). Sorry about that. After we left the restaurant, Tom said, "Wow! That was a strong meal!" I would have to agree with that. Liberty Public House, 6417 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-1760

P.S. If you go here or any other restaurant that HVGS recommends and you have an enjoyable experience, please tell them HudsonValleyGoodStuff.com sent you there to spread the word so I can continue to grow the site.