Good morning HO’s - we recently had to cancel our trip to Maine because my husband was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and will have surgery this week. We were thinking that if he feels up to it we may take a short trip up to Rhinebeck for one or two nights in about three weeks. We were thinking of one night at a CIA restaurant (would you?) and we’ve heard so much about Le Petit Bistro we were thinking about that too, Anyone have any thoughts on this, or other suggestions?
Gwenn, my hopes for a speedy recovery. Sorry you had to cancel your trip to Maine. We will be heading up to Kennebunkport later this month. Anyway, Rhinebeck is an interesting part of the Hudson Valley with good dining in and around. The CIA is a must. Take the tour if you can and reserve a spot at The American Bounty. It will not be a perfect experience, but an informative one for sure. The students run the restaurant with the help of their culinary professionals. I enjoyed the interaction,
I also enjoy Gigi’s Trattoria in town for their robust Hudson Valley/Italian. Owner Laura Pensiaro is a trained nutritionist with a good handle on flavor. Love her house made Lasagna and those thin crusted ‘skizza’ pizzas. She also wrote a book called: Hudson Valley Italian…
Another good side trip: the Roosevelt Library.
Thank you. The previous manager from 121 is now at CIA and we plan to call him when we go. Whe you go to Kennebunkport, will you eat at Ocean? That is where we were supposed to go for our anniversary. I love that area and will miss it this year, but hopefully next spring!
Gwenn, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband.
Not sure of your travel direction but if leaving Rhinebeck to the east think about the White Hart Inn in Salisbury CT. Maybe spend your last night there. The Inn is wonderful, has a couple of great art pieces, and the food is exceptional. We stayed there for a wedding last year and were assigned a suite in the small building immediately behind. My wife and I are planning a return trip just to relax and have a great dinner. Here is the website and a review of it.
Love the view when we talk our morning cliff walk from Walker Point down to town. The Ocean setting is lovely and we have it on our list this year…
I always cook dinner when up that way however I will recommend stopping at Greig farm a bit up the road in Red Hook to pick up asparagus which should be in full swing and perhaps get a bite at Gigi’s market, breakfast or lunch, they closed but have reopened. They have a new name and carry new products but the chef is the same. He makes a killer Bolognese that is ususally in the refrigerator/freezer section. Have fun…it is breathtakingly beautiful up there at the moment 
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Thanks JFood. And I’ll keep White Hart in mind!
My thoughts are with you and your husband, hopefully this will be a great way to celebrate his recovery from surgery.
It’s been a while since i was in rhinebeck but I distinctly remember a wonderful farmers market with great seasonal fruit, we brought some back with us too.
The Bread Alone cafe was where we went for breakfasts, a rather simple menu but their breads are so good a simple egg sandwich was spectacular. Would also be a good stop for sandwiches to take for a picnic
http://www.breadalone.com/rhinebeck/
Sadly they are Meh…there are so many better places
They may have been good at one time
but not anymore…they have become very
commercial and I think they franchise now.
I would recommend Another fork in the road
for great food in a very casual setting.
WCG I think you mentioned you are not on FB so this is the
best I can do…as they don’t have a website
Chowdom - I am on facebook. Do they have a page there?
Thanks!!!
Yes they do… it is a very very very casual place
My favorite places on the east side of the Hudson from Rhinebeck out are:
The Local (Rhinebeck) - never disappointed there. New-American I guess>
Mercato (Red Hook) - James Beard-nominated, outstanding Italian.
Panzur (Tivoli) - Weds - Sun only, Weds is ‘family meal’ which just means that they have a more limited menu other than their special meal which changes each week. Spanish influenced with lots of flavors.
There are a number of good restaurants in Poughkeepsie, but if you are at a B&B in Rhinebeck, you probably won’t want to drive back down through traffic. Tivoli and Red Hook are a more leisurely drive from Rhinebeck.
What restaurants in Poughkeepsie do you recommend? For future reference - thanks.
I can’t get out as much as I used to, but best Poughkeepsie places:
Crave is my favorite. (can get a seat outside now that summer is here!), Artist’s Palate (more fancy), and Nic L Inn.
Brasserie 292 (steak), Mill House Brewing (brewpub food)
Those are all sit down places. I’ve loved Twisted Soul’s food for a while, their unofficial motto is international street food. And at Intro (sister place across the street) they have interesting sandwich combos that aren’t using cold cuts.
Formosa serves xiao long bao (soup dumplings). And lots of small Mexican places on Main Street…
Haven’t tried Rabbit and Turtle yet, but it looks promising. Only had Yolo Bistro for lunch. Queen City Bistro has pruned back their menu a bit.
Thank you all for your ideas. We will only be there for two nights (assuming hubby is ok) so we prefer to stick around the area. We will go to CIA - American Bounty (is that a good choice?) and probably Le Petite Bistro. What’s good for breakfast and lunch?
I loved my too-few meals at American Bounty. Last year I was there for a milestone birthday and the kitchen sent out a dessert plate that contained just about every chocolate and/or blueberry confection imaginable. The visit before that I got a tour of the kitchen and got to sample all of the sorbets.
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WCG, hope your husband is ok.
I was at Bread Alone’s cafe twice last summer for lunchtime salads and they were really, really great. Bread Alone has expanded quite a bit but I think they’ve done a good job of maintaining quality.
The Rhinebeck farmers’ market is really great too. The farmers have less distance to go than to Westchester so stuff is cheaper there than at the Pleasantville market. We stocked up the day before we went back home.
Thanks ice cream!
Rhinebeck farmers market is on Saturday
