Traveler contributing editor Margaret Loftus eats her way through the bounty in New York's Hudson Valley.
The Hudson Valley is known for many things--Franklin D. Roosevelt's home, the Vanderbilt Mansion, lots of wineries--but my husband and I recently went there to check out the food scene I'd heard so much about. This fertile swath of valley stretching from New York's Westchester County northward to Albany is home to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), an incubator for the region's deep pool of top-notch chefs, and a thriving locavore movement.
Eating locally is embraced wholeheartedly at the 19-room Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa, our comfy digs on the west bank of the Hudson River. The rambling 75-acre estate, with a main house that dates back to the Revolutionary War and a handful of carriage houses, sources the ingredients for its hearty breakfasts and afternoon tea from its own organic vegetable and herb garden, orchard, beehive, and heritage breed chickens (there are also peacocks, Angora goats, and some impossibly cute llamas). A commercial kitchen is in the works that will soon expand the inn's offerings to lunch, dinner, and cooking classes.
Fueled by a tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs laced with goat cheese and fresh herbs, we hiked across the Walkway Over the Hudson, which opened in October to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's river trip. Once a key link from New York City to New England factories, the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge stood idle for some 30 years until a local citizens' group raised the $39 million from public and private funds needed to convert it into a linear park. It's now the longest pedestrian span in the world, beautiful to look at, with its lattice of trusses and struts, and even cooler to walk across. From its peak, the whole valley unfolds and you get a sense of what inspired the expansive landscapes of the Hudson River School painters.
The Hudson Valley is known for many things--Franklin D. Roosevelt's home, the Vanderbilt Mansion, lots of wineries--but my husband and I recently went there to check out the food scene I'd heard so much about. This fertile swath of valley stretching from New York's Westchester County northward to Albany is home to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), an incubator for the region's deep pool of top-notch chefs, and a thriving locavore movement.Eating locally is embraced wholeheartedly at the 19-room Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa, our comfy digs on the west bank of the Hudson River. The rambling 75-acre estate, with a main house that dates back to the Revolutionary War and a handful of carriage houses, sources the ingredients for its hearty breakfasts and afternoon tea from its own organic vegetable and herb garden, orchard, beehive, and heritage breed chickens (there are also peacocks, Angora goats, and some impossibly cute llamas). A commercial kitchen is in the works that will soon expand the inn's offerings to lunch, dinner, and cooking classes.
Fueled by a tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs laced with goat cheese and fresh herbs, we hiked across the Walkway Over the Hudson, which opened in October to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's river trip. Once a key link from New York City to New England factories, the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge stood idle for some 30 years until a local citizens' group raised the $39 million from public and private funds needed to convert it into a linear park. It's now the longest pedestrian span in the world, beautiful to look at, with its lattice of trusses and struts, and even cooler to walk across. From its peak, the whole valley unfolds and you get a sense of what inspired the expansive landscapes of the Hudson River School painters.
Across the river in Hyde Park, the all-brick CIA campus looms large.
Tours are available for the public, but we chose to snoop around on our
own, getting glimpses of the action through glass windows into
classrooms and the bakery. The staff at the information desk met my
inquiry about reservations for lunch or dinner at one of the four
student-staffed restaurants with restrained incredulity, "Today?!" Try
months in advance. We'd have to settle for a snack at the informal
Apple Pie Bakery & Café, where a long line snaked out the door. Let
me just say the sticky bun was worth the wait, in fact it may have been
worth the four-hour drive from Boston. We spent the afternoon putzing around historic New Paltz, a university town whose New Agey shops, secondhand record stores, and many dreadlocked inhabitants give it a sort of Santa Cruz-East feel. Back at the inn, tea and cookies were waiting, and so was a soothing facial at the sleek, eco-friendly spa, warmed by solar and geothermal energy. After all, it was spa week--a biannual (in the spring and fall) special when facials and massages are just 50 bucks.
Feeling lucky, I gave the CIA another try and was able to score a last-minute reservation at the school's "casual" St. Andrew's Café, where students serve up classics, like duck confit, sourced almost entirely from regional ingredients. Our server was super conscientious, expounding on the café's sustainable philosophy and plying us with extra helpings of the chef's stellar fava-bean spread and freshly baked bread. The wine list is a nice concept: 20 wines from around the world (oddly, only one from New York), all priced at $20. Dinner--puree of parsnip and celeriac soup, herb-marinated chicken with stewed white beans--was reasonable too, and sublime. Next time, I won't take any chances: I'm making reservations.
You can follow Peggy on Twitter at @pegloftus
Photos: Above, Culinary Institute of America; Below, Margaret Loftus
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It's been ages since I've been there, but The Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck offered a great colonial dining experience:
http://www.beekmandelamaterinn.com/
The amazing Hudson Valley is also known for its art can culture. The talent is preserved in major museum. The most interesting thing is that kids also love the Valley because of the fun FUN. Amusement parks, zoos, children’s museums, water parks, and nature centers are only the start of fantastic adventures for families. Hotel Booking
These are some of the interesting things about hudson valley -
Ulster - Lake Minnewaska...many trails, hiking, killer mountain views. Marlboro has wine tasting and apple orchards. There is a trolley museum in Kingston. Deep into Route 28, you can enter into the Catskill Park.
Dutchess - Hyde Park (Roosevelt Home, Vanderbilt Mansion), Rhinebeck...nice restaurants and history. You can go down Route 9 in Poughkeepsie and shop at the malls (Poughkeepsie Galleria) but if you want to see a mall on the verge of dying (if it didn't die yet) go to the South Hills Mall. During the summer, you can check out minor league baseball (Hudson Valley Renegades - Class A/Rays....they DO play against the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees) at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill. Dia: Beacon is a new art museum.
Orange - West Point, Woodbury Outlet, cross country skiing in Warwick. Orange County Choppers (yep, the TV show) is up in Rock City
During the summer, the Dutchess County Fair happens in Rhinebeck and is your typical country fair.Online Hotel Reservations
The place and the food both are exquisite.I will definitely give this valley a visit.
Electric Smokers
It's been a long time since I went there and wish I could be there often. I consider the place as one of the best beautiful place in the world. Not only the place is beautiful, I couldn’t forget the food that I had there last time.
Hudson Feast