Welcome to our list of favorite dining destinations in New York's Hudson Valley and Adirondack regions. We visit restaurants, wineries, barbecues, and a smattering of off the beaten path culinary destinations like maple sugar shacks and fromageries. My friends and I have been dining out together weekly for over twenty years. The locations we write about are our favorite destinations. We are not claiming they are the best, just our favorites. The posts are not "reviews" in the classic sense. - we offer only our picks, not pans. We will leave the criticism to others. We are a happy blog. We much prefer a good bistro to "haute cuisine", especially if they also have a nice bar. We prefer a crock of cassoulet and a bottle of Beaujolais to just about anything else. If you enjoy simple home style rustic cooking with a decent (but not too expensive) bottle of wine, then pull up a chair and join us.



This Month's "Well Said!"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

Ferran Andria

Friday, March 4, 2011

Table Scraps / Hudson Valley - 2011 James Beard Awards

The nice lady on the other end of the phone was explaining why they would not be able to accommodate my request for a private luncheon at Red Hook's Mercato Osteria on on March 23rd.  "Unfortunately Francesco will be preparing for his dinner at the James Beard House which takes place the next day".  "Oh," I stammered, "I understand".

I knew the guy was good.  We all know Francesco is talented, but isn't it nice to hear that the rest of the world is catching on to what we already knew.  I went to the James Beard Foundation website, and saw that this year's nominees included not only Mercato's Francesco Buitoni, but also included a few other Hudson Valley favorite sons.  The Beard Foundation Awards are considered the Academy Awards of the culinary world, and it will be fun to watch as some of our own are honored.  The national recognition is well deserved.  We should all be rooting for the following nominees:

Northeast Region - Best Chef
Francesco Buitoni, Mercato, Red Hook, NY
Serge Madikians, Serevan, Amenia, NY
Daniel Nilsson, DA/ BA, Hudson, NY


Rising Star Chef of the Year
Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North, Armonk, NY

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