Hudson Valley Restaurants

A converted post office in Warwick, this small, off-the-beaten-path restaurant is great for a leisurely lunch. I’ll call ahead and, if I’m lucky (and the weather cooperates), snag one of the porch tables. I always savor and remember what I have here—because the menu is always changing and rarely repeats, chances are it won’t be offered again. The Grange has its own farm nearby for all of the produce it serves, which makes everything feel a little more special. I dream about the house-made bread and the dipping oil infused with garlic, herbs, and chilies. Come on Monday nights for some live piano playing.

A roaring fire is one of my favorite things—maybe one of everybody’s favorite things—and I’m always guaranteed one at this Livingston Manor restaurant. The place is buzzing with locals no matter the season, and it is just as much fun on hot, humid summer evenings as it is on cozy winter ones. I love the wood-fired pizzas, craft cocktails, and local beer.

Tim Trojian and Eliza Clark turned an old schoolhouse into an inn in 2013—and it’s been one of my favorite hangouts ever since. It is incredibly decorated with vintage artwork, antique furniture, and old Moroccan tiles, and there’s also a restaurant and bar for visitors who aren’t staying overnight. It’s worth coming for Sunday brunch, dinner, or even cocktail hour. I like to bring cards or a book to the glassed-in sitting room and lounge there for a bit with an old-fashioned. The opening hours change with the seasons, so check the website or call before heading out.

A treasure in the Hudson Valley town of Chester, Glenmere is a Gilded Age mansion built in 1911 that’s now a luxurious eighteen-room hotel. Frogs End Tavern is the on-site restaurant, which has a cozy tavern room with cowhide chairs and terra-cotta floors, as well as an outdoor courtyard for warm-weather meals. (And since the house was built in the style of an Italian villa, you could almost imagine you’re in Tuscany on sunny summer afternoons.) The menu changes with the seasons, but there’s always some

After cutting their teeth for eleven years in Red Hook, Monica Byrne and Leisah Swenson of Home/Made decided to take their beloved café up north to the Hudson Valley. Smack dab in the center of the action on Warren Street, they're doubling down on the weekend brunch scene. Open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the surprisingly exhaustive seasonal offerings hit all the high notes: brioche cinnamon toast, granola parfaits, egg scrambles served with potatoes provencal and grilled walnut toast. There's also a small selection of freshly baked pastries and espresso to go.

In nearby Germantown, owners Nick and Sarah Suarez have created a community gathering spot that's become a destination in its own right. (Between the two of them, they've worked at beloved New York restaurants like Gramercy Tavern, Roman's, and Marlow & Sons.) They tapped Brooklyn-based Studio Tack for a simple, pared-back design. (Think: penny-tiled flooring; dark, bentwood barstools; and big windows.) A cozy menu takes full advantage of nearby farmers, culling from the likes of Kinderhook and Whistle Down farms, and Otto's Market for its crowd-pleasing bucatini, roasted beets, and grass-fed burger (Nick bakes the sesame buns daily). The cocktail list riffs on classics like Negroni's and French 75. Photo: Mikael Kennedy

Down the street from the Rivertown Lodge, Grazin’, opened by local farmer Dan Gibson of Angus Acres in nearby Ghent, is an organic burger joint in a throwback-y diner setting. The most popular burger (100 percent grass-fed beef) is the Uncle Dude, topped with house-made chipotle mayo, jalapeño relish, Hudson Valley cheddar, bacon from the farm, garden greens, and tomato (if they’re in season). For lighter appetites, there are smaller-sized portions, too.

Still one of the hottest tickets in town (more than two years after opening), Fish & Game is a reservation worth nabbing. The warm, cozy tavern-like vibe (it’s housed in a former 19th-century blacksmith’s shop) is punctuated with mounted taxidermy, ornate velvet wallpaper, and a hearth. The menu draws from the surrounding valley’s freshest produce, fish, and livestock and changes daily. Look for sugar snap peas tossed with young garlic and herbs, grilled soft-shell crab and smoked eggplant, as well as a whole roast chicken, which is cooked to perfection.