Kwoo

Hello,
Four of us are driving to Hyde Park & Rhinebeck in January to celebrate my birthday & my SIL's birthday. We do this every January & look for places that aren't too far from where we live in MA. I went to Hyde Park once for a day to visit FDR's home & one of the Vanderbilt mansions. This time we plan on staying for 2 nights & would like to visit Eleanor Roosevelt's home, Val-Kil, and have a tour of the Culinary Insitute. I have done some research but would like to get more suggestions for sightseeing. We like to visit small/quaint towns to shop & eat. I remember driving through Rhinebeck & thought it was very nice.

We will probably have lunch or dinner at the Culinary Institute, but would appreciate other restaurant suggestions, either for dinner or lunch. It doesn't have to be pricey; we appreciate good reasonable food.

What is there to do in this area during the evening, other than having dinner?
Thank you!

J62

bookmarking - will come back later to comment when I have more time.

emd3

Locust Grove (Samuel Morse's summer home) museum is close by on Rt. 9 in Poughkeepsie.
http://www.lgny.org/

During the winter, I like dinner at the Belvedere Mansion on Rt. 9 in Staatsburg. Nice atmosphere w/the big fireplace, and we like their food. You need a reservation.
http://www.belvederemansion.com/dining/

Michael

In September reservations for the Val-Kil tour were advisable; we could not get in because a tour had reserved the time and we would have had to wait for two hours before getting in. This might not apply in January.

From my trip report:

"Our first evening meal was at a diner about a quarter of a mile north of the motel. The food is plain but good and not expensive. After that we ate in Rhinebeck, which has several good restaurants, including a French one (Arielle, 51 Market St.) east of the main intersection in the middle of town. Rhinebeck has more interesting restaurants than Hyde Park, almost an embarras de choix for the couple of evenings we ate there."

There are two restaurants worth considering on Rte. 9, one south of the intersection and one north. One is in a converted church, I believe, and the other is an old inn dating back to the 18th century. We ate in the latter, lots of atmosphere and acceptable food--nothing that sticks in my mind.

J62

The restaurants Michael is referring to are

Diner in Hyde Park = Eveready Diner - very busy on Fri/Sat night.

Rhinebeck:
Converted church,north of intersection = Terrapin, which has 2 parts. The restaurant and the bar/bistro. Both are good.

South of the intersection = Le Petite Bistro

owlwoman

I will chime in here, enjoyed our meal at Arielle this past fall and also like Le Petite Bistro, (we're actually heading up to this area tomorrow and having dinner at the CIA), another vote for the Eveready Diner, great for a reasonable breakfast/lunch. Beekman Tavern is also worth a look for a cocktail (have not eaten here). It should be pretty quiet in the area for January, we really enjoy this area, have a great time.

Kwoo

Thank you so much! I really didn't expect so many responses so quickly. I never see any posts regarding this area on the forum. 99% of the NY posts are about NYC (no surprise

owlwoman, is Beekman Tavern in Hyde Park or Rhinebeck? Which restaurant would you recommend at CIA? I understand that there are only two that are open on Saturdays: Escoffier & American Bounty.

We are also thinking of having a tour of West Point if we have the time. It's only 30 miles from Hyde Park. How long would the drive be?

emd3, thanks for the tip on Locust Grove. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

michael, I'll search for your trip report when I have a chance. Where else did you go on this trip?

taconictraveler

Some of the restaurants mentioned are great, depending on what you want.

I live 45 min from Rhinebeck, but my son lives right there, and has hands-on knowledge about all the chefs in town.

He says, and I agree, that the best chef is now at a small clever restaurant called The Local, which is on West Market Street, just behind (and west of) The Beekman Arms (which is indeed in Rhinebeck)on Route 9. West Market is the east/west street at the traffic light on Route 9. Beekman Arms food is very ordinary.

Also good is Arielle, nice decor and decent menu. Terrapin is pretty good, but I like Gigi better. It is modern Italian, with an extremely good menu and consistently good food. Very popular, and I would book for sure.

I don't like Le Petit Bistro, and find it like a not-great provincial restaurant in France.

So, all in, my choices would be as follows:

1. The Local (not open for lunch)
2. Gigi (on Route 9) (lunch or dinner, skinny pizzas, great salads, to die for lasagna, just like the one I had in Bologna.)
3. Terrapin (on Route 9) or Arielle (not sure if Arielle is open for lunch)which is on E. Market.

For lunch alone, there is always Bread Alone, which is a bread bakery with a very very nice casual lunch menu. LOVE the wasabi tuna sandwich!(It's on East Market almost next to Arielle.)

A small sleeper is Calico, directly across Route 9 from the Beekman Arms, a super little gem, only 4 or 5 tables, extreme desserts!! It is everything the Beekman Arms is NOT.

Rhinebeck is by far the better town in which to eat, Hyde Park has really only the Everready Diner, which is, after all, a diner. (tho' a good one)

At the CIA, my favorite is the Caterina di Medici. The St. Andrews Cafe leans toward health food, and the Apple Pie Bakery is a very casual drop in sandwich place, but works if you can't get a res. in any other of their restos. They are all pretty good, depending on what stage the servers/chefs are in, in their progression thru the school. A great place to have nearby, it really is a treasure, and growing leaps and bounds! And to think it used to be a Jesuit Seminary!!

For those who are interested, one of the most famous Jesuits, at least in our time, Teilhard de Chardin, is buried in a small cemetery on the grounds of the CIA.

Oh, just thought of another fun place, just opened, called "Liberty" an American "pub" on route 9, right next to the movie theatre, food not OUTSTANDING, like Gigi's or The Local, but a fun place with nice welcoming people.

Hope you enjoy your visit here in the Hudson Valley.

bspielman

If I may intercede, the Beekman Tavern is in Rhinebeck. It's a merely OK restaurant.

Should you decide to head for West Point, you'll need to cross to the west side of the Hudson. If you do, I strongly recommend Il Cenácolo just north of I-84 in Newburgh: (http://ilcenacolorestaurant.com/). We meet friends who live in Wappingers Falls there on a somewhat regular basis (it's our dining place of choice, an hour from us in NJ and a half-hour from them); he happens to be a trustee of Locust Grove, a lovely site.

taconictraveler

BSpielman: you are so right about Il Cenacolo! It is so good, and I had forgotten about it, as we haven't been there in a while. ( of course, it's not near Rhinebeck, but would be a fabulous choice for anyone going to West Point). So glad it's still there and still good!

Michael

For sightseeing, check if Olana is open. It's a little farther north, but worth it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57625177939146

bspielman

TaconicT (and the OP), if you visit Il Cenácolo, ask for a server named (of all things) Cricket, and tell her that Joy and Burt, friends of the Cullens, sent you. Really a fabulous Italian restaurant in the most unlikely of locations. Justifiably a 28 in the Zagat Guide.

Kwoo

WOW!!! Thank you so much, everyone, especially Taconictraveler for your lengthy reply with great details. I know my husband really wants to see West Point, so we'll have to eat at Cenacolo.

MIchael, I found your trip report from last year & read it with great interest. I love your photos of Olana & will put it on my sightseeing list. Now I wish we had more time.

taconictraveler

Bspielman: i forgot you are friends of the Cullens. Great couple, very involved, great volunteers who are giving a lot back to their community!
Will go back to Cenacolo asap!

Vttraveler

Another vote for Olana. My husband and I stopped there on our way back to Vt from PA after Thanksgiving and really enjoyed seeing the house and grounds and learning more about the Hudson River School of art. The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is right across the Rip Van Winkle bridge, but it is only open from May to October.

owlwoman

Sounds like all your questions were answered, I only recommended the Beekman Tavern in Rhinebeck for a drink, I think it's an interesting place to see, have never eaten there as I also think other restaurants in Rhinebeck are better. Really wanted to try Local last time we visited, but they were on vacation.

Was up in the area over the weekend, had a really great dinner at the CIA/American Bounty, always impressed by the quality and pricing. The students are always fun to talk with and we both really enjoyed our meal there. We've had great meals at both Escoffier and AB, either one you can get into would be a treat. If they are booked, call and ask to be put on the waiting list.

Love West Point, always worth a visit there too.

If you also have time to visit Beacon/Dia Museum, I think that's always worth a stop too. Stopped there on the way home yesterday and had a quick snack at a new "tacqueria" on Main St., really fresh ingredients, incredibly good and reasonable.

Have a great trip!

owlwoman

Almost forget, also stopped by Val Kil, did not take the tour as the timing did not work out (they only have two tours a day during the off season), but did do a little hiking, lovely grounds.

Kwoo

owlwoman,thank you for your detailed reply. I am leaning towards American Bounty because it looks stunning! How far in advance do you think we should make dining reservations? I am waiting to hear from the other couple which restaurant they prefer; if they don't get back to me soon, I think I'll go with AB. Unfortunately, we won't be able to have a tour of CIA because they don't have any the weekend or Monday we are there. But we definitely plan on having a tour of Val-Kil & West Point & we'll try to fit in Olana.

Where is the Beacon/Dia museum? have you been to New Paltz? Might stop there if we have the time.
Thanks.

J62

Dia-Beacon is in Beacon, near the Beacon RR station. If you like large scale (as in very, very big), then the Dia is worth a visit. It's on the way from Hyde Park to West Point.

New Paltz is an interesting little college town. Several good restaurants, some interesting shops. Harder to visit in winter since it's more conducive to walking around, not just a drive by.

owlwoman

The Dia is in Beacon on Route 9D, which is a nice little road that eventually runs along the Hudson (much nicer than Rte. 9). I think it's worth a stop on the way to West Point.

For the CIA, call now, they take reservations up to three months in advance, for a Sat. night, I wouldn't wait any longer.