Poughkeepsie, NY
 

We will be bringing our son to college this weekend in the Poughkeepsie area, any suggestions on restaurants or places to visit on Sunday?

The culinery institue of america in hyde park comes to my mind. It's been highly recommended, though I believe you usually need reservations in advance.

You have a wide choice of places to visit in the area, starting with the FDR home and museum and the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park.
For other ideas, check out:
http://www.hudsonvalley.org
http://www.hvnet.com

Jo,
see my reply to your other message. You mention college. That usually means either Marist or Vassar.

the CIA is just 10min north of Marist, and another 10min from Vasser. www.ciachef.edu. You definitely need reservations for any of the restaurants there, including lunch. My preferred order is 1. Escoffier (french), 2.Caterina De Medici (italian) and 3. American Bounty.

All are excellent. Last weekend was 100% sold out lunch and dinner due to graduation - don't know what you'll find this weekend. All 3 of those restaurants have dress codes. No shorts or jeans, flipflops for anybody in the group. Jacket and tie not required, but many men at least wear a jacket over a shirt, especially at Escoffier. Short sleeve polo shirt is ok, but many guests are dressier.

Lots of other places south of POK I can recommend for dinner.

Post here (preferred for others to see) or email me at [email protected] if you want more specifics.

If you are in to cooking, I found this GREAT shop 1mi north of the CIA with professional cookware and gadgests of all sorts. It's called Kitchen Drawer - everything you could imagine for the (budding) professional chef. Much better broader range and higher quality than you'll find at local mall gadget shop.

We had a really nice meal last year at Cosimos which is right up the road from Marist (if that's where you're taking your son) If you're looking for a fun breakfast/casual place, try the Eveready Diner just north of the CIA.

Our daughter graduated from the CIA, so over the 4 years we ate at all the restaurants. Don't know if you'll get in at this late date, but it's something to remember for other visits to your son.