3 Best Restaurants in Millbrook, Hudson Valley

The jolly sunburst graphic on the café sign and the banks of colorful flowers on the front steps are très French. Warm terra-cotta–tone walls and vine-motif sconces continue the theme inside. The food is authentic French bistro fare, well prepared and presented. What a delight to find a really good croque- monsieur and moules (mussels) or steak frites. Tarte tatin, baked by the chef and served with a scoop of crème fraîche, is not to be missed.

With a hunter-green awning over the entrance, walls covered with framed hunting prints, and wood paneling that recalls a stable, this restaurant plays up the horse-country theme. The food is billed as "authentic 19th-century cooking." Everything is cooked in the wood-fired oven; the open-plan kitchen invites you to watch. The house's baked stuffed Spanish onion, a concoction of cheddar cheese and fresh vegetables, is well worth trying. Entrées are served on sizzling cast-iron platters straight from the oven.

Since 1929 a diner has sat on this spot, with the current edition, a stainless-steel boxcar version, dating from 1952. It's a great hangout for locals, who love how quickly that early-morning cup of coffee is served. Order hamburgers, french fries, BLTs, and other diner basics here.