Offers diners a wide selection of places to eat
Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, returns to cities, towns and villages throughout the region this year from March 18-31. The list of more than 200 participating restaurants is on the event website and reservations are open. Participating restaurants in seven counties (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia) will offer three-course prix-fixe dinners at $29.95, and three-course lunches at $20.95 during the two-week event.
Now in its sixth year, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week demonstrates why the Hudson Valley has become one of America’s most talked about culinary destinations, says Janet Crawshaw, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week organizer and publisher of The Valley Table magazine . “The Hudson Valley has long been a vibrant agricultural region,” Crawshaw says. “Now, in addition to our farms, we are home to the country’s foremost cooking school, celebrated artisanal cheese makers, world-class wineries and distilleries, and some of the top chefs in America.” A complete listing of participating eateries can be found HERE.
Because agriculture is still the Hudson Valley’s biggest industry, the use of locally-produced ingredients on Restaurant Week menus is key to the event’s popularity. “Sustainable, local cuisine is more than a trend here,” Crawshaw adds. “Hudson Valley chefs find inspiration and amazing ingredients in the surrounding farms, and they go all out to use local products on their menus–from venison, duck and heritage pork to artisanal cheeses, wines. There’s so much to use, even in winter.”
Hudson Valley Restaurant Week includes two full weekends, making it even more tantalizing for those looking for a tasty getaway. Many Hudson Valley hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts are offering special Restaurant Week rates, so adventurous foodies can spend a weekend or longer sampling menus at some of the finest restaurants in the region while treating themselves to mini-vacations.
