4 Best Restaurants in Hudson Valley, New York

Impeccable service, elegant decor, and extraordinary food by chef and owner Peter X. Kelly make this 40-seat restaurant a not-to-be-missed special-occasion place. Dinner is a relative bargain: $70 gets you a four-course, prix-fixe meal with an amuse-bouche (bite-size appetizer) and petits fours. The menu, which changes seasonally, might include roasted breast of squab served with Hudson Valley foie gras, lobster with vanilla beurre blanc and parsnip puree, and a tasting of raw fish. The wine cellar stores more than 600 bottles. Lunch, served Friday and Sunday, is $35 prix fixe.

A grand experience awaits at this lavishly appointed restaurant at the Castle on the Hudson. Choose from three formal dining rooms: the Oak Room, with ornately carved built-ins from France; the Tapestry Room; and the Garden Room, which has breathtaking Hudson River views. French influences make their way into the Auberge-style fare and inventive dishes, which the chef creates using naturally sourced ingredients.

Watch sailboats drift by from the veranda tables at this riverfront restaurant, or dine by the window in the country-style River Room. A crust of red and blue tortillas gives crab cakes a new twist. Notable entrées include salmon filled with sun-dried-tomato pesto and arugula, and filet mignon wrapped in a crusty sleeve of pancetta. The stunning dining room is worthy of Martha Stewart herself, and thus the setting of many weddings. Sunday brunch gives you the choice of an appetizer and entrée for $26.

This relaxed bistro offers a slice of France in uptown Kingston. Try modern versions of traditional dishes, like duck pâté served on a bed of red onions (a starter) or grilled New Zealand rack of lamb in a merlot–balsamic vinegar reduction. The prix-fixe menus offer good value. True Francophones will be delighted by the café au lait served in bowls