Upstate New York—the loosely defined region north of the city’s northernmost suburbs that boasts no shortage of lush countryside and weathered red barns, but not so much Hamptons-style traffic—is hot.
Last year home prices in one of its major regions, the Hudson Valley, which runs along the Hudson River from Westchester to Albany, hit all-time highs, following an influx of New York City residents who left during the pandemic and continue to take advantage of remote work allowances.
The popularity surge has extended to stylish hotel openings and now restaurants. This summer a seismic wave of notable dining rooms will be open, many backed by Big Apple chefs who wanted an upstate address and the immediacy of terrific local produce.
One of the most exciting new additions is La Bastide by Andrea Calstier, a French restaurant led by a Daniel Boulud alum in a Craftsman-style home with a fine dining tasting menu that could rival any in the city. Farther north, José Ramírez-Ruiz, the vegetable-focused evangelist from the now-shuttered Brooklyn restaurant Semilla, has reemerged at the rustic-casual Isabela in Amenia.
But upstate’s hottest dining destination is Warren Street in Hudson. In the past year, the town’s main strip has welcomed Manor Rock, from a former Four Horsemen chef; the earthy and minimalist-designed pasta-focused Via Cassia; Taiga with handmade Russian dumplings; and a grand all-day cafe-restaurant in an old bank.
Yet another reason to make the hour-and-a half-plus drive from Manhattan: standout new bakeries. In Kingston, former Eleven Madison Park pastry chef Angela Pinkerton has her own retro-styled abode where the star is modern icebox pies, while sourdough bagels with boldly flavored cream cheeses are proliferating in both Kingston and Hudson via Fantzye Bagels and Circles, respectively. And yes, you will find croissants.
Here then are the 11 top new restaurants and a cheat sheet of bakeries well worth the drive. Summer is on the horizon; start making reservations now.
Manor Rock, Hudson
A few years ago, former Four Horsemen chef Zack Nussdorf left Brooklyn for Taghkanic, New York; he and Ivy Nallo bought a modest plot of land there, where they raise prized Mangalitsa pigs and cultivate more than 225 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. The harvest fuels Manor Rock, the elegant 52-seat dining room in a 19th century townhouse where the dining tables are made from wood on the property and the classic cocktails are fortified with local distillates. The hyperseasonal menu changes daily; dishes might include Mangalitsa head cheese or grilled duck breast with dried persimmons, beets and chestnut mushrooms. Customers have been known to drive from New England for the gluten-free desserts, including seven-layer almond-orange cake with a green walnut amaro-spiked French buttercream.
Saint Florian, Hudson
Named for the patron saint of firefighters, the modern steakhouse Saint Florian operates on two floors of a century-old firehouse. Each level has a similar layout—about 40 seats, exposed red brick walls and a mix of bar and banquette seating—but a different vibe. The ground floor leans more casual with chef Robb Finn’s seasonal, globally inspired small plates such as shiso-charred snap peas and deboned fried chicken with buttermilk-marinated cucumber. The somewhat more refined upstairs room serves up endive Waldorf salad; petit wagyu filets, rib eyes and New York strip; and indulgent sides like stracciatella-potato gratin.
Via Cassia, Hudson
After four years in Tuscany, Babbo alums Gaetano and Meigan Arnone have returned to the US to open their first restaurant. This year-old intimate trattoria on Warren Street blends rustic Italian with a tidy American bistro look via a warm, neutral-toned 38-seat dining room. Gaetano’s house-made pastas—bucatini all’amatriciana and cacio e pepe—anchor the mostly classic menu. They’re accompanied by a compact list of antipasti and secondi that lean seasonal and highlight local produce. Start with creamy buffalo mozzarella paired with a fava bean and mint purée, followed by grilled quail served with lemon yogurt and Thumbelina carrots. The 12-seat crescent-shaped bar is stocked with Italian spirits for cocktails like a limoncello spritz.
Taiga, Hudson
Adorned with white lace tablecloths, crystal chandeliers and dried local herbs, Taiga has strong grandmother’s dining room vibes. The cozy Eastern European boîte from former fashion photographer turned chef Vlad Larvin and partner Waldemar Sirko is a tribute to Larvin’s Russian roots; in fact, it features his grandmother’s wild strawberry jam with hare, alongside beef borscht and turkey and forest mushroom dumplings on the monthly changing menu. There’s currently no liquor license; the place offers drinks like a nonalcoholic-gin-imbued Orange Boom. Eventually it will pour infused Russian vodkas and natural wines from Italy, France, Georgia and Russia.
Klocke Estate, Hudson
Last year John Frishkopf opened the 160-acre, Ken Fulk-designed boutique brandy distillery Klocke on the outskirts of Hudson. Becky Kempter runs the estate’s restaurant, a stylish multi-roomed space decorated with Persian rugs and draperies. Her cooking is seasonal and globally accented; she’ll serve warm kale salad with miso-and-maple-laced Brussels sprouts, and halibut in saffron-fennel broth. At the 14-seat bar, customers can try Klocke’s red and white vermouth on the rocks or in a spritz, or sip an appletini made with that house-distilled apple brandy, white vermouth and fresh honeycrisp apple juice. There’s also a deep, France-focused collection of vintage brandies.
Matilda, Hensonville
The earthy restaurant and bar Matilda occupies the ground floor of the year-old boutique hotel The Henson; it’s a joint project between hotel founders Ely and Danielle Franko and New York City chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra. Within the dining room, whose focal point is a giant wood-burning fireplace, the chefs serve minimalist, globally accented dishes like raw Montauk prawns wrapped in purple shiso and served over ice, and poached then smoked Hudson Valley trout with a green garlic purée. Next door, at the retro wooden bar, are cocktails by modernist drinks maker Dave Arnold (Booker & Dax).
Banque, Hudson
Before it was Banque, the glossy white marble, 10,000-square-foot all-day cafe and restaurant was the original Farmers National Bank building, and the soaring ceilings, antique bank tables and art deco details remain. The inspiration is European grand cafes; near the entrance there’s a display of gorgeous pastries like Reuben pain suisse and lemon meringue croissants from former Osteria Francescana pastry cook Olenka Reyes.
The 50-seat dining room is helmed by former Bouley chef James Rafferty, with a continental menu from a parsley-oil-laced potato-leek soup to a 30-day dry-aged beef burger loaded with caramelized onions. At the rear, under a mezzanine balcony, the 18-seat white marble bar has a mix of classic and creative cocktails, some of which incorporate sorbets and gelatos including the piña colada.
Isabela, Amenia
When Ramírez-Ruiz closed his acclaimed tasting menu spot, Semilla, in 2017, it was a blow to the Brooklyn restaurant scene. He’s finally resurfaced, 100 miles north, at Isabela, a 2,600-square-foot seasonal bistro. Within the long semi-open kitchen the chef is preparing hyperseasonal dishes for the 46-seat candlelit dining room (and diners in the connected bar area), including butterhead lettuce, served in whole or half heads cloaked in a spruce vinaigrette; fluke with salsa verde; and a standout rustic sourdough, made with wheat from Kingston’s Stone Mill and served with locally made butter dosed with buttermilk. Don’t miss his fluffy rice pudding for two: arborio rice simmered in a dairy-free milk blend, enriched with whipped cream and crème anglaise and topped with rotating seasonal garnishes, currently dulce de leche, elderberry marmalade and candied pecans. The wine list skews small production, natural and mostly from Europe.
Thai Baan at Tenmile Distillery, Wassaic
Set on rolling acres in a converted century-old dairy farm, Tenmile Distillery—best known for its single-malt whiskey—is now home to Thai Baan’s two-year residency. Chef Arunee Pakaraphang and husband Jason Jeffords oversee the distillery’s 100-seat dining room, with views of the towering, glass-encased copper still. The menu is rooted in traditional Thai flavors with signature dishes like a rich short rib massaman curry and the classic coconut-chicken soup, tom kha gai. To drink, there’s the option of classic cocktails and house creations like a spirit-forward Wassaic with Tenmile’s Little Rest Whisky, sweet vermouth and bitters.
Threshold, Livingston Manor
Korean mountain cuisine is the theme of the five-month-old Threshold. Helmed by former Oiji Mi chef Thom Chun, the restaurant offers a refreshing take on traditional flavors at modest prices (most dishes are $29 or less). There’s a raw tuna bite with roasted seaweed, chilled acorn jelly dressed with seaweed vinaigrette, and pork and sesame leaf stew. The teal-and-gold-colored art deco-inspired space features a black marble eight-seat bar and dining counter; there’s also a covered 20-seat patio. Beverage director Cam Shaw, who co-owns the place with Pete Choo, offers a diverse selection of sool—traditional Korean alcoholic drinks including makgeolli, chungju and soju—and mixes a savory and umami-accented gin and pine soju martini spiked with kimchi brine.
La Bastide by Andrea Calstier, North Salem
Haute French cooking has arrived in the northern reaches of Westchester courtesy of chef Andrea Calstier and his wife, Elena Oliver. The intimate restaurant, with white marble floors and generously sized round tables covered with cream leather tablecloths, sits below the couple’s ground-level bistro Cenadou Bistro. There, Calstier offers a $250 six-course tasting menu (there’s also a four-course menu for $195) with options like Millbrook venison served with salsify and binchotan-grilled monkfish in an aromatic marinère sauce encircling. The wine list is mostly French from elite Jacques Selosse Champagne to Bordeaux dating back to the 1980s.
Bakeries
Pinkerton’s
The acclaimed pastry chef’s American-style bakery and cafe is set in a 1920s art deco-designed Gulf Oil station in Kingston with standouts like caramel glaze-enrobed pecan sticky buns.
Circles
Former Marlow & Sons chef Tray Tepper started his honey-boiled sourdough bagel concept as a pop-up within Hudson’s Lil’ Deb’s Oasis. Last summer he started selling his puffy, airy bagels—topped with cream cheese in flavors like Kyoto carrot and charred corn—in a spacious plot with communal seating just off Warren Street.
Fantzye Bagels
Besides the sourdough bagels schmeared with fermented chili cream cheese, this new Kingston shop gets attention for the loaded sandwiches. The Remix—stacked with egg, aged gouda and garlic aioli, and swiped with roasted garlic and chili-imbued green sauce—is the local favorite.
Nora Allen relocated her tiny heirloom-grain-backed sourdough bread, pastry and sandwich haunt from Manhattan’s Lower East Side to a clean, modern Scandi-styled Warren Street space in Hudson. Her baked goods, like a standout cinnamon roll (with house-ground cinnamon), rhubarb pie and spring onion goat cheese croissants are made from locally grown, house-milled grains.
