Kingston NY

Going to be in that area for a few days at the end of the month. Any recommendations on where to eat?

Hickory BBQ on Route 28 is CIA chefs, but it's still pretty god. They make a killer mac & cheese. My only disappointment there was when they had a leg of lamb special, the waitress assured me it was smoked, and it was not (I was with my elderly parents and didn't want to make a scene, otherwise I would have sent it back). If you like barbecued brisket, the best deal in the brisket sandwich, a substantial portion with barbecue onions, pepperjack cheese and one side for $8.95.

If you want to travel a few miles to Woodstock (more my neck of the woods), check out the Little Bear Cafe, a New York Chinatown class restaurant, on route 12 (2 miles west of the center of town, in the Bearsville section). Go while it's still light outside and ask for a seat by the window; the brook view is REALLY nice.

If someone recommends the Reservoir Inn, ignore them. It was once a great restaurant (I had my wedding rehearsal dinner there), but it has new and less than competent ownership.

I have found the pulled pork at Hickory, on Rt 28, to be acceptable, and the brisket to be not very good - the place has seen better days.

Saugerties, just as close as Woodstock, has the outstanding up-scale Cafe Tamayo  - highly recommended - reservations. 

The Rondout section of Kingston is loaded with restaurants, several with nice creek and river views. We like Rositas for Mexican when the weather is nice and we can eat on the water's edge patio. Next door is the Steel House - good steaks. Mariner's Harbor, a converted newspaper building, has a lively bar, and good light meals and sandwiches and also comfortable outside seating in season. Armadillo, on Abeel St. has good Tex-Mex food. And, any visit to Kingston should include a lunch of "two with everything" at Dallas Hot Wieners, on North Front St or the location on Broadway.

Across the Hudson, Rhinebeck has the historic Beekman Arms, which serves very good American meals - , and Market Street has a number of well recommended boutique restaurants. Another 10 miles down Rt 9 is the CIA with a very good Apple Cafe for breakfast or lunch, the American Bounty with excellent American meals for lunch and dinner (reservations required for dinner), The French influenced Escoffier Room, also reservations required, and the very good Katerina Medicci  Italian restaurant with a lovely herb and roses garden. And, by the way , great views up and down the Hudson from the CIA's terrace. Also in Hyde Park is the famous Eveready Diner - typical diner fare with outstanding bakery items. 

Cheers, John 

  

IN Kingston proper, it is utter bleakness. If you've ever eaten real barbecue before, Hickory will be ruff... The only reasonable and truly edible restaurant is across the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge in Rhinebeck- Terrapin. the cafe at Terrapin is quite reasonable, and very good. Little Bear in Woodstock is sort of ruff too... if you want a SERIOUS roadfood breakfast experience, and this is super top secret, drive south on rt. 32 towards Rosendale and you will find, right before the bridge with the construction in Rosendale, on the right in a little strip mall that looks abandoned, is "32 Lunch". this is a family run (brother mans the grill, sister waits tables, that's it!) Greek lunch counter that is just spectacular! only open until 2:30, this is a huge quality breakfast cooked to order! the ultimate breakfast throw down- i promise. where the locals eat- about 15 minutes south of kingston on 32 (if you reach the bridge in Rosendale you just missed it). enjoy- FB

I agree with Frank about the 32 Lunch - although it's been quite a while since I've been there. But I disagree about Kingston.  A good breakfast, especially bakery items, can be had at either of Diesing's locations - one on N. Front St and one on Broadway and there's at least two good diners - the Dietz Stadium on N. Front, and the Kings Valley on Albany Ave. 

A fifteen minute drive south of Kingston on Rt 209 to Stone Ridge gets you to a tiny little lunch room, The Nibble Nook, a mom and pop operation where I had an excellent beef and bean soup and an outstanding grilled cheese sandwich last week. 

Also, if you drive thru Rosendale on Rt 213 to High Falls, a very good lunch is to be had at the Eggs Nest - a very unusual off-beat  place with deli style sandwiches and light lunch items - I always order the "pray sue" - a sort of tex-mex pizza. Also in High Falls is the famous John Novi's Canal House - very upscale and very good. 

Cheers,John  

It seems that my info may be kind of dated (although my parents ate at Little Bear just last week, and they said the food was still excellent). As I mentioned, Hickory is barbecue by way of CIA, and the chefs are infected by the sameness you find in a lot of CIA chef run restaurants.

But I'm going out on a limb again, and recommending a restaurant which used to be good, but I have not eaten at in about 5 years: New World Home Cooking, on 1411 Route 212 in Saugerties. A wide array of dishes, of varying spice. Their dishes can be a bit Americaned down; you know how, in all those Bobby Flay throwdowns, the verdict on his food is always, "It's pretty good, but it's not (whatever the challenge food is)"? That's this restaurant. Nothing is authentic, but everything is good.

Although I haven't been there in a few years, New World, last I heard , still has a good reputation - their own take on all the standard American fare.

Cheers, John 

Thank you all for the great leads. I just got in to Poughkeepsie (kingston was all booked). Ill report on wherever I end up eating. Thanks again.

If you are in Pokipsy be sure to visit Souldog way down toward the river on Man St and Nosh's way up on  the other end of Main St - they both have excellent hotdogs. And for a bowl of chili go to Andy's Place - you'll need directions from a local.

Cheers, John