5 Best Restaurants in Hudson Valley, New York

Using modern techniques pioneered by the great Lyons chef Paul Bocuse, this contemporary successor to the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier, serves classic French cuisine in a casual yet sophisticated beige and white room designed by famed restaurant designer Adam Tihany. In addition to such iconic dishes like black truffle soup, torchon of goie gras, and rack of lamb, there's an informative and reasonable wine list (presented on an iPad). There's also a dessert cart that serves specialty cocktails and hand-cranked ice cream prepared tableside with liquid nitrogen in two minutes.

Regional fare is the specialty at this student-staffed restaurant at the Culinary Institute, and local and seasonal ingredients are emphasized. Local beef is bathed in roasted bone marrow garlic butter and there's a daily preparation of cage-free Hudson Valley foie gras. The restaurant is in Roth Hall, once a Jesuit seminary.

The Culinary Institute's most casual dining option showcases luscious desserts and breads made daily. The light lunch menu lists soups, sandwiches, pizza, and salads. The atmosphere is relaxed, and prices are reasonable. The line can get quite long around noon on weekdays, but moves fairly quickly.

American pub fare and some of the best beer in the Hudson Valley are served in this relaxed restaurant-brewery. The menu includes sandwiches and pizzas as well as toothier fare like steaks and pastas. The breads, desserts, and ice creams are made on the premises. Live music three nights a week makes this a popular nightspot, too.

The Culinary Institute's terraced Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine is the setting for this complex of Italian dining areas, each with its own character. The ornately decorated main dining room has Venetian light fixtures and is the most formal; the Al Forno room has an open kitchen with a colorfully painted wood-fired oven. Antipasti choices are plentiful, followed by first and second courses. Panna cotta with strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar is a good dessert pick.