Winter dining bargains

These days, especially, everyone likes a bargain. Twenty restaurants in the Warwick Valley are participating in WinterDining, a promotion that offers special menus at 25 percent off regular prices, now through March 8 (daily except on Saturdays).

The program is organized by the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce and its newly formed Warwick Restaurant Coalition, and includes restaurants in Warwick, Florida, Westtown, Greenwood Lake, Bellvale, Chester, Goshen, Middletown, Sugarloaf and nearby Vernon, NJ.

Here are more details from their news release:

In addition to eating well at reduced cost, diners are encouraged to shop locally and stay over in a cozy bed and breakfast. Shopping is a great draw to the Warwick area and many retailers will be offering special bargains. Six local bed and breakfast establishments are working with the restaurants by featuring mid-week WinterDining rates. Local realtors are supporting the community-wide effort by sponsoring open houses on March 1.

The Warwick Valley is a destination known for its Victorian charm, sense of community, sophisticated culture and distinctly rural character.

For more information about WinterDining in the Warwick Valley call 845-986-2720 or go to www.warwickcc.org. Located in southern Orange County, the Warwick area is close to ski areas and just 55 miles from New York City and 40 miles from White Plains.

CNN to film at Terrapin on Friday

One of CNN's Travel+Leisure segments will be filmed during lunch time tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 27) at Terrapin Red Bistro in Rhinebeck. Chef-owner Josh Kroner will talk about "how he came to make Hudson Valley's premier burgers" and will be pairing them with some local craft brews. The bistro will be open during the filming, (serving those fab burgers -- 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and seating is on a first-come, first served basis. Terrapin Restaurant and Terrapin Red Bistro are at 6426 Montgomery Street in Rhinebeck.

Poughkeepsie chef earns spot on Food Network show

Megan Kulpa-Fells, the executive chef and co-owner of The Artist’s Palate wine bar-bistro on Main Street in the City of Poughkeepsie, has been selected to compete on a new show on the Food Network.

You can read about it here.

Checking out the Hudson Valley Seed Library

All it takes is a mid-February snowfall (and a hailstorm, yesterday afternoon) to make my thoughts turn to my summer garden. Or actually, the work I need to do to make sure I have a summer veggie garden once again. (And if ever there is a year when it might be a good idea to have a modern "Victory Garden" - this could be it. Or as Michael Pollan said ...)

That's one reason why a recent e-mail from Ken Greene and the Hudson Valley Seed Library was so timely and welcome. It's a great cause, and I'm going to let Ken tell you the details:

Pack Art
Heirloom Garden Images Past and Present
Two Gallery Shows
Gardiner Library: March 2nd- 30th
Opening Reception and Talk: March 8th, 2-4pm
Catskill Mountain Foundation: April 11th- May 17th
Opening Reception and Talk: April 11th, 4-6pm

The Hudson Valley Seed Library (HVSL) is excited to have its first gallery show of original heirloom artwork created for its seed packs. Curated by HVSL co-founder Ken Greene, this colorful collection of artwork celebrates the diversity of New York's heirloom vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The show features fourteen works of art by eleven New York artists.

Art Packs
The artists featured in the show were commissioned by HVSL to create cover art for the company's seed packaging. Mediums include painting, drawing, collage, paper cutting, ceramics, photography, printmaking, and digital imaging. Two additional pieces accompany each original artwork. One is a framed Art Pack, the shape and layout of which were created by Gardiner-based package design company Treeo Design. The other is a vintage image of the variety taken from HVSL's collection of antique New York seed catalogs. Limited edition prints of the artwork will be for sale.

During each reception, Ken Greene will give a guided tour of the show. Greene will share the stories behind the seeds and artwork and talk about the mission of the Seed Library.

The Hudson Valley Seed Library, which got its start at the Gardiner Library, is now a small homestead-based seed company in Accord, (Ulster County, New York), run by Greene and partner Doug Muller. The HVSL catalog focuses on New York heirlooms and open-pollinated, non-GMO varieties that do well in the Northeast. Some of the seeds are available nowhere else, such as Hank's X-tra Special Baking Bean from Ghent, New York; the original stock for this variety was donated to the Seed Library by former Gardiner Library director Peg Lotvin. In addition to an online catalog of over 50 varieties, which includes the 13 Art Packs and a mix of locally grown and commercially grown seeds, HVSL offers a Seed Library membership program. Members can check out seeds to grow in their gardens and return saved seeds at the end of the season. The Seed Library's long-term goal is to offer an accessible and affordable source of 100% regionally grown seed. To purchase seeds, become a member, or learn more about the Hudson Valley Seed Library, please visit the website.

Come celebrate the diversity of heirloom seeds as seen through the eyes of artists!

The following artists contributed artwork for the 2009 Art Packs:

Michael Asbill: Hank's X-tra Special Baking Bean.
Nancy Blum: Gift Zinnia.
Ryan Cronin: Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower.
Jenny Lee Fowler: Nasturtium.
Ayumi Horie: Rat's Tail Radish.
Dani Leventhal: Double Yield Cucumber.
Cassie Quackenbush: Cilantro
Carrie Scanga: Black Valentine Bean.
Sarah Snow: Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Bridge to Paris Pepper, Goldie Tomato.
Michael Truckpile: Dinokale.
Cynthia Winika: Calendula.

Local art AND local plant seeds. How great is that?

Local Valentine's Day dinner!

Our Valentine's Day dinner included items picked up that day at the Winter Farmers Market at the Elmendorph Inn in Red Hook: Game hens from Northwind Farm in Tivoli (which we covered in a garlic-coriander-salt-pepper-olive oil paste and oven roasted with carrots) and baguette from Tivoli Bread & Baking. I believe the olive oil we used came from Leonardo's Italian Market in Rhinebeck and the garlic from Adams Fairacre Farms.

And dessert included DELICIOUS chocolates from Oliver Kita in Rhinebeck!

Shopping local makes sense.

Oh no Domino

Maybe you heard the virtual groan from my friends and I recently when we learned that Domino magazine was shutting down. It was a favorite among national shelter publications – clever and accessible and just plain fun – and I am going to miss reading it.

I struggled with whether I should mention its passing here, on the Good Life blog, which has to do with all the great things about living in the Hudson Valley (not national home design publications.) In the end, I decided I would, because Domino’s passing happens just at the time when we are adding even more features to HVC magazine about LOCAL home design, décor and furnishings. There are great designers, exceptional homes and some exciting marketplaces for home products in the region between New York City and Albany and we’re going to explore them in future issues of HVC.

To that end, I am sending an invitation to folks in our region who feel they have a home, a room, a product, a fave store or an idea that would be great to feature in HVC magazine and/or on this blog. Send me an e-mail at lcoons@hvcmagazine.com and tell me what you’ve got!

Valentine's Day dinner along the Hudson

Here’s a romantic idea – celebrate Valentine's Day with a dinner at one of our region’s fabulous private houses along the Hudson River and benefit the historic Gardeners Cottage restoration project at Clermont State Historic Site. (Two of the houses are shown at right.)

The cost is $75 per person and includes a “red-and-white cocktail reception” at 5:30 p.m. in the Livingston mansion at Clermont (1 Clermont Avenue Germantown), followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. at one of the following homes:

Tracie and Wint Aldrich
Janice Barringer and Rick Griner
Deborah and Peter Barrow
Joan Davidson
John Dobkin
Frank Faulkner and Philip Kesinger
Adelia and Charles Geiger
Alison Guss and Ric Lewit
Kat and Mark Lichter
Hermes Mallea and Carey Maloney
Mary Ellen Ross and Vern Bergelin
...and more

Friends of Clermont recommends making reservations early as space is limited. For more info or reservations, contact Audrey Reifler at 518-537-6622 or via email at fofc@gtel.net.