Foodies of all types have discovered the Valley and its wide variety of top-flight restaurants. One chef even predicts we’ll soon be vying with California’s Napa Valley as a dining destination. Find out what all the buzz is about with these profiles of local eateries.
By Lynn Hazlewood
Published in Hudson Valley Magazine February 18, 2011
http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/March-2011/Where-to-Eat-in-the-Hudson-Valley/
You know a restaurant is great when there's four feet of snow and tons of treacherous ice on the ground, super low temps and, yet, they have a full house. FWandD enjoyed dinner for the second time at the wonderful No. 9 restaurant in Millerton, NY this weekend and we can't stop raving about it. Where do we begin?
First, thank you No. 9 for turning up the heat. We know the temp shouldn't matter if the food is delicious but, in Millerton, frankly it does. Many restaurants in the area "country up" their looks with gorgeous wood floors and bare walls--which is nice--but then fail to turn up the (expensive) heating in the winter for their patrons. Thank you No. 9 for treating us better than that. Perfect temp!
Next, the restaurant is beautiful. It's connected to a very nice country inn, but the restaurant seems somewhat modern, sleek almost, with a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, an intimate and stylish bar, thoughtful art work throughout and great lighting.
The service was stellar. If we have one bit of advice for the restaurant it is to cherish their servers. Tim was outstanding---he paid so much attention to us and treated us with such respect! He was just great; fully knowledgeable about everything on the menu, courteous and quick and not at all condescending. FWandD would like to add a very honorable mention for the female server with red hair. We didn't catch her name but she never stopped working or watching the room. She always kept moving and helping everyone, from diners to colleagues. Nice job!
Finally, and most importantly, our dinner was magnificent! We started with the butternut squash soup which was warm, rich and somehow left a delightful, lingering taste of rustic homemade buttery popcorn. The cheese and nuts on top turned this bowl of soup into a hearty, savory meal. Bravo! We scraped the plate, literally. The entree was monkfish with mushrooms and sweet potato puree and was phenomenal. See below...aaaah.
The entree was creamy, slightly sweet and very filling. The fish was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms filled a void in this non-meat eater's heart. Dinner was accompanied by a very good Argentinian Malbec which served as the icing on the evening's cake for FWandD since, very sadly, we had no room left after dinner to try No. 9's desserts. The dessert trio of souffle', creme brulee and panna cotta sounded divine though...
Check out this great restaurant if you're in the Hudson Valley (tip: they're open for Valentine's Day).
Number 9 in the Simmon's Way Inn
53 Main Street
Millerton, NY 12546
518.592.1299
http://number9millerton.com/index.html
