Hungry for Restaurant Week

Westchester County restaurants are hoping an uptick in sales is on the menu when Hudson Valley Restaurant Week kicks off March 10. Thirty sponsors and hundreds of chefs are preparing for the 10th annual event.

Each year, Restaurant Week sees a 30 percent sales growth for local eateries, according to Janet Crawshaw, the founder of The Valley Table magazine who first cooked up the Hudson Valley”™s Restaurant Week.

The dining industry has been a key contributor to increasing tourism in Westchester as last year the region”™s restaurants grossed over $791 million in sales, Crawshaw said.

At the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week kickoff event, a local restaurateur, Peter X. Kelley, was recognized as one of the region”™s leaders in the farm-to-table movement, which encourages restaurants to use locally sourced ingredients.

“With the region”™s rich agricultural heritage, the Hudson Valley has become an epicenter of the farm-to-table concept,” Crawshaw said.

Kelly, owner of X20 Xaviers on the Hudson in Yonkers and four other restaurants outside of the area, said local dining options have expanded in recent years. Thirty years ago, Kelly said, he ate at a restaurant he said was then considered one of the top in the valley.

“I ordered my dinner, and the waitress came up and said, ”˜Would you like to have a glass of wine with your meal?”™” Kelly said. “I said, ”˜Sure, what are the options?”™ She said, ”˜Yes or no.”™”

With about 200 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week this year, a lack of variety is the least likely problem diners will encounter this year, Kelly said.

Participating restaurants include RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen in Tarrytown; CrabtreeӪs Kittle House in Chappaqua; X20 Xaviars on the Hudson; Bocuse Restaurant in Hyde Park; La Cr̩maill̬re in Bedford; and Valley Restaurant at the Garrison. Many restaurants will feature locally sourced ingredients from places such as Millbrook Vineyards, Sprout Creek Farm, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, Hemlock Hill Farm and Continental Organics.

Several sponsors and chefs showcased their creations at a food tasting following the kickoff ceremony. RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen served ricotta gnudi with porcini ragu and arugula topped with cheese and bread crumbs. The restaurant sources its products from Continental Organics, a veteran-owned sustainable farm in New Windsor, said Nicole Green, a server at RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen.

“We also have a panna cotta, which includes local milk with honey gelee from local beekeepers served with amaranth crumble and bee-pollen brittle,” Green said.

At the next table, Crabtree”™s Kittle House served baby kale salads with crown maple syrup, ewe”™s blue cheese, sliced pecans and house smoked salmon.

A few tables down, Tuthilltown Spirits owner Gable Erenzo was slicing apples picked from a local orchard and mixing botanical variants and fruit juices with base spirits in tiny mason jars to create various gins, including a half moon orchard gin.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week features prix fixe, three-course dinners for $29.95 and lunches for $20.95 including beverage, tax and tip. The reduced prix fixe pricing structure allows diners to experience fine dining at affordable prices. Restaurant cuisines include Argentinean, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latino, Mediterranean, Mexican, Moroccan and Swiss.

For a complete list of participating restaurants visit www.HudsonValleyRestaurantWeek.com. To make reservations, call the restaurant directly or visit www.OpenTable.com.