Building on last year”™s success, this year”™s Hudson Valley”™s Restaurant Week was again declared a success by Janet Crawshaw, publisher of The Valley Table, who spearheaded the gourmet effort.
More than 80 restaurants from Westchester to Columbia County participated in the two-week event, where three-course luncheons were offered for $16.09 (in honor of the upcoming Quadricentennial celebration of Henry Hudson”™s river exploration) and $20.09 for a three-course dinner.
“Certainly, the fact that Tim and Nina Zagat, founders of the Zagat Survey, participated as honorary co-chairs added a dash of panache,” Crawshaw said.
The week”™s kickoff celebration at The Thayer Hotel in West Point on Feb. 19 was a delectable display of culinary concoctions made with Hudson Valley fresh foods, all of which were predominately featured at all participating restaurants during the promotion. The Thayer was one of Hudson Valley restaurants that took part in the two-week eating extravaganza.
It was Hudson Valley Restaurant Week”™s second go-round, and this time organizers moved it from November to March and stretched it out two weeks rather than one. It worked.
“March is a time when the Hudson Valley is traditionally in a hunker down mode,” said Mike Dwyer, assistant sales manager at The Thayer. “People don”™t like to travel in the winter months, but Restaurant Week was a draw. We definitely saw an increase in business, and we drew people who would ordinarily not come to the hotel. But because of the specials we offered, we became a destination. I think it”™s a great idea, and we are definitely excited about participating next year.”
Gary Zuza, owner of Sentrista Grille in Brewster, could not find enough good things to say about the effect Restaurant Week had on his business. “We saw between 20 to a 150 percent increase in customers, based on the days they came in. We also saw people come in who were not from the area. We had our best Thursday and Sunday ever … it was well organized, well advertised and I can”™t speak highly enough for the work that went into organizing this event by the Valley Table. We”™ve already signed up for next year”™s event.”
Zuza is also planning a prix fixe menu and let his 475 e-mail customers know of his new offering. “We realize that money is tight right now and people are being careful about spending. We”™ve already gotten positive feedback about prix fixe meals, so we”™re going to continue in a different format.”
Kevin Katz, the chef-owner of The Red Onion in Saugerties, saw his business go up “53 percent over the same two-week period in 2007” and attributed the jump directly to Restaurant Week. “It was well publicized ”“ The Gold Standard definitely got the word out, as did The Valley Table ”“ and with American Express as a corporate underwriter of the event, it was a win for everyone involved. I”™m definitely participating next year,” Katz said.
Manager Natalie Vella of Terrapin Restaurant in Rhinebeck said, “On a scale of one to ten, it was a definite ten. This was the second year we participated. We were very busy, and our staff loved it. Everyone had a great time and we got a lot of positive comments. For people who do not get a chance to go out to dinner often, it was a treat for them, and a treat for us to serve them.”
And although Restaurant Week was declared an overall success by those who participated, some aspects of the eating extravaganza left a bittersweet taste. Peter X. Kelly, owner of X20 on the Yonkers waterfront and Restaurant X & The Bully Boy Bar in Congers, two of his four restaurants that participated in the promotion, said they were “extraordinarily busy, and we saw a lot of new faces. We were glad people had an opportunity to come and enjoy our venues.” Unfortunately, said Kelly, “People who come to our restaurants have high expectations, and if we were to participate in the event next year, we would have to tweak it a bit to meet those expectations within reason.”
For one thing, said Kelly, pricing was a challenge when it came to showcasing foods grown and produced in the Hudson Valley. “Some people appreciated it; others didn”™t realize the effort that went into it, nor the costs involved.”
Another thing Kelly did not appreciate: “The comments posted by anonymous bloggers, who were very busy. There are hundreds of anonymous critics, something I don”™t think is fair to the public or to the businesses or people these faceless bloggers are critiquing.”
Mitch Silberman and chef Jim Frosco, partners at the Olde Towne Inne in Suffern, did not know about Restaurant Week until it was over.
Silberman says Olde Towne Inne just completed $80,000 in renovations, which included a menu makeover, something that didn”™t appeal to its regular customers. “So we”™ve gone back to the basics…traditional comfort food at affordable prices. I”™m sorry we didn”™t know about Restaurant Week, because it certainly would have given us an opportunity to re-introduce ourselves in our new surroundings.”
