Winter is better when we spend it together.
Winter has a way of making our worlds a little smaller. The days get shorter, the layers get thicker, and once we’re home and comfortable, heading back out into the cold can feel like a lot to ask.
Photo by Angelina Zinovieva.
But winter is also one of the best times of year to make the effort. There’s something particularly wonderful about walking out of the cold and into a warm restaurant. The windows are glowing, coats are piled on the backs of chairs, something delicious is coming from the kitchen, and the people you’re happy to see are sitting across the table.< In a season when it’s easy to retreat into our own little worlds, getting out and spending time together can be exactly what we need.
MAKE THE PLAN
We all do it. We should get together soon. And then somehow another month goes by. Winter is a good time to actually put something on the calendar. Meet a friend for lunch. Start a monthly dinner with people you don’t see enough. Make Sunday brunch a reason to leave the house. Grab a drink after work instead of heading straight home.
It doesn’t have to be a birthday, anniversary, or holiday. Sometimes Tuesday is reason enough.
Summer makes socializing easy—festivals, farmers markets, outdoor concerts, backyard barbecues. Winter asks us to be a little more intentional about it. That might be part of what makes those gatherings feel so good. Don’t wait for a special occasion. Sometimes getting together is the occasion.
Photo by Aurela Redenica.
Photo by Davey Gravy.
THE SEASON OF COMFORT FOOD
Winter also gives us permission to eat differently.
This is the season when we want something warm. Something that takes a while to cook and deserves
a while to eat.
Think bubbling cheese, handmade pasta, hearty soups and stews, roasted vegetables, slow-cooked meats, and curries fragrant with spice. Fresh bread that arrives warm enough to melt the butter. A bowl you can wrap your hands around. A dessert you weren’t planning to order until someone at the table suggested sharing one.
Across the Hudson Valley, winter menus reflect the season around us, drawing on root vegetables, winter greens, local meats, cheeses, apples, grains, and all the things that lend themselves to roasting, braising, baking, and simmering.
And, really, is there a better time of year to linger over dinner?
APRÈS-EVERYTHING
Photo by Tomas Mach.
The Europeans may have perfected après-ski, but we see no reason to limit the idea to skiing.
Yes, absolutely stop for food and drinks after a day on the slopes. Rosy cheeks, tired legs, and a warm restaurant are a near-perfect combination.
But how about après-hike? Après-snowshoe? Après-skate? Après-sledding-with-the-kids? Or perhaps just après-shoveling-the-driveway.
Winter in the Hudson Valley gives us plenty of reasons to get outside, and knowing there’s a cozy destination waiting at the end makes bundling up and heading out considerably more appealing.
Find a fireplace. Order something hot. Meet up with friends. Leave the boots by the door.
We think après should be a whole winter philosophy.
Photo by Tomas Mach.
Photo by Taylor Heery.
GATHER WITHOUT THE FUSS
Then come the holidays. They’re wonderful. They’re festive. They can also involve an astonishing amount of shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, and trying to figure out where you’re going to put twelve people when your dining table seats six.
Here’s an idea: Don’t do it all yourself.
Many of our local restaurants are wonderful places to host holiday gatherings, office parties, family celebrations, and end-of-year get-togethers. Some have private dining rooms or spaces for larger groups. Others can create special menus, family-style meals, or festive experiences that make an ordinary dinner feel like an occasion.
OR BRING THE RESTAURANT HOME
If you love hosting at your own table but not spending the entire day in the kitchen, consider having all—or even just part—of the meal catered.
Local restaurants and caterers can provide everything from appetizers and party platters to entrées, sides, and desserts. Set the table, light the candles, add a favorite family recipe if you want to make it personal, and let someone else take care of the rest.
It’s also a great solution for office parties and larger gatherings at home, at work, or in a rented space. Instead of worrying about what everyone will eat, you can concentrate on the reason you invited them in the first place: to spend time together.
And if you’d rather leave the hosting to someone else entirely, make the reservation and let a restaurant take care of the food, drinks, atmosphere—and cleanup.
If you’re planning a holiday gathering, start thinking about it early. Popular December dates can disappear quickly, and catering calendars fill up too. However you do it, the goal is the same: good food, a welcoming space, and everyone you care about actually enjoying the party—including you.
KEEP IT LOCAL
There’s another reason to make those dinner plans.
Winter can be a quieter time for many Hudson Valley restaurants. After the rush of summer and fall foliage, January and February especially can bring slower weeks for the independent places we love.
Photo by Luisa Brimble.
Going out locally is one small way to help keep those places thriving. These restaurants employ our neighbors. They buy from area farms and producers. They give our towns gathering places and personality. They’re where we celebrate birthdays, meet first dates, catch up with old friends, take visiting family, and occasionally sit at the bar because neither of us feels like cooking.
Supporting them through the quieter months helps ensure they’re still here when patio season rolls around again.
COME OUT OF HIBERNATION
There will be nights this winter when staying home is exactly what you need. Put on the pajamas. Make the tea. Watch the movie. Hibernate.
Just don’t stay home all winter. Call the friends you keep meaning to see. Make the reservation. Plan the holiday party. Go play outside and reward yourself afterward. Try the restaurant you’ve driven past a hundred times. Order something warm. Stay for dessert.
Because winter feels a whole lot warmer when we spend some of it together.
Photo by Taryn Elliott.
OUR LOCAL EATERIES
HERE ARE SOME GREAT INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS, CAFÉS, AND PUBS THAT WILL WELCOME YOU IN FROM THE COLD:
A Slice of Italy, Kingston
Aba's Falafel, Rhinebeck
Accord Social, Accord
Angela's Pizza, Lake Katrine
Asia Restaurant, Stone Ridge
Aster French Steakhouse, Kingston
Bacchus Restaurant, New Paltz
Benton, Gardiner
Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go, Kingston
Brickmen Cucina + Bar, Kingston
Brio’s Pizzeria, Phoenicia
Cafe Mio, Gardiner
Colony, Woodstock
Garvan's, New Paltz
Hickory BBQ, Kingston
High Falls Cafe, North Marbletown
Hoffman House, Kingston
Jar'd Wine Pub, New Paltz
Kingston Social, Kingston
La Deliziosa, Poughkeepsie
Lasting Joy Brewery, Tivoli
Loomies, Catskill
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEM FROM THEIR ADS IN THIS MAGAZINE
Mahoney's Irish Pub & Steakhouse, Poughkeepsie
Main Course Restaurant + Market, New Paltz
Margaux Bar, Saugerties
Mill & Main, Kerhonkson
Olsen & Co., Saugerties
Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room, Big Indian
The Big Cheese, Rosendale
The Common Good, Ellenville
The Cornell, Kingston
The Parish, New Paltz
The Phoenician Steakhouse, Phoenicia
The Print House, Fleischmanns
The RDI Bar & Road Kill Grill, Napanoch
The Roost, Stone Ridge
RŪNA Bistro, New Paltz
Seconds, Athens
Sportsman's Alamo Cantina, Phoenicia
Stone House Tavern, Accord
Terrapin, Rhinebeck
Tetta's, Olivebridge
Yum Yum Noodle Bar,
Kingston, Woodstock, Red Hook
