Babalu Bob’s Cuban Café 37 Elm Street Plaza * Fishkill 897.0195 Using Grandma’s recipes, chef/owner Bob Ramos of Babalu Bob’s serves authentic Cuban fare in a casual café setting, encouraging guests to slow down and savor home-cooked goodness. Sans liquor license, guests can BYOB and on Fridays, and be entertained by a flamenco guitarist. Waiters serve a dose of witty banter along with the mariquitas (fried plantain chips) and mojo sauce, as the menu choices are patiently described. Appetizers range from $2.95 to $10.95 and include coconut shrimp with spicy mango sauce and a Rumba Platter containing deep-fried yuca frita, marinated pork loin chunks (a house specialty), croquettes and Rumba Platter containing deep-fried yuca frita . Entrees like the Ropa Vieja (translation: “torn clothes”) or the Cubano Classico sandwich run between $11.50 and $17.95. For dessert, Bob’s wife, Susan, prepares a delicious flan with a courser texture than usual and a caramel sauce that adds just enough sweetness. A Sunday buffet is offered as well. The delicious cuisine will make you want to visit again, but so will the friendly atmosphere (Bob often chats tableside with his guests). Return for good food, wine and music, knowing that for a little while Havana-style ambience can relax and recharge right in Fishkill. - Sheila Fields

Baby Cakes Bakery & Café 1 Collegeview Avenue * Poughkeepsie 485.8411 Step into Baby Cakes Bakery & Café near Vassar College and take a whiff of the fresh coffee and pastries. Immediately, you’ll know why it’s a huge hit with students and faculty alike. The key word to this European style shop is fresh: as in bread, pastries, veggies and desserts. The cooks are Culinary Institute of America graduates who prepare everything from scratch. The atmosphere is relaxed and cozy with art adorning the walls and Japanese-style lanterns hanging from the ceiling. This past November, they doubled the size of their kitchen, got a liquor license and have started to serve dinners from Wednesday to Saturday. Breakfast dishes include French toast (with freshly baked bread, of course), Tex Mex wraps, scones, croissants and much more. The lunch menu includes soups, salads and sandwiches. The delicious open-faced honey ham brie melt with honey mustard ($9) comes with a side salad is worth tasting. For dessert, try a light and scrumptious lemon drop (made with fresh cream and lemon juice). Next time you’re near in Poughkeepsie, stop in and enjoy fresh gourmet food for very reasonable prices. - Lauren Yanks

The Blue Parrot Taqueria 17 Front Street * Port Jervis 858.1717 www.blueparrotny.com The renaissance of Front St. in Port Jervis is a work in progress, but this trendy new Mexican restaurant that opened last year on May 5 (Cinco de Mayo, of course) can take some of the credit. Owner Bruce Porter spared no expense and created a warm and cozy corner eatery where locals and day-trippers can savor a varied Mexican menu with traditional offerings and surprising entrees. On the menu are Fiesta Cinco de Mayo, rolled tortillas with grilled chicken topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream ($11) and the Southwest Enchiladas, flour tortilla filled with shredded chicken in a homemade mushroom Alfredo sauce ($13). The entrees offer generous portions and side servings of refried beans and rice, but the homemade guacamole with a pomegranate Margarita ($7) on the side make the meal complete. If pasta’s your thing, there’s Pasta a la Veracruzana, a sautéed green and red bell peppers, onions, olives in tomato sauce dish served over penne pasta The traditional flan or fried ice cream are great desert choices, but so are the rich, thick, whipped cream-topped flourless chocolate cake or the marble cheesecake. Live music on Thursday nights adds to the experience as well. - MJ Hanley-Goff

Broadway Lights Diner 713 Broadway * Kingston 338.4280 Where can you get Fabians (cheese blintzes), a Norma Jean Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich or a Hunka Hunka Turkey Love Sandwich? At the Broadway Lights Diner, of course. Formerly the Colonial Diner, a major renovation a few years ago transformed the place into a 24/7 sock hop complete with concave ceilings lit by blue and red neon and chrome panels embossed with kitschy fan designs behind the counter. A bubbling jukebox stands next to the register, equipped with CDs of classic tunes. Each booth has partitions with images of Elvis, James Dean and Marilyn etched into the glass. Still a Greek diner at heart, old standbys like spanakopita, chicken or lamb souvlaki and baklava are on the menu. Late night snack favorites such as jalapeño poppers, potato skins and apple pie a la mode are on hand to satisfy as well. The tapioca comes automatically super sized, with a swirl of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. A touch of onion in the home fries and the amazing texture of the corned beef hash are highlights - and since April, they've also been delivering lunches within city limits from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Stop by, or call ahead for a pickup. - Cheryl A. Rice

Caffé Macchiato 99 Liberty Street * Newburgh 565.4616 www.caffemacchiatonewburgh.com Right across from Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh sits Caffé Macchiato, the brainchild of married owners Barbara Ballarini and Edwine Seymour which opened three years ago and has been serving up scrumptious breakfast and lunch fares ever since. Have a muffin, croissant, baguette or biscotti with delicious frittata (eggs) in the AM then revisit the grilled seasonal vegetables, pasta of the day and porchetta, caprese or prosciutto paninis – complete with an organic mesclun salad on the side – around noon. All are under $10 with serving sizes that will fill you without over-stuffing. Weekend brunch runs from 9am to 4pm, but leave your credit cards and checkbook home as they only accept cash. The next time a little bit of historic sightseeing is on your agenda and you have a hankering to head over to George’s place, drop by Caffé Macchiato as well. Your taste buds will thank you. - Felicia Hodges

The Egg’s Nest Rte 213 * High Falls 687.7255 www.theeggsnest.com Look up the word “eclectic” in the dictionary and chances are there is a picture of The Egg’s Nest restaurant next to it. Doorknobs aren’t doorknobs here – they are ties pulled through the hole where a knob should be. Walls, ceilings and doors are adorned with mirrors, plastic flowers, painted murals, collages and plenty of wild eye candy. There’s a feeling of home here – like you’ve arrived at an eccentric aunt’s house for a homemade meal – it’s cozy and welcoming. In fact, you may even find owner Richard Murphy walking from table to table, greeting patrons and inquiring about their satisfaction with their dining experience. The menu is just as unique as the atmosphere. Sure, you’ll find new spins on burgers, sandwiches and salads, but the real gems on the menu are the vegetarian specialties like the tempeh reuben, the vegetable stir-fry wrap, the pizza-like praeseux and wraps and rolls from Mediterranean to pesto beef. While the menu leans toward a Southwest flavor, complete with quesadillas, enchiladas and heaping plates of nachos, there’s enough variety to please any palate. Don’t forget to bring cash or a check – The Egg’s Nest doesn’t accept credit cards. Nor does it accept reservations, so come early or enjoy the atmosphere at the cozy lounge while you wait. - Leah Black

Gigi Trattoria 6422 Montgomery Street * Rhinebeck 876.1007 www.gigitrattoria.com Even a Thursday night is bustling with clinking glasses, savory aromas and chattering well-fed patrons at Gigi Trattoria – a lunch or dinner destination for an exquisite Mediterranean meal. Whether out for drinks with friends and a paper thin flat crusted “skizza” pizza ($9.75) or for a gourmet four course Prix Fixe meal ($36.95), Gigi’s provides a sophisticated atmosphere to showcase local and organic fare. First impressions are fixed with the memorable olive oil (sold at Gigi Market under their own label), but resist temptation to fill up on salty bread dipped in it and save space for salads featuring local apples and goat cheese, antipasti with crispy calamari and zucchini, and rich asparagus risotto. The courses never stop flying out of the kitchen, making heads turn and mouths water. Registered Dietitian and owner Laura Pensiero has paired her restaurant with Gigi Market at Greig Farm in Red Hook, where gourmet prepared foods, local cheeses, sauces and a bakery are available year-round. Savor the flavors and bounty of the region at Gigi’s and then head to the market to pick up some of your favorites. - Ilyse Simon

Karma Road 11 Main Street * New Paltz 255.1099 www.karmaroad.net An informal hang out spot with a small counter and eight tables laminated with pictures of farm animals, it’s great for a quick snack or fast and nutritious lunch – all in a café where you know that what you purchase is good for your body and the planet. Fresh, organic and local foods from the plant kingdom are mainstays for owners/husband and wife team Jenn and Seth Davis. Karma Road’s vegan menu not only accommodates raw foodies, people with food allergies and locavores, but it can please their companions, too. The menu covers three meals and snacks with a rotating deli case of cashew vegetable curry, sweet potato biscuits, homemade veggie burgers, raw hummus, brown rice pasta with vegan pesto, and an assortment of vegetables, beans and pilafs. A plate piled full of a smattering of dishes runs between $6-10. The smoothie bar will lure you with rich organic coconut, pineapple and soy smoothies or fresh carrot and apple juices. Baskets of sweet breads, cookies and brownies sit on the counter, all made without wheat, white sugar or dairy although most contain chocolate. - Ilyse Simon

The River Bank 3 River Avenue * Cornwall-on-Hudson 534.3046 www.theriverbank.biz In 2005, Montreal’s Lucie Provencher and her business partner restored the former Cornwall Bank and opened The River bank restaurant. Specializing in a combination of French, Italian and Asian cuisine, the restaurant possesses a distinct charm – complete with 18-foot tin ceilings, mahogany paneling, a coffee bar and outdoor terrace with 20 person seating capacity that overlooks the picturesque garden surrounding the Village Gazebo. The dinner menu includes many appetizers $12 and under. Entrées like roasted duck with raspberry glaze or skewer sesame chicken with peanut sauce each come with a choice of homemade pomme frites, garlic mashed potatoes or jasmine rice with coconut milk and are under $25. But if you’re in the mood for something different, try one of their mouth-watering thin-crust, brick oven pizzas, a delicious marinated skirt steak or mixed green salad. After the meal hit a key on the antique cash register at the end of the bar and be rewarded with a gold wrapped chocolate coin – just another way of thanking you for dining at the River Bank. - Jennifer L. Warren

Twist 4290 Albany Post Road (Route 9) * Hyde Park 229.7094 www.letstwist.com Eating at Twist is truly and adventure in itself. The unpretentious, hip interior features an open kitchen that belies the fact that impeccable service and incomparably good food are just an order away. Salads and appetizers ($7 to $12) feature such treats as mesclun greens with sherry vinaigrette, spicy tuna tartare and Coach Farm goat cheese fritters. Entrees ($22 to $30) include steaks, thyme-roasted Atlantic salmon, seared sea scallops and roasted free-range chicken breast. The sautéed Hudson Valley duck breast (complete with bacon-wrapped fingerling potatoes, Swiss chard and red onion marmalade) and the spice-rubbed venison in a port wine and dried cherry sauce were both delectable and elegantly presented. Twist has an extensive wine list, a full bar serving specialty martinis and a fine array of beers including five on tap. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m., the restaurant also features a children’s menu. - Sheila Fields