HV Restaurant Week Coming to Briarcliff, Pleasantville

Three local restaurants are taking part in the 2013 Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW) which returns on Monday, March 11 for its seventh season. [There is also a November “second season” version of this event which debuted in 2012.]

Iron Horse Grill and Haven will participate for Pleasantville and representing Briarcliff Manor will be Hudson at Haymount House. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week runs through March 24.

The lunches and dinners will cost diners exactly the same as last year: $29.95 per person for a three-course dinner and $20.95 per guest for a three-course lunch. Beverages from coffee to cocktails, tax and gratuity are additional.

One-hundred sixty-eight restaurants have registered for the March 2013 program including 96 from Westchester County, 71 from other New York State counties and one from Connecticut.

Hudson at Haymount House is the only one of the three local participating restaurants that has posted a menu on the HVRW website thus far. It does not offer a HVRW prix-fixe menu at lunchtime on Friday or for any Saturday meals.

The main courses it will offer are:

• Potato gnocchi, pea tendrils, dill butter, aged parmesan
• Spiced monkfish loin, potato/ prune terrine, whole grain mustard jus
• Honey glazed duck confit, roasted pear-endive salad, parsnip puree

Its appetizers are cauliflower bisque, baby lettuce salad or lobster risotto. The desserts include green apple tart and milk chocolate semi-freddo.

Dinner at Hudson at Haymount House can be accompanied by wine-pairing at an additional $20 per person. The restaurant opened in April, 2012.

Haven will not offer HVRW prix-fixe menus for its meals to be served on Friday or Saturday.

The Iron Horse Grill was closed for vacation when this article was prepared. It is participating only with prix-fixe dinners and excludes Saturday dinner from the program.

However at all of the restaurants, diners can opt to order from the regular menu instead of the prix-fixe menu.

The program organizer points out that “the menus shown are subject to change due to product availability.” They are also subject to change because of marketplace costs.

Attendees with dietary restrictions should be sure to contact the restaurant in advance.

Restaurants pay an $800 fee to join the program and are encouraged to include at least three appetizers, three main courses and a choice of three desserts on their menus.

Pros and cons associated with restaurant-week dining at participating restaurants and tips for your visit follow:

Advantages for diners

• There has not been an increase in meal cost from last year. The prices for lunch and dinner remain exactly the same: $20.95 and $29.95 respectively.
• Prestigious participants. Many of the regions finest and most expensive dining establishments are represented.
• Wide restaurant participation. One-hundred sixty-eight restaurants are participating.
• Good value. Even if you are fussy, the prices represent an inexpensive way to eat at many elite places at a fraction of the normal menu cost and a way to try previously unvisited restaurants.
• At least some of the restaurants post their menus in advance. 

Disadvantages for diners

• Less attentive wait staffs. Since HVRW patrons pay less for their meals, some waiters and waitresses may provide poor service assuming that tips received from these guests will be lower than received from other customers.
• No side-dish substitutions may be allowed. To alleviate the kitchen overload, some restaurants have adhered firmly to a "no substitutions" rule for side dishes even if the request is made for allergy reasons.
• Smaller portions. Restaurants may skimp in the portion sizes of their dishes to offset the reduced prices they must charge.
• Limited selection choice. Although the HVRW’s organizers recommend that participating restaurants offer at least three entree choices, a few places have offered as little as two in the past.
• The customer is more likely to see items that cost the restaurant less in the marketplace than its most outstanding food.
• Seating time restrictions. A few restaurants have previously offered patrons the HVRW menu only during specific non-prime-time dining periods.
• Exempted days. Some restaurants exclude participation on Saturday or both Friday and Saturday. Not all restaurants offer the luncheon prix-fixe menu. Some are closed on Monday.
• Extra charges. Charges for incidentals normally provided free such as parking may automatically appear on the bill. In the past, a few restaurants have added a surcharge per person to the bill. 

Recommendations

• Reserve quickly. Popular upscale restaurants fill up fast.
• Be flexible. When you make your reservation, be prepared to ask what dates are still open should the one you prefer not be available.
• Arrive ahead of your reservation time. The most popular places will be packed to capacity. You may be asked to wait awhile.
• When seated, ask for the HVRW menu if not given one. Some hosts or waiters provide it only if it is requested.

The participating local restaurants:

Pleasantville

1. Haven, new American, 914-747-4646, www.havenpleasantville.com
2. Iron Horse Grill, contemporary, 914-741 0717, www.ironhorsegrill.com

Briarcliff Manor

1. Hudson at Haymount House, farm to table, 914-502-0080, www.haymounthouseny.com 

All participating restaurants in Westchester (96), Rockland (16), Putnam (6), Orange (11), Dutchess (30), Ulster (7) and Columbia (2) counties and Connecticut (1) can be viewed at the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week website.

The program is conducted by The Valley Table, a food and culinary magazine headquartered in Newburgh, NY. www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com and www.valleytable.com