Hudson Valley Home To 2 'Best American Foodie Towns': Report

TARRYTOWN, NY — Getting out of the metropolitan New York region doesn’t mean sacrificing a good meal. RewardExpert, a free service that helps travelers fly for cheap by maximizing their miles and points, released its ranking of 2017’s Best American Foodie Towns to help people find new dining experiences across the country.

The report compared 100 cities and towns with populations less than 100,000, and two Hudson Valley communities made the list. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Tarrytown in Westchester County came in at No. 5 in the Northeast region and 19th out of the whole 100 restaurants nationwide.

New Paltz in Ulster County was eighth in the region and 29th overall.

Other New York communities that made the list were Ithaca, Geneva and Cooperstown.

In talking about Tarrytown, RewardExpert said the village was “a wonderful side-trip or day-trip for both New York residents and tourists.”

About 13 percent of Tarrytown’s 270 restaurants had five stars on Yelp, TripAdvisor and other review websites.

RewardExpert singled out Cellar 49 as an example of a small, historic tavern, and RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen as a locally sourced farm-to-table restaurant.

“Everyone knows that places like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago are home to top-notch eateries,” says RewardExpert CEO and co-founder Roman Shteyn. “But America is a big country and its many nooks and crannies are treasure troves of local delicacies and innovative cuisine. This ranking dives deep into the heartland of America to examine which towns are must-see destinations for foodie enthusiasts.”

The town rankings were determined by the total number of restaurants, the number of restaurants with five stars, presence of award-winning chefs, number of breweries, wineries and cafes, and other criteria.

Photo credit: Google Maps.