BeerFEST is Back - Celebrating our 5th Anniversary with Limited Special Release Tastings

We are very proud and excited to announce that BeerFEST will be returning for a fifth year this August. The event is scheduled to be held at Terrapin Catering in Staatsburgh, NY, overlooking Dinsmore Golf Course with spectacular views of the Hudson Valley, on August 6, 2011 from 2pm-8pm. Each year BeerFEST draws a unique crowd of beer lovers, from casual tasters to professionals and home brewers. This year, in addition to over one-hundred samples of the finest craft beers brewed in New York State by more than twenty brewers, attendees will have the opportunity to taste special, limited release pours as part of the festival’s fifth anniversary celebration.

“The idea behind the annual New York State BeerFEST is not only to promote New York State, but also to showcase and to raise awareness of the quality of what is available from New York, thus making it easier for establishments across New York State and the entire country to serve and support New York Beer” says Terrapin’s Beverage Manager, Chris “BevMan” Carbone.

All beers at the festival are brewed in New York State, and representatives from most of the breweries involved will be present to guide novice and expert tasters alike. BeerFEST 2010 included tastings from Bluepoint Brewery, Brooklyn Ales, Butternuts, Browns, Captain Lawrence Brewery, Chatham Brewery, Cooperstown, Defiant, Ellicottville, Fire Island, Hyde Park Brewery, Ithaca, Keegan Ales, Kelso, Lake Placid, Mendocino, Middle Ages, Ommegang, Saranac, Olde Saratoga, Schmaltz, Sixpoint, Southampton, Southern Tier, Wagner Valley and Warwick Valley. These breweries have all been invited to return to the festival this year. Interested brewers are welcome to contact the restaurant for more information.

Tickets to BeerFEST 2011 will include beersampling (including special release tastings), all-you-can-eat innovative Terrapin barbeque (with vegetarian friendly options available) and musical entertainment. Designated driver tickets will be available at a discounted price. Tickets will be available beginning July 1, 2011 at Terrapin Restaurant (6426 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY) or by calling 845-876-3330. Ticket prices will be $35/person or $19/designated driver (no beer tasting included). Tickets are expected to be available (but not guaranteed) at the event doors for $39/person.

We hope to see everyone that has attended in the past, plus lots of new faces this year - spread the word!

New Spring Menu & Patio Dining is Back!

We are so excited that spring is finally here and outdoor dining in Rhinebeck is back! Our patio will now be open for lunch and dinner (assuming the weather cooperates of course...). And late last week we began serving our new spring menu. Take a peek at some of the new items this season:


vegetable fritters with sweet basil aioli
red and yellow bell peppers, portobellos, onions, green and yellow summer squash and eggplant

crab cakes with chipotle remoulade
shiitake mushrooms and sesame seeds

croque monsieur ("mister crunchy")
classic french sandwich of ham, gruyere & raclette cheese, and béchamel sauce

asparagus and sweet pea soup
parmesan crust

smoked trout and spring vegetable salad
asparagus, frisèe, fingerling potatoes, and other seasonal spring veggies with truffle dressing

northwind farm bratwurst and cheddar quesadilla
stout braised onions and smoked red bell pepper sauce

artichoke and ricotta ravioli
asparagus and light garlic cream sauce


tagliatelli with braised rabbit, brussels sprouts and asparagus
marsala, tomato and carrots

linguini with manila clams, guanciale and mild green chiles
white wine, garlic and light cream sauce

grilled salmon with artichoke sauce
roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed asparagus

oven roast half chicken chasseur
mushroom and bacon demi-glace, spring vegetables and roasted garlic mashed potatoes

grilled lamb chops with pistachio-thai basil pesto
goat cheese polenta

The new bistro and dining room menus are available in full on our website.

Come and join us any day of the week. The bistro is open from 11:30am - late night daily, and the dining room serves dinner from 5pm-9pm seven days a week.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the middle of July as I’m sitting here writing this. Already in the middle of summer and I’ve yet to post about everything that’s going on at the restaurant!

So what have I been up to since February? Lots of planning to create lots of fun for you!

First I’ll mention our newest dinner series, which I’m sure some of you are already familiar with – the Hudson Valley Farm & New York State Beer Dinner series! We’ve done wine pairing dinners and other similar events in the past… but for me this dinner series is especially exciting because it focuses on LOCAL ingredients. Local products to create a delicious menu paired with only the best of New York State Craft beers by the Bev Man himself, Chris Carbone. The inaugural dinner planned for July 22 sold out within a few days, but not to worry, an August dinner is in the works. The July dinner is featuring a lot of great farmers who we work with on a regular basis – Migliorelli Farms (http://www.migliorelli.com/) will provide many of the vegetables or fruits, including peaches, arugula, squash blossoms and cherries; Old Chatham Sheep Herding Company (http://www.blacksheepcheese.com/) for camembert; Sprout Creek Farm (http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/) for Toussant Cheese; Northwind Farms Chicken (http://northwindfarmsallnatural.com/); and Hudson Valley Fresh (http://hudsonvalleyfresh.com/) dairy products. I really support these local farmers and their products, and even if you can’t make it to our farm dinner, I’d encourage you to try their products. Farm to Table can happen in your kitchen too! And don’t forget to grab a great New York State beer - that’s half the fun!

Keeping with the theme of local goodness – the Hudson Valley Green Festival on September 4th that I mentioned back in February is in full swing! You can get your tickets now through the website, www.hudsonvalleygreenfestival.com. We were able to get a great line up of bands including Blues Traveler, Donna the Buffalo and Amos Lee, as well as some local stars (Voodelic, the Lindsey Rakers Band… check the website for a full list). More than just a music fest though, the festival will have a full farmer’s market featuring all local products on site, as well as over 20 vendors with Hudson Valley products. There will even be a pavilion for Hudson Valley companies who work with alternative energy. So bring the family, come to eat, drink and have fun, but don’t forget to take a minute and check out some of the local resources we have to live a little bit greener and support the well being of the Hudson Valley.

And that’s just some of what’s been happening at Terrapin, but I’ll save more for another post soon.

Chef Kroner

Best Food Cities

I love to travel and I love to eat great food. I was thinking about the best cities for food and I’ve decided to throw out my top 10:

1. New York – The best restaurants and best ethnic food hands down!
2. San Francisco – #2 to NY in restaurants but better Asian food
3. London – Amazing Indian restaurants
4. Paris – Best place to get a 10,000 calorie lunch
5. Rome – Or any other city in Italy
6. Bangkok – As much as you might like Thai food in the US….
7. Los Angeles – Asian and Latino food paradise
8. New Orleans – A beautiful blend of original food and culture
9. Singapore – Food is the thread that holds this multiethnic city-state together
10. Tokyo – Because I love sushi

I’m sure my list is different than yours; tell me what you think!

Cookbook excerpt

My book incorporates stories of the influences on my life as a chef. I'm serving you up a slice:

In 1928, Giaccomo Bartholemeo Giaccone, my grandfather and a French trained chef, was on shore leave in New York City from the Italian Merchant vessel “Chevaliere Ciampa”. At the time, there were over 100 “taxi dance halls” in Manhattan. These were extremely popular spots where male patrons would pay ten cents to dance with pretty women hired by the club. Though it does kind of sound like a precursor to today’s strip clubs, it was different time. Many of the dancing girls did this just to meet men; as was the case with my grandmother Felicia Marino. Well as the story goes, Giaccomo (or Jack as he was known) jumped ship, got a job as a chef in Manhattan and started his life with a pretty taxi girl. In 1948, with two kids: my mama Louisa, 12 and uncle Vinny (yes the same Uncle Vinny as the popular pasta dish on my menu), 7, they moved out of the Marino family home in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and moved upstate to Brewster, NY to start a restaurant. History repeated itself fifty years later when in 1998 I also moved from the city to upstate New York to start a restaurant.
Chef Jack’s restaurant, The Elms, was a trendsetter. The restaurant was extremely popular and even received a glowing review from Gourmet magazine. Jack was a passionate and fiery Italian, serving up the traditional southern Italian dishes that Americans were accustomed to, but also incorporating foods from his native Liguria such as pesto and risotto. One of my favorite stories happened one night when one of the customers complained about the seasoning of their dish. Jack stormed out of the kitchen to help educate to poor soul on the flavors of Northern Italy. The patron feeling attacked reacted defensively. The room of 80 or so happily feasting folks seemed sympathetic to his plight and random voices called out for mercy. Jack would have none of this: “All right then!” he said in his heavy Italian accent, “EVERYBODY OUT! What are you laughing at? Put-a down that fork and get the hell out of my restaurant!!!” They all eventually came back; there was nowhere else to get food like that.

Chef Kroner returns to the blogosphere

That right folks, I'm back! I’ve been busy with a growing array of new projects and I'm here today to share the details. First on my plate is my long overdue cookbook. This is something I've been tossing around for a while, but I’ve got the ball rolling full speed now. I’ll be publishing samples of various sections and recipes here in my blog regularly so stay tuned for those posts.
This is something I'm really excited about.. We’re currently planning a festival slated for Labor Day weekend that will showcase green products and services of the Hudson Valley as well as some of the best national and regional musical artists you know and love. Our full lineup of talent for the big stage will be announced soon!! The event will not only promote the green movement in the Hudson valley, but will also be a fund raiser for a local charity (TBA - tune in for details!).
As if I don't have enough to do already, I'm also planning an expansion of Terrapin Bistro into New York City (and possibly Rome as well!) No problem right!! ;) I am however committed to documenting this insanity weekly right here so check back frequently for updates!!! See ya folks… Josh

Holiday Recipe: Garlic Soup

There's nothing better to warm you up this Winter than a bowl of soup.

This recipe is a favorite for many guests who come to Terrapin, but beware, this soup is for serious garlic lovers only!

Ingredients:

1 pound Spanish onions, diced
3 cups peeled garlic cloves
¼ cup light olive oil
½ cup Italian parsley leaves, cleaned well
1 cup Dry Sherry
3 quarts Chicken stock
1 ½ cups heavy cream, heated (see below)*
10 slices white bread, crusts removed and diced
1 ½ tablespoons honey
to taste salt, black pepper and siracha hot sauce


Heat a 8 quart or greater stock pot over medium heat. Add the oil until hot, then the onions and garlic. Sweat the vegetables for about 30-40 minutes, until the garlic is very soft and has a golden brown color. Turn the heat to high and add the sherry. Cook until the sherry has almost completely evaporated. Add the stock and bring to boil. Add the cream and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the bread and parsley, then let cool slightly. Blend the soup in batches, never filling the blender more than half way and return the pureed soup to the pot. Add the honey, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Reheat and serve with some crusty French bread and get ready for some garlicy delights.

*Tip: Bring the cream to boil in a separate saucepan. The reason for this is that if the cream is almost bad, it will curdle when boiled. You If you boil it separately and it is spoiled, you won’t have to throw the whole soup out.

Let us know what you think!

The story behind Terrapin: About Owner/Chef Josh Kroner

BeerFEST Promo Video

NEW menu item for spring

hudson valley cattle company grilled 18oz. dry aged t-bone steak
with sautéed onions, maitake mushrooms and bacon and truffle mashed potatoes