A Couple of Eating Places: Agriturismo and Rusty’s
by Carol Lee

Agriturismo: Following the Second World War, small-scale Italian farmers fled to larger towns to find work. By the mid-1980s, a law codifying agriturismo as a farm holiday helped bring those abandoned farms and estates back into use as locales for restorative vacations by travelers from Italy and abroad. Money was made from the land again as tourists became re-acquainted with the charming Italian countryside and its delectable foods.

Here in the Hudson Valley we’ve been experiencing a similar renaissance of interest in small-scale farming and its products—cheeses, meats, greens and the like. One of the chefs who caught the Hudson Valley bug was Marc Straussman. Renowned for his cooking at Coco Pazzo and Campagna in New York City, Marc was lured here by the organic, fresh and local produce—but only for the weekends, as he still runs Fred’s, a restaurant at Barneys, New York’s fashionable clothing store.

Finally, I reserved a table for two on a Friday night, between snowstorms, when the snow was piled three feet high at the curb. Even so, we each parked right in front of the restaurant. Once inside the small, yellow frame house, the long room is expansive, with white, horizontal wainscoting and lots of windows. Large black and white square ceramic floor tiles and generously spaced wood tables extend to an open kitchen. The only thing missing was Susan, the maitre d’, who I’d met only once (turns out she mostly works Sundays). I was looking forward to her gracious and genuine welcome—a lost art, lacking at most restaurants. The food, however—simple fare, as in the Italian countryside—made up for it.

The menu is updated daily, depending on what’s fresh at the moment. To start, my friend and I shared the Carpaccio of Josef Meiller Filet of Beef topped with baby arugula salad, tomatoes and shaved, Crane Mountain aged goat cheese, $12.50. The aged goat cheese is markedly different from the fresh kind, delivering more flavor and texture. (And I only dared eat the raw beef because of its local and trusted producer.)

Next we swooned over a shared, but sufficient, half-order of penne with yellow foot chanterelles, butternut squash and aged goat cheese; a skillful melding of aromas, tastes and textures that prompted lots of oohs and aahs, $9. We considered the risotto, the homemade gnocchi, and sautéed seafood in spicy tomato broth, but for another time.

Because it was raised just around the corner at Josef Meiller farms, I ordered the roast suckling pig, $24, which was still cooking when we arrived. The aroma delicately scented the room, recalling many memorable meals in Tuscany. Prepared in port wine sauce with winter vegetables, it was mouth-meltingly tender, aromatically seasoned with fennel pollen and garlic—paradiso. My friend ordered the pan-seared lamb, in a sherry rosemary sauce, from Herondale Farm in nearby Ancramdale, with Roman Jewish artichoke, $26. The artichoke, which resembled a desert-dried sunflower on the plate, was golden crunchy with a tinge of black scorch around its edges. Both tasty and uniquely presented. There was also chicken “under a brick,” farm brisket, and pan-seared scallops to choose from. For wine, Villa Pillo Borgoforte 2008, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes (and imported locally!) was a perfect accompaniment to our meal.

After allowing ourselves time to digest, we got to know our waiter and took in our surroundings. All the tables were now full, with several people we recognized from Rhinebeck and surrounding areas. For dessert we ordered a small, (though more than enough for two) individual, house-baked chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache, and deemed it worth every decadent calorie—with ice cream, yet.

Like eating in the Italian countryside. Buon appetito!

2398 Church Street Pine Plains, 518-398-1000. Open Friday and Saturday, 5:30 pm 10 pm; Sunday, 10 am 8 pm (featuring Farm Breakfast, Brunch, and All-Day Menus).

Rusty’s: Finally, I got wise and went to check out Rusty’s, a wonderful eatery where Russell Baldwin serves up a varied and delicious menu of only farm fresh, unprocessed foods. His chicken and meats come from nearby North Wind Farms in Tivoli, his vegetables from local farms and Earth to Table, an organization promoting organic and local foods, run by his father (and partner), Joe Baldwin.

“My father loves to grow vegetables... and he used to have to give them away or barter them” for other goods and services. Today, people clamor for the local bounty, making Rusty’s a very rewarding place to eat. His father plans to teach farming nearby and to farm the land behind the bank across the street as well. How’s that for fresh and local?

They make six soups every morning—on the blackboard were cream of mushroom, pumpkin spice, split pea, creamy tomato, black bean and a variety of chilis, vegetarian, beef or chicken, with cheddar cheese and corn bread.

All the food is prepared upon order and just about everything on the menu is under $10, really diverse and really quite good. Wraps, paninis, burgers, salads, and platters in so many varieties are listed on boards around the restaurant along with a slate of daily specials. Potato chips, made fresh every hour, are gratis on your plate! The place is so much better than it looks from the street, which is why I never stopped in before. But it’s going to be a regular stop for me from now on. It even offers wifi! Check it out.

5 Old Farm Road, Suite D, Red Hook, 845-758 8000. Just 9/10 of a mile south of the light in Red Hook on Route 9 on the west side. Open every day for lunch and dinner. Sunday Thursday, 11 am to 8 pm. Friday and Saturday. 11 am to 9 pm.