New tiered pricing offered for Fall Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

Jeanne Muchnick, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·3 min read

For the first time in its 16-year history, there will be tiered pricing for fall's Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW).

Instead of having one set price for all participating restaurants, as it's been since Restaurant Week's inception in 2006, The Valley Table, which is behind the two-week biannual event (this year slated for Nov. 7-20), will offer two choices.

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The menus at Apropos Restaurant at The Abbey Inn in Peekskill highlight the bounty of the Hudson Valley. Last year was the first year the restaurant participated in Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. The list for this year's participants -- the event runs in November -- is not yet available.
The menus at Apropos Restaurant at The Abbey Inn in Peekskill highlight the bounty of the Hudson Valley. Last year was the first year the restaurant participated in Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. The list for this year's participants -- the event runs in November -- is not yet available.

Tier one dinners will be priced at $44.95, with lunches at $39.95, while tier two spots will feature dinners at $29.95 and lunches at $24.95.

What hasn't changed: All options feature three courses.

The goal, according to a statement by The Valley Table, is to allow more restaurants to participate by offering more flexibility while also taking into account rising costs.

The promotion, which has seen a decline in participating restaurants in the past two years due to the pandemic, includes a wide berth of options in Westchester, Rockland , Putnam, Ulster, Orange, Sullivan and Dutchess counties.

According to Mike Martinelli, Today Media’s Hudson Valley group publisher, offering a choice of prices is good for both the restaurants and their customers.

“We know restaurants have had a difficult time during the past two years and we are offering new tiered pricing options to open up this annual event to even more restaurants,” he said.

Chef Peter X. Kelly, owner of X2O Xaviars in Yonkers and Restaurant X in Congers, is a believer in the new two-tier pricing system set by The Valley Table for this year's Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.
Chef Peter X. Kelly, owner of X2O Xaviars in Yonkers and Restaurant X in Congers, is a believer in the new two-tier pricing system set by The Valley Table for this year's Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.

Peter X. Kelly, chef/owner of X2O Xaviars on the Hudson in Yonkers and Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar in Congers — and one of the early champions of HVRW — believes, like Martinelli, that two-tier pricing is a better solution because it allows more participation from restaurants. "I think virtually all restaurants in the Hudson Valley offer great value but menu pricing, unfortunately, must take into account many things, including cost of product, labor, real estate and utilities.

"Operating in Westchester may in fact cost more than operating in Ulster or Dutchess county."

Additionally, he said, each restaurant offers a different experience both in cuisine and ambiance. "The two-tier system will offer restaurants more opportunity to present their restaurants as they see them," he said.

The new program also allows restaurants greater flexibility in putting their menus together. Added Kelly: "I believe chefs and restaurants will offer more of their signature dishes and more selections to choose from."

Not everyone, however, is in agreement. Constantine Kalandranis, who owns The Greekish in Harrison and Nyack, said the new system takes the fun out of being creative within a budget. "We work hard to be as innovative as possible, thinking outside of the box to source ingredients that will fit in the margins so we can entice new clientele," he said.

"That challenge was my favorite part of participating. During the last restaurant week, we offered the entire menu to offer a mix of different products. We worked hard to make the margins work, but it was worth it. It gave guests a real wow factor.”

For now, however, the two-tier program is in effect. If all goes well, Martinelli said they'll keep it in place for next spring's HRVW, which is held in March.

Last spring, more than 100 restaurants participated in HRVW, offering three course, prix fixe lunches for $29.95 and dinners for $39.95.

The goal of the event has always been to promote the chefs, restaurants, ingredients, farmers, artisanal producers, winemakers and purveyors based in the Hudson Valley region, while helping them during the traditional slow months of November and March. The set cost was also put in place as a way to incentivize diners to go out and try new restaurants.

Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hudson Valley Restaurant Week will offer new, two tier pricing in fall