Hi Stacy, do you list restaurants that are open in the Hudson Valley on Christmas Day? My family needs a good suggestion as it’s the first holiday after losing my dad and we don’t want to stay home. Thanks in advance.
That is an email I received yesterday, Has tradition has it we always go to a movie and eat Chinese foods.
But if Chinese food and a movie is not for you there are plenty of choices to choose from in Westchester and the Hudson Valley
Benjamin Steakhouse
610 Hartsdale Rd, White Plains
914.428.6868
This repeat Best of Westchester winner is starting things off with a prix fixe Santa Brunch from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 15. The three-course menu ($49.95) includes offerings like lobster bisque, New York sirloin, Norwegian salmon, and decadent chocolate mousse cake. Added sides are also available for $5 apiece.
On Christmas Day itself, the steakhouse will seat guests starting at noon for a separate three-course menu ($74.95 per person). Start with either a classic or non-alcoholic eggnog, then move onto a starter of crab cake, lobster bisque, or winter salad. Dig into a main course of either bone-in ribeye, filet mignon, grilled Norwegian salmon, or rack of lamb with sides like mashed potatoes, sautéed broccoli, or home fries. Then, end the afternoon with tea or coffee and a nice slice of chocolate mousse cake, pecan pie, or creamy New York cheesecake.
Equus
400 Benedict Ave, Tarrytown
914.631.1980
The in-house restaurant at Castle Hotel & Spa is giving a gift this year to both night owls and early birds. On Christmas Eve, the restaurant will be serving a holiday prix fix menu (starts at $125. A first course includes either chicken consommé or roasted winter squash, followed by choice of charcoal grilled quail or ginger crusted tuna, and finally roasted loin of venison, Colorado lamb duo, or pan roasted loup de mer. For dessert, try either the bouche noel or a deliciously sweet butter rum cake with poached pears.
In the morning, come back for Christmas Brunch (starting at $98.99 for adults and $50 for children) featuring pates and terrines, cheeses, fruit and salad, omakase sushi, pastries, plenty of surf and terf options, plus eggs, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and enough dessert to satisfy even Santa’s legendary sweet tooth.
Goosefeather
49 E Sunnyside Ln, Tarrytown
914.829.5454
One of Westchester’s hottest new restaurants from celebrity Chef Dale Talde, Goosefeather is planning one of the wildest pajama parties you’ve ever attended, “Dim Sum & Duck.” Come in your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day best (elf ears optional) and enjoy half ($38) and whole ($69) roast duck, along with a la carte dim sum pushed through the dining room on literal carts, so you can pick your favorites ($3-$12 each). The regular menu will also be available.
The Gramercy
345 Kear St, Yorktown Heights
914.302.7189
Just opened in May, this self-styled American Brasserie will be featuring a special prix fixe menu for Christmas Eve for $50. Appetizers include options such as salads, vegetable and French onion soups, fried calamari, and more, while entrée options feature dishes like cornish hen with gnocchi, striped bass, regenetti veal bolognese, wild mushroom ravioli, just to name a few. For dessert, pair coffee or tea with New York cheesecake, chocolate mousse or carrot cakes, or tiramisu.
The Inn at Pound Ridge
258 Westchester Ave, Pound Ridge
914.764.1400
Chef Jean-Georges is welcoming guests on Christmas Day for a three-course dining event ($108). Choose from appetizers like tuna tartar, crispy salmon sushi, fresh tagliantelle, and black truffle fontina pizza; then move on to entrées like black sea bass, parmesan-crusted organic chicken, and caramelized beef tenderloin; and finish with a buche de noel, citrus pavlova, or assorted ice cream and sorbets.
The Mix at Crowne Plaza White Plains
66 Hale Ave, White Plains
914.682.0050
Stop by The Mix for a Christmas Eve dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. featuring the eatery’s signature prime rib special, or pick any of the regular menu dishes, like Tuscan Florentine chicken, top sirloin with Sriracha glaze, or the sweet and smokey black rum bacon Jack burger.
Sonora
179 Rectory St, Port Chester
914.933.0200
The modern Latin restaurant’s Chef Rafael Palomino is serving up a Christmas Day prix fixe menu inspired by the few restaurants he remembers being open on Christmas when he was growing up in Queens: Chinese and Italian. The menu starts with tapas including ceviche, salad, braised chicken wonton soup, and duck confit and goat cheese empanadas (with wasabi aioli).
Mains continue the bold fusion pairings with mango-lemongrass shrimp over forbidden rice, soy-citrus caramelized salmon, chipotle honey-sake roasted chicken with bok-choi and daikon, homemade quinoa gnocchi with shiitake mushrooms and asparagus, and more.
Hudson House River Inn
4-9 p.m.
Cold Spring
Also open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hudson House River Inn welcomes guests for a festive dinner on Christmas Eve. The standard a la carte and prix fixe menus will be available during the evening, as will a number of seasonal specials by Chef John Guerrero. Make reservations early, since this dinner is likely to sell out.
Liberty Street Bistro
5-9 p.m.
Newburgh
Liberty Street Bistro brings the class to Christmas Eve with a celebratory menu that includes Liberty Street staples alongside a handful of day-of specials. Savor everything from apple onion galettes and oxtail garganelli to squash chitarra and roasted pork belly. For dessert, toast a glass of champagne, then indulge on the PBJ donut, which is extra dreamy with Concord grape and goat’s milk ice cream.
Simpson’s at The Desmond
1-7 p.m.
$40/person
Albany
Get a move on if you want to dine at The Desmond on Christmas Eve. The Albany institution’s restaurant is already sold out for Christmas Day, and we can only imagine that spaces on December 24 won’t be available much longer. The menu is prix fixe on either day and features dreamy dishes like roasted honey pumpkin bisque, slow roasted native turkey with apple-sage dressing, and salted caramel vanilla crunch cake.
Stagecoach Inn
Seatings begin at 3:30 p.m.
$65/adult, $22.50/children
Goshen
On Christmas Eve, Stagecoach Inn treats diners to a showstopper of a December dinner. With seatings beginning in late afternoon and three-course menus for both adults and children, this is an excellent option for families. On the grownup menu, look out for treats like potato leek soup, prosciutto and spinach-stuffed chicken breast, and passion fruit tart with ginger snap crust. Pair the dishes with one of the inn’s specialty cocktails for a meal made in holiday heaven.
Terrapin
Dining room: 5-9 p.m.; Red Bistro: 11:30 a.m. – midnight
Rhinebeck
If you can’t bear the thought of whipping up something grand for Christmas Eve, head to Terrapin for a festive feast instead. The popular Rhinebeck eatery decks the halls for the holiday with twinkle lights and garlands galore. As for eats, diners can order the full menus in the dining room and at the Red Bistro or opt for the a la carte specials, which will be announced closer to the big day. Of course, if you want to jump headfirst into the holidays, book a reservation at the restaurant’s annual Holiday Beer Dinner, which runs December 18-20. For $49 per person, guests can enjoy a four-course dinner and beer pairing that spotlights seasonal flavors like Christmas ale braised osso buco.
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
The Blue Hen
December 24, 4-9 p.m.; December 25, 1-6 p.m.
$89/adult, $30/children 12 and under, free for children under 5
The Adelphi Hotel, Saratoga Springs
Open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, The Blue Hen delivers a true Hudson Valley holiday spread. For $89 per person, diners can dig into three flavor-filled courses that run the gamut from winter greens salad, which gets a gourmet twist with ginger candied walnuts and honey-roasted chayote squash, to 24-hour braised lamb shank, which embraces cozy ingredients like soft polenta and baby eggplant. For dessert, the gingerbread cheesecake with red currant sauce feels like a special conclusion to an unforgettable Yuletide meal.
Mohonk Mountain House
December 24, lunch; December 25, lunch
New Paltz
At Mohonk, dining out for Christmas is such a grand event that the New Paltz destination spreads it out over the course of the weekend. On Christmas Eve, diners can swing by (read: reserve a table) for a lunch of everything from breakfast classics like waffles and home fries to custom omelettes and roast turkey.
On Christmas Day, a grand luncheon buffet delights with seasonal specials such as smoked salmon, lobster mac and cheese, and asparagus with pine nuts. During both days, specialty holiday desserts tempt as post-meal (or mid-meal) treats.
Christmas Day
Diamond Mills Hotel and Tavern
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saugerties
When you can’t deal with the hassle of preparing a multi-course feast for December 25, do yourself a favor and bring the family to Diamond Mills. The hotel’s tavern hosts a decadent brunch buffet with the works. The menu includes homemade pastries, extravagant omelet and carving stations, and breakfast essentials like Applewood smoked bacon, maple pork sausage, and waffles.
For dessert, diners can treat themselves to any of the confections on the holiday sweets table while sipping hot coffee and tea or a complimentary brunchtime cocktail of their choosing.
