Food

Mint Premium Foods (18 Broadway, 914/753-6511) is a must-stop for gourmands or anyone else really. The tiny shop stuffed with gorgeous international delicacies, hot and cold, makes this take-out a top option for foodies, particularly paired with the vast array of scenic picnicking spots in the area.

Also on Broadway, Horsefeathers (94 N. Broadway, 914/631-6606, $18) is a cozy local institution, known for (pricey) home-style food, good burgers, sweet potato fries, and an extensive bar.

Serving both Portuguese and Brazilian fare is casual Caravela (53 N. Broadway, 914/631-1863, $16–25). Brazilian music plays softly in the background while broiled sardines, shrimp mango, charbroiled codfish, seafood stew, and other tasty dishes are served.

The ultra-romantic Equus Restaurant (400 Benedict Ave., 914/631-3646) at the Castle on the Hudson is spread out over several elegant rooms and an enclosed terrace that offers great views of the Hudson. On the menu is innovative French cuisine. The prix fixe lunch costs $38, the prix fixe dinner, $71.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns (630 Bedford Rd., Pocantico Hills, 914/366-9600) is a branch of Manhattan [1]’s Blue Hill. Owner Dan Barber is known as a major figure in the locavore movement, has been named one of Time magazines 2009 100 most influential people, and in May of 2009 took home the James Beard grand prize award of Outstanding Chef of the Year. His northern outpost is housed in a beautifully restored old barn located on the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (914/366-6200, www.stonebarnscenter.org [2]), a nonprofit education center and 80-acre farm, featured in the 2008 season of Top Chef. Known for being an experience where food is truly honored, more than just a meal, Farmer’s Feasts of three ($75), four ($85), five ($105), and eight ($135) courses are designed around the day’s harvest, call for specifics.

If you’re north of Tarrytown [3], Croton-on-Hudson has a good spot for lunch. Justin Thyme (171 Grand St., Croton-on-Hudson, 914/271-0022), offers everything from sandwiches to dinner entrées. To one side is a pub area with a copper-topped bar; to the other, the main dining room.