We are currently living in the Hudson Valley, NY, and the closest restaurant to us is a little place called the Hopped-Up Cafe, of High Falls NY.  It is across from our really nice food co-op, the High Falls Food Co-op.  We stopped in recently for a meal and some drinks.  Loved it!

The Hopped-Up Cafe is in the location of a former vegetarian/vegan friendly place called the Morning Brew, from which we loved to get their vegan “bacon egg and cheese”.  Patty, one of the new owners, was working there a bit I believe before she took over and opened this place.

The concept of this place is to be centered in the Hudson Valley and surrounding area primarily.  So there are locally produced cheeses, beers, tomatoes, etc.  And the recipes are inspired by these local ingredients.  It’s all a celebration of the area, which is a rich area of local produce and small producers of all things food.  While not a vegetarian restaurant per se, there were plenty of nice things to get for us on the menu.  Here are a few of the vegetarian menu items:  Mediterranean Plate – house made hummus and babaganoush served with olives, fresh vegetables, and warm pita,  Brushetta of the Day, Rustic Raw Roots – a medley of beets, carrots, radish and brussel sprouts sliced paper thin and tossed with garlic, oil, lemon, and sea salt, All Growed Up Grilled Cheese – smoked Gruyere and grilled red onion.

We ordered a daily special – Panzanella, a Florentine salad of bread and tomatoes popular in the summer. It includes chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, and this one was really fantastic.  It was topped with a fried egg, which of course came from a local organic egg man, and grilled eggplant.  Also we ordered another special, blue corn chips with a homemade tomato salsa.  Tomatoes are currently in season here, and there were several types of heirloom tomatoes of different colors.  We also had a cheese plate, which is a real favorite of mine.  This one was also great, with roasted nuts and a bit of cooked fruit along with it.  The cheeses were local, and truly very tasty.

As you might imagine, the Hopped-Up Cafe features a beer lovers selection.  We went for a taste of all 6 on tap, ordering a flight and a half.  A huge variety of beers is here.  My favorite was Captain Freshchester, and I left with a growler!  There is also a small, yet nice list of wines, all by the glass.

The real nice thing about this place is that it is super friendly, and the bar is a nice place to get to talking.  We got a lot of mountain bike trail info, and just some good conversation.  This is without a doubt, a great addition to our sweet town of High Falls.