Now in its fifth year, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (March 14–27, 2011) is the largest, most successful dining event in the Hudson Valley. This much-anticipated multi-county dining extravaganza features 160 restaurants offering three-course prix-fixe dinners at $28 and many offering three-course lunches at $20.

Last year’s event drew 150,000 to 200,000 diners, who discovered new culinary experiences in the Hudson Valley–this year the choices are even greater. Participating restaurants are located in seven counties (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia) along the Hudson River from north of New York City to just south of Albany.

“The Hudson Valley food scene is vibrant. The Valley is home to the country’s foremost cooking school, a nationally recognized center for food and agriculture, celebrated artisanal cheese makers and world-class wineries and distilleries, and some of the best chefs in America,” says Janet Crawshaw, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week organizer and publisher of The Valley Table magazine, the recognized authority on all things food related in the Hudson Valley.

Food enthusiasts may want to make a weekend getaway of this event and will find many Hudson Valley hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts are offering discounted rates during Restaurant Week. Another exciting development for the event is a promotional partnership with Metro-North, which is encouraging passengers to take advantage of the many dining opportunities that are within walking distance of train stations along the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines. 

For more information and a full list of participating restaurants, go to  www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com/.