Walking over the Hudson and El Gran Toro Brasserie!

It all started with a Foodie Road trip to find El Gran Toro Brasserie, a Mexican Fusion restaurant in Newburgh, New York . The restaurant was featured in Chronogram Magazine, a Hudson Valley publication. We thought we would combine a walk over the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. After a few wrong turns we came to a small parking area with a chain link fence that led to a slightly overgrown path to the bridge. The walkway on the bridge turned out to be narrow and rusty; very close to the deafening traffic crossing the bridge. It was a blazing hot day and as we stepped onto the pathway, it vibrated up and down. Feeling queasy, a quick decision was made to cut this walk short. We headed off to Newburgh.

We drove slowly down the main thoroughfare of Newburgh; clearly the small city of 28,00 had seen better days with more than a few boarded up businesses lining the street.

We located El Gran Toro Brasserie and alas it was closed, reopening in a few hours.

Our foodie trip was going so poorly, that our situation began to appear humorous to us- we decided to make the best of it; we would scout out the area and return for an early dinner at 5 PM. As we looked around more closely, we saw some old surviving businesses and glimmers of growth and rejuvenation.

A careworn old Italian bakery seemed as if it had served the community for many years, selling countless Italian cookies, cannolis and Birthday cakes.

Likewise, Commodore Chocolatier- established in 1935 by the Courtsunis family; it was filled with mouth watering chocolates. The current owner John Courtsunis was very affable; it turned out that he was a music lover and a supporter of the arts. It was his opinion that every child should learn to play a musical instrument, much like the program El Sistema that originated in Venezuela.

Back outside, with our spirits lifted, we decided to explore some of the side streets. The architecture was beautiful with some buildings in a state of almost total disrepair.

The Dutch Reformed Church built in 1835, was graced with a community garden in front of it! The church is on  Preservation League of New York State’s “Seven to Save” list.

A passerby walking his dog, noticed me looking intently at a church and said to me: “Are you interested in this church?” “The pastor is in the back working on the garden and he has a lot of stories to tell!”

As we continued on our walk, we observed other building that were in pristine condition; all it seemed with many stories to tell.

The time had flown by and El Gran Toro Brasserie was open. We entered a small unpretentious space and were warmly welcomed by our server. With the first bite of our appetizer, Sopesitos de Tlales, (crispy and flavorful carnitas, very spicy salsa roja, beans, lettuce and queso fresco), we were immediately glad that we had waited for this meal!

The chef and owner of the restaurant, Miguel Perez, is from Mexico and studied at the Culinary Institute in nearby Poughkeepsie, New York. Before opening his own restaurant, Perez was head chef at Le Bouchon in Cold Spring, New York. His delicious food is Mexican with French and Asian influences.

We ordered chicken and brisket tacos, very good, but my favorite was a rich French inspired dish of mushroom ravioli.

The ravioli was served with a rich cream sauce and topped with fresh greens, a touch of queso fresco and a slightly spicy mole sauce- irresistible!

Our foodie road trip was a roaring success!!

A few weeks later, we returned to the area and had a wonderful stroll on the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York.

The views are magnificent, but I had not realized how high we would be!

As long as we stayed in the middle of the wide walkway and did not look down over the sides of the bridge, all was fine!

Next week, I am excited to be traveling to Norway with my intrepid travel companion Carol. The trip is part research on the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg along with, (no surprise) an emphasis on food and fjords- stay tuned!

AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”.

HAPPY SUMMER!!