The Dining Room: Blauvelt's From-Scratch Kitchen Where No Two Meals Are Exactly Alike

There is a particular kind of restaurant that rewards going back. The Dining Room in Blauvelt is one of them, and that is by design. When Hudson Valley Magazine profiled the restaurant in February 2024, Executive Chef Gregory Stott put it plainly: the menu is constantly changing, and every single day there is going to be a tweak. No two meals are exactly the same, so there is always an excuse to plan a return visit.\n\nThat restlessness is the restaurant''s signature. Stott came to cooking after pivoting from finance, and before Blauvelt he cooked at places including Cafe Panache in Ramsey, New Jersey, St. Eve''s in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and The ''76 House in Tappan. At The Dining Room, which opened in early January ahead of that February 2024 profile, he leans into seasonal, top-quality ingredients across an array of cuisines, with everything fresh and from scratch, desserts included. Stott has a background in pastry, and the profile notes that all the desserts are made by hand every single day, almost like cooking at home.\n\nThe dish to know first is the French onion soup, described in the profile as a best-seller. It starts with a 48-hour beef broth, imported gruyere cheese, and onions caramelized for 16 to 17 hours. Pastas are another regular feature, made in-house daily, though their exact presentation varies with the seasons. When they are available, the slow-cooked, beautifully braised meatballs are worth ordering early, because they often do not last long. At the time of the profile, the savory pork chop was served with Brussels sprouts and a ginger sweet potato puree, a good example of how a dish here can be both familiar and just a little unexpected.\n\nWeekend brunch gets the same treatment. The profile''s brunch standouts include chicken and waffles jazzed up with cheddar-jalapeno cornbread and hot honey, eggs Benedict given the all-star treatment with braised short ribs and grilled ciabatta, and stuffed French toast pairing Nutella and banana with a cornflake crunch. Reviewers on Restaurantji, where the restaurant holds a 4.7 rating across 46 ratings, echo the enthusiasm, calling it a monthly stop, praising the brunch menu, and singling out attentive, knowledgeable service.\n\nThe room itself is part of the appeal. It is a comfortable, intimate affair with 65 seats and a full-service bar, and the owner is Paul Bailey, who also operates Bailey''s Smokehouse in Blauvelt, Bailey''s New City, and Nanuet Restaurant. Dinner runs Tuesday through Sunday, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday; Restaurantji lists hours of 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday, with Monday closed. The address is 135 East Erie Street, Blauvelt, and the phone is (845) 359-3650. The restaurant''s own site also takes catering requests through an online form.\n\nSo if tonight calls for a table somewhere cozy, where the cooking is done from scratch and the menu might surprise you, this is an easy pick. Order the French onion soup, save room for a handmade dessert, and plan the return visit before you leave, because by then the menu will already have moved on a little.