Update: We went back almost immediately because we couldn't stop talking about the first meal, and…read moresomehow it was every bit as amazing. The lamb shank was absurdly tender, the baba ganoush was smoky and rich, and yes, the ezme, beets, and pita remain mandatory ordering. But what really sets this place apart is the heart behind it. On a hard night for our family, a simple unexpected dessert brought genuine comfort and a smile when we needed it most. They don't just feed your stomach here. They feed your soul. I would go to war for this restaurant. An absolute gem, genuinely some of the best food I've had in the area!! I don't write glowing reviews lightly, but this place absolutely earned one. From the moment the food hit the table, it was obvious this was something special. Every single thing we ordered, from the mezze sampler to the drinks to dessert, felt like the best version of itself it could possibly be. Not one weak note. Even the pita bread was memorable. Warm, soft, fresh, lightly charred, and worthy of praise in a meal FULL of standout dishes. The mezze sampler was EXTRAORDINARY. The beet and goat cheese was one of those bites that makes you stop mid-conversation. The goat cheese was fresh, creamy, rich, and perfectly balanced by roasted beets that were unbelievably sweet and luscious. Honestly, they were almost candy-like. I don't know what they did to prepare them, but they were incredible. The spicy vegetable dip, Esme, was bright, vibrant, and bursting with flavor. Fresh, zippy, and balanced with just enough heat. The eggplant dip was equally impressive, with a silky texture, subtle tartness, mellow tomato notes, and that gentle pleasant bitterness that makes eggplant so satisfying when it's done well. The hummus was ridiculously creamy and rich with tahini, giving it a deep nutty flavor that made it one of the best hummus dishes I've personally had. We also ordered the Turkish manti, and they were fantastic. Little handmade parcels topped with cool yogurt and warm spiced oil that brought everything together beautifully. We didn't even manage to take a picture because by that point we were so completely absorbed in the meal that all manners disappeared and we just devoured them immediately. No photo. No pause. Just instinct. That might be the strongest endorsement I can give. The mint lemonade was perfect for a warm day. Bright, refreshing, tart, cooling, and mint-forward without being overly sweet. It tasted clean, balanced, and incredibly refreshing. Dessert completely sealed the deal. The Turkish revani was unbelievably soft, soaked through with milk, and had that luscious almost tres leches quality that makes every bite melt away. The fresh berries and raspberry sauce gave it just enough brightness and acidity to balance the sweetness beautifully. I had a cup of black tea with it, and the combination of cake, berries, and tea was one of those simple little moments that feels kind of magical. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Tasteful decor, warm atmosphere, and thoughtful design that feels welcoming without trying too hard. The service was friendly, attentive, and genuine. More than anything, the whole place feels like a labor of love. What blows my mind most is that this restaurant has apparently been here for over two years, and we somehow only just discovered it. We were legitimately mad at ourselves thinking about how many meals we could have had here already. Now we're just trying to make up for lost time!! For roughly $80 for two before tip, the value was outstanding. At first glance, the menu might look a little upscale, but once the food arrives, it makes perfect sense. The quality more than justifies the price. I've had good Mediterranean food before. This is operating on a completely different level. Without question, this is some of the best Mediterranean food I've had anywhere in the area, and I can't wait to go back.

Another amazing restaurant in Hudson Valley. This was unassuming from the outside. The stores next…read moreto them are either empty or closed and the location, it's next to the Home depot, that when you park in front of the place, you feel like you're the only one eating there.. not a good first impression for a good restaurant. We went for dinner at 6 pm on a Saturday, we thought we were the only ones there, again because of the empty parking lot. There were a few people already seated. We didn't have any reservations, and I thought - Why would we? We started with the appetizers, babaganoush and calamari. Both were good. My wife and I had the mixed platter for two. All the meats were tasty, seasoned well and weren't dry. For dessert, I tried the affogato, espresso over ice cream and that hit the spot. Overall, we were impressed. People did start coming in after 6 so it's best to reserve a table especially if you have more than 4 in your party. The don't serve liquor so it's BYOB!! For some, that might be the important thing to note .

Awesome spot right off the main road perfect for a hot day when you're in desperate need of a pick…read moreme upper. After a car wash, decided I needed some fuel. It was a super hot summer day so nothing pairs better than a nice smoothie. I was highly craving a smoothie bowl but sadly didn't have much time to enjoy one. I always feel like if you don't sit down properly to enjoy a smoothie bowl, you just end up with a brain freeze. So I went for the next best thing: a power protein smoothie! They have a vegan version with pea protein and almond milk which was awesome! I happily took this to go but this Vitality Bowls location is a complete vibe to come hang out and do some work or stop in for a quick lunch break. Love their fire place and cute neon sign. I'm a sucker for neon signs hehe. The window tints keep this place nice and cool and you can sit by the window and people/car watch. Plus it's so conveniently located and great as a post grocery run if you go to Aldi. Overall, great spot for a healthy treat. They have $6 wellness Wednesday smoothies!

Stopped by for an açaí bowl because I heard great things. Luckily I got here right before the lunch…read morerush and put my order in. Right after me, about 15 people came in in the next 10 minutes, and there was only ONE person working. He was so overwhelmed with the in-person orders and online orders.. I felt bad that they were understaffed and he was running around. It took minimum 30 min for anyone to get their order. The tropical açaí bowl was tasty but at $13.50, very pricey. Probably won't come here again given the LONG wait and steep prices.

What an adorable place! Great coffee and good food. Someone suggested I try something with a…read morebiscuit, and they were right. Homemade biscuits rock my world! The staff is lovely, service with a smile. And the place is cozy, especially on a snowy Sunday morning. So glad we came!

LOCATION: on the tiniest Main Street I know Adorable…read more"downtown " Wappingers Falls, NY in the beautiful Hudson Valley, just 12 minutes from Metro North's New Hamburg station on the Hudson River ( green) line from Grand Central Station, NYC. I mentioned this cute little town because it's just one of the little niches along the Hudson river that makes a perfect little day trip. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: really quaint storefront, and first impression.Enter through the cafe door which also functions as a retail shop for handmade objects like soaps, etc. The gifts have an upscale vibe-worth a trip back. We had about 15 minutes to kill before attending a Yelp event across The Street so we opted to take the chill off by purchasing a hot beverage at Norma's. The staff is pretty laid-back, friendly, but laid-back. If you're in a hurry, I'm not sure if this would work. The hot and cold beverages are very straightforward and you can get some vegan options here. There were two behind the counter, but I felt they were a little engaged in their personal banter and we're not that attentive. Not a real sense of urgency or purpose. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but once they did give us their full attention, we let them know that we were waiting for an event across the street and didn't have a lot of time. They asked us if we'd like to sit down with our beverage and we opted to do so since it was pretty cold outside. We ordered two hot chocolate And two homemade biscuits. They gave us a table number stanchion for the table and let us know they would be bringing it to us. We did not need to wait. We took the three steps down to the main dining area, where we were pleasantly surprised that they were having a live event - in this case it was a storytelling event. There was a table available for the two of us so we sat down and quickly realized that the table was so off-balance that it post a potential safety hazard. When I placed my hot chocolate down and rested my wrist, the entire table tilted forward toward me. This is an easy thing to fix, but my guess is that it's been this way for a really long time. That's unfortunate. All that aside, the room was really cozy and had a lot of character - lots of two top and four top tables to provide a very intimate setting with each one having a good view of the small stage Minutes went by and there was no biscuit delivered. More minutes went by and we began to wonder if they had forgotten. I guess is that they weren't making the biscuits from scratch so most likely they did forget. Since we had already paid for everything with a pretty generous tip, we waited a a few more minutes. Time ran out when we noticed that the event attendees were lining up across the street. That's something we could see from the really great big windows that faced Main Street. Reluctantly, my sister and I got up from the table and headed to the counter where we had made the order. We let them know that we needed to go and asked if the biscuits were ready. They seemed perplexed at first and then a lightbulb moment. Yes. I suspect they did forget the order. I wouldn't bother so much but two biscuits and two hot chocolates. It was about $20 plus tip so when they recognized that the biscuits were still missing, they asked if we would like to take them to go. The lack of awareness was disappointing because they were clearly not busy with anything else A minute or two later, they emerged from the kitchen with a small bag, presumably containing the two biscuits. Service was definitely lacking, particularly for what is a bit of a higher priced venue. Maybe we caught them on an off night but my sense is that laid back attitude is built in to the business model. Would I return to Norma's? I'm not sure. The hot chocolate was good, not from a mix, but would it bring me back? I'll let you know.

Great Mediterranean Grill Restaurant. Authentic flavors…read more Plenty of parking in lot. Friendly & informative staff. A good deal of seating. Not too loud. Great place to dine with friends.

So I ordered from this location for take-out, about an hour before they were closing. The lentil…read moresoup was absolutely fantastic-I loved it and it had great flavor. The restaurant decor looked very nice when I stopped in to get my to-go order. I have heard great things about this restaurant and was excited to try it. Unfortunately I also ordered a Tabouleh salad with grilled chicken. There was SO much dressing (oil) on the Tabouleh I could barely taste the actual vegetables--the oil was even leaking out of the container, so that was disappointing. Also the grilled chicken was fatty and not very tasty so I was unable to eat it as well. I do want to try some other dishes here in the future to see how other dishes taste.

Breakfast smoothie was smooth and tasty. The price point was decent. Friendly atmosphere and vibe.read more

This was my first time really diving in for some authentic Dominican Republic food…read more I went with Tres Golpes, referred to as the three hits breakfast, this is also the national breakfast of the Dominican people. Dominican-style salami, fried cheese, and fried eggs served alongside mangú. Mangú, is boiled, mashed plantains and originated in West Africa. I was loving all the culture I was learning by simply dining here but what about the food right? Huge fan of the fried cheese, fried salami was okay, eggs basic but good, and the mangú I was a fan however it does not pack a ton of flavor in my opinion I also bought one Tequeno, which is a fried spear of wheat dough stuffed with semi-hard queso blanco. This is a popular snack in Venezuela. I was not a fan of this however as it was very tasteless. In my opinion it needed a dipping sauce of some sort. I was glad I tried the array of Dominican food however my girlfriend and I both agreed it wasn't our fav. Give it a try however as you may love it, and as you should be aware variety is the spice of life! As always people SYOY!!!

Great food. We had chicken salad on croissant and a delicious nova lox toast breaking…read more The ambiance was upscale brunch but chill. Service was very fast and servers were very courteous.

Met a friend for lunch at this beautifully designed restaurant. Though busy, we found a table…read more Despite going to the counter to order, the staff were very nice and accommodating, delivering food to the table and obtaining other items as needed. There are breakfast and lunch items as well as some Italian items for purchase. My Prosciutto de Parma sandwich was fresh and came with a side salad. I also purchased a bag of chips and hot tea ( which they refilled for a second pot). Very nice restaurant with accommodating staff.

Over priced with below average salads, charging over 20 bucks on lettuce and small…read morePortion of meat is not good business, especially when it's not even that good.

I drove past Fresh during construction the past few months, and man am I thrilled it's open now!…read moreStopped in today to a casual, clean and homey atmosphere. The staff has great charisma, and my order came perfectly (even with asking for extras). Ordered organic coffee, great flavor and just bold enough. And for lunch, a Rocky Peak Signature Salad with some extra veggies thrown in. I will definitely be stopping in frequently, and I recommend you to do the same!

Nice menu. Food is always fresh! If you order, you can bet the food will be done when they say!read more

I ordered a platter of sandwich wraps and they were all so delicious! My guests all commented on…read morehow good they were. I am very happy with Carol's Deli and will definitely be using them again. Carol is so nice too!

This is a fun spot for a large group gathering! I came here for dinner, and I really enjoyed the…read moreappetizers and desserts. Our servers were also very friendly. The portions are huge too! I ordered the gnocchi with sausage, and unfortunately I don't love it since the gnocchi was overcooked / the ratio of gnocchi to sausage was uneven. But I would def recommend the hush puppies and General Tso's cauliflower for appetizers, as well as the cast iron s'mores cookie for dessert.

Why the low score? AMBIANCE: 5/5 An upscale and cozy…read morerestaurant with fun art and very comfortable seating. Wonderful foyer with fireplace makes a lovely place for a family photo. FOOD: 3.5/5 WHY? Good quality ingredients but inconsistent execution. For example, my poppyseed cinnamon bun was presented in one of those cute cast iron skillets but the bun was ice cold, dry, and not failed to deliver comfort food vibes. I suspect that the dish was originally cooked in the skillet and drowned in a creamy cream cheese frosting. THAT would score high. Unfortunately, the little pan was a real let down- almost like a bait and switch. Management-- if you want to take a shortcut, just serve the bun on a plate. Other dishes delivered on presentation, but failed on practicality. Example- The Flatbread which is topped with beautifully cooked fried eggs was served on a board with no side plate so the egg yolk ran unto the table-embarrassing. This brings me to SERVICE. Kevin was pleasant buy not efficient- we had to ask for plates, were not offered coffee or tea for a brunch service. And one of our group of 4 ppl received her entree at least 5 minutes after the rest of us- Our food got cold waiting for the missing entree. No excuse for that with a near-empty dining room. Would I return? Yes. With lower expectations

We've been here before and decided to come for a little Mother's Day brunch. The food was as…read moredelicious as usual. The smoothie and boba tea were really good too. It's one of our favorite little spots in town and hopefully will make it back again soon.

Great customer service and the croissant was delicious. I'll definitely come back whenever I'm in…read morethe area.