Named after a line from Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, {pretty to think so} occupies Rhinebeck’s historic Starr Institute library, where books once lined the shelves and now set the scene for dinner. The farm-to-table menu follows the Hudson Valley seasons, with dishes ranging from caviar-topped frites and oysters to crispy duck confit and market vegetables

A little French bistro charm goes a long way at Le Petit Bistro, a Rhinebeck institution since 1986. Pull up a stool at the lilac-marble bar for raw oysters and a craft cocktail, then settle in for steak au poivre with mashed potatoes and a glass of something French from the wine list. Bon appétit!

With its five-storey circular tower, wraparound veranda and wonderfully over-the-top Queen Anne architecture, Wilderstein looks ready for a period drama. The Rhinebeck estate was home to Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, a close confidante of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and its rooms still brim with family heirlooms and Victorian curiosities. Outside, three miles of woodland trails, rustic gazebos and Hudson River views make for a rather lovely detour.

Set in a beautifully curved brick building in Kingston’s historic Rondout neighbourhood, Rosie gives the old-school American general store a modern-day makeover. Shelves brim with freshly baked sourdough, baguettes, pastries and pantry staples, while the kitchen turns out breakfast sandwiches, mortadella heroes with pistachio and hot honey, and thick-cut pastrami on rye.