A great deal of Main Street in Poughkeepsie is easily overlooked, especially the area I think of as being
downtown. It’s probably because, unlike a lot of Main Streets, it's not a walking/strolling area.
You need a purpose, a destination, and Rabbit & Turtle wants to be that destination.
The name Rabbit & Turtle is a play on Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare”–the famous story that involves a rabbit who challenges a slow-moving tortoise to a race. Rabbit & Turtle offers two dining
experiences.
Arrive through the Main Street entrance and wind up in a polished gastropub known for its eclectic range of craft beer on tap, fast paced and social atmosphere--the rabbit.Coming through the Cannon Street entrance, you’ll find yourself in a comfortable and stylish dining room, a place for a relaxed dining experience--the turtle.
You may have heard of, or been to Rabbit & Turtle when they first started out and dismissed it as being too fussy, or expensive—just not your sort of place.
That’s all changed and it's become a casual place where you can grab a beer from one of the 10 on rotation on tap, listen to some good music on the weekends and have a quick bite or a nice dinner—whatever you're in the mood for.
The new menu reflects all that. It's brief and to the point, no flowery copy or compass settings to pinpoint the location of the sage leaf garnish, just tells you what they've got. And what they've got is a nice balance of dishes, ranging from bites to full meals, with something to tempt everyone in your group.
To introduce HudsonValleyEATS.com to their upcoming spring/summer menu, manager Jean Luc and chef Miguel treated us to a tasting of some of their signature dishes and new additions.
New to the menu are Parmesan corn fritters in a chipotle honey rémoulade sauce. Perfectly fried—crunchy outside and creamy interior flecked with corn kernels, it was a nice contrast to the slightly spicy rémoulade.
Fish tacos are perfect pub fare and these had lightly battered mahi mahi in warm tortilla with guacamole and house-pickled red onions.
Moving more towards main courses, for spring there's a pork belly entrée (there's currently an appetizer
version on the menu). The belly, beautifully browned, was sitting in a pool of roasted apple and fennel purée with a spicy tequila sauce. The tartness of the purée was a nice contrast with the richness of the pork belly.
Mac and cheese is a staple on a lot of menus and Rabbit & Turtle’s is made for people like me who love their mac and cheese super creamy (and cheesy). They dress it up with a little truffle oil layered in with the three-cheese topping—grown up comfort food!
Chef Miguel is justifiably proud of his Moroccan lamb shank over cavatelli pasta. He rubs the shank with a mix of warm spices and slowly braises it until it falls off the bone. Shredded, it's served over the pasta with tomatoes, feta cheese and black olives—hearty and delicious!
If you are into music, Rabbit & Turtle, turns into a happening music venue on the weekends with bands from around the tri-state, the rabbit comes out in full force.
Rabbit and Turtle offers a great place to host an event, and you should definitely check out “The Rabbit Hole”. A secret downstairs wine & whiskey bar reminiscent of an old speakeasy and a perfect place to entertain.
Go check it out, there is plenty of parking and you will not go away hungry or thirsty. Don’t forget to tell them you heard about them on HudsonValleyEats.com.
302 Main Street Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845 345-9281
Happy Hour: M-F 4pm - 6pm Dinner: M-Th 4pm - 11pm, Fri-Sat: 4pm - 12am Sunday: Closed
Enter to Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Rabbit & Turtle - click here
