After our busy schedule of sight seeing I was looking forward to a relaxing, leisurely dinner at the Brasserie 292. We had to change our reservations to a little later since we ran short of time.  I called and talked to Chris and it was no problem getting a table for a little later that evening, and even though we were a little early for our 8:30 reservation we were seated right away.

Brasserie 292 is located at 292 Main Street in Poughkeepsie.  They’ve only been open for a few months but this unassuming store-front restaurant has mastered the art of French Brasserie cuisine.  Executive chef Daniel Crocco, a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park NY has extensive culinary experience and it shows in the plates that he creates. Both he and his brother Chris have grown up in the restaurant business.  Chris managed Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in NYC, BOLO and Bar Americain before finally becoming the director of event services at the Michelen rated restaurant Rouge Tomates. Chris runs the front of the house at Brasserie 292.  The restaurant has a definite NYC vibe with sophisticated décor – and even though Poughkeepsie is a small town compared to NYC this restaurant is by far the place to go to see and be seen. People meet for drinks after work or to start off the weekend, share an appetizer or enjoy a full and delicious meal prepared by an accomplished chef.  Chef  Daniel started in the restaurant business at the age of 13 as a dishwasher, working his way up to now executive chef.  Chef Daniel also worked under James Beard award winning chef Melissa Kelly for five years, where he learned the importance of fresh, local ingredients.   By using local ingredients Chef Daniel is able to create classic brasserie fare with a twist.  There is a new special every day on the dinner menu called the Plate of the Day.  We were there on Friday so the special was Bouillabaisse, a hearty combination of seafood in a tomato based broth.  Before ordering Chris stopped by our table to give us some insight into the menu and how things are prepared, along with some of his personal favorites, one of those being the bar steak and fries, which is similar to the steak frites only smaller in size.  Unquestionably my husband’s favorite. He stressed the fact that much of the food comes from local farms, the artisanal cows and goat’s milk cheeses from Sprout Creek Farm (more about them in a later post), rabbits and ducks from Fazio Farm, even the coffee is roasted locally at Coffee Labs Roasters in Tarrytown.

Before or after the meal you can order a plate of artisanal cheeses, but I decided to start with shrimp provencal, which was shrimp served with a sauce of olive oil, garlic, parsley and pastis.  My husband started with a bowl of white bean soup with tasso ham. We shared off each other’s plates.  The soup was creamy and delicious.  That’s one I wish I had the recipe for.  The shrimp were tender with a hint of licorice flavor from the pastis.

The service was prompt and attentive without being pushy. Brasserie 292 seems to be a place for all ages with an extensive wine list and full bar, and the atmosphere is sophisticated but somewhat noisy, which for a place that hasn’t been opened long is a good thing.  It means they’re popular.

For my entrée I selected the double cut pork chop and my husband picked the bar steak with frites.  We’re from the Midwest and grew up on meat and potatoes so these seemed like good choices.

The portions were huge, which surprised me.  My pork chop was served with polenta and grilled asparagus.  The bar steak (which is like the steak served with frites on the menu only smaller) is served with either herbed butter or bearnaise sauce.  My pork chop was cooked perfectly, juicy and tender.  The polenta had a good flavor but was a little grainy.  The steak was done perfectly for my taste but I think was a little rare for my husband.  The fries came in a huge mound on the plate.

For dessert, I talked my husband into something chocolate (even though he wanted to try the apple tart with brown sugar and sour cream gelato) the warm chocolate cake with crème anglaise and almonds.  I’m a chocoholic so for me it was the perfect end to our meal.

If you’re in Poughkeepsie and are looking for a sophisticated, adult place to dine, then I recommend Brasserie 292. Great food made from fresh local ingredients and sophisticated but not pretentious atmosphere all without breaking the bank.

Brasserie 292 is open Monday – Thursday for lunch 11:30 – 4:30 and for dinner at 5:30 – 10

They are opened for Friday and Saturday 5 pm -11 pm and Sunday from 11 am – 3 pm

To explore their menus online visit them at www.brasserie292.com

There you will see not only food menus but also the wines and other liquors and drinks available.

You can call them for a reservation at (845) 473-0292

You’ll be happy you did!