You don't have to fly over the Atlantic to enjoy the tastes and feelings of France. You just have to travel down the banks of the Hudson River to the Brasserie 292 Restaurant in Poughkeepsie.
"The restaurant has been here for four years now. We actually purchased it in July of 2015. The owner really wanted a really good fit for a French Brasserie on Main Street in Poughkeepsie and he really did his homework and, I think, a beautiful job. We get a lot of comments about how wonderful and beautiful it is when they walk through the front door," said Charles Fells, the co-owner and chef.
No passport is necessary to visit, but stepping inside will make you feel like you're in Paris.
"A lot of what the restaurant has to offer just from when you walk in is just the ambiance. I mean, you really do feel like you're in a Paris Brasserie. Some of the other things are the style of food and types of food that we do here, are not readily available at a lot of other restaurants," Fells said.
To go with the theme of the decor, the menu is comprised of much of what you might find abroad.
"When we first took over, what we really wanted for this was what we're calling farmhouse French. We want it to be very comfortable, very rustic food, very simple food, not a lot of heavy sauces. We do change the menu with the seasons to reflect that as well. One of my favorites on the menu, we have a braised rabbit. It's a great dish and it's something that sets us different than others," Fells said.
Besides the food and the ambiance, the ownership and staff hope you can appreciate the effort that goes into your dining experience.
"We want people to feel comfortable when they walk in. We really want people to have a sense of the quality of products that we do here, as well as the quality of service. We want people to understand flavors and styles of what we're doing and the fact that we source everything locally and fresh," Fells said.