POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- When the Walkway Over the Hudson was finished in 2009, the hope was to bring people and business to the area. One of those businesses is Crave Restaurant in Poughkeepsie.

"We've been here for five years. We opened in November of 2009 to try and coincide with the Walkway Over the Hudson. When we first opened Crave we wanted to put and bring to this neighborhood fine dining because this neighborhood lacked any other kind of food offerings except for what we bringing at Lola's which was fast, casual," said Edward Kowalski, the owner.

Since its opening, the restaurant has tried to bring a little bit of the city experience to the mid-Hudson region.

"We're not just a special occasion restaurant. We feel like we're an every occasion restaurant. It's not just a birthday or anniversary, come here because we're doing different foods. We're a little bit trendy. We try to stay above and in front of the trends," said Kowalski.

While innovation in their kitchen is important, the focus is on making old dishes relevant and local.

"Our style is making memories in a sense of taking old fashioned and putting a twist on them, so you get everything from around the world," said Zachary Kelly, the head chef.

"What's unique about Crave, I think, is a little bit of everything. We try to package the intimate setting. We're very wine focused. So, we spend a lot of time trying to pair the right wines with the right foods. Our food is very much what it should be in this area, locally driven and sourced. Our technique is a little bit more, Manhattan-esque, I would say," said Kowalski.

With quality service and an intimate setting, the staff hopes your experience leaves you craving a return trip.

"I want customers that come here to take away the fact that we appreciate them dining with us. Because of the small setting, we can really pay attention to detail on the tables. We want them to feel that this is like a special occasion every time you come," said Kowalski.

"We're the small part of Manhattan in Poughkeepsie, so I want you to have a Manhattan experience being here," said Kelly.