STAATSBURG, N.Y. -- Alongside the Hudson and not too far north of Poughkeepsie, you'll find the hamlet of Staatsburg home of Portofino Ristorante, an area mainstay serving fine Italian cuisine.
"This is our 23rd year. We opened in '93. When we got here there was nothing in the building, but it had been a place called Luigi's for a few years. Before that it was the Peeping Hollow Inn, which was more of a bar, grill type of thing. And before that it was the Cardinal inn for 30 years. Building itself is from like 1890. It used to be a stage stop. This was the main drag here. This was the old post road," said Peter McCarthy, the owner.
Frequenting this restaurant will get your more than just an entree for your buck.
"We're here for value, quality, and service. It's not a la carte. If you order a dinner you get salad, you get your bread, vegetable. Everything is included in the price, and the prices are reasonable," said McCarthy.
The menu features many standards from the country shaped like a boot, the specials could come from anywhere around the world.
"It's basic old school Italian. Everything from veal parmesan, all sorts of pasta dishes. I wouldn't hold it down to north or south, I would just say general Italian. We have a seafood Mediterranean, which is basically a zuppa de peche. It's a combination of sea food with red sauce the hot or not hot over linguine. We do carbonaras, fettucine alfredo basically anything Italian. The specials we do whatever we feel like doing. I can do some Asian influences, some European styles, some African styles. I enjoy doing that, it changes things up," said John O'Brien, the head chef.
The friendly staff will make you feel at home in the family restaurant, but it's another aspect that will have you returning again.
"As long as the food is great, that's my main goal. The atmosphere and the prices. We try to give them a good portion at the right price and when they leave they always leave happy," said McCarthy.