The Amsterdam Restaurant ; Rhinebeck, New York

                            

The Amsterdam.  Rhinebeck      
6380 Mill Street                     
Rhinebeck, New  York, 12572
Tel.  845 516-5033
Hours Tuesday -Sunday
Open; 5:30--10.00P.M
Weekend Brunch          
Rating:  EXCELLENT
By; Baron Corso de Palenzuela von Habsburg



The Amsterdam Restaurant.  Rhinebeck, New York

Chef Sara Lukasiewicz :   Young Chef Extraordinaire at the Amsterdam restaurant.



The moment you walk into the Amsterdam restaurant in Rhinebeck New York you'll experience an embracing hospitality.  This wholehearted ethos to peace and friendship is embodied by owners Howard and Chris Jacobs.    Everyone is warmly greeted.

All are Welcome. The restaurant is festive and friendly, the food and drink inviting.  The patrons, a colorful mix of happy characters.

On a recent evening in autumn, my beloved and I decided to eat at The Amsterdam.   I have eaten here on several occasions.  I love the vibe here.   It is a fun and sophisticated culinary oasis in this little charming village.  It is the newest dining hot spot in Rhinebeck and Dutchess County. The eatery is a beautiful restored building on Mill Street dating back to 1798 with plenty of exterior charm -an inviting place that welcomes guest who crave fresh food, tasty bar bites and splendid cocktails.  Try the Dutchess cocktail, or the QuarterHorse  They are sure to please.

 The modern interior is well lighted with good acoustics.   The open kitchen crowned with a sculptural wall arrangement of wine bottles above the open galley anchors the space of the main dinning area. 

Floors and tables with pleasing wood tones, and soft colored walls are all soothing and warm.  Overall the interior is very nicely appointed --the design works to create a calm, chic and casual  ambiance.  This handsome eatery offers four dining choices--main dining room at street level, a beautiful bar area, an upstairs special events room, and a large outdoor patio with a bocce ( boules) court and fire grill.   Seating overall is approximately one hundred and thirty patrons.

Executive Chef  Sara Lukasiewicz is the shining star of the kitchen dominion here.    She is a very affable Culinary Institute of America graduate -2008.   Well versed in her craft and expert in the art of snout to tail fleishing and cookery.  She is quite unique among fellow chefs. She formerly was a chef at the Red Devon  restaurant in Bangall,  New York.  And  she also tenured at David Changs Momofuko Noodle Bar in New York City. Here is a chef with very good experience.   You can glimpse at Chef Lukasiewicz at the helm-- in the open kitchen, in the main dining room, as she expertly guides a well selected, efficient and dexterous staff  as they turn out the nightly fare. 

Sara Lusasiewicz, Chef extraordinaire in charge of all the culinaria at the Amsterdam restaurant, creates her very own deliciously simple and classy starters and entrees.

 We decided to start our dinner with a bottle of Emilio Lustau Sherry and ordered the Amsterdam Salad. Our server Connor P. Dineen  was menu knowledgeable, friendly and competent-- plus never forgetting to replenish our water glasses.   The Amsterdam Salad: was a light and refreshing assortment of fresh cherry tomatoes, and radishes served with toasty croutons in a Sherry Vinagrete.  It was quite delicious.  Another wonderful salad was the Roasted Beet Salad : Baby Beets cheese , Greens, Beet Romesco in a Balsamic Vinaigrete. Quite good.
 Or try the House Smoked Salmon:  A very colorful tasty presentation of thin layers of Smoked Salmon served with a crispy hash brown latke, cream fraiche, chives, and Spanish capers.  A real winner.

Among the show of straightforward entrees at the Amsterdam, I opted for the Dry Aged Chef Cut Steak:  This succulent mouthwatering 8-10 ounce steak of deliciousness cooked medium rare was tender and moist.

It was slightly charred, yet very juicy on the inside---cooked to perfection.  It was served with a delicious assortment of properly cooked  Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Fingerling Potatoes, with Red Wine Butter.

Or try the Dry Aged Duck Breast:  Perfectly cooked-- delicious crispy exterior, tender and pink on the inside with a slight degree of good gaminess. It was accompanied by small tender pieces of Calliope Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, Califlower, and a healthy portion of al dente Black Barley--creating a hearty and earthy combination and a perfect harmony of flavors and texture.   To die for.


Chef Lukasiewicz's talent is fully demonstrated with the menu mains-- entrees offered at the Amsterdam.   Her opening specials of the day are nothing short of brilliant and original.

Dry aged steaks, rich pastas, dry aged duck, rabbit, seafood options, vegetarian concoctions, are all executed with cooking finesse and expertise.  She is keen on using quality global and local ingredients for an elevated dining experience.  Her devotion to farm to table is innate and genuine--so reflected in her many smart and joyous eponymously epicurean  creations--paying homage to Wisconsin, the Hudson Valley and the world at large.:  Try the Everything Lavash--exciting flavor of spices and texture of unleavened flatbread respectful to Persian and Armenian traditions, with a Hudson Valley twist on the dipping sauce.  A simple masterpiece from her kitchen. Or try the Delicata Squash Salad--a true standout with a soulful use of South American quinoa.

Chef Sara Lukasiewicz is food revolution.

She is more about creating a new food palette with her many foods and spices from her  Global Kitchen Cabinet.  Yet she is also about interpreting Hudson Valley traditions of food. Her food is never fussy, and the flavors are always clean. She shines in her myriad gastronomic orchestration of interesting dishes.   The flavors of  local ingredients she incorporates in her cookery, and the presentations of healthy dishes she creates are enjoyed immensely by those who dine at the Amsterdam .  Chef Lukasiewicz never ceases to amaze.

The Amsterdam Rhinebeck is packed daily with locals, with chic New Yorkers, Hollywood celebrities, city folks from the tri state area, and world visitors sightseeing in the Valley and looking for excellent cuisine to savor.   A late night table by the charming bar, or fireplace, a bottle of wine,delicious food and a significant other are all you need for a romantic evening at this Mill Street charmer.   The Amsterdam restaurant boasts a  revolutionary menu of starters, superb entrees, and Charcuterie plates, prepared by Chef Lukasiewicz.

Also heavenly dreamy desserts by Pastry Chef Courtney Reese are a must. Try the famous cheesecake.   And  of course excellent cocktails by Bartender  Francisco Bango.    At the restaurant  there is always a crowd of beautiful people amid the graceful décor enjoying it all. The food and ambiance  is so good  that chefs and staff from local restaurants: Le petit  bistro, Liberty, The Local, and Savona's  flock nightly to the Amsterdam to experience the real deal here.

 Cocktails are expertly made by Cuban- American Francisco Bango who is extremely knowledgeable in his field and cheerful with customers.  Mr. Bango's libation menu features trendy new drinks as well as classic ones--Negronis, Gimlets, Martinis, The Baron, and killer Daiquiris, and Presidentes,  Cuba Libres and The Diplomatico ----all ideal to sip at the bar and watch Mr. Bango work his mixology magic. The restaurant also has a good selection of New York beers: 

Try the Sloop: Juice Bomb IPA, Abandon:   Pale Ale, East Branch. the Berliner Weisse: Rushing Duck. or the Gun Hill: Spirit of 76.  The service at the restaurant is always hospitable, calm, and competent--with superstar servers like Emily Rose Schmeichel, Connor P. Dineen, Kerri Sue Lewis, Nickolas Tulsson, Rebecca Smith, Jessica Tibbitts,  Kennedy Irwin, and General manager: James Jusseaume. The Events Manager Ryan Stuzbach.  And Dining Room Manger Fletcher Tingle.   A great professional crew that makes the Amsterdam function as well as it does.

The Amsterdam Rhinebeck distinguishes itself too in the dessert department.  We decided to end our dinner with the Honey Cake--brown sugar, buttercream ,vanilla gelato with a salted graham cracker crumb.

It was light enough and delicious to devour after all the prior food and drink consumed.  Or try the Lemon and Rhubarb Tart made with spiced maple almond granola, toasted meringue.  Both were so good.  These are tasty treats of the culturati and glitterati that frequent the Amsterdam for dessert and after supper drinks.

Whether its an intimate event or a gathering of fifty people or more, the owners, Howard and Chris Jacobs, have built up a very professional staff to handle it with perfection. They have created a happy and beautiful ambiance.   My dining experience proved to be a delightful culinary extravaganza of flavorful bites, and delicious food and great libation. It made the dining experience on point. As far as I can judge, the Amsterdam Rhinebeck restaurant has world famous stature.   Rating: EXCELLENT.


Baron Corso de Palenzuela von Habsburg is a  Chef, world restaurant critic, food and wine connoisseur, He has been published in world wine and food magazines. Gusto,  Millionaire World.  And local newspapers as well including Edible, New York Times, Hudson Valley News, Observer, The Country and Abroad.  He resides in Florida, Virginia, and New York.  He can be reached at Habsburgtrust@aol.com

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