Another weekend excursion in the Hudson Valley. This past Saturday we headed down to Fishkill, NYfor the day. I wanted to stop by a new place located right on Main Street. I had heard really good things about it, so of course I had to check it out. It is called Cibo. Cibo (pronounced chee-bo) is Italian for "food", which is a perfect name for this place. I would call it a combination Italian café and sandwich shop, with a modern flare.
When you walk in, you notice that it is spacious and has a somewhat classy feel to it. Big comfy leather chairs are set up near the window for reading the paper, sipping cappuccino or just hanging out. The food here is all homemade on the premises, except the ranch dressing, the staff quickly and cheerfully pointed out. They offer several daily specials, a full sandwich menu including panini’s pressed on home baked bread and salads. The front case is loaded with homemade Italian favorites like garbanzo bean salad, fried ravioli, roasted veggies, eggplant, and pasta salads. A few not so Italian selections like veggie burgers, crabor shrimp cakes, chicken & veggie dumplings and fried goat cheese with pesto andsun dried tomatoes, also looked delicious.
We decided to sample a little of everything. We shared the fried goat cheese, 2 fried ravioli’s, a huge Arancini, (traditional Italian rice and cheese ball), a crab cake that was served with a chive caper sauce, and a chicken on a stick that was served with a sweet and spicy apricot sauce.
Being that we were staying, rather than taking our food to go (which is an option) we grabbed a table. Cibo also has a full espresso/coffee bar, and far be it from me, a confessed coffee-holic, not to grab a good cappuccino. The cappuccino was delicious, and I was just mildly disappointed that it was not served in an actual mug, rather than a to-go cup. This seems to be a growing trend, that I will not elaborate on now, but I really like having an actual cup. Somehow it just tastes better. Plus, it allows for creative foam design!
All of the food that we sampled was fresh and loaded with flavor. One thing to note was the care and obvious thought involved in the presentation of the food; all served on modern white dishware, with some sort of creative flare. I especially liked that the arancini was served with a generous helping of homemade red tomatoe sauce that was one of the best I have tasted in a while. It had just the perfect amount of sweetness forme. Our favorites were the goat cheese and the arancini. My least favorite was the chicken stick. The presentation was lovely and the flavors worked well together, but unfortunately, I got a tough piece that was overcooked.
goat cheese crab cake
fried ravioli chicken stick with sweet/sour apricot
As our dishes were cleared, owner Tom Volpe, a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, brought over a small dish of popcorn coated with the slightest bit of a butter toffee coating that included shredded coconut. It was light and sweet, but soft and buttery. It was not heavy Fiddle-Faddle that breaks your teeth. It was a nice little treat. We were so full we could not consider dessert, but boy we were tempted! Favorites like tiramisu and triple chocolate torte lined the dessert case, each only $4.95.
toffee popcorn triple chocolate torte
I spotted some sugared pecans in a jar on the counter that are typically used in salads. They were nice enough to let me bring some home by-the-pound. Needless to say, they barely made it home thru the 25 minute car ride.
As we enjoyed our food, the smell of bacon cooking on the grill filled the air like thescent of a wonderful childhood weekend breakfast memory. We later learned that the’Cibo-ens’ were busily getting ready for a catered party that evening, which is also a service provided. Our bill, was a more than reasonable $30 for theboth of us.
We had a great time there and got the feeling that Cibo is a welcome addition to Fishkill. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday thru Saturday from 6am to 7pm.Closed Sunday. Check them out if you get to Fishkill.
Buon Appitito!