I consider myself a wine geek first and a semi-foodie second but I feel compelled to mention two spectacular meals from this past week and to highly recommend both restaurants: Terrapin in Rhinebeck, NY and Le Canard Enchaine in Kingston, NY.

I just finished a three-hour lunch of escargot, sole amandine and tarte tatin to rival any Parisian meal I have ever had. Le Canard Enchaine is the creation of Jean-Jacques Carquillat, a Frenchman from Chamoix. He has a long and distinguished career in his home country, London, Portugal and in New York. Before opening his own restaurant, he worked as the Pastry and Sous Chef de Cuisine at La Reserve in New York and then moved to Le Bernadin. My dining companion, my father, is a buon gustaio and a bon vivant, so he went wild and had the fricasse of snail-mushroom & cognac flambe and the roasted Long Island duck with orange sauce and mashed potatoes. We were semi-speechless to have such a delicious meal in Kingston on a gloomy Friday at the end of the Summer.

Le Canard Enchaine is also the name of the weekly satirical newspaper published in France since 1915.

I was also fortunate enough to go to Terrapin in Rhinebeck this week. Chef/owner Josh Kroner has created an incredibly interesting and eclectic menu fusing elements from Asian, Southwestern, French and Italian cooking. I had a number of small plates from the tapas menu including crispy artichokes with wasabi aioli, grilled lamp chops with chimchurri and goat cheese filled wontons. I also tried warm brie with mango on crostini and a mini-hamburger on a brioche. It was all delicious and a nice way to be able to try a number of items. The restaurant is housed in an interesting historic building that looks like a gingerbread church.

Terrapin – 6426 Montgomery St., Rhinebeck, NY 12572 845 876 3330 www.terrapinrestaurant.com

Le Canard Enchaine – 276 Fair Street, Kingston, NY 12401 845 339 2003 www.lw-canardenchaine.com