The Academy — Attraction in City of Poughkeepsie

Good intentions, poor execution! I live in the area so I've been here several times, but not sure I'll go back again. Not clear whether the actual restaurant called "the Kitchen" is actually open yet. Instead, there are several food stalls with various fare, sort of like an upscale food court but: The first one - kind of a deli style. Menus always changing, some good, some bad, but the worst part is when there's hardly anything available. Went today (mid December) at around noon. Only a couple of dishes were ready to be served - some chicken, mashed potatoes and cold sandwiches. Looked like other items would be available later -- but not for lunch. The East West stall has delicious fare -- but don't order the soup to go. It comes in a heavy cardboard bowl which is a terrible way to package HOT soup for takeout. I live 10 minutes away and there was more broth in the bag than in the bowl. I dined in today; asked for a straw for a soda (that was warm; when did they put it out??). No straws. I was told to try asking at a differnt food stall. Asked for a cup with ice. I was told to ask at the bar. Sigh. The next stall over, kind of a salad bar, was not open at noon; in fact, we thought it was closed permanently because there was no one there and no food available. When we left at 2:30 pm, they were JUST setting up. The barbeque place at the end wasn't quite ready with food either. They usually have cake slices for sale. Today, no cake, which is a shame because it's really good and I told my friend I would bring her a piece. But couldn't today because there was no cake for sale. If you're going to open for lunch, it would be good to START lunch at around 11:00 rather than wait for customers to get there, AFTER 12 pm. Also -- when you're finished eating (cafeteria style), there is no indication what to do with your tray. Will someone bus the table? Should you leave it near the garbage cans? No way to know. Started out really good when it opened; I had high hopes. ...

I have visited this new business several times and I had reviewed the Google listing and reviews a few times as well. Very curiously there were 3-4 honest reviews for this new business and some were critical and a bit unflattering. Low and behold…the Google listing and the reviews completely disappeared for several days - it was as if The Academy didn’t exist. A new listing for the business reappeared, those other reviews are gone and shocker - 2 new glowing 5 star reviews have appeared in their place. Something VERY fishy going on here. Can you actually pay or ask Google to remove your listing? And unflattering reviews? If so - I think I’ll stop trusting Google for business reviews.

In terms of the food and experience here - I've been at least 10 times at this point and the food is hit or miss. Can be inconsistent. I've had the mac and cheese from the BBQ stall and also from the cafe grill. Like two totally separate places really. BBQ's was bland and the grill was maybe the most delish mac n cheese I've ever had. At east-west I've had the chicken rice bowl (not bad but all white rice and almost nothing else), ramen which was descent, dumplings (tasty, but a bit too loose/flimsy) and the edamame was dry, bland and tasted liked they were microwaved. I've tried the smoked chicken from the BBQ place and it was tasty, but small portion.

As others have mentioned, the place can be very loud, the acoustics aren't good and there're so much going on between all the colorful murals, wallpaper, TVs and music on at the same time. It's all a bit much.

I do love the concept and the outdoor space (especially the beer window)

Overall, I'm glad it's here and I'm waiting for them to open the restaurant and market...

Really disappointing. The Academy Kitchen isn’t a full restaurant. We made reservations and looked at the menu expecting to have a great dinner. You are basically sitting a few feet from the open food court. The mgmt doesn’t know how run a restaurant that has a wine menu and $28 entrees. Its painfully clear.

The food is just OK. Started with greens on a plate with a drizzle of vinaigrette. All of our entrees came out at different times and my pork chop had a wilted, wet pile of kale underneath. I couldn’t get a proper knife to cut it because someone dropped two of the entrees and ran. Hamburgers came out with no ketchup on the side and there was no server to ask for any. Mussels came with no bread to dip in the broth. These are the basics.

At some point, a server came over carrying desserts and asked if they were ours. We were clearly only half way through eating entrees. A total mess. This place needs a decent manager who’s worked in Food & Beverage.

We never had our water refilled - not even once.

I was hoping for a good dining experience in Poughkeepsie. Really terrible -...