Panacea — Restaurant in Town of Amenia

RE UPDATE: Dined there again: The food was amazing!!! This is officially my favorite restaurant. The tuna on crispy rice was unreal. The crispy rice was hot and freshly fried!! At Nobu and other places it’s only slightly warm and hard, this one was executed to perfection soft inside and crunchy outer shell. And the tuna itself had such flavor and was well dressed in such a good sauce, it was not a dry mouth bite (and a hefty portion!). The pastas ohhh my lord I dream of the mushroom one! I’ve been back multiple times just for this garlicky mushroom goodness. The steak was unreal, seared to perfection and cooked to a tender medium rare as requested and came with the best soft caramelized onion. The Japanese sweet potatoes are so sweet and pillowy soft inside with a perfectly crispy exterior, I could eat them on their own as a snack forever. The wasabi aoli sauce on the sweet potatoes is really something and it perfectly balances out the sweetness of them. The drinks, highly recommend their Shirley temple with the homemade grenadine! Also I recommend the Red Panda drink it comes flaming on fire!!! What a fun presentation, we were so surprised to get such a cool cocktail. THE DESSERT- Oh my lord whatever cake variation they are serving, GET IT it, it is NOT TO BE MISSED. AND THE ICE CREAM IS HOMEMADE AND CREAMY AND DELICIOUS. They always have unique different flavors which have been so fun to try. An amazing, great meal without any pretentiousness and in a welcoming, beautiful environment. I recommend dining a la fresca on the patio garden in the early evening alongside the massive hydrangea blooms!

Previous Review:

The food was amazing!!!

The miso butter and bread from neighboring Vitskys bakery was hot and delicious (we love supporting local businesses!). It was cool to see where they sourced their local produce from at the bottom of their menu.

I ordered a Shirley temple, they make their grenadine in house and it had a cinnamon spiced twist and was delicious.

The Cesar salad was perfectly coated and the dressing was amazing, ample dressing which is what I like, but the salad itself was crisp and the croutons were delicious. They served it with lettuce but have a hyper seasonal menu so the greens they utilize change which is fun!

Then we had creamed greens. Similar to a creamed spinach, the greens were silky and it was vegan!! They are cooked it in coconut milk and had a curried flavor (and that is not normally my favorite flavor and I enjoyed them)!

The steak was amazing, cooked to perfection medium rare. The carrots were caramelized perfectly and it was a good serving of meat. My friends were obsessed with the green sauce they served it with!

The pastas!!! Don’t even get me started. Home made pasta what more could a girl want. Super flavorful and delicious. We tried every one.

The ice cream the blueberry taro was the option for ice cream and it was soo flavorful and amazing and creamy. One of the best ice creams I’ve had, I would it eat again and again if I could. Even the regular vanilla was rich and so flavorful! The pops pie was an apple pie with a beautiful crust served in a hot ramekin. You could really taste the caramel and apples it was perfect for a cozy fall treat and a great way to...

I’ll start with the summary - Panacea is spectacular. The food, the service, the atmosphere - all absolutely amazing.

Food: There really aren’t enough superlatives. Everything was so delicious. For appetizers, we had the heirloom tomato salad with house-made ricotta, and the mussels. Not a crumb left behind. Then we got to try the pasta (homemade in house by one of the owners) with the most perfectly flavorful sauce - the exact quote from my partner upon tasting the pasta: “You can tell that this was made with a lot of love.” 🥹❤️ We both had the steak for our main course - cooked perfectly, and everything seasoned so well. My partner couldn’t resist trying the homemade ice cream for dessert - honey blueberry flavor, which he said was fantastic. (Side note: My partner and I have some dietary restrictions that make us especially particular about restaurant choices, so we are both thrilled to have a new favorite restaurant where we can both find lots of options on the menu.)

Service: Wonderful. We felt very welcomed from the moment we stepped in (and the place was packed, so I’m glad we had a reservation), our waiter was patient and helpful with the menu, and the owners are just so lovely - it’s such a beautiful thing to witness this young couple making their dream into a reality. We could feel the care and passion they bring to every detail, from the design of the space to the menu that evolves with the seasonal availability of ingredients.

Atmosphere: In addition to the warm and welcoming design, there’s a lovely outdoor patio, and the property itself is stunning.

We have a new favorite restaurant in the Mid Hudson Valley, and we look forward to returning. Congratulations to the owners on this amazing...

Well, I walked in at about 5:15 on a Friday evening and was immediately greeted with a gorgeous smile from the bartender , Andrea….such a friendly warm greeting and I proceed to sit at one of the bar seats which are. Ver comfortable and the atmosphere very cool and inviting , and ordered a glass of Pinot Noir …Oregon…delicious.

I took my time looking over the menu again, I had a sneak preview at home ….and it is a very diverse menu with gluten free options and I’ve been gluten free for 15 years….Wow.

I chose the Gluten Free pasta mushrooms entree with a side of local greens .I had identified myself in the very beginning to Andrea as sexysam….I am 70 years old and I do yoga the whole trip and I weigh 140 lbs and I act like I’m 42…..chatting with Andrea was a great time and then Jake , the head chef came out and introduced himself…very cool experience and sexysam will only go where cool interesting and accepting people go ….because there is nothing average about me ….a great time talking to Jake.

So , I sat enjoying the laid back ambience….I have toned this space since Jason opened his restaurant there in the 90s and then Serge and Saravan was the restaurant…all excellent….so I was prepared for a delicious meal .

It came and oh my gosh Perfect …like 5 Stars perfect…wow ..enjoyed that part immensely, ordered another glass of that delicious Pinot and got the gluten free chocolate Mousse……delicious

So good …that I shall be returning here quite often ! I am a superfood snob and will eat out only at these kinds of places ….but Panacea , and Jake and his staff ….all get my highest rating and my love and gratitude.

Thank...