 PRESS RELEASE MCKINNEY AND DOYLES' THE CORNER BAKERY and FINE FOODS CAFE website is currently being developed. Over the last 17 years, McKinney & Doyle has received numerous reviews in major publications which will be posted to this website shortly. By Lori Pierce Abendschein For the Poughkeepsie Journal All aboard! Next destination is McKinney and Doyle in Pawling. Now in its 11th year, the restaurant has received accolades from Wine Spectator, The New York Times and mentions in Redbook and Hudson Valley Magazine. Moreover, in 2001, Zagat awarded Shannon McKinney's cafe with the ''Award of Distinction.'' It's no wonder why reserving a table in this smart, cozy cafe, just a short walk from the Pawling train station, requires more than a few hours' notice. It could be the creative trompe l'oeil or the straightforward ''drink what you like'' advice on the wine list, or perhaps it's the humorous quips and quotes from Henri Charpentier (''Carve a ham as if you are shaving a face of a friend'') to Kit Carson adorning the walls that set the tone for McKinney's confident style and approach to cooking and dining. Warm bread delightful One of the first pleasures to arrive at the table is a deliciously warm loaf of bread and thyme-garnished butter. Then, it's one delight after another. A sublime, velvety smooth sauterne leek cream bisque of shrimp and scallops ($4) provides a sharp contrast to the ambitious combination of crisp asparagus and Stilton-filled pastry ($7.50) and an accompanying roasted red pepper coulis and spiced pecans. Wiscasset baby clams ($8.50) are a pleasing feast with tender bellies that dance between strands of linguine in a bath of roasted garlic butter. The house salad -- described on the menu as ''wonderful'' -- is exactly that, with a delicate sprinkle of beets livened with vinaigrette. The menu invites you to splurge with appealing choices such as beef scaloppine with horseradish-grain mustard reduction and roasted new potatoes ($20), Dijon-crusted New Zealand rack of lamb ($22) served with a demi-glace and garlic mashed potatoes, or curried chicken filet ($17) with spiced macadamia nuts and ginger rice pilaf. Crispy cornmeal sea bass ($19) is nothing short of spectacular -- and sits beneath an ultra-fresh pineapple lime salsa with red onion and jalapenos. The evening's grilled veal chop ($22.50) was a simple preparation with earthy flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary cream sauce and roasted potatoes. Homemade desserts enticing Desserts are particularly good. The cafe's ''famous'' pumpkin cheesecake, crunchy pecan pie, chocolate-center bread pudding or caramel rice pudding brule are just some of the choices. A homemade strudel ($6.50) -- jammed full with sweet warm slices of apple and chopped walnuts, topped with a scoop of Pawling-based Heinchon Dairy's vanilla ice cream, which provided just the finish we were looking for. McKinney Fine Foods Cafe is also home to the Corner Bakery. To make sure a bit of McKinney & Doyle goes home with customers, you must enter the bakery before reaching the restaurant. It works: we left clutching a sour cream blueberry bread and a desire to return for their baked goods, housemade dressings and soups. The Poughkeepsie Journal pays for the meals that are the subjects of restaurant reviews and reviewers do not identify themselves prior to the end of the meal. Lori Pierce Abendschein is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. McKINNEY CAFÉ Rating breakdown Overall **** (Very Good) Food **** Ambiance **** Service **** Value *** 10 Charles Colman Blvd., Pawling; (845) 855-3875 (restaurant) 855-3707 (bakery); all major credit cards accepted; restaurant is nonsmoking; lunch, Tuesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; brunch, Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner, Wednesday-Saturday, 6-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 5-9 p.m.; limited handicapped accessibility: there is one step up; reservations suggested; no children's menu available but children can be accommodated. Price range: Appetizers, $4-$8.50; dinner, $17-$22. Directions: From Poughkeepsie, take Route 55 east to Pawling. Restaurant is on the right next to the train station and off Main Street. What ratings mean * poor ** fair *** good **** very good ***** excellent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2002, Poughkeepsie Journal. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated August 10, 2001). |