Iron strengthens Iron in Poughkeepsie - Daily Planet, 1202 Route 55, Lagrangeville, NY

Just north of Poughkeepsie is a diner that was featured on the Food Network and Travel Channel.  They also have a location in Brewster, NY.  In fact, the entire Hudson Valley is filled with former culinary school students opening little restaurants and diners with their own take on dining. That makes keeping interest in your food a bit more daunting around there, especially if you are in the diner business.  

The Daily Planet American Diner in Lagrangeville - a suburb of Poughkeepsie, if such a thing exists - has risen to the challenge and has a menu filled with healthy, interesting, and tasty combinations that, in my opinion, exceed the offerings of it's more famous competitors in the region.

I splurged a little at this particular lunch and started with an appetizer - Fried Chicken cigars, which has a couple of good sauces on the side and had a chipotle type sauce inside to set them off - and had a big, filling, and very tasty wrap with a side salad for lunch.  The service was great, the iced tea was a-flowin', and the atmosphere was good too.

Best of all - because of my newfound search for food that doesn't make it hard for me to see my belt buckle and toes - I left satisfied but not bloated and dragging.  Everything was fresh, nothing was greasy, and if this is the direction diners take into the future, I for one am looking forward to finding diners like this throughout my travels.

And if you are passing through Poughkeepsie and don't want to bother with the tourist traps, head east on Rte. 55 towards the Taconic Parkway (if you hit it, you've gone about 1/2 mile too far) and take your time with the menu - you're sure to find exactly what you need on their menu - whether you were looking for it or not.