Not sure what the low raters saw, but this place is awesome in every respect: 1782 facility-one of the longest running restaurants in US-, French owner/chef with a 20 year old successful restaurant in NYC, wonderful ambience,and amazingly prepared food. French onion soup and fried mushrooms were tasty and filling. The halibut was well prepared and the accompanying sauce was perfect. The farm fresh eggs in the salmon Benedict had perfect orange yolks- you could feel the nutrients entering your body. The desserts were also great. A wonderful place to relax and linger over drinks and a great meal. read more

After reading the first review I would probably fall into the second home crowd. This past week end, I joined my friends who are truly regulars at the Stissing House. The new restaurant down the street had a private party so we chose the SH. It was very crowded, but what followed should never happen in the restaurant business. It took about 15 minutes before we saw a waiter, he appeared without apology and took our drink order. At which point, he rather rudely asked, "Are you ready to order?" I asked my friends if they were ready, adding, he may never come back. Well that was the beginning of a new precedence for all time bad service. After we received our drinks another ungodly amount of time. we ordered. After another 20 minutes the appetizers appeared. I ordered soup-onion soup- and it was cold! I returned it and then waited another 15 minutes in which time my friends finished their appetizers. I finally flagged someone down and cancelled the soup. The waiter never stopped by offering an apology nor a time frame in which the reheating of my soup would appear. Then another 10 minutes lapsed and the soup appeared! which i did not accept. I watched three tables turn over during this time! The woman owner of SH did come over to the table an offered an explanation of why our service was so bad.... they had a power outage sometime during the day for two hours. Had i been the owner of this restaurant I would have offered to buy the table a drink- No. No gracious offer escaped from her mouth. Our entrees finally appeared, at which point I was hungry. It was trout that was over-seasoned in a slightly coagulated sauce served at room temperature. The only part of the service that was speedy was delivery of the bill and running of the credit cards. Oh and to add insult to injury, the chef did make an appearance and greet every table, except ours..... read more

Delicious, tasteful dishes. Usually busy, always a good sign. Prices are slightly higher than average, but worth it. Great use of local fare. Warm cozy atmosphere. Hanger steak is mouthwatering. Hearty mushroom rissotto satisfying. Terrific salads. Specials are indeed a treat. Workers are very accomodating. A jewel in Pine Plains. Wish the menu had more options, but what is listed is expertly executed. read more

I was excited to visit the Stissing House, because I'm a real history buff and the building is steeped in history going back almost to the revolution. I was warned not to expect much from the food or the service, even though the owner claims a Manhattan pedigree. It sounds like they have a local reputation for being inconsistent at best. I wasn't expecting much, and I was still disappointed. The food was bad, and the service was worse. Take a few minutes to walk thru this old historic building, and then do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else. It's sad. read more

We went to The Stissing House two weeks ago and really liked it. We went again tonight and it was not a good experience. It took fifteen minutes to get a drink order in and once we ordered our food the waitress came back 45 minutes later and told us they were out of the entree I ordered. Why did this take 45 minutes to let us know? My wife is hypoglycemic so I asked if they could bring her and her mothers entrees out early since mine would take another 30 minutes to cook. Their response was "it would be fine". They offered to buy us a round of drinks (which we did not accept because we all needed to drive). Our food finally came an hour and twenty minutes after we first ordered and it was ok but we were so hungry at this point I would have eaten my left shoe if they heated it up a little. We arrived at 8 and finally got our check at 10:45 which caused us to miss our other plans for the evening. I do not plan on going back. read more

We stumbled on to this restaurant on the way to the horse barn, not expecting to find anything special in this small town, attractive though it is. The place and the food were superb, it turns out. Ignore the slightly worn exterior, and find an excellent atmosphere and staff inside. The food would have been very good in a big city, and was all of five stars in the countryside. read more

loved this place. yes service is young kids but given that it's pretty off the beaten path give them some slack. food is very good by any standard and the space is completely unique, fascinating, and fun. amazing place to through a big party. looking forward to returning. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in the entire world. The food, ambiance and service are all excellent. We've been going there for years and it never gets old. We've never had a bad meal or a bad time. Thank goodness for Stissing House!! read more

We have been regulars at the Stissing House ever since Michel and Patricia took over. Its good food (well selected, often local ingredients, expertly prepared), cordial reception from the owners, pleasant Old American setting and friendly service always make us to look forward to our next visit. Over the years they accommodated us even on the shortest of notice and on busiest of nights! Once when we were stuck in traffic they kept the kitchen open way beyond closing hours and fed us - the only two customers! On the night described by the reviewer from Rhynebeck they indeed had power outage which disallowed them necessary three hours of pre-cooking preparation. But nevertheless they managed to open the restaurant on time, honored all the reservations and served to full house. Stissing House is a gem, much contributing to popularity of our area. And considering the fact that Pine Planes is not New York City with unlimited supply of aspiring actors- singers- students-artists looking for waitressing jobs, the restaurant is doing pretty well! Buy the way, if anyone wants to try onion soup at Stissing House, you better off doing it just about now. It is a winter offering and will be off the menu in April. Elena and Leon T. Millerton, NY read more

Beautiful old colonial ambience. Food good, but overpriced (like most Hudson Valley restaurants). Love the mussels & wood fired pizzas. Use local produce & meat & cheese, which is a plus. Pine Plains is one of the last real small towns around & should be seen. read more

The first time I went there I felt very comfortable with the atmosphere. The food is good & service friendly. What else do I need? =)

Went there many times when Roberto was cooking, the food was excellent. After he left, went there a few more times but food was barely average. Three years ago was the last dinner we had there, and it was so bad, we've never been back. Let's hope the owners find another great chef, and bring the place back to it's former glory, where the dining room was packed all summer long... read more

We used to love going here but not anymore. The food and service have slowly gone downhill. I haven't seen the chef/owner in the kitchen since the fall, which coincides with the last time I had a decent meal there. If you plan to go, stick with the pizza. It's the most consistent thing on the never-changing menu. read more

This beautiful old restaurant is half way between Rhinebeck and Millerton, perfect for Friday night fun or a relaxed Sunday lunch. I'm a vegetarian but always have options like the awesome fried mushrooms or simple salads like arugula with Parmesan. Fish specials are always fabulous, especially Michel's halibut, as are escargots in garlic butter and mussels in white wine, staples on the menu. The bar area is usually lively with great ambiance and a buzzing vibe. So fortunate to have Stissing House as my local haunt! read more

I always make a point of eating here when I'm in the Hudson Valley, and each time I'm delighted by the quality of my French country dining experience. The escargots and steak tartare are as good as it gets, but the flash-fried mushrooms will always keep me coming back for more! The warm, cozy atmosphere of the historical building is complemented perfectly by the friendly, hands-on approach of the Provence-born chef owner and his lovely wife. I'm so looking forward to my next visit, I've already picked out my meal of Oysters with caviar and Lobster for the upcoming New Year's dinner celebration! read more

The three of us had pizza and a salad. I had a head of Boston lettuce for $8, and a margarita pizza for $14. The salad was acceptable but over priced and the pizza crust was soggy and the tomato sauce insipid. My girl friend had a pizza with capers, same soggy crust and way too many capers. Between the capers and the salty black olives the overall flavor of the pizza was destroyed. The service was mediocre at best. No one came around to refill our water glasses and one of the pizzas had to go back because they forgot to add the mozzarella cheese. I feel obligated to be harsh about this experience because of the price - $110 for the three of us for pizza, salad and one drink and one desert shared between the three of us. If you are going to charge prices like that the food and the service better be impeccable. It this case, both fell short. read more

love the ambiance .....food is sub par.......can't eat ambiance!