I had been a big fan of New World until two years ago-and I had not been back since. It was my and my sister's 2nd favorite restaurant. We invited my father and a business partner to dinner as a celebration for her business' success....was this a portent of disaster? The flounder she received was not only not fresh, it was rotten...and she is a seafood maven. The business partner's steak was subpar....my meal was okay, but not memorable. I know everyone has a night off, but unfortunately, it turned off our taste buds from this place forever and haven't been back since. That said, the waiting staff was extremely friendly, quick, and courteous. [At least they got something right that day!] oh well, shame too.

I've been going to New World for years, every chance I get. The food is simply amazing, with interesting new specials every day and an eclectic "regular" menu with something for everyone. Its foodie paradise and a great place to get a burger, not often you find that under the same roof! Chef Ric is obsessed with sourcing the best, cleanest ingredients, the salmon in particular is always so good, I've found I can't order salmon anywhere else! Its just not the same! The service at New World is over the top professional, the servers are super knowledgable about the food, manage your table like you are dining at Downton, and are super fun and friendly! And don't get me started on the wine list! Fabulous! New World is a truely special place, not to be missed!

We cancelled a reservation at Miss Lucy's in Saugerties to go to New World Home Cooking. Figured we would stay more local and patronize the local place. BIG MISTAKE!!!! We went for a "Valentine's Day" dinner. This was our first V.D.D. together - so it was supposed to be special - NOT! It could not have been much worse. First of all, we looked on the website and there was absolutely NO mention of a "Valentine's Day Dinner Menu". When we arrived, there were only "pink menus" with EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH PRICES - insane really! Our waiter was one of the least experienced, most awkward people I have ever met. He came to our table and asked about drinks. My boyfriend does not drink - and I decided to have a glass of red wine with dinner. There were about 6-8 choices for red wine, so I asked him what he would suggest. He said, "he really was not a wine expert and that he would go ask the bartender" ~ and when he returned, he had a half bottle of wine, which he awkwardly tried to sell to me - telling me this was a better wine and that it was 2.5 glasses ~ a "better deal". I politely told him I would look at the wines by the glass and decide - which I did. We decided we were here - we had cancelled our other reservations - so we wanted to make the best of it. We ordered a "succulent pork dinner for two" (at the low cost of $50) -- it was supposed to come with a mango salad and plaintains (as sides). When the dinner arrived, it was a chunk of pork, on the bone, and a tiny bit of mango salad (certainly not enough for two) and 4 slices of fried plantain. WHAT? Not exactly what were were expecting for $50!!! The pork had a VERY thick skin on it and we could not cut into it with the knives we were given - so we asked our waiter for a better knife. He made some comment about how "no one had asked for that before" and then told us he would "try to find a knife for us". Meanwhile, our waiter was spending all his time (along with 6 other staff members) paying very close attention to the booth next to us. It was 5 people who were all drinking multiple martini's and manhattan's and complaining about everything - and I mean everything - and thus, getting LOTS of attention. Our waiter never returned to our table - not even to check on us and ask how we were doing. Not to give us more water. NOTHING. He did go to the table next to us ($$$$ for all the drinks they were ordering were all he seemed to care about) many times and at the end of their meal, we overheard him say to them, as they were still complaining about the food, "Well, at least the drinks were good right?" Talk about a strange thing to say. Then he sort of laughed. When he finally did return to our table with the check, he actually said to us, "no rush" and then took off in a flash. We wanted out of there - and fast - but now we sat, and sat, and sat again - waiting for him. Eventually I got up and spoke with someone about it. It was absurd - one of the worst experiences ever eating out! We never did get our knife - and ended up tearing the skin off in order to get to the meat. Has anyone ever heard of serving pork like this? It was not fun and definitely NOT what we were expecting at all. We had to fight with our main course in order to eat it. That's it - horrible experience. Horrible waiter. Horrible evening! Thanks for ruining our first Valentine's Day Dinner!

I really enjoyed a recent dinner with friends and family at New World Home Cooking in Saugerties. We sampled several of the new appetizers on the revamped menu - awesome sesame fried catfish tacos, lamb sliders with a tzatziki-pepperoncini sauce, avocado-mascarpone guacamole (we actually fought over this one!), and jerk chicken wings, among others. There was a delectable pork belly special appetizer that night, as well. I ordered the "blue plate" meatloaf - this is not your mother's meatloaf! It's wrapped with bacon, stuffed with smoked gouda and served with mashed potates with red eye gravy. Decadent and delicious. My son had a great juicy burger on a gluten-free bun. I really appreciate how New World accommodates people with allergies. And I love how Chef Ric Orlando always manages to delight and surprise us with his inspired food. I'll be going back this weekend. I hear they've put their pork chops back on the menu...by popular demand!

SPY REPORT: Had the Mudbugs(10) and Thai Italian Bolognese. Service: Was spot on. Paige was my server and she was attentive and wonderful. Paige had great rapport with the other patrons as well. Any request was taken care of immediately. Rest of staff was great as well and weren't afraid to answer any questions I had. Mudbugs were: Amazing, I regretted not ordering the gumbo after eating the mudbugs. I wish I had a 2nd stomach, because I suspect the gumbo was interstellar. If work sends me up to Albany soon I'll be back to order the Gumbo before its gone. The Thai Italian Bolognese: Awesome. Very hot and spiced, but I haven't had heat and spice in a while like that, so I would take a break for a couple seconds, clear my palate and be amazed all over again. Wonderfully intense - I put lemon on it to cut it a little and the acid hit the spot. I would tell myself "ok enough" and then find myself eating it again. Dangerously good (and I think I can see in the dark now.) Ric has created an environment and a selection of food that caters to everyone's wants and needs. You cannot go wrong here.