If you're one of those people who disdain dining in strip malls, La Puerta Azul (less than a mile from the Taconic Parkway's Route 44/Millbrook exit) will radically change your outlook. The colorful, professionally decorated interior with its locally-wrought iron chandeliers is so exuberant that you feel like you're at a party even on a quiet weekday night. Of course, the generous, classic margarita ($7) made with fresh lime juice helps and so do the warm chips and piquante salsa that has the texture of tapenade. The dining room's stylishness is matched by the kitchen's: tuna ceviche ($11) is served in an oversized martini glass with a sauce of roasted tomatoes and citrus juices; a hearty appetizer of beef empanadas ($8) is presented on a square plate with squiggles of chipolte sauce as if it were nouvelle cuisine; the perfectly grilled organic chicken breast ($20) comes with a mellow mole sauce on the side and heavenly sweet corn rice that has been mounded to resemble a Mayan temple. The symbolism is apt because La Puerta Azul's food is divine. 2510 Route 44; 845-677-2985 Lunch: Monday, Thursday, Friday 12-4 p.m. Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 4-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 4-10:30 p.m. Sunday brunch: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
