Misto, Fan-Favorite Pop-Up And Caterer, Opens A Café In Red Hook

Misto, currently one of the most adored names in Hudson Valley pop-ups and catering, finally has a brick and mortar café in Red Hook. Behind the unassuming storefront, Wilson and Nadia Costa are bringing their unpretentiously hip menu to the masses, all while maintaining their existing event services. So don’t worry, Wilson’s famous burgers are still available Saturdays at Rose Hill.

Born in Brazil and raised in Queens past the age of 10, Wilson has comprised a menu like a jazz set, shifting dishes based on what’s available, the season, and what he’s feeling. In a region replete with top chefs. Wilson, who trained at Thai, Italian and French restaurants in the city, and spent time in HV kitchens including La Canard, Terrapin and GiGi’s, and has won the Chronogrammies Readers' Choice Awards for best chef the past two years running. The magic behind the Costas' popularity seems to be that while the food is inventive, it’s also accessible, affordable… and really filling.

“We always say it’s enough for one and a half meals,” Wilson says in the kitchen, as he preps for the café’s first week of service. “I think what’s most important is taste and the variations of flavors. What we do best is take something people know, but we'll change it a little bit. There'll always be little hints of something different.”

Coq au vin

The Costas started Misto (a Portuguese word for “mixed”) out of a kitchen space in Hudson that was less than ideal. Wilson said he’d had an eye on their current location for a decade. Misto’s outdoor popup business grew during the pandemic, with folks willing to wait in line for whatever was on the grill. 

When they considered what to offer in the café, Nadia says, they approached it like a pop-up attached to the catering kitchen in the back. They thought about what's been the most popular over the years and are now playing the hits while working on new ideas. Nadia says people often surprise themselves when they fall for a dish they weren’t expecting to love.

“You know, we would have a wedding buffet and the carnivores would come back for the vegan curry,” she says. “So we just kept in mind the things that really stuck with people. We want to have something for everyone. We always think about the carnivore, the vegetarian, the vegan, the kid, the sweet tooth. We want it all intermingling.”

The menu board at Misto starts with sandwiches like a nod to a Brazilian classic, the mortadella with McGrath Cheese Co. Hootenanny cheese on housemade pão frances ($16), Gulden Farm grass-fed meatloaf on Wilson's focaccia ($15), a veggie green melt ($14) and more. Then offerings shoot out in unexpected directions like a box of firecrackers. Daily specials and staples include winter squash with Tivoli Mushrooms, pickled red onion, maple and thyme ($14), gluten-free breaded chicken cutlet served with arugula, lemon juice, shaved Parmesan and olive oil ($16), and other options waiting to be sampled. The Costas personally eat as gluten-free as possible themselves, and while there are plenty of gluten-inclusive options, like Wilson’s pão and focaccia, Misto is a haven for those who have to, or want to be GF.

Nadia makes the gluten-free gnocchi, as well as a pastry case full of GF chocolate chip and Nutella cookies. She dares gluten-free skeptics to tell the difference. She also runs front of house, and says having well-defined separation of duties is what makes the whole show work. The couple met working in an NYC restaurant and have now been married for over 20 years. The illustrated portrait of the Costas, which graces their branding, was a wedding gift from Nadia’s sister, actress Vera Farmiga.  

Family is big at Misto. Through the holidays, the Costas' parents and siblings and two sons helped get the space ready, all while they cooked up takeout meals for holiday parties. Because the Costas have the two kids (in eighth and fifth grade), Misto closes at six. But that doesn’t mean they have left you in the cold for dinner. Cooler cases are packed with ready-to-heat dinner options, and there's a shelf of select imported pantry items.

The cold case is home to weeknight highlights and party-planning showstoppers like vegan chickpea curry, housemade Calabrese sausage, and gigante beans with winter braised greens, while the freezer boasts items such as the GF gnocchi, Gulden Farm meats and Hudson Valley Fisheries steelhead trout.

“The market was an idea so we can play around with a lot of meats and other stuff,” Wilson says. “My background is the whole animal butchery, and sausage making and porchetta. So the prepared food is a way for us to do those fun things that I like to do. As we get going here we will be making new options and have new products coming in.”

With a long history in the culinary industry, a tight bond with their customer base and a family-style attitude, Misto in Red Hook is looking to expand its community with the formula that’s worked for couple for so many years.

"You want to be reasonable and we want people to come back,” Nadia said. “We want people to feel happy… and full.”

Misto
7466 S Broadway, Red Hook
(845) 750-1939
Cafe hours Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.