About Us

Welcome to the Painted Bistro – where casual food meets bold art! Our menu, thoughtfully prepared by Carol Longhi, CIA graduate, includes simple, unpretentious and delicious dishes.  Our philosophy is that good food does not need to be complicated if it’s made with the finest and freshest ingredients.  Whenever possible, we use local farm to table produce and meats, and our specials change according to what is in season.

Our spacious restaurant is warm, relaxing and inviting.  Our staff is attentive, and always ready to answer your questions.  Everything we offer in the restaurant, from start to finish is carefully selected to make sure you have a healthy, delicious and relaxing dining experience.

After dinner, wander through the restaurant and see the unique art work adorning the walls.   Meet Mark O’Leary, the artist of many of the pieces – and take a peek into his studio to see his art in progress.

From an intimate dinner for two to a celebration for a hundred, the Painted Bistro is your place!

The Owners

Chef Carol Longhi has a long history of working in the restaurant business, starting with her work for her father’s restaurant (Longhi’s in Hawaii)when she was seventeen. She was always drawn to the creative possibilities of cooking, and spent much of her time in the kitchen at Longhi’s.

In 1992, Carol decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she felt she could get the best education to pursue her dream of becoming a professional chef.  She graduated from the CIA in 1994, and went back to become the head chef of Longhi’s.  She also established a thriving catering business, and has catered elegant, intimate parties (many of them for celebrities) as well as wedding receptions and corporate events – both large and small.

While at CIA, Carol and her husband Mark fell in love with the beauty of the Mid Hudson Valley and decided to move back with their family in 2009.

Artist Mark O’Leary also studied at CIA, and is adept at working side by side with Carol, but has recently devoted himself to his art.   Mark’s paintings are colorful, modern and bold, yet playful.  Both free-flowing and lively, they encapsulate his “Go big or go home” philosophy.

Mark uses acrylics on canvas or wood, and uses brushes, palette knives, kitchen tools, squeeze bottles and sometimes even his hands to lay down the paint.  His work is punctuated with wood pieces, coins, beads, and other items that grab his attention.  Each piece starts as a thought, and Mark lets the work take him wherever seems right.