Restaurants
The restaurant descriptions that follow reflect the opinions of the editors of Rural Intelligence.
They are editorial content, not paid advertisements, and are organized by county.
Flatiron in Red Hook keeps locals coming back again and again. |
Bread Alone in Rhinebeck specializes in breakfasts and lunches on artisanal bread. |
Bangall Whaling Company is an archetypal neighborhood saloon. |
Berkshire County
Egremont, Massachusetts
John Andrews
Straddling the border of Berkshire and Columbia Counties, John Andrews has been a beacon in the culinary wilderness for more than a decade. Although chef/owner Dan Smith always offers specials based on seasonal ingredients, it’s hard for him to improve upon his regular, exquisitely eclectic menu—fried oysters with anchovy-mustard vinaigrette ($10), papardelle with wild boar ragu ($20), grilled hangar steak with potato gratin ($30.) Cozy in winter if you sit by the fireplace and refreshing in summer if you have a table overlooking the garden, John Andrews is a restaurant for all seasons and all personalities. If you’re not in the mood for a white-tablecloth experience, the small bar has its own simple menu with yummy things like semolina-coated calamari ($9) and duck wings with blue cheese and celery ($8).
Route 23 (1 mile east of the NY border); 413.528.3469
Sunday - Tuesday & Thursday 5 - 9; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
Closed Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 07/01/08 at 10:23 AM • Permalink
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Aegean Breeze
It’s not easy to find authentic ethnic eateries in our region, which is why Aegean Breeze is so refreshing. Chef/owner George Cami was born and raised in Greece and his menu is loaded with the foods of his childhood such as Melitzansoalata (roasted baby eggplant spread with garlic and feta cheese), Keftedes (meatballs in tomato sauce), and whole grilled fish like red snapper and striped bass. Make sure to reserve on Thursday nights when crowds descend for the weekly Lobster Special.
327 Stockbridge Road; 413-528-4001
Lunch & Dinner: Monday - Sunday 11:30 AM - 10 PM
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/31/08 at 08:42 AM • Permalink
Allium
Local and seasonal is the m.o. at Allium, (which took over the storefronts once occupied by the tragically wonderful Verdura and Due) so the menu reads a bit like a wine list: those aren’t just any turnips alongside that delicious duck breast on a bed of faro ($25), they’re Farm Girl Hakurei turnips, and don’t you forget it. In the city, such fussing about the provenance of produce seems twee. Here, we like seeing our farming neighbors duly credited, especially since the chef does such justice to their stuff. Some of the concoctions may sound a tad weird (roasted cod with mussels and Italian sausage ($25), followed by a blue hubbard brullee), but they work, as does the friendly young staff, so who’s arguing?
42-44 Railroad Street; 413.528.2118
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/07/08 at 12:14 PM • Permalink
Baba Louie’s
First, learn the code: When Baba Louie’s owner Paul Masiero (younger brother of Matt and Chris Masiero, co-owners of Guido’s Fresh Marketplace) says small, he means large; when he says large, he means ridiculous. A small salad here feeds four adults. The garnish, alone, on Dawn’s Delight ($8.50 small; $17.95 family size assumes a total lack of family planning) has enough gorgonzola, julienned pears, dried cranberries and roasted walnuts on the greens to fulfill the minimum daily requirement of every known nutrient. The sourdough pizzas are thin-and-crispy-crusted below, hearty on top. Riccardo’s Famosa ($10.50 small; $15.95 large) features, in addition to tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, chevre, sundried tomatoes, asiago, calamata olives, roasted garlic, basil and parmesan. One large pie is plenty for four moderate eaters, as long as they’ve already taken the edge off with a “small” salad. The only thing that isn’t over-sized here is the check: two couples can get out for $35 or so per pair. And that includes a large carafe of the house red.
286 Main Street; 413.528.8100
Lunch: 11:30 - 3
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/12/08 at 03:14 PM • Permalink
Bizen Gourmet Japanese Cuisine
In the mid-90s, when Bizen, the Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, first opened, it must have seemed like the last word in exotica—Japanese decor and real sushi chefs showing off their fancy blade-work in plain sight. Since then, much has changed on the culinary scene. The ubiquitous cheap sushi that’s sold in supermarkets makes that which was once so rarefied now seem routine. Other sophisticated restaurants have raised the bar in the Berkshires. And values have changed. Turns out there are not a lot of fish left in the sea, and even if there were, the nearest ocean is nearly 200 miles east—twice the locavore-sanctioned distance between food source and plate.
Yet Bizen (where the sushi is not cheap) thrives. On weekends, the place is packed, leaving an often overtaxed waitstaff to soothe a peckish public struggling to make sense of a menu that is nothing short of gargantuan. The Dinner Specials alone fill seven pages with such groaners as Viagra (boiled eel, giant clam, etc.) and Condoleezza Rice. So what’s the big draw? One theory: People who crave Japanese food—and it is addictive—are not really interested in variety, they just want their old favorites. And if they ignore the printed menu here and ask for them, they fill the bill.
17 Railroad Street; 413.528.4343
Open daily noon - 9:30 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 07/31/10 at 06:18 PM • Permalink
Cafe Adam
Cafe Adam, owned by the internationally-trained chef and Berkshire native Adam Zieminski, delivers. It bills itself as a brasserie. In addition to the good value that implies, the menu has plenty of impeccably-executed brasserie standards, such as boeuf Bourguignon, cassoulet, bouillabaisse Marseilles (at $22 their most popular dish, according to our genial waitress), and steak frites. Even the low-key-yet-skillful interior design nods to brasserie tradition, with firsts, wines and desserts scrawled on tall rectangles of chalkboard painted directly onto the walls. The management also justifiably claims a stake in New American Cuisine. There is a spirit of experimentation you’ll never find in a Paris brasserie, and what comes out of the kitchen is locally raised and grown “as much as possible,” with special effort invested in obtaining fresh fish. One appetizer of deep-fried Spanish onion with a yogurt-turmeric sauce was shared by five people and got ten thumbs up. The steak is offered at four price points, ranging from a $15 hache to a $28 tenderloin. We opted for the $19 hanger and were patting ourselves on the back. The profiteroles were perfect and, as promised, the crème brûlée was “just like Julia Child’s.”
325 Stockbridge Road (Route 7; shares Hammertown Store driveway)
Great Barrington; 413.528.7786
Lunch and brunch: Thursday - Monday 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Dinner: Thursday - Sunday 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 04/12/09 at 09:07 AM • Permalink
Castle Street Cafe
On nights when there is a show at the Mahaiwe next door, Castle Street Cafe is reminiscent of Joe Allen, the venerable Broadway saloon. After 20 years, it still pulses with energy, and the staff knows enough to ask whether you are heading next door after dinner to make sure you order dishes that the kitchen can fire up promptly. But even on nights when the theater is dark, Castle Street has a bar crowd that makes the restaurant buzz and there is live jazz on most Saturday nights. Chef Michael Ballon offers up a menu that feels like a compilation of greatest hits so it’s always hard to choose what to order, but he’s especially adept with fish dishes like salmon with grilled asparagus ($26) and tortilla crusted filet of sole with citrus salsa ($21). The bar menu offers up hearty sandwiches—felafel for vegetarians ($11) and a half-pound burger ($11) that is served with addictive shoestring fries.
10 Castle Street; 413.528.5244
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9 PM; Friday & Saturday 5 - 11 PM
Closed Tuesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 05/03/09 at 08:31 AM • Permalink
Fiori
When we heard that the Alexander and Matthew Feldman who grew up in the Berkshires—self described “BSO brats” whose father teaches music at Williams College and directs the Berkshire Symphony—had moved home from Colorado to open a high end Italian restaurant called Fiori in the long empty Pearl’s space at the top of Railroad Street, we thought, Are they meshuga? Pearl’s had always seemed too fancy, too urban, too-too for Great Barrington, and we feared that the Feldman brothers might be suffering from youthful hubris and delusions of grandeur. But based on our first visit, these young men are going to rock the Berkshires.
Although they have made very few changes to the sleek and clubby Pearl’s space, their Fiori has a different vibe that seems warmer, more soothing, more hospitable. As we studied the menu, one dish jumped out at us so we ordered it immediately (in part, because the menu noted that it would take 30 minutes to prepare): Risotto al Vino Rosso ($17/$26) that’s described as “Aged Carnaroli, red wine, liver pate, balsamico, Parmigiano.” The dish is a revelation: a cool, creamy ball of pate sitting in a puddle of piquant rice, an audacious contrast of flavors and textures that only a very sensitive chef could pull off. Now we could relax because clearly it was going to be a delicious night. The Anitpasto Misto for two ($18) is a Saveur magazine still life (easily shared by 3 or 4) with silky salumi, sharp and mellow cheeses, pickled fennel, and fresh, bright green olives. Pastas can be ordered as either first or main courses, and the three we tried were distinctly delicious: Agnolotti del Plin ($18/$27) was a plate of tiny plump pastas stuffed with braised beef and cabbage; Tajarin ($15/$23) combined strings of pasta with lentil sprouts, rosemary, tomato and Parmigiano; Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese ($16/$24) was a deconstructed version made with sheets of nettle pasta and a ragout of local pork and grass-fed beef. The wood-grilled hanger steak ($23) is offered with potatoes or salad, and we had it over a bed arugula with a vibrant salsa verde. Served unimaginably rare, it was absolutely delectable as was the huge portion of Pollo “al Mattone” ($24), a half-chicken cooked under a brick and accompanied by a savory bread pudding.
Don’t try to show up at Fiori without a reservation. The brothers are purposefully not filling every table in the early weeks so they have time to work out kinks in service and prepare for a grand opening in April. (And be warned that the cocktails can be pricey.) But if you are hungry for an exhilarating meal, make a reservation ASAP before the crowds descend.
47 Railroad Street; 413.528.0351
Dinner daily: 6 - 9 p.m.
(Open for lunch come summer)
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 03/16/11 at 09:40 PM • Permalink
Route 7 Grill
After a day outdoors—swimming and hiking in summer or skiing and snowshoeing in winter—you want serious comfort food, and Route 7 Grill delivers in all seasons. This upscale roadhouse has stunning graphics and a great barbecue menu, and a two sided fireplace that warms up this vast restaurant on chilly evenings. The savory half or full rack of babyback ribs ($16/$24) and succulent brisket ($16) are first rate, and the sides such as roasted beets and mac-and-cheese (most made from locally grown or raised ingredients) are delicious enough to be the main event. And if there’s a wait, nothing’s better than having a draught beer in front of the fireplace.
999 Main Street (Route 7); 413.528.3235
Lunch: Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 - 3
Dinner: Monday - Thursday, 5 - 9; Friday - Saturday 5 -10; Sunday 3 - 9 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/30/08 at 03:24 PM • Permalink
Xichohténcatl
First the pronunciation: Shi Ko TEN cat. Now, let’s sort out the Mexican restaurant thing. Pretty much everybody loves some kind of Mexican food, and the intensity with which they love their kind, is often a measure of how much they hate every other. Which is to say, all Mexican restaurants are controversial. Whenever we say something nice about one, a basher is waiting to pounce. So how to be fair? What you will get at Xichohténcatl is ebullient service and ambiance; fresh-cut, if somewhat timid, salsa and guacamole with chips that taste homemade; and Margaritas made with fresh juice. Nice start. What you will not get is groundbreaking Mexican cuisine made with exceptional finesse from superior ingredients. This is a cheerful, inexpensive (if you lay off the $8 - $13 Margaritas), noisy restaurant and bar, a fun place for families and groups, and a perfectly serviceable spot for couples, as long as they sit on the patio or porch, away from the din. And as long as they don’t expect their $16 entree to be as thrilling as one that elsewhere would cost twice as much.
50 Stockbridge Road (Rte 7)
Great Barrington 413.528.2002
Daily: lunch, noon - 4 p.m.
Sunday - Thursday dinner to 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday dinner to 11 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 07/14/09 at 08:11 PM • Permalink
Lee, Massachusetts
Bombay Bar & Grill
Located at the Quality Inn motel (formerly the Black Swan) on Laurel Lake, Bombay Bar and Grill is one of those hidden gems (well, perhaps, it’s more a diamond in the rough). As you pass through the motel lobby, you can see the murky lake through the windows of the greenhouse dining room. The bright yellow room is incongruously forlorn, which I find beguiling and romantic. While the lakeside setting makes the restaurant sui generis, the food and service are what make it memorable. Our waiter was the epitome of graciousness as we ordered Chicken Ammwala (the “signature” dish of Chicken Tikka cooked with mango and spices) and Palak Paneer (cheese in a mild spinach sauce). But when we asked for Bhamia Koota (spiced lamb with okra in a tamarind infused onion tomato sauce), he couldn’t contain a knowing chuckle, and we think we understood why. Bhamia Koota is described on the menu as a “Calcutta Jewish Specialty,” and it seems to be some sort of signifier for secular Jews like myself that we are not just welcome here but that we belong. Everyone is made to feel welcome at Bombay Bar & Grill: the menu has about a dozen vegetarian dishes and another dozen vegan dishes, so it’s one of those rare places where carnivores and herbivores can dine happily in harmony. The restaurant has bargain-priced lunch specials, a buffet lunch and Sunday brunch, but I prefer to (over) order a la carte, because that way there are delectable leftovers to take home—and, yes, everything tastes even better the second day.
435 Laurel Street, Lee, MA; 413.243-6731
Lunch: Tuesday - Saturday noon - 2:30; Sunday Brunch: noon - 3
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 06/02/08 at 06:17 PM • Permalink
Chez Nous
When husband-and-wife team, chef Franck Tessier and pastry chef Rachel Portnoy, bought a funky building on Main Street in 2005, their intention was clearly not to open a chic restaurant. Rather, with Chez Nous, they were aiming at the sort of French bistro that astonishes travelers throughout provincial France. One may enter with a touch of trepidation; how can a place this modest be any good? Then food and service make misgivings melt. Using local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible, they turn out perfect bistro classics and dishes of their own invention (an admirably browned-yet-still-satiny piece of cod on a bed of saffrony lemon-lobster risotto, $24.95) at unbeatable prices. A pretty French waitress (how many nieces can Franck have?) hovers, making sure glasses are refilled and needs are met. The only thing to jar the illusion that one is in La France profonde? The vegetarian options are more than an afterthought, as Rachel cops to that bias herself.
150 Main Street; 413.243.6397
Wednesday - Sunday, from 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 04/25/10 at 08:41 AM • Permalink
Pho Saigon
Pho Saigon, a small and simple Vietnamese restaurant on a side street in downtown Lee, isn’t one of those restaurants that makes for an evening’s entertainment. But luckily, it is a great place to stop after shopping at the Lee Outlets or on your way to nearby Shakespeare & Company or the Berkshire Theatre Festival. You would be seriously remiss if you did not order the appetizer crepe, and it’s hard to imagine a soul that would not be warmed by a meal-sized bowl of spicy beef-and-lemongrass soup with vermicelli (photo) or chicken-and-shrimp noodle soup (both $9.95) which are served with plates of cool, freshcondiments—bean sprouts, fresh basil, sliced lime and chile peppers. And there’s large selection of sauteed noodle dishes and grilled meats ($10.95 to $19.95) and vegetarian entrees so even finicky eaters should find something they want to order.
5 Railroad Street; 413.243.6288
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 11:30 AM - 9 PM; Friday - Sunday 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Closed: Tuesdays
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/03/09 at 10:53 PM • Permalink
Lenox, Massachusetts
Alta Restaurant & Wine Bar
There’s nothing unctious, hokey, or mechanically professional about the welcome you receive at Alta. The experienced staff here act as if they are enjoying themselves and hope that you will too. And why should you not? Alta serves sophisticated food and wine without pretension at prices that are more than fair. Chef Thierry Breard and general manager Aurelien Telle are both French, and it shows the work. The menu features such bistro classics as duck a l’orange with mashed potatoes and roasted fennel ($28) and pan-roasted chicken au jus, with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach ($21). The only thing on the plate of bernaise-sauced filet mignon with braised endive that might raise an eyebrow on the Rue du Bac? A few sweet potato slices tossed in among the whites in the accompanying gratin ($27). Alta offers twenty-four (not all French) wines by the glass, ranging from $6 to $11. A flight of three for tasting is $10. At night, there is a bar menu (a smoked salmon plate with capers, lemon, arugula, crostinis, and dill whipped cream, $10), and they also serve lunch (a panini of fried haddock with remoulade, shredded lettuce and tomato, $12).
34 Church Street
Lunch: Wednesday - Monday 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Sunday, Monday & Thursday 5 - 9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/27/10 at 05:26 PM • Permalink
Bistro Zinc
You’ve gotta love a high-end Berkshires restaurant that keeps the bar open ‘til 1 a.m. Not that one would ever avail herself of the privilege. But it strikes a blow for a brand of fun that’s thin on the ground around here. Berkshire-eans tend to expect too much of Bistro Zinc. When it opened in 1999, the food was a revelation. Since then, it’s been coasting, and the competition has wised up. But if you stick to bistro fare—the steak with perfect frites ($29—if you don’t count the extra $5 they tack on for the side of spinach or haricots vertes), the astonishing 8-ounce burger on a plate piled high with onion rings, French fries, and tempura-fried green beans ($18), the roasted trout ($24)—you can have a fine time here. Lunch in the bright dining room is even better; same burger (alas, minus the tempura beans) is $5 less. A word about specials: A special can be something seasonal and lovely, such as soft-shell crab; or it can be experimental, a dish the chef isn’t sure even he or she is going to like. My advice: if you’re risk-averse, steer clear of specials. Pheasant stark naked except for the cabbage leaf it steamed in ($28)? Note to chef: sauce is pheasant’s raison d’etre.
56 Church Street; 413.637.8800
Lunch: 11:30 - 3
Dinner: 5:30 - 10
Bar: Sunday - Thursday to 11:30 or 12; Friday & Saturday to 1
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/21/08 at 09:30 AM • Permalink
Cafe Lucia
People who love Cafe Lucia, and they are legion, return again and again because of the warm welcome and good service they know they will receive, because of the interesting wine list, and because the Italian food is so authentic. People who don’t love it take exception to paying so much (only one pasta under $20; only one entree under $30, with the osso buco topping the price list at $39) for such predictable (just another word for “authentic,” after all) fare, served in a setting that, at best, can be described as pleasant and inoffensive. In warm weather, the outdoor seating is a plus.
80 Church Street, Lenox; 413.637.2640
Tuesday - Saturday 5:30 - 9:30 (stops serving earlier during the week)
Closed: Sunday (except on holiday weekends) & Monday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 10/05/08 at 04:33 PM • Permalink
Fin Sushi and Sake Bar
Fin is an exquisite little Japanese lacquered box inscrutably sprinkled with action figures, Pokemon dolls, and plastic wind-up toys. These artifacts of Japanese pop culture set a certain tone—young, maybe even hip, though the bubble-gummy music suggests otherwise. Nobody loves Japanese food because it’s inventive: traditional fare—miso soup, sushi, sashimi, tempura—only surprises us when it’s bad. Blameless seems to be the goal—fresh, high-quality ingredients, properly handled. But the chefs at Fin seem more ambitious than most. Miso soup can taste like salt water; here it’s so flavorful you almost suspect them of slipping in a little rich chicken stock (just joshing). Crunchy spicy tuna ($8) and lobster rolls ($13) make you sit up and take notice, as do the cool lettuce cups with chicken and lo mein noodles ($10). But okonomiyaki ($12), a decoratively sauced pancake-like disk, cut into wedges, looks more interesting than it tastes, and the soggy tempura combo ($23) was that evening’s big surprise.
27 Housatonic Street; 413.637.9171
Lunch and dinner 12 - 10
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 04/07/08 at 07:52 AM • Permalink
Firefly
Bring me your solo diners, your restaurant-food-weary, your families with young children yearning for something not-too-challenging to eat. That’s Firefly; a pleasant bakery/internet cafe by day; grown-up bistro with kid-friendly menu by night. There’s even an entire menu section devoted to Comfort Plates. So, while one in your party can be living it up with the crispy roasted half duckling with port wine fig glaze, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans ($28), another can be soothing a wounded spirit with a crock of tomato-and-basil soup and a grilled fontina cheese sandwich ($13). And unlike certain other restaurants on Church Street who shall remain nameless, Firefly stays open year ‘round, for which they score extra points.
71 Church Street; 413.637-2700
Morning cafe & lunch: 10 - 3 Monday - Saturday
Closed Sunday
Dinner: 5 - 9 Thursday - Tuesday
Closed Wednesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 03/02/08 at 11:26 AM • Permalink
Nudel
It’s rare that a restaurant with serious culinary ambitions is unpretentious and affordable, which is why Nudel is such a welcome addition to the Berkshires. In only two months, it has developed a zealous coterie of fans who consider it the most thrilling dining experience around. Chef/owner Bjorn Somlo offers reasonably-priced lunch items such as a grilled cheese sandwich or a bowl of penne for $6. His menu is seasonally inspired and ever-changing and gets more ambitious in the evening. He appeals to foodies who are willing to go with the flow and want to experiment along with the chef who comes up with new dishes every day such as veal and pheasant lasagna with Tuscan kale, fried onions and ricotta; braised beef and garlic with Dijon spaetzle, egg drop; fluke tartare with pickled muskmelon and toasted sesame. On a recent evening, we were awed by grits with spicy sausage and lentils ($15) and beef “scrapple” with figs and pickles ($9). And would anyone else but Bjorn have the chutzpah to offer a special eight-course all-duck tasting menu ($55) on a random Tuesday night? You can watch the chef work his magic every step of the way if you take a seat at the counter with its full view of the open kitchen.
37 Church Street, Lenox; 413.551.7183
Dinner: Tuesday - Sunday 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Closed Monday
Note: Nudel no longer serves lunch.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 09/25/09 at 05:38 PM • Permalink
Olde Heritage Tavern
Depending on your mood, Lenox can be utterly charming or unbearably la-di-da. When you want no-nonsense food in a no-nonsense environment, the Olde Heritage Tavern provides an ungentrified dining experience in the center of town. Inside, the horseshoe bar is ringed with regulars who seem to represent a cross-section of Lenox’s year-round population. On a nice day, the tables outside offer a front-row view of the sidewalk scene. While soup and salad sounds like a light meal, it’s hearty one here: the milky New England Clam Chowder ($3.99) comes in an oversize mug and the spinach salad ($8.49) is loaded with walnuts, bacon, hard boiled eggs and blue cheese. The burger ($7.49) is exactly what you expect from a saloon and the fish and chips are light and flaky. Best of all, you can get always get a drink here early or late in the day.
12 Housatonic Street; 413.637.0884
Kitchen Hours: Sunday - Thursday: 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m
Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Bar Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 08/05/09 at 08:49 PM • Permalink
Wheatleigh
You may not be the sort of person who would normally dine or stay at Wheatleigh, where the prix-fixe dinner is $125 and the rooms begin at $715. But you can certainly be the sort of person who indulges in a soothing lunch in Wheatleigh’s Library, where an extremely lovely plate of smoked salmon, goat cheese, artichokes and rosemary crackers costs $15 and a dish of artichoke-and-ricotta raviloli with mushrooms and parmesan is $19. Every detail is exquisite, and you’ll definitely ask for seconds of the authentic crusty baguette and sweet butter that is served with your meal. For dessert, share a sampling of intensely flavored house-made ice creams and sorbets ($9). Sitting by the window in this Italianate villa that has been beautifully restored and furnished with spare modern furniture by Tsao & McKown Architects, you’ll receive the royal treatment no matter who you are.
Hawthorne Road; 413.637.0610
Lunch daily: noon - 2 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/28/11 at 05:39 PM • Permalink
New Marlborough, Massachusetts
Old Inn on the Green
With intimate dining rooms illuminated only by candlelight (and warmed by five crackling fireplaces in the winter), the Old Inn has a romantic Masterpiece Theatre ambiance, which is one of the reasons the Old Inn is many people’s favorite restaurant in the Berkshires. Thankfully, there is nothing old-fashioned about chef/owner Peter Platt’s audacious contemporary cuisine that satisfies even the most demanding foodies. The $35 prix-fixe specials on Wednesday and Thursday nights are as appetizing as they are affordable.
134 Hartsville New Marlborough Rd/Rte 57, Village Green; 413-229-7924
Dinner: Wednesday - Sunday 5:30 - 9:30
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/18/08 at 01:55 PM • Permalink
North Adams, Massachusetts
Jack’s Hot Dog Stand
Jack’s Hot Dog Stand—a sliver of a lunch counter that’s been around since 1917—gives you a palpable sense of North Adams’s industrial past. It’s definitely more Edward Hopper than Norman Rockwell. Make sure to order the hot dog ($.95) with fried peppers and onions ($.40), and you’ll wonder why anyone bothers to eat a hot dog with any other toppings. The tasty little hamburgers ($.95) and cheeseburgers ($1.20) are—amazingly—handmade from fresh meat and served on warm rolls that come out of an ancient steamer built into the counter. And the crisp onion rings ($1.50) are exactly what you’d hope for from a joint like that was serving fast food long before McDonald’s. You can get orders to go, but half the fun of Jack’s is sitting on a stool and watching the show behind the counter.
12 Eagle Street; 413.664.9006
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Closed Sunday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/22/09 at 10:16 AM • Permalink
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Brix Wine Bar
Brix calls itself a wine bar, but it’s really a bistro serving superb versions of the sort of simple French dishes that were considered gourmet when Julia Child introduced them to America. Remember quiche? Brix’s version is better than anything you remember: a savory, custardy tart ($12) that is served with a lightly dressed pile of field greens. The gamy house-made country-style pâté ($9) is studded with pistachios and dried cranberries, and is served on a platter with dense rounds of baguette, cornichons and Dijon mustard. The macaroni gratin ($12), which comes with a green salad, is one of those prosaic French dishes that Julia believed were the soul of everyday French cuisine, and clearly Brix is a bistro with a soul. As a wine bar, Brix encourages tastings by offering “flights” of wine—four small glasses for $10. If you are going to a show at The Colonial or Barrington Stage (both within walking distance), let the staff know and they will pace your meal accordingly. But since Brix does not take reservations, you should arrive on the early side to secure a table in the dimly lit, narrow storefront, which means you can have a leisurely meal and, perhaps, that extra glass of wine.
40 West Street; 413-236-9463
Dinner: Tuesday – Thursday 5 - 9 (bar ‘till 10); Friday & Saturday 5 - 9:30 (bar ‘till 10:30)
Closed Sunday & Monday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/17/08 at 04:42 PM • Permalink
Hancock Shaker Village Harvest Café
Most tourist destination dining facilities are lackluster; an inevitable consequence of feeding a captive clientele. Not so the Harvest Café at Hancock Shaker Village, which, fortunately, may be accessed without paying an entrance fee. In season, Michael Roller, former executive chef at Blantyre in Lenox, uses food from the Village farms to make some of the best salads (i.e., baby spinach, hickory-smoked bacon, hard-boiled eggs, sliced mushrooms, red onion and croutons with a Dijon-herb vinaigrette; $5.95) and sandwiches (an open-faced roast beef on grilled farmer’s bread with a Shaker mushroom sauce, crispy shallots and mesclun greens, $6.75) around. This is a pleasantly surprising place to meet friends for breakfast, lunch or tea—the confections, many based on traditional Shaker recipes (blueberry pudding with apricot ice cream) are heavenly.
34 Lebanon Mountain Road (Rte 20); Hancock; 413.443.0188
Summer hours: daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Off-season hours: daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 07/18/09 at 08:04 AM • Permalink
Mazzeo’s
“I feel like I’m in an episode of The Sopranos,” said my friend who grew up in New Jersey and thus knows from whence she speaks. She was not suggesting that Mazzeo’s is a mob hangout. Rather, she was acknowledging that this enormous restaurant embraces you with a hearty Italian-American gemütlichkeit. Though it’s the size of a small cruise ship, Mazzeo’s feels like a mom-and-pop restaurant, and the Mazzeo clan works hard to make all their guests feel like part of the family. The more-than-generous antipasto plate ($12) features fluffy fresh mozzarella, tangy marinated peppers, salami, mortadella and olives, which can be shared by 3 or 4 hungry people. All the main courses, including pastas, come with a choice of soup or salad, and you soon understand why so many folks are leaving with doggie bags: the portions are very generous. Most dishes are robust, including the garlicky linguine with white clam sauce ($22), the fettuchine with veal Bolognese ($20) and Bistecca Michele, a grilled marinated New York Sirloin topped with succulent roasted red peppers, capers and caramelized onions ($27). Mazzeo’s is the kind of place that would be perfect for an old-fashioned Sunday dinner, except it’s closed on Sundays! Apparently, the Mazzeos reserve that day for dining at home with their family.
1015 South Street; 413. 448.2095
Monday - Thursday 4 - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 4 - 10 p.m.
Closed Sunday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/15/11 at 10:47 AM • Permalink
Mission Bar + Tapas
It’s not hyperbole to say that Mission Bar + Tapas revolutionized nightlife in Pittsfield. If you’re looking for a spot for a late supper after a play, movie or concert downown, head to Mission and you can take your time because the kitchen stays open until midnight seven days a week, which really is owner Jim Benson’s idea of community service. “I want Pittsfield to be the type of small city that I want to live in, which means being able to eat something good late at night,” says Benson, who recently started serving lunch at Mission, too. No matter what you’re craving, you will find more than few things that will satisfy your hunger because Benson has put together a menu of yummy things like roast eggplant dip ($6), cheeseburger or salmon BLT sliders ($6), bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese ($6), french fries ($3) fried calamari ($8) and garlic shrimp ($9). At this time of year, you can sit at one of the cafe tables on North Street and watch the carnival of passersby that gives Pittsfield its quirky, urban edge, or sit inside amongst more twentysomethings than you normally see in a Berkshire restaurant and listen to live music. (Mission has its own quirks like no telephone and no mixed drinks—wine and beer only.) No matter. Mission makes you believe, as Benson certainly does, in the vitality of Pittsfield.
438 North Street; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Daily: noon - midnight
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 06/06/10 at 05:46 PM • Permalink
Shiro Sushi Lounge
Like any all-American Japanese restaurant, Shiro, which opened recently across the street from the Beacon Cinema, has all sorts of sushi to accommodate people who don’t really like raw fish. such as the Philadelphia Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and scallion; $6.50) and the Lobster Tempura Roll (lobster, scallion, avocado and caviar; $16.95). If you are craving sushi or sashimi, everything you order will be presented with refined style by friendly, attentive waitresses. Shiro also offers a greatest hits selection of entrees—shrimp-and-vegetable tempura ($17.95), chicken yakitori ($15.95), salmon teriyaki ($17.95), beef negimaki ($18.95) pork katsu ($15.95)—and bento box lunch specials ($6.95 -$9.95) on weekdays. (Alas, it does not have a hibachi grill like its outpost in Great Barrington.) The restaurant wants to be a family-friendly, neighborhood restaurant: On a recent night, it very happily served a five-year-old girl the all-American strawberry shortcake ablaze with birthday candles that her mother had made at home and delivered to the kitchen before dinner.
48 North Street; 413.236.8111
Lunch: Monday - Friday 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Monday - Thursday 5 - 10 p.m.; Friday 5 - 11 p.m.
Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday noon - 10 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 04/14/10 at 07:19 AM • Permalink
The Lantern Bar & Grill
Of all the burger joints in our region, is there any place more authentic—or with a better neon sign—than The Lantern? A cross between a saloon and a luncheonette, it has been a reassuring presence in Pittsfield since 1926, a democratic dining spot where everyone can afford the six-ounce charred cheeseburger ($4.25) or grilled cheese with tomato ($3.75). “Everyone I take there says the same thing—it has the best grilled cheese sandwich they ever tasted!” says Tony-winning composer William Finn, who runs Barrington Stage’s Musical Theater Lab around the corner. You can also get a Greek salad or an omelette, but why would you want to pass up a perfect burger? The Lantern’s steadfast, old-fashioned character extends to its hours: Lamentably, the Lantern is dark on Sundays.
455 North Street; 413.448.2717
Monday - Thursday 10 AM - 8:30 PM; Friday & Saturday 10 AM - 9 PM
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 05/14/09 at 10:11 AM • Permalink
Trattoria Rustica
This backstreet Italian restaurant starts laying on the atmospherics even before you get through the heavy, wooden, strap-hinged door—charming, especially considering that it is the rear entrance of a commercial building on Pittsfield’s South Street. Inside and down a few steps, the stagecraft continues—exposed brick, dim lighting, white tablecloths over red, a waitress who, while reciting the specials, rolls her r’s impressively. The food at Trattoria Rustica is classic Neapolitan—Puttanesca, all’Arrabbiata, con Vongole, etc.—well executed and expensive. Now, to be fair, even when six worldly people, ranging from a Williams professor to an international banking executive, all agree that a restaurant is “too expensive,” you have to consider the circumstances. None of us was on vacation, nor was this a celebration; rather, a quick get-together before the theatre. And, admittedly, the one person who ordered the kind of entree that tests a kitchen’s meddle—the rack of lamb—declared it superb (he scrupulously offset the extravagance by not having a salad first). Still, everyone felt that, good as it was, $105 per couple (not including tip) for tap water, no bread, salads, pastas, and 1.3 glasses of wine each is molto caro.
26 McKay Street, 413.499.1192
5 p.m. - closing
Closed Tuesdays.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 10/01/09 at 07:59 AM • Permalink
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Stagecoach Tavern
As you drive down pitch-black Route 41 in Sheffield, MA, you see the twinkling lights outside the venerable Stagecoach Tavern and you wonder if it’s a mirage. As you head toward the front door, you feel as if you’ve stepped onto a soundstage at MGM circa 1941, where they are shooting a movie set at a quintessential New England tavern. Your heart skips a beat when you walk inside, because this restaurant is cozy, quirky and authentic with a crackling wood-burning fireplace. Thankfully, the food is contemporary county cuisine and the chef uses local, organic ingredients whenever possible. The salads ($6 - 7) are large and fresh, the grilled hangar steak ($24) is intensely flavorful and comes with a choice of two sides such as olive oil smashed potatoes, creamed spinach and roasted mushrooms. One regular we know skips the entrees entirely and makes a meal of the sides.
864 S. Undermountain Road (Route 41); 413-229-8585
Thursday - Saturday 5 - 10
Sunday 4:30 - 8:30
Closed Monday - Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/30/08 at 04:04 PM • Permalink
South Egremont, Massachusetts
The Old Mill
Sited by a rushing creek in a converted 1832 flour mill, this reliable Berkshire perennial has the bona fides to play up the old Ye Olde. Yet on this and every other front, there’s evidence at The Old Mill of admirable Yankee restraint. The decor, while pleasant, isn’t straining for affect; the chef, while clearly up on the latest, delivers it pretension-free (Soup of Yesterday, $7, is both witty and wise). Diners even get the chance to indulge in old-fashioned thrift: An ample first-course salad is included with every entrée. And where else can you follow something as sophisticated as pan-roasted Berkshire pork chop with caramelized apple, Calvados glaze and root vegetable hash ($26) or grilled organic salmon with citrus vinaigrette and a wild-rice risotto cake ($26) with a chocolate ice cream sundae for dessert.
53 Main Street (Route 23); 413.528.1421
Dinner: Monday - Thursday & Sunday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10:30
Closed Mondays mid-October to mid-June
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/07/08 at 12:03 PM • Permalink
Southfield, Massachusetts
Southfield Store
The Berkshire Babe was in heaven. “Wow!“ she said. “This is the best mole I’ve ever had—it’s sweet, smoky, spicy, with layers of flavors. It gets better with every bite.“ The mole, which was served with an astonishingly juicy and flavorful pork tenderloin ($20), is on the menu every Thursday when the Southfield Store has its Oaxacan Night. Since last year, the Southfield Store—an old general store that was gentrified in restrained Martha Stewart-style by a previous owner—has been owned by Peter Platt and Meredith Kennard of the redoubtable Old Inn on the Green. Now, they’ve let their chef—Gustavo A. Perez who worked with Peter at Wheatleigh years ago—cook the food of his native state on Thursday nights. “It’s hard to find real Mexican food in the Berkshires,“ says Perez, who makes every taco and tostado to order. “That’s why the food comes out slow, but I think it’s worth it,“ he says. It certainly is.
163 Main Street, Southfield MA; 413.229.5050
Breakfast & Lunch: Monday - Saturday, 7 AM - 5:30PM, Sunday Brunch 9 AM - 2 PM
Dinner: Thursday - Sunday, 5:30 - 9:30
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/18/08 at 01:33 PM • Permalink
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Red Lion Inn
“There is something so reassuring about this dining room,” said my friend the Baltimore Brahmin. He admired the faded flowered wallpaper that whispers Great Aunt Alice, the bud vases filled with fresh Christmas bouquets of holly and mini pinecones, the handsome hotel silver, and the pewter chargers engraved “Red Lion Inn 1773” set on the snowy white tablecloths. Dinner at the Red Lion Inn manages to be New England past, present, and future. The bowl of clam chowder ($7), which is served with a paper doily underneath like every proper restaurant used to do, tastes just like Cape Cod. An appetizer of five-spice seared tuna ($12) proves that chef Brian Alberg has managed the balancing act of creating modern dishes without jettisoning tradition. Certainly, the handsome prime rib ($32)—two “thin” but hefty slices—served with a jumbo popover, sauteed vegetables and a nostalgic baked potato with sour cream is a comforting, all-American meal. But there’s lighter fare with a contemporary sensibility such as barbecued Scottish salmon with mashed potatoes and collard greens ($27). Chef Alberg sources as much as he can from local farms and producers and his stunning “flight” of artisan cheeses (which is normally $22 for two, but free for readers of Rural Intelligence with two entrees if you mention RI to your server) is awesomely au courant. Each cheese is paired with a sweet or savory: Old Chatham camembert with Braebrun apple; Crawford Family Farm Vermont Ayr with Marcona Almonds; Shelburne Farms cheddar with quince paste; Twig Farm tomme with wildflower honey; Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue with carmelized walnuts. Even if you’re not staying overnight at the inn, dinner at the Red Lion makes you feel like you’ve been on a journey to the heart of America.
30 Main Street; 413.298.5545
Breakfast: Monday - Friday 7 - 10; Saturday & Sunday 7:30 - 10:30
Lunch: Monday - Saturday noon - 2:30; Sunday noon - 4
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday 5:30 - 9; Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 9:30
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 12/11/09 at 10:39 AM • Permalink
The Lion’s Den
The Lion’s Den, the venerable ratskeller at the Red Lion Inn, is one of the coziest spots in the Berkshires. With its woodburning fireplace, low ceilings and live music seven nights a week, it’s the bohemian soul of the genteel Stockbridge hotel. For logistical reasons, the Lion’s Den does not, alas, share a kitchen with the Widow Bingham’s Tavern upstairs, which is why you could always get an excellent burger and fries in the tavern but never in the den. Indeed, the den’s burger was a bit of an embarrassment, which is why you won’t find it on the Lion’s Den new menu that executive chef Brian Alberg has put together. While favorites like the French onion soup ($7) remain (and Monday night’s $9.99 spaghetti and meatballs special), Alberg has crafted a menu tilted toward sustainable foods that don’t require an ace line cook. He offers up a generous house-made pistachio-studded pâté ($10) with a pile of cornichons and good toast as well as a satisfyingly light bowl of chile ($8) with fresh tortilla chips. Salads and sandwiches are designed for big appetites and include the Den Cobb Salad with turkey, bacon, avocado, egg & buttermilk ranch dressing($14); roast turkey with stuffing & cranberry mayonnaise on multigrain bread ($11) and the vegan-friendly grilled eggplant, avocado, hummus & greens on Berkshire Mountain Bakery flaxseed bread ($10). With the new menu, the den has become the quintessential Berkshires pub.
30 Main Street; 413.298.5545
Monday - Thursday 4 - 11 p.m. (dinner until 10 p.m.)
Friday 4 - 1 a.m. (dinner until 11 p.m.)
Saturday noon - 1 a.m. (lunch & dinner until 11 p.m.)
Sunday noon - 11 p.m. (lunch & dinner until 10 p.m.)
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/09/11 at 01:44 PM • Permalink
The Red Lion’s Courtyard
The pebbled courtyard nestled behind the venerable Red Lion Inn is a quiet oasis steps from the throngs of tourists on Main Street. With colorful impatiens planted everywhere, it has the pleasant air of an old-money country club that has opened its doors to the public. There’s WiFi so you can check your email (and consult Rural Intelligence) while having a glass of wine or a beer at an umbrella table. The price of admission is easy: For $13 you’ll get a satisfying turkey sandwich or a cheeseburger with fries. While the menu has several salads—Berkshire greens with almonds and goat cheese ($10) and a Caesar salad ($9/$15 with grilled chicken) we wish there were an old-fashioned Cobb or Chef’s salad on the menu for the genuine country-club experience.
30 Main Street; 413.298.5545
Lunch daily: 11:30 - 4
Dinner daily: 5 - 9
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 07/18/08 at 10:44 AM • Permalink
West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Caffe Pomo d’Oro
You know how it is: It’s another rainy day, and your plans are shot so you think, Let’s go out for lunch. Caffe Pomo d’Oro in West Stockbridge is an ideal spot because it is light and airy even on the grayest day. You can watch the lightning and clouds collide with the mountains through the oversized paned windows and a skylight helps lighten the mood. Chef/owner Scott Cole has been happily feeding locals and summer people in this reclaimed train station for 16 years with a European-style menu that relies on the best ingredients available. Sandwiches (such as salami with roasted red peppers and provolone, $8.95) are served on yeasty Rock Hill Bakehouse bread, and the gazpacho ($5.50) is like drinking in the essences of a local vegetable garden. On weekends, there can be a wait for Cole’s justifiably famous pancakes served with Ioka Valley Farm maple syrup ($7.50) and oatmeal offered with an array of toppings ($7.50). There’s expertly made lattes and a wide variety of loose teas, which makes Caffe Pomo d’Oro a great place to linger until the clouds pass. Of course, the restaurant is just as delightful on a sunny day, when you can sit outside at umbrella-shaded cafe tables.
6 Depot Street, West Stockbridge; 413.232.4616
Summer Hours: Daily 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 07/14/09 at 11:57 AM • Permalink
Rouge
Though it opened within the past decade, Rouge has a Design-Research-meets-flower-child look reminiscent of the ’60s, which may explain why Berkshire-eans of a certain age and persuasion (my own) have taken it to heart. Another lure: the food is good and generally well-priced. A huge platter of fried calamari with an excellent house aioli is a steal at $9. The baby-back ribs (“Best ever!”) with rosemary mashed and an Asian-y slaw is a serious plate of food for $24. But beware the salad specials: $13 suggests something more robust than a modest plate of greens with a restrained garnish of (alas, unripe) fruit.
3 Center Street; 413.232.4111
Dinner: Wednesday - Sunday 5 - 10
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 06:07 PM • Permalink
Shaker Mill Tavern
True comfort food needs to be more than hearty, tasty and familiar; it needs to be easy on the wallet, too. The Shaker Mill Tavern has built a loyal following by offering huge portions of flavorful favorites such as meatloaf with smashed potatoes and a vegetable ($12 for the small portion that could satisfy a stevedore, or $16) and eggplant “lasagna” ($16) that is oozing with ricotta, spinach and mozzarella. If you’ve searched your whole life for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs that looks like it came out of a children’s book but tastes like it came out of an Italian grandmother’s kitchen, you should be very happy with the version here ($13). The Shaker Mill has a huge horseshoe-shaped bar, so you expect there’d be good bar snacks and the spicy chicken wings served with crumbled blue cheese and celery sticks are further evidence that chef Ron Reda truly cares about everything that comes out of his kitchen. Like any decent tavern, it has a wide selection of draught beers—ranging from Pabst Blue Ribbon ($2) to Allagash White and Berkshire Brewing Company’s Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale ($5)— and a choice of 10-ounce burgers ($11 and up) and pizzas ($9 and up) to eat while you drink.
5 Albany Road; 413.232.8565
Sunday - Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 12/15/10 at 11:20 AM • Permalink
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Mezze Bistro + Bar
After fourteen years, Mezze Bistro + Bar has become as integral to life in northern Berkshire County as The Clark, MASS MoCA and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In June 2010, co-owner Nancy Thomas moved to a new spacious and gracious location just south of town on Route 7. The setting and food could not be more stylish and appropriate for a rural community populated by so many academics and art scholars. A leading proponent of the farm-to-table movement, Thomas encourages chef Joji Sumi to buy as much meat and vegetables as possible from local sources like Cricket Creek and Mighty Food Farms. The menu ranges from an American Charcuterie Plate featuring house-made beef jerky and summer sausage ($10) and roasted beets with Berle Farm yogurt and tarragon oil ($9) to roasted diver scallops with butter-braised radishes ($28) and fettucine Bolognese ($21).
777 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown; 413.458.0123
Sunday & Monday 5 - 9 p.m.
Tuesday - Thursday 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5 - 11 p.m. (summer)
Bar open most nights until 1 a.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 06/11/10 at 09:40 AM • Permalink
Columbia County
Ancram, New York
West Taghkanic Diner
Roadside diners, which seem to be an endangered species, hold a special place in our hearts because they harken back to simpler times. For travelers on the Taconic State Parkway, the West Taghkanic Diner (Route 82 /Ancram Exit)—an aluminum diner in perfect condition with its original details and signage proudly in place—is warm, welcoming, familiar, and reliable. The food is a mix of classics and gentrified dishes delivered with great service, good humor, and considerable speed. Some travelers call ahead and bring up an egg sandwich or two on their way north to the Berkshires; others drop in and stay for the Almond-crusted stuffed French Toast, the unimpeachable waffles, or the sweet potato pancakes with real maple syrup. For lunch, the patty melt with homemade onion rings is a guilty pleasure you’ll remember with a faint smile for the entire day. The diner’s many fans include writer and activist Sam Pratt. “One of my favorite places, with solid service and daily specials which are a cut above your typical diner fare,” he says. “I go there all the time—either with local friends, or with houseguests who invariably want to have Sunday brunch at a smalltown diner. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Do you agree with Sam? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Route 82 at the Taconic Parkway; 518.851.7117
Monday - Thursday: 7 a.m. -9 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 07/14/10 at 01:31 PM • Permalink
Chatham, New York
The Blue Plate
Tough day? Everything about The Blue Plate—its name, the intriguing Ragtime-era structure it inhabits (rumored to have been a brothel once), the Marc Rosenthal 3-D cartoon mural that greets you as you step through the door—contrives to make you smile. Though the design is knowing, with lighting as soothing as a warm bath, the net effect is suitably relaxed and unpretentious. As is the food: “American bistro with international implications.” Too whipped to tackle the otherwise appealing grilled trout with key-lime butter ($21)? Go for the comforting meatloaf-and-mashed ($12) instead. Whoever mans the grill here should give lessons: everything is always just as requested. One caveat: The saucing sometimes can be heavy-handed; you may want to ask for it on the side.
1 Kinderhook Street; 518.392.7711
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday 5:30 - 9; Friday, Saturday & Sunday 5:30 - 9:30
Closed Mondays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 06:38 PM • Permalink
Copake, New York
The Greens at Copake Country Club
This is one of those restaurants that you’re tempted to keep a secret. It would be a shame if you had to wait for a table on the deck with its gorgeous views of the lake and the rolling lawns of the public golf course (though the indoor dining room with its circular fireplace in the middle the room is—dare we say?—chic.) The Greens at the Copake Country Club is so off the beaten path that you would never just stumble across it, and yet it is only a couple of miles from Hillsdale and the Route 23 exit for the Taconic State Parkway. Although you will be handed a dinner menu with serious entrees like grilled sea scallops with cellophane noodles in coconut lemongrass broth ($26) and Herondale Farm beef stew ($23), you can also ask for the Club Menu that is filled with hearty bargains such as a turkey club sandwich ($8) and jumbo burger ($9) that come with a mound of fries and cole slaw, and chicken Caesar salad ($10). The folks running this intelligently gentrified golf club seem to understand their diverse clientele so there’s a children’s menu (pasta with butter: $5) as well as a list of local purveyors who supply the restaurant, including Equinox Farm, Farm Girl Farm, Herondale Farm and SoCo Creamery. A brand new covered porch that looks like a rural version of a trendy urban lounge has just opened so you can enjoy cocktails and the views even on a stormy day. Once you visit, you may not want to tell your friends because you’ll be tempted to keep it a secret, too.
44 Golf Course Road, Copake, NY; 518.325.0019
Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 06/01/10 at 07:57 AM • Permalink
Hillsdale, New York
Swiss Hutte
There’s something literally fantastic about the Swiss Hutte, a half-timber 19th-century farmhouse that’s been in continuous operation as an inn for over fifty years. Tucked in a hidden valley amid gardens at the foot of Catamount ski slope, it feels half-a-world and at least half-a-lifetime away. The menu is filled with old-fashioned classics—salmon a la Florentine, beef with bernaise, wienerschnitzel ($28 - $34)—that Zurich-born owner-chef Gert Alpert does to such perfection, you’ll leave in a delusional glow about the good old days. (Trust me, unless you grew up in Europe, the restaurants your parents took you to were not this good.) In summer, opt for the flowery patio; in winter, (no kidding) cheese fondue by the fire?
Route 23, Hillsdale (near the Massachusetts border); 518.325.3333 or 413.528.6200
Lunch: Friday, Saturday 12 - 2; Sunday 12 -3
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday 5:30 - 9; Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 9;30; Sunday 5 - 9
Closed Mondays and, except in summer, Tuesdays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 05/21/08 at 07:21 AM • Permalink
Hudson, New York
Baba Louie’s
If Hudson Baba Louie’s is Son of Great Barrington Baba Louie’s, then the kid is both bigger and more beautiful than his dad. But who cares? At Baba Louie’s, inner beauty is what counts. We’ve already raved about the salads, the pizzas, the prices (see Great Barrington, above). Once in a while, you owe it to yourself to change course and try the homemade vegetarian, dairy-free soup ($1.95/$3.95), the delicious panini ($6.95-$7.95) or the invariably good evening pasta ($10.95/$15.95) instead. Bring along a hungry friend; portions are huge.
517 Warren Street; 518.751-2155
Lunch: 11:30 - 3
Dinner: Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/12/08 at 04:14 PM • Permalink
Ca’Mea Ristorante
Often, going to a restaurant in our area can seem like landing in the middle of Waiting for Guffman—amateurs acting their hearts out badly. Polished, well-managed Ca’Mea Ristorante is just the opposite. Two Warren Street storefronts attractively combined, plus, in season, an enormous garden, it also has a bar that’s great for dining (square, with a central bartender, it invites interchange, making it popular with solo diners and couples who’ve already heard what each other has to say). Upon arriving one Saturday night last summer without reservations, our party of four was surprised that we were able to cadge a table in the garden right away. The place was hopping, so we kept it simple—salads ($7.50) and pastas ($15 - $17) all around—and braced ourselves for a wait. Not at all. Firsts arrived promptly, and within minutes, the steaming bowls came out. Impressive. And the food? Authentically northern Italian, which is to say, delicious, if not the most inventive stuff around.
333 Warren Street; 518.822.0005
Lunch: 12 - 3
Dinner: 5 - 10
Closed: Mondays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 03/22/08 at 08:04 AM • Permalink
DA / BA
Most anywhere in our region it’s a cinch to find a pleasant meal, but to find food that shows evidence of serious culinary imagination married to kitchen competence is much rarer. DA / BA is one such restaurant. The space is pleasantly designed and softly lit—conducive to a relaxed dinner. The menu is varied and, if you are in the mood for an adventure, downright exciting. And the prices are more than fair. Chef/Owner Daniel Nilsson and Executive Chef Ola Svedman, as their names suggest they might, create Scandivanian-leaning modern food (elk filet, $26). All meals start with a free amuse bouche—one recent evening it was a creamy foie gras soup delivered to the table in a holder containing one small laboratory tube-ful for each in the party, with a sliver of soft bread sticking out—delicious and just enough, given its richness. Whatever choice follows is guided by appetite, budget, and mood: DA / BA serves ambitious fresh fare in creative, clean flavor combinations— grilled filet mignon with truffle-scented consomme, vegetables, ginger foam, and sunflower choke puree ($26). And they also serve hearty pub food—a burger with top-notch fries (so easy to accomplish; why so seldom aspired to?). It’s a generous plate of food for $7.
225 Warren Street, Hudson; 518.249.4631
Monday - Saturday 6 - 10
Closed Sundays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 09/29/08 at 10:53 AM • Permalink
Mexican Radio
Don’t let the hardscrabble border-town name and matching décor fool you. This northern outpost of an acclaimed NYC dining spot is not low end. Everything at Mexican Radio is freshly chopped and squeezed, and the value is good (entrees, a cut well above the norm, are mostly under $20), as long as you lay off the $7-$11 Margaritas. But who does?
537 Warren Street; 518 828-7770
Lunch & Dinner: 11:30 - 11 daily
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 06:29 PM • Permalink
p.m. Wine Bar
You needn’t be an oenophile to get a kick out of (p.m.) Wine Bar, although, for anyone who is, the Red Wine Flight—three reds plus one tapa @ $20—is an offer that’s hard to pass up. But there are so many other delights inside this ancient storefront on the older, quieter end of Warren Street. There’s the witty decor, the tasty tapas (Diablos a Caballo—sundried dates stuffed with Valdeón blue cheese and wrapped in crispy bacon, $9),the sweet owner Kevin Moran behind the bar, and a passel of amusing regulars drinking wines by the glass, $7 - $11; real champagne, $12, or something stiffer from the full bar. Too peckish for tapas? A smallish entree, such as a bowl of delicious Spanish beef stew, $11, is always available.
119 Warren Street; 518.828.2833
Wednesday & Thursday 5 - 10; Friday & Saturday 5 - 12; Sunday 3 to 9
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 12/28/09 at 01:06 PM • Permalink
Swoon Kitchenbar
Is there another restaurant in Columbia County as New Yorky (in a good way) as this smashing place? Swoon Kitchenbar owner-chef Jeffrey Gimmel, a former top toque at Michael’s, and his partner in all things, Nina Bachinsky-Gimmel, once a pastry chef at the Union Square Café, met while studying cheese making at The Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. All that training shows in the work: an appetizer of house smoked beef tongue with fingerling potato crisps and cauliflower mustard puree ($10.95); an entrée of chicken fricassee with fennel, celery root and leeks ($22.95). And for the culinarily cautious, there’s always the skirt steak with mashed ($19.95).
340 Warren Street; 518.822.8938
Lunch: Thursday - Monday 11:30 - 5
Dinner: Thursday, Sunday, Monday 5 - 10; Friday & Saturday 5 - 11
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/01/08 at 10:03 AM • Permalink
Taste, The Café at Hudson Supermarket
Customers at Taste, a lunch place tucked in the back of a lifestyle store, can’t believe their good fortune. “All this for ten bucks?,” marvels a shop owner from down the block as he whisks his steaming lunch back to his store. Exactly; for a sawbuck, no one has a right to expect such finesse: An arugula salad with a peppery citrus dressing and a garnish of toasted pecans and coarsely chopped, locally-grown apples and radishes; pork marinated in an ancho chili sauce then slow cooked with banana and avocado leaves; fish for tacos that first has been sautéed with chili d’arbol and garlic, then dressed in a lime juice, lemongrass, and serrano chili vinaigrette. Owner Chris Hebert studied Mexican cookery with the redoubtable Diana Kennedy, who did for authentic Mexican food what Julia Child did for authentic French, and it shows in his work.
310 Warren Street, Hudson; 518.822.0028
Thursday, Friday, Sunday & Monday, noon - 5 p.m.
Saturday, noon - 6 p.m.
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 06/01/10 at 06:55 PM • Permalink
The Red Dot
Anyone who’s curious as to the precise nature and significance of what is happening in upstate New York should check out the bar scene here. Doesn’t matter when: on a blizzard-y weeknight in February, you’ll find a confluence of young and old, straight and gay, rich and poor, town and gown, business and arts. Interestingly, all this barrier-blind conviviality hinges on the larger-than-life personality of the owner, Alana Hauptman, who treats everyone the same—as if each were, on the one hand, a celebrity and, on the other, sorely in need of a severe and profane dressing down. Fortunately, regulars would rather go hungry than leave the bar, so no matter how crowded the Dot appears to be, it’s generally easy to get a table in back. And in warm weather, there’s a garden that’s the soul of charm. Oh, and, by the way, they also serve food. Think: bistro and reasonable. While Chef Jonathan may not be out to re-invent the wheel—chicken pot pie ($14), steak with red wine shallot butter ($24)—it’s pretty #&!^%@! good.
321 Warren Street; 518.828.3657
Dinner: Wednesday - Saturday 5 - 10; Sunday 5- 9
Brunch & Lunch: Saturday & Sunday 11 - 3
Closed: Monday & Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/21/08 at 08:02 PM • Permalink
Tortillaville
Tortillaville is not a restaurant per se, but it does sell 10,000 burritos per year from a truck parked in a high-profile location on the 300 block of Warren Street. During the winter months, Brian Branigan and Allison Culbertson drive their portable eatery to Big Pine Key and resume business in the Florida Keys. Their fare is tasty, reasonably healthy, and certainly affordable (tacos average $2.50; burritos, $6.50). The 100 days per year they are in town mark “the season” for many Hudsonians.
347 Warren Street; Thursday - Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Memorial Day (possibly a couple of weeks earlier) - October 31
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/10/11 at 05:58 PM • Permalink
Verdigris Tea
Anyone who values serenity should be only too happy to walk a few steps south of Warren Street for the privilege of sipping tea in this bright, airy space with good music playing softly in the background. Better yet, weather permitting, there’s the pretty herb garden with a few tables out front. In addition to topnotch tea, lavender lemonade, and superior scones, madeleines, and lemon cakes by Sarah Lipsky and the best biscotti ever by chef Regina Simmons, this pleasant tea shop serves salads, quiches and soups all afternoon.
13 S. 3rd Street, Hudson; 518.828.3139
Wednesday - Friday & Monday 11 - 6
Saturday & Sunday 8 - 6
Closed Tuesdays
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/24/10 at 10:29 AM • Permalink
Vico
First-rate Italian food: We’ve all tasted a lot of caponata, but we haven’t tasted a lot of caponata ($7) as good as this. Regulars at Vico suffer withdrawal each summer when the lasagna al cinghiale ($23), featuring a ferocious wild boar ragu, goes into hibernation. Add flawless service, and you’d have a great dining experience, but for the harsh lighting and amateurish décor. In Hudson? Where every third pedestrian is a designer? Just open any window and yell, “Help!”
136 Warren St.; 518.828.6529
Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday & Monday 12 - 2; Sunday 11 - 2
Dinner: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday & Monday 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
Closed Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 07:30 PM • Permalink
Old Chatham, New York
Old Chatham Country Store & Café
Six years after opening as a place to pick up high-end provisions and enjoy a muffin in the morning or a thoughtfully-conceived and well-constructed salad or sandwich at lunch, Old Chatham Country Store & Café started serving bistro-style dinners by candlelight Thursday - Saturday nights (at the moment, Sundays nights are reserved for private parties). It was an instant hit. Co-owner/chefs Brian Albert and Peter Trump run the kitchen with their usual diligence and finesse. The menu features reliable bistro stand-bys at true-to-the-spirit-of-bistro prices—Wellington Farms pan-roasted chicken ($19) and steak frites ($22)—as well as some more surprising fare, such as duck and spinach-filled wontons, $9; Asian cabbage salad with crispy calamari, $9; an entree of braised lamb shanks with red wine and figs, $20. Every night there is a different fish and vegetarian option. The value is remarkable and extends to the wines. An $8 glass of Ferrari Carono Merlot (their most expensive by-the-glass red) comes in a goblet so large it contains the equivalent of two.
639 Albany Turnpike; 518.794.6227
Breakfast & lunch: Tuesday - Sunday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Dinner: Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 5 - 8 30 p.m.
Closed Mondays.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 12/22/09 at 12:55 PM • Permalink
Philmont, New York
Local 111
A beacon of promise in up-and-coming Philmont, this former filling station, cleverly reconfigured by co-owner/architect Linda Gatter, doesn’t just look like the hippest restaurant around. As its name implies, the emphasis at Local 111 is on seasonal and locally grown. Grass-fed meat (grilled steak $25) and free-range poultry (roast chicken $20) are everything you’d expect. But it’s the first courses (beets, olives and potatoes, $6; sausage and peppers, $8) and sides (wilted greens, baked tomatoes, soft polenta with cheese @ $3) that steal the show. Fortunately, grazing rights are extended to all—any three sides with grilled bread are a mere $8.
111 Main Street; 518.672.7801
Morning cafe: Wednesday - Sunday 8:30 - 2
Dinner: Wednesday - Saturday 5:30 - 9:30; Sunday 5 - 9
Closed Monday and Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 07:55 PM • Permalink
Dutchess County
Amenia, New York
Serevan
Food as intricately flavored and nuanced as Serevan‘s tends to be served in uptight, pretentious surroundings, but this pretty restaurant (just three-minutes from the Wassaic train station) is pleasantly laid back. Why is the food so good? Owner Serge Madikian, the grandson of an Armenian immigrant who grew up in Iran, has worked alongside some of the best chefs of his generation, including David Bouley and Jean-George Vongerichten. He puts everything he’s ever learned about cooking into dishes such as Chicken Bastilla with Orange-Curry Emulsion ($21), Pan Seared Branzino with Cumin Scented Hummus and Preserved Lemons ($25), and Rack of Lamb with Madjoul Dates and Dried Limes ($29) Dessets like Orange Blossom Panna Cotta ($8) are equally exotic and delicious.
6 Autumn Lane (aka Route 44): 845-373-9800
Dinner: Thursday - Monday 5 - 10
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/30/08 at 03:18 PM • Permalink
Bangall, New York
Bangall Whaling Company
Every neighborhood needs a casual saloon, and the Bangall Whaling Company (across the road from the wonderful Red Devon) has filled a void in the pastorale heart of the Hudson Valley. You enter into a lounge area with a fireplace, and you can see the sports-watching bar crowd through the French doors on your left. To your right, there’s a handsome, high-ceilinged dining room with antique beams and plenty of space between tables. The menu is priced to be comforting day or night with main course salads ($10) such as Southwestern pulled chicken salad (iceberg lettuce, avocado, corn, black beans, pico de gallo and chipotle dressing) and pecan-crusted chicken salad (mixed greens, oranges, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, balsamic onions, gorgonzola and honey truffle vinaigrette.) Sandwiches—hamburgers ($9), Ahi tuna club ($11), grilled vegetable panini ($8)— come with a choice of salad or excellent crispy French fries. If you’re just in the mood for something to munch while having a beer, you can’t go wrong with a basket of the sweet potato fries ($5).
97 Hunns Lake Road, Stanfordville; 845.868.3349
Tuesday - Thursday: 11:30 a.m. 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: Brunch 10 a.m. - 3 p.m; regular menu ‘till 8 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 04/27/11 at 10:01 PM • Permalink
Red Devon
In a region where every other restaurant is off the beaten path, Red Devon in the hamlet of Bangall (in the town of Stanford, between Millbrook and Pine Plains) can be challenging to get to if you are not familiar with these back roads. But it is worth going out of your way because there is a chef in the kitchen who knows how to take first rate local ingredients and optimize their essential flavors. There’s nothing more commmonplace than a roasted-beet-and-goat-cheese salad, but Red Devon’s version is exemplary; each element works to support the other like musicians in really good band. A special appetizer of crispy pork belly ($15) came with green lentils, pickled ramps and fresh chervil; the crisp pork was countreintuitively melt-in-your mouth crisp. It’s clear that the chef has an affinity for pork; the seared pork “porterhouse” au poivre ($27) was another winner and so were its accompaniments—thick steak fries that had an earthy potatoness and wilted escarole in hot bacon dressing. And while having a full dinner can be expensive, we were handed a bar menu in the handsome main dining room that features homemade hot dogs ($5.99 with sauerkraut and $6.99 with chile and cheese) and southern fried chicken ($18) But it’s not just the food that is spot on: the young, attractive servers have been well-trained and they are unfailingly polite. The dining room is at once airy and cozy—a place you want to linger with a brandy or second cup of coffee. Red Devon is definitely worth a detour.
108 Hunns Lake Road; 845.868.3175
Dinner: Thursday - Saturday 6 - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday brunch: noon - 3 p.m
Sunday dinner: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 04/18/09 at 10:24 AM • Permalink
Hyde Park, New York
Apple Pie Bakery Café
For most of us, there is life, then there is lunch. At The Culinary Institute of America, life and food are one. Some of the classrooms look like sets for tv cooking shows. Others look like—in fact are—restaurant kitchens. The campus has five restaurants that are open to the public. All are staffed by students of varying degrees of expertise under the tutelage of accomplished industry professionals. The busiest of these is Apple Pie Bakery Café, where pastry chef Francisco Migoya reigns supreme.
Migoya, who polished his craft at the French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery, and Bouchon Bistro, is having quite a year. His recently published book, The Modern Café, has been nominated for a James Beard Award for the year’s best new book aimed at professional restaurateurs and chefs. And just one week after that honor was announced, Dessert Professional magazine declared Migoya one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in the United States.
Monday - Friday, from 7:30 a.m. when its doors open, until 11 a.m., Migoya’s domain is perhaps more high-end bakery than café—as fine a place as exists on this earth for a breakfast of baked goods—muffins ($2.50), croissants ($2.95), brioche ($3.50), Danish ($1.95 - $2.95)—and excellent coffee of all kinds, including French press. Each morning there also is a featured latte; i.e., Nutella-flavored with a scattering of finish salt. After 11, lunch service begins and continues throughout the afternoon to 5 p.m. Salads, sandwiches, soups—typical cafe categories, if not fare: The Spring Pea Salad ($9.95), a green-on-green melange of English, snow, and sugar snap peas with arugula in a champagne vinaigrette with toasted almonds and grated dry-aged goat cheese is so complex and engaging, it hardly needs the crispy prosciutto it is offered with for just $1 more. A truffled grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough with crispy speck is delicious; but it is the side of kale chips and lemon aioli that won our hearts ($12.95). We’re already plotting what we will order the next time: steamed Chinese pork buns with a cucumber and chili salad ($10.95) or perhaps the short rips braised in beer served with coddled eggs, shoestring fries, and a side of mache ($11.95). These may be accompanied by wines by the glass ($5.75 - $7) or a range of mostly micro-brewery beers ($3.75 - $4.50).
But it is Migoya’s show-stopping confections that steal the spotlight here. In The Modern Café, he devotes just 100 pages out of a total of 550 to savories. Nearly every one of those remaining pages is filled with glorious baking and pudding-making recipes and techniques. Desserts—a big MACaron (mango jelly, pistachio buttercream, raspberry gel, and chocolate ganache @$5.95) or a slice of chocolate XS cake, a rich, flourless cake of 61% dark chocolate mousse ($5.95); or perhaps just a big carrot-cake cookie filled with vanilla cream cheese ($2.95)—are delightful. The whole pies and cakes, which are meant to be taken out, are nothing short of astonishing. For $29.95, one can treat a dinner host or a loved one celebrating a birthday to an exquisitely moist chocolate-buttermilk cake layered with chocolate chantilly and iced in fondant. Or a Red Velvet Pillow Cake, above ($24.95).
The term café is thrown around loosely to describe any restaurant, from a greasy spoon to a bistro, that is inexpensive. CIA’s Apple Pie Bakery Café delivers on the not-too-expensive, but apart from that, it is a café in a class by itself.
U.S. Route 9
Hyde Park, New York
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Closed on school holidays; check schedule.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 04/13/11 at 02:50 PM • Permalink
Mabbettsville, New York
When Pigs Fly South
Anyone who saves a vintage drive-in is a hero in our book. Bennett Chnin, whose been running a little barbecue joint called When Pigs Fly in Sharon, CT, recently took over the old Mabbettsville Dairy Cream and started serving Memphis and St.Louis ribs ($19.95 for a full rack), pulled pork sandwiches ($6.95), along with hamburgers ($3.95), hot dogs ($1.95) and French fries ($1.75). Everything is served in to-go containers but there are weathered picnic tables on the adjacent lawn where you can dine. Chinn’s CIA training is evident in sides like collard greens and cole slaw that are full of flavor. And if you have happy summer memories of stopping here for ice cream on your way to or from the nearby Taconic State Parkway, When Pigs Fly South is thankfully still serving soft serve cones ($1.95 for a small) as well as hand-scooped ice cream from the estimable SoCo Creamery.
3826 Route 44; 860.492-0000
Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 06/30/10 at 02:31 PM • Permalink
Millbrook, New York
Café Les Baux
This cozy French bistro, with a real French owner/chef, Herve Bochard, in the kitchen, is la vrai chose. Tucked away on a Millbrook side street, it has been a popular stand-by for nearly 25 years (lucky Millbrook), its name a reference to Les Baux-de-Provence. As implied, the menu seldom strays from authentic Southeastern France regional classics such as moules frites ($19), steak frites ($25), duck breast with a port-wine reduction ($24), all perfectly prepared and presented. There is nothing chi-chi about Café Les Baux, either in the decor or on the menu. It’s the consistent quality that turns first-time diners into regulars and keeps them coming back year-after-year. Our advice: reserve ahead, especially for dinner on weekends.
152 Church Street; 845.677.8166
Lunch: 12 - 2:30
Dinner: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 5 - 9; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
Closed Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 06/05/09 at 08:53 AM • Permalink
Millerton, New York
Harney Tea Bar
If you know any Ladies Who Lunch, send them to the Harney Tea Bar, where they will sit side by side with local artists and shopkeepers. There is something genteel but not-at-all fussy about the ambiance and food here, which ranges from fish tacos with chipolte creme fraiche ($10) to a duo or trio of grass-fed beef “sliders” (photo) served with dijon aioli, caramelized onions and celeriac remoulade ($9/$10). The European-style sandwiches and salads are named after members of the far-flung Harney clan and reflect their personalities: The Brigitte ($7) is simply a baguette with prosciutto or ham and French butter; the Mimi ($7), which can be made as a panini, has tomato, mozzarella pesto, and oil & vinegar; the Elyse salad ($9) is a combination roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, Pecorino Romano, oil and Balsamic vinegar. Chef Lee Morton makes sure every plate (many of which are made by local potter Dana Brandwein) looks too-good-to-eat, while Alex Harney bustles around the dining room and outside tables, making sure everyone feels well cared for. Naturally, there’s an extensive assortment of the family’s famous teas and to accompany them there’s a plate of excellent scones ($3) served with clotted cream and jam.
1 Railroad Plaza; 518.789.2121
Monday - Saturday 11 AM - 4 PM; Sunday: noon - 3 PM
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 05/12/09 at 08:00 AM • Permalink
Manna Dew
The other night at Manna Dew, a couple in their twenties played chess at the bar as they sipped Shiraz from oversized goblets, a reflection of this wine bar/restaurant’s hybrid appeal. Manna Dew encourages hanging out (there’s an open mike on Thursdays and live music on Fridays), but it also has serious culinary ambitions with dishes such as truffled mushroom risotto ($19), artichoke crusted salmon ($24), and pan seared duck breast in a pear brandy demi glace ($23). Located in an old Victorian house just a few doors down from The Moviehouse, Manna Dew stays real with a great burger ($11) and a curried tofu vegetable stir fry with coconut basmati rice ($15). No wonder fuzzy faced twenty-somethings and fuzzy-brained sixty-somethings dine here side by side in harmony.
54 Main Street; 518-789-3570
Dinner: Thursday 5:30 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 10;
Sunday 5:00 - 9:30; Monday 5:30 - 9:30
Closed Tuesday (& Wednesday in the winter months)
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/09/08 at 11:30 AM • Permalink
No. 9
Who would dare open a white tablecloth restaurant in this economy? A young couple like chef Tim Cocheo, 31, and his wife, Taryn, 30, who were half the team behind the now-shuttered Bottle Tree Grocery in Ancram, which had a cult-like following for its $49 prix fixe dinners on Friday and Saturday nights and its decadent Sunday brunch. Now, the Cocheos have opened No. 9 Restaurant and given the dining room at Millerton’s Simmon’s Way Village Inn a Cinderella makeover. From the street (the address is Main Street, but the entrance is on Century Boulevard), the restaurant gives off a golden glow that fills you with optimism. When you walk in the door, you are not disappointed: the dining room feels like a warm embrace—mustard walls with wainscoting painted a Provençal green, brass sconces with silk shades that cast a flattering light, a large, homey patterned carpet (donated by Joan Osofsky of Hammertown Barn), and a state-of-the-art sound system playing the kind of music that makes you feel like you’re at a really swell dinner party. And in a way you are: Cocheo—who cooked in New York at the late, great La Caravelle and Wallse and then at Wheatleigh in Lenox, MA, before moving to the Bottle Tree—is a serious chef. He brings a haute cuisine mindset to country cooking, and he’s put together a small menu with great variety. The first courses include a delicate yellowtail crudo with lemon confit, sea beans, jicama and Tuscan olive oil ($14), an earthy porcini mushroom risotto with truffle foam that’s not the least bit fussy ($13), and Sky Farm field greens with Coach Farm goat cheese ($8). The entrees range from a Herondale Farm chicken ballotine stuffed with wild mushrooms ($23) and grilled Scottish salmon with Champagne sauce ($23) to Weinerschnitzel with lingonberries and potato-cucumber salad ($22) to the No. 9 Herondale beef burger that’s served with French fries ($12). The desserts include a rich, deconstructed ice cream “sandwich” and a light pumpkin souffle served with crème anglaise. This is a restaurant where you want to linger over a second cup of coffee or a third glass of wine, because being at No. 9 gives you that elusive feeling that all’s right with the world.
53 Main Street, Millerton; 518.592.1299
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday 5:30 - 10
Brunch: Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Closed: Monday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/04/09 at 01:11 PM • Permalink
Taro’s
Taro’s is a gentrified pizzeria right next to the rail trail in Millerton, which not only has generous portions but a generous spirit. All of the entrees—eggplant Parmesan ($13.95), chicken rustico ($14.95), veal Florentine ($15.95)—come with soup or salad and a side of pasta as well as a basket of warm bread. My friend the Garden Guru, who eats like a bird, is overwhelmed by the size of the portions so she demurs when offered the soup or salad. But the vivacious waitress tells her, “Then take the soup to go home! You’re already paying for it!” She brings the Garden Guru a plastic container labeled “Minestrone, March 17” so that it is easy to identify in her refrigerator. (The Garden Guru also always orders a side of green vegetables and then takes home half of everthing which becomes lunch for the next few days.) My current favorite is the beef-and-sausage lasagna ($13.95) which is too good not to finish, so I, alas, never go home with leftovers. For anyone who grew up going to family-run Italian joints, Taro’s is a restaurant that feels like an old friend, and it’s so old-fashioned that it does not take credit cards—cash only.
18 Main Street; 518.789.6630
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 03/23/09 at 09:01 AM • Permalink
The Oakhurst Diner
The guys who run the Oakhurst Diner—what everyone in town still calls the Millerton Diner—are teases. Since opening quietly a few months ago, they have been handing out a menu with breakfast on one side and lunch & dinner on the other, but they have yet to serve a waffle or an omelette. “We wanted to start things slow and get everything right,” says co-owner John Panzer. They’re doing something right because the diner has been packing them in six nights a week, even without a liquor license that is due soon. The crossover menu is designed to appeal to both the pick-up truck and Range Rover sets—and, yes, that is Ancramdale farmer Jerry Peele eating one of his own grass fed Herondale Farm burgers ($6.99 with homemade fries) at one of the refurbished booths. The late Jill Clayburgh raved about the roasted mushrooms and asparagus with Hollandaise, and Panzer reports that the best-seller on the menu is the prosaic Chicken Dinner ($14.99): half a roast chicken with dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. “It’s all local except the cranberries because nobody does it better than Ocean Spray,” says co-owner Paul Harney. The menu is a tightly focused mix of diner classics like meatloaf ($14.99) and milkshakes ($3.99) and trendy salads such as frisée with bacon and a poached egg ($6.99) and a big bowl of retro-chic iceberg lettuce with cherry tomatoes and chunks of hanger steak accompanied by a bottle of the house vinaigrette ($12.99.) They promise to start serving lunch on August 16, but they are holding off on breakfast until they have both lunch and dinner running like clockwork.
19 Main Street; 518.592-1313
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday: 5 - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.
Beginning August 16:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 08/11/10 at 11:52 AM • Permalink
Pine Plains, New York
Agriturismo
Who’d have expected Mark Strausman to end up in Pine Plains? A chef who was famous in New York in the pre-Food Network days, he was drawn to Pine Plains because it is surrounded by working farms where her purchases his meats, vegetables, eggs, milk and cheese. His fish comes from Montauk, where he spent much time when he ran one of the hottest restaurants in the Hamptons in the early 1990s. Now he’s brought his gutsy, hearty cooking style to the Hudson Valley. For now Agritrurismo is only open on Friday and Saturday nights and all-day Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m, serving pretty much anything you might desire. The hearty breakfast menu includes a farm pizza topped with a fried egg ($14), Suckling Pig Hash ($14) walnut raisin French toast ($14; all prices include coffee or tea); the all-day menu ranges from penne with a cherry tomato sauce ($15) to a roasted loin of lamb ($26).
2938 Church Street, Pine Plains;
518.398.1000
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 10/25/10 at 10:50 AM • Permalink
Stissing House Restaurant & Tavern
After 20 years running the pioneering SoHo bistro Provence, Michel & Patricia Jean finally moved full-time to their weekend house in Dutchess County and purchased the landmark Stissing House, a quintessential New England inn, which just so happens to be in New York State not far from the Taconic Parkway. You can have a romantic dinner à deux in front of a fireplace in one of the smaller dining rooms or join the convivial crowd in the historic tavern. When you order dishes like onion soup ($7), pan-seared duck breast with cherry port reduction ($23) and shell steak that comes with a choice of luscious Béarnaise or pepper-cognac sauces ($28), you can’t imagine anything tasting more authentically French and appropriate to the Hudson Valley.
Route 199 & Route 82; 518-398-8800
Autumn Hours
Lunch: Saturday & Sunday noon - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Thursday & Monday 5:30 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 10:30; Sunday 5 - 9 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/13/08 at 01:23 PM • Permalink
Poughkeepsie, New York
Artist’s Palate
If the Artist’s Palate were the bellwether for Poughkeepsie, then you’d expect the downtown to be filling up with boutiques and galleries. But three-and-a-half years after it opened, the Artist’s Palate (photographed by Laura Krier) remains the only serious place to eat in the neighborhood. Chef/owners Charles and Megan Fells are obvioulsy people who have faith in Poughkeepsie’s potential because they have created the sort of urbane, contemporary restaurant that you would expect to find in Portland (Oregon or Maine) but remains an anomaly in this slowly gentrifying city. (And they’re expanding next door to open a venture called Canvas, which will be a wine bar that can be rented out for parties.) The Artist’s Palate is an apt name because everthing about this restaurant feels like it was styled by a high-powered LA art director who was instructed to create a trendy, sophisitcated and lively downtown restaurant with an open kitchen ready for a film crew. The ambitious ever-changing menu is enticingly eclectic: first courses range from smoked Huson Valley trout to roasted marrow bones, and entrees (which all come with a small side salad) include hanger steak served with truffle-dusted fries and fresh grilled fishes. The restaurant looks band-box new because the walls are painted every two months when a new art exhibition is installed. During the week, bare wooden tables gives the Artist’s Palate a casual and boisterous bistro feel, but on weekends, it becomes a candlelit white tablecloth restaurant that is elegant enough for an important celebration. Around the corner from the historic Bardovon Theatre, it’s a superb place to dine after watching an HD broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera or strolling across the new Walkway Over the Hudson.
307 Main Street; 845.843.8074
Lunch: Monday - Friday 11 a.m - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Monday - Thursday 5 - 9; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10
Closed Sunday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 10/20/09 at 09:12 AM • Permalink
Crave
There’s now delicious incentive to stroll Walkway Over the Hudson: Crave.
Chef-owner Ed Kowalski, a Culinary Institute of America alum, opened this stylish, contemporary American restaurant in December 2009. Located on Washington Street, Crave is directly accessible from the Walkway, thanks to a newly installed stairway adjacent to the restaurant, connecting the pedestrian bridge to street level.
With Kowalski, you get two eateries at one stop. Back in 2005—before Crave—Kowalski opened Lola’s, a catering company and café, in the building next to his present full-blown restaurant. It was the first new business in this transitional neighborhood. Lola’s Cafe, which serves homemade soups, vegetarian salads, sandwiches, wraps and panninis (all under $10), was an instant hit, bringing more traffic into the area. The Walkway has brought even more. “The block is really on the upswing,” says Kowalski.
Last year, when the space next to Lola’s became available, Kowalski was finally able to realize his dream of opening a “romantic, intimate and essentially American” restaurant in Poughkeepsie. Kowalksi and his wife Laurie, a co-owner, transformed what had previously been a ramshackle, rowdy college bar into a cozy 32-seat restaurant, done in warm earth tones with soft lighting. You can also dine al fresco on the enclosed 20-seat patio.
The kitchen boasts not just one, but three CIA-trained chefs: Kowalski, 38, executive chef Catherine Williams, 29, and sous chef Craig Capano, 25.
The staff is friendly and obliging. The menu, which changes seasonally and sources locally whenever possible, features updated, pan-American favorites, often with fusion flourishes. You might expect the crab cakes, “maple lacquered” salmon, or filet mignon. But you might not expect Cuban-style pork belly with pear mostarda ($11); Asian-style barbecue-glazed baby octopus ($10); or sea bass served with spicy, coconut peanut soba noodles ($25).
Overall, the cooking is done with thought and care. Main dishes are well-executed, if a bit hearty during the summer season. The pan-roasted duck is a signature dish—“we can’t take it off the menu!” said executive chef Williams. Understandably so. The duck, toothsomely tender and pink inside, with perfectly crisped skin, comes with a creamy mash of polenta, topped with foie gras and Swiss chard ($28). While tasty, the wild striped bass, served with a too-crunchy ratatouille of summer squash, artichoke hearts, haricots verts and an overabundance of green and black olives, didn’t quite hang together ($25).
Save room: Crave’s retro American desserts, from homemade S’mores (a chocolate peanut terrine topped with homemade marshmallows and banana custard ice cream), to lemon pound cake with honey-mascarpone cream, are an all-out indulgence.
Now open from 2 p.m. on weekends, Crave provides a lovely respite for walkers in need of repast or a glass of wine. — Kathryn Matthews
129 Washington Street; 845-452-3501
Poughkeepsie
Tuesday - Friday, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Closed Monday
Lola’s Cafe and Catering
131 Washington Street; 845-471-8555
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 08/29/10 at 12:24 PM • Permalink
Red Hook, New York
Flatiron
When Flatiron Restaurant in Red Hook opened in August 2008, it was an instant hit, filling a void for red meat lovers in this part of northern Dutchess County. This contemporary steakhouse gives surf and turf a creative twist, by way of USDA Prime-grade steak ($15-$29); a shortlist of burgers (served on a house-made English muffin; $10-$16); sausage ($9); and seafood (from grilled shrimp, to caramelized scallops; $20-$24).
Craig Stafford and his wife, Jessica Stingo, the thirtysomething co-owners, named their restaurant after Manhattan’s Flatiron district, where they first met, while working at Giorgio’s of Gramercy, an eclectic American restaurant.
Stafford, a Culinary Institute of America alumnus, has crafted a well-edited, seasonal and local-leaning menu that offers something for everyone. There is steak, of course: three cuts, including hanger steak (6 or 10 oz.; $15/$19), filet mignon (6 or 10 oz., $18/$28) and a 16 oz. rib-eye ($29)—served with your choice of a half-dozen house-made sauces—plus steak tartare ($12) as an appetizer. But, with non-meat choices that include salads, vegetable sides, a soup, a pasta (such as sweet potato gnocchi, $17) and a vegetarian burger option (roasted eggplant and organic brown rice, $10), vegetarians can feel equally comfortable grazing here.
Flatiron’s winning combination—toothsome fare, friendly service and a low-key, kick-back vibe—keeps diners coming back for more. —Kathryn Matthews
7488 South Broadway
Red Hook; 845-758-8260
Wednesday-Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 5 p. m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 03/30/11 at 11:11 AM • Permalink
Mercato Osteria and Enoteca
Close your eyes: you could be in Italy at this cozy, convivial osteria, magnet for Bard faculty, students, weekenders, locavore foodies and Italianophiles. Chef Francesco Buitoni, a seventh generation member of the Italian pasta-manufacturing family, and his wife, Michele Platt, keeps things casual and inexpensive at Mercato, in keeping with the spirit of a traditional family-run osteria, a place to enjoy good glass of wine (an excellent, all-Italian list, with over a dozen by the glass) and delectable, (Italian) home-style dishes, where you can taste the love. The menu changes weekly, highlighting fresh pastas and seasonal, locally grown produce and meats: Northwind Farms chicken liver bruschetta,with aged balsamic and sage ($7); handmade ravioli filled with Coach Farm ricotta and spinach with brown butter sauce ($13); and whole roasted branzino served with Migliorelli Farm escarole and black beluga lentils ($25). Weekends are always busy, so call in advance to reserve a table. Or, if you’re just two, consider eating at the sleek Carrara marble top bar that has a bird’s eye view of the bustling dining room and open kitchen. —Kathryn Matthews
61 East Market Street (Route 199); 845.758.5879
Wednesday - Thursday, 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 05/20/10 at 12:44 PM • Permalink
Rhinebeck, New York
Arielle
Two-year old Arielle, a French-Mediterranean-inspired bistro, has been a lovely addition to East Market Street. Owners Nick and Patricia Rebraca (of Belvedere Mansion b & b renown) have got the French country house look just right—a rustic main dining room with exposed wood beams, deep-cushioned toile banquettes and low-lighting; a gilded upstairs dining room; and a stained-glass window café extension, with two tables for dining alfresco (Ah, Provence!).
The staff is friendly and accommodating. An eclectic menu, which features a mix of classic and modern bistro fare, including burgers, brochettes and pastas, strives to have something for everyone. And it’s hard to resist the $14.50 prix fixe brunch (two courses with a Mimosa) on Sundays.
A recent change of chefs finds ex-sous chef Evan Van Horn presiding in the kitchen, replacing former executive chef, Darek Tidwell, who was lured to Washington D.C. by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
This transition has not been seamless. Dishes can be hit-or-miss, arriving under- or over-seasoned. Demerits go to a too-chunky tuna tartare ($9), a nicely grilled, but utterly bland “Moroccan-spiced” salmon ($18), and overly salty “rosemary pomme frites” ($6) with no hint of rosemary (save for a torched sprig on top). A thumbs-up for the light and lemony baby arugula salad ($7), and three gold stars for a toothsome, perfectly grilled branzino served on a bed of haricot verts, artichoke hearts and olives ($20). The good stuff shows the kitchen’s potential to match the charm of the setting. —Kathryn Matthews
51 E. Market Street; 845-876-5666
Lunch: Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Brunch: Sunday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5 - 9:30 p.m.; Friday 5 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday 3 - 10:30 p.m.: Sunday 3 - 8:30 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 07/28/10 at 09:27 AM • Permalink
Bread Alone
For over a decade, discerning carb lovers in search of artisan breads—French sourdough (levain), whole wheat sourdough (miche), baguettes, challah, peasant bread—have found their way to Bread Alone in Rhinebeck village. There they’ve also found pastries—croissants, danishes, muffins and scones ($2.75 - $3)—all baked fresh daily at the Bread Alone bakery across the river in Boiceville. (There’s a third branch in Woodstock.)
Founder Daniel Leader, a certified organic baker, co-owns this “European-style café” with his wife Sharon Burns-Leader. His latest book, Simply Great Breads, is geared toward home bakers.
Bread Alone gets the basics—coffee, eggs, soups, salads and sandwiches—right. Very right. For those in a whole-grain frame of mind, breakfast options include multi-grain house-made citrus oatmeal ($5.75), whole-grain granola ($4.25) and whole grain pancakes ($7.50). Egg-themed dishes ($4.95-$9) include Huevos Benedicto, two poached eggs with saffron hollandaise on a corn muffin ($9), a “Country Scramble” of three eggs, smoked ham, scallions and Old Chatham camembert ($9), and a continental-style omelet ($8.50) served with roasted potatoes and French sourdough toast. All eggs come from Feather Ridge Farm in nearby Elizaville (Columbia County).
Lunch salads ($4 - $6) are generous. The list of paninis, sandwiches and open-faced tartines ($8-$10) include such updated classics as smoked turkey club with applewood bacon, avocado, and greens, and roast beef and cheddar sandwich with horseradish crème fraiche, all between slices of artisanal organic breads. Especially memorable: a Portobello tartine with goat cheese and caramelized onions on grilled organic whole-wheat sourdough. —Kathryn Matthews
45 East Market Street, 845.876.3108
Bakery counter: Daily, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Dining Room: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 05/08/11 at 02:13 PM • Permalink
Gigi Trattoria
Gigi Trattoria is so lively and chic no one would suspect there’s a dietitian calling the shots. Owner/registered dietitian Laura Pensiero calls the food here “Hudson Valley Mediterranean.” We call it refreshing. Just when you think you know the Italian restaurant repertoire by heart, along comes crispy calamari-and-zucchini ($12.95); braised lamb shank with roasted vegetables and maple pumpkin polenta ($24.95); gnocchi with gorganzola cream and caramelized celery root ($11.50 or $16.50). For those who prefer the tried-and-true, there are thin-crusted “skizzas” (individual flatbread pizzas, $9.75 - $12.50), and an astonishing rib-eye with fries (32 oz serves two, at least, for $39.95). Don’t be put off if the place looks packed. Somehow, they always manage to seat you in a blink.
6422 Montgomery Avenue; 845.876.1007
Lunch: 11:30 - 2:45
Dinner from 4:30
Closed Monday
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/31/08 at 08:00 PM • Permalink
Terrapin Red Bistro
If you look around the Red Bistro at Terrapin Restaurant, you’ll notice that everyone seems to be having a good time. It’s next to impossible not to enjoy yourself in the expansive bar section of this restaurant that opened in 2003 in the beautifully restored First Baptist Church, which dates to 1825. Chef Josh Kroner‘s menu offers astonishing variety and value. You can build your own sandwiches—hamburgers, sliced steak, ahi tuna salad, veggie burger etc. ($6.95 - $10.95) with your choice of toppings and rolls—or you can select from a wide variety of salads, quesadillas and pastas. If you feel overwhelmed by the options, the tapas plates($3 - $4) are the way to go. On a recent visit, we thoroughly enjoyed Thai meaballs in green curry, duck quesadilla, macadamia-nut tempura calamari, and crispy artichokes, which we washed down with excellent margaritas. And our cheerful waitress thoughtfully had our single order of fish tacos divided onto two plates in the kitchen. Terrapin is one of those reliable restaurants where the ambitious chef never forgets that the ultimate mark of good cooking is making people happy.
6426 Montgomery Street; 845.876.3330
Sunday - Thursday 11 :30 a.m. - midnight
Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 2 a.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/21/10 at 12:45 AM • Permalink
The Local
Who wouldn’t want a neighboorhood restaurant this good? Chef/owner Wes Dier buys his ingredients from as many local farms and purveyors as possible, but the primary reason he named his new restaurant The Local was because he wanted it to be a neighborhood hangout. Nevertheless, The Local is a restaurant worth going out of your way to visit because it marries sophisticated cooking in a laid-back, friendly setting. The eclectic menu offers choices ranging from Hudson Valley foie gras ($20) and Stone Church Farm duck ($26) to a Cuban-style crepe ($15) made with Meiller’s Farm pork belly and extraordinary sliders ($14) made with Sepascot Home Farm grass-fed beef. With an open kitchen just inside the front door, you can watch your dinner being prepared, and if there’s a wait (we advise making reservations) there’s a bartender who knows how to mix extraordinary cocktails such as a Pink Salty Dog.
38 West Market Street, Rhinebeck; 845.876.2214
Tuesday - Thursday 5:30 - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 11 p.m.
Closed Sunday & Monday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 10/25/10 at 10:51 AM • Permalink
Salt Point, New York
La Puerta Azul
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 ($8) 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: Ceviche ($10) is served in an oversized martini glass with a sauce of roasted tomatoes and citrus juices; a hearty appetizer of beef empanadas ($7) is presented on a square plate with squiggles of chipolte sauce as if it were nouvelle cuisine; the perfectly grilled organic chicken breast ($18) 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 & Dinner : Monday - Thursday: 11:30 AM - 10 PM
Friday & Saturday: 11:30 AM - 11 PM; Sunday: 11:30 AM - 9 PM
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/22/08 at 12:50 PM • Permalink
Litchfield County
Falls Village, Connecticut
The Falls Village Inn
Reopened after being dark for four years (and after a disastrous incarnation as a German restaurant), the Falls Village Inn is the quintessential small-town New England tavern where former Wall Street honchos and volunteer firemen dine happily side by side. Owners Colin Chambers and Susan Sweetapple have made accessibility their motto so guests can choose between a conventional burger ($10) or the Whippoorwill Farm grass-fed burger ($15) Designed in a cozy un-designed way by weekend neighbor Bunny Williams (one of the rock stars of the New York decorating world), the inn has a menu that features classic comfort food: Chicken Wings ($10), Shepherd’s Pie ($17), Chicken Pot Pie ($15). On a recent Sunday, the lunch specials included chef Jose Lalvay’s fish tacos ($12) and more than one guest requested it be made a menu staple. For dessert, there is cake from Jason Young’s Sweet William’s Bakery, which started out around the corner in Falls Village before moving to Salisbury. And the bar is so convivial that you won’t mind hanging out there if you have to wait for a table.
33 Railroad Street; 860.824.0033
Thursday & Friday 4 - 10 p.m. (kitchen open 5 - 9 p.m.)
Saturday & Sunday noon - 10 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 12/17/10 at 10:07 AM • Permalink
Toymakers Cafe
If you want a taste of small town life, try quirky Toymakers Cafe in Falls Village, the second smallest town in Connecticut with just 1,200 residents. There are two communal tables, so you are likely to meet the locals while sipping a creamy latte and savoring the sweet potato waffle, the justifiably famous house specialty, Leather-clad bikers have made this their Sunday brunch pit-stop so come early or late unless you want to join a conversation about Harleys.
85 Main Street; 860-824-8168
Breakfast & Lunch Thursday-Friday, 7 AM - 2 PM; Saturday-Sunday, 7 AM to 4 PM
Closed Monday - Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/30/08 at 04:10 PM • Permalink
Lakeville, Connecticut
Cafe Giulia
A successful restaurant in our region usually needs to have a split personality: one that caters to the people who go out to eat Sunday through Thursday and another for the Friday and Saturday night crowd. Robert Wills and Tara Kelly are expatriates from Brooklyn (he owned Vaux Bistro in Park Slope) who understand this dynamic, and their new Cafe Giulia is a nimble and delicious balancing act with an Italian point of view. They have warmed up the space formerly occupied by the overly ambitious Chives by painting the walls a cozy pumpkin, adding a few booths and moving the bar. Two people can sit at that bar and share a large well-dressed salad of Sky Farm greens with pine nuts and ricotta salata ($8), a plate of delicately fried calamari with anchovy-lemon aioli ($10) and a small but hearty pizza ($11/$12) and leave very satisfied. Or you can sit down and tuck into more ambitious fare such as roast Cavendish Farm quail with polenta ($23) or an intensely flavorful hanger steak with salsa verde, roast potatoes and spinach ($21). Both Willis and Kelly make rounds in the dining room, asking if everything is OK, eager to know if their customers are happy. In this quiet corner of Connecticut, success depends on building a loyal following of both full- and part-time residents, and it looks like Cafe Giulia (which was named after an Alfa Romeo race car) is on the right track.
2 Ethan Allen Street; 860.435.9765
Thursday - Monday 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Closed: Tuesday & Wednesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/18/09 at 05:30 PM • Permalink
Le Laurentis
When was the last time you saw céleri rémoulade or eggs a la Russe on a menu in these parts? When was the last time you went to a French bistro where the most expensive entrée was $20? Le Laurentis, which opened in Lakeville three months ago, feels like it’s been around forever—or at least since the 1960s. If you still relish the cuisine of Julia Child, you will be very happy here. The by-the-book truite meunière ($16) is bathed in butter, the salmon is served with a decadent Hollandaise sauce ($18), and the hangar steak ($18) comes with a rich wine-and shallot sauce and a pile of crisp frites. “Our most popular dish is duck a l’orange,’ says owner George Courgnaud. You’ll have sticker shock when you look at his wine list. Every bottle is just $25. Très bien!
227 Main Street, Lakeville, CT; 860.596.4231
Lunch: Thursday - Monday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Wednesday - Monday 5 - 10 p.m.
Closed Tuesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/18/10 at 08:26 AM • Permalink
Pastorale
Karen Hamilton and Frederic Feveau have created a traditional country French restaurant—the wife runs the front of the house and the husband’s in the kitchen—that appeals to the tastes of the northwestern corner’s bourgeoisie. Located in an antique Colonial that’s been painted warm Provencal colors, Pastorale has a devoted following who come for classics like poached pear-and-frisee salad with Stilton and caramelized walnuts ($9), mouules Mariniere ($18.50), and grilled leg of lamb with spinach and polenta ($24). The restaurant offers a three-course prix-fixe menu ($28) Tuesday - Thursday.
223 Main Street; 860-435-1011
Dinner Tuesday - Saturday 5:30 - 9; Sunday 5 -8
Brunch: Sunday noon - 5
Closed Monday.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/30/08 at 02:57 PM • Permalink
The Boathouse
The food at the Boathouse may not make you swoon, but the restaurant will warm your heart. With two fireplaces and a lively bar dominated by a knockout mural of a traditional lakeside boathouse, the restaurant naturally attracts students (who look like Abercrombie models) and their parents from the nearby Hotchkiss and Salisbury boarding schools. In the handsome main dining room where two vintage wooden canoes hang from ceiling, locals and out-of-towners tuck into hearty fare: burgers ($12), ribs ($16 or $20), horseradish encrusted salmon ($22), cioppino ($28). The Boathouse also has the preppiest sushi bar around, and on a recent evening, many of the student diners were eating big platters of raw fish. As an homage to the clientele, several rolls are named after local private schools such as the Berkshire (avocado, cream cheese, smelt roe & smoked salmon, $7.50), the Millbrook (unagi & avocado, $7.50), and the IMS (yellowtail & scallions, $7.50).
349 Main Street/Routes 44 & 41; 860.435.2111
Sunday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/18/11 at 08:23 PM • Permalink
Woodland
This quintessential neighborhood restaurant can be hard to find, which suits its loyal clientele just fine. Theoretically, you could dine here contentedly six nights a week (it’s dark on Mondays) because the menu is extensive so there is always something you’re in the mood for: arugula-and-goat-cheese salad with crispy lardons, delicate sole almondine, and a steak sandwich served with a mound of spinach and crispy fries. And there’s sushi, too! It’s no wonder Woodland is always packed (even during snowstorms) because no place is as reliably welcoming or consistently delicious.
192 Sharon Road (Route 41); 860-435-0578
Lunch: Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 - 2:30
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday 5 -9; Friday - Saturday 5 - 10; Sunday 4 - 8:30
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/31/08 at 09:12 AM • Permalink
Norfolk, Connecticut
Infinity Hall Bistro
Now you can really make it a night on the town when you attend a concert at the exquisitely renovated Infinity Hall in Norfolk (just over the border from Southfield, MA). On May 1, Infinity Hall Bistro opened an ambitious one-size-fits-all restaurant where you can get everything from an edamame burger with harissa aioli ($8) or a buttery lobster roll ($16) to grilled salmon with pomegranate mustard ($22) and filet mignon with onion rings ($28). You can’t go wrong with the perfectly cooked grass-fed burger from Whippoorwill Farm ($9) on a sturdy sweet roll with a choice of sides including crisp, drive-in style fries. The drinks menu is meant for partying: There are cucumber, chocolate and espresso martinis ($9) and Infinity Cocktails ($8) such as “I’m Jazzed” (Absolut, Peachtree Schnapps, Midori and pineapple juice) and “Folk Fest” (Absolut Pears, fresh lime juice, Cointreau, sour mix and ginger ale.) The dining has been decorated with jazzy colors, comfortable chairs, and stunning framed black-and-white photographs of rock-and-roll’s pioneers from the 1960s and 1970s, which gives Infinity Hall a sense of being part of pop-music history. And even on a Tuesday night when there was no concert upstairs, this joint was jumping.
20 Greenwoods Road (aka Route 44); 860.542.5531
Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday, 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday, 10:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Closed Tuesday
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 05/20/09 at 12:35 PM • Permalink
Salisbury, Connecticut
Country Bistro
To say the Country Bistro is unpretentious is not a euphemism. Jaqueline Heriteau and her daughter Holly Hunter-Stonehill are expert cooks and published authors. But when they decided to open a breakfast-and-lunch spot behind the Salisbury Post Office they wanted it to be the sort of everyday place where locals could come all the time. And they have a loyal cadre of regulars because for $7.95 you can get a cup of homemade soup (Heriteau wrote A Feast of Soups which has 500 recipes so she’s never at a loss for soup specials) a generous half a sandwich (a thick BLT or classic Reuben) arranged stylishly on an oblong white platter with lightly dressed greens and potato chips. What’s more, in warm weather you have your choice of two outdoor patios with umbrella tables (and WiFi!) and waitresses who treat you like a regular even if you’re a newcomer.
10 Academy Street; 860.435.9420
Daily: 8 AM - 5:30 PM
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 05/13/09 at 07:56 PM • Permalink
Washington, CT
Community Table
It’s audacious to have a restaurant with no reservations and no bar for waiting, but Community Table is one of those restaurants that plays by its own rules. But you will be rewarded for playing along with chef Joel Viehland’s luscious locavore cuisine, which is based on ingredients from more than 30 local farms and purveyors. The menu is an intriguing mixture of tweaked-out comfort food—such as beef and barley borscht ($7), rabbit with celery root puree and caramelized carrots ($23), spaghetti with merguez sausage, tomatoes, eggplant, preserved lemon, cured olives and goat’s milk pecorino ($21)—and more audacious dishes like pickled vegetables in a warm, bone-marrow vinaigrette ($9) and a skate wing served with quinona, walnuts, sunflower seeds, roasted beets, cauliflower, mustard greens and apple vinegar citrus brown butter sauce ($24). Highly-principled, highly-styled but down-to-earth, Community Table is one of those restaurants that boldly prints its mission statement on the first page of the menu—“to prepare the highest quality locally grown and procured ingredients and to serve our community in a casual, vibrant atmosphere”—and then follows through magnificently but humbly.
223 Litchfield Turnpike, Washington, CT ; 860.868.9354
Thursday - Monday
Breakfast 7:30 - 11 a.m.
Dinner 5 - 10 p.m.
No reservations
