Hudson Valley History Repeats Itself with Imaginative Flair at Olde York Farm Distillery and Cooperage

By contributing writer: Veronica Fassbender While driving north through the Hudson Valley to Claverack from Kingston, one can be pleasantly surprised by the serene and relaxing environment. Right off Route 23, a meandering road with picturesque landscapes and intriguing architecture, sits Olde York Farm: distillery, cooperage and Bed & Breakfast. Olde York Farm is a […]

Sawkill Creek Wines Founder Shares Talents at bluecashew Kitchen Homestead

Sawkill Creek, a Woodstock-based boutique brand of limited production handcrafted wines, ciders, bitters and elixirs, was started in 2008 as a pop-up by Brooke Vosika, former Exec Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston. Brooke’s tenured career with Four Seasons Resorts spans over three decades including stints in DC, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta and New York […]

Foodie Paradiso: First Capital Bistro is First Rate.

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn   Companion Two and I travel a great deal together. Sometimes we stay at bed and breakfasts, every now and again an inn, and when we want anonymity, a hotel. (FYI, I’m not having a sordid affair, I’m married to Companion Two.) Now we have stayed in some exquisite places, […]

Foodie Paradiso: Oyummy is, oh so, Yummy….

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn Albany Avenue is not necessarily known for its fine dining restaurants. It is mostly strip mall type places, fast food joints and a few restaurants sprinkled here and there. If you did not know it was there, you would drive right by Oyummy without a second thought. What a shame, […]

Alebrijes Mexican Delicacies, finely crafted and whimsical just like its namesake

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn The Latino/Hispanic population is the fastest growing in Ulster County with about 10% of the residents at the last census. You see evidence of this up and down Broadway, from Rondout to Uptown and in between. Not just restaurants, but grocery stores, businesses and other clues that are the changing […]

Foodie Paradiso: The Aegean in Our Own Backyard

By contributing writer: Susie Linn Greek cuisine is a modest thing, fresh ingredients simply prepared with delicious results and Kovo Rotisserie in uptown Kingston is certainly delivering just that. The Kovo pledge is that they are committed to serving the finest, freshest local produce and meat as possible. Kovo is Greek cuisine at its finest, fresh, […]

Foodie Paradiso: Redwood….and a Stairway to Heaven

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn Kingston does not lack much in the way of dining. The restaurants are eclectic in nature, cuisine, price and formality; but therein lies the rub, there is very little outdoor dining in Kingston. Now when I say outdoor, I don’t mean a few tables and chairs set up on the […]

Mi Ranchito Pupuseri es Mi Pequeña Secreto (My Little Secret)

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn   Midtown Kingston is not necessarily known for its restaurants. Oh, there are some old stand-bys, Tony’s Pizzeria, Eng’s and Frank Guido’s, the latest in a series of Italian restaurants that have occupied that location. Then there are the new kids, Pakt, Yasuda, the Anchor and a couple of Mexican […]

A ‘Twist’ed Take on Street Fare

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn   In a food desert off Broadway, in and amongst factories, artists’ studios, arts businesses and government office buildings, lies a mobile oasis….A haven that serves lavender-infused lemonade with free refills. That, my friends, is what I call an oasis, the Twisted Fork food truck. Apparently, the Texas chuck wagon […]

Foodie Paradiso: Two Ravens Tavern Soars

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn When I think of Czech restaurants, I think of lush oil paintings with gilded frames, tuxedoed waiters scurrying about in hushed tones, ornate silver flatware, white cloth-covered tables and white glove service. Old World and old school. Think again. Two Ravens Tavern is probably the antithesis of that notion, but […]

Foodie Paradiso: La Florentina Fires It Up!

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn I’m always a little leery of restaurants in strip malls, but La Florentina is one of those proverbial gems, a first-rate Italian restaurant and pizzeria in an unremarkable setting. Here in a series of strip malls that house the likes of a Chinese takeout, a nail salon and a fitness […]

Foodie Paradiso: The Food is Fresh and the Livin’ is Easy

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn Finding a quick, no-frills lunch where the food is freshly made can be more of a quest than it sounds. But in a non-descript, single-story, white-sided building on an unassuming street in midtown Kingston, sits a beacon, a place much like your grandmother’s kitchen. It’s nothing fancy, but redolent of […]

Foodie Paradiso:”Steak”ing it Out in Uptown Kingston, Chops Grille

By contributing writer:  Susie Linn If restaurants were rated for niceness and atmosphere, Chops Grille would get four stars, hands down. It is hard to imagine a cozier place than this clubby uptown Kingston bistro that seems to be constantly filled with regular clients. The owner, Denni Demosthenes, moves through the room as if he […]

Foodie Paradiso: The Lunchbox, Shoe-box in Size But Big in Flavor

By contributing writer: Lynn Woods   The Soup Nazi on Seinfeld was based on a real-life soup stand proprietor in Midtown Manhattan—I used to go there during lunch hour in the early 1990s—but fortunately, not all gifted soup vendors are ogres. Here in Kingston we’ve got The Lunchbox, which serves soup and other lunch items […]

Foodie Paradiso: Just For You, in Oaxacan Style!

By contributing writer: Lynn Woods   Many of the small, more casual eateries that open on Broadway unfortunately have had a difficult time staying in business—a situation that should change when the new plantings, improved crossings, benches and other amenities the city plans to install, will result in a much upgraded streetscape. Just For You, located […]