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Phoenicia Diner in Phoencia, NY, in the Catskills.
(Phoenicia Diner Instagram)
Something's changing in the Catskills. At first, urbanites came to the Catskills to get away from the city for the weekend. But now they're staying and bringing New York City-level food for visitors and locals alike. Here's some hidden and not-so-hidden gems of the Catskills.
1. Table on Ten
Table on Ten has served as a bastion of local food since it opened in the tiny village of Bloomville. The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, but also serves wood-fired pizza for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.
The yogurt served with the housemade granola comes from a farm 20 miles away. The tilsit cheese served on a baguette along with housemade pickled onions, safflower mayo and arugula comes from a farm even closer.
Oh, and there's pie from Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn that changes weekly. Enough said.
For visitors, there's three guest rooms available for rent above the cafe.
Menu:
Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. Open for dinner on Friday and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m.
Address: 2030 State Route 10, Bloomville, N.Y. 13739
Phone: 607-643-6509
Reservations? Accepted, especially for dinner.
Website
2. Mama's Boy Burgers
Mama's Boy Burgers still has a giant ice cream cone on its roof, a relic of the site's past life as Smiley's ice cream.
But this all-American drive-in now slings burgers made with local, grass-fed beef and Hofmann franks and coneys, Central New York's favorite hot dog.
Don't worry vegetarians, Mama's Boy serves truffled portobello and falafel burgers as well, plus a full menu of fries, onion rings, salads and more.
Menu:
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 6067 Main St., Tannersville, N.Y.
Phone: 518-589-6667
Reservations? Not needed.
Website
3. Brushland Eating House
Just like Table on Ten, Brushland Eating House is a story of Brooklyn transplants opening innovative restaurants in unlikely spots.
The restaurant opened in May 2014 on Main Street in Bovina. In a 633-person town named for cows, it makes sense that beef would be part of the seasonal menu, whether it be in a burger or the ever-changing $26 "Cut of Beef".
The beef is the only dish over $20, making Brushland a hot spot for visitors, as well as locals looking for a weeknight meal.
Menu:
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 5:30-10 p.m. Open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Address: 1927 county Route 6, Bovina Center, N.Y. 13740
Phone: 607-832-4861
Reservations? Accepted
Website
4. Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room
Peekamoose celebrated its 10-year anniversary in December, a long time in the ever-changing culinary world of the Catskills. The menu, cooked by CIA-trained chef/owner Devin Mills and his team, changes often to reflect what's in season locally.
The beverage menu is lengthy and includes many local selections, including both absinthes and whiskies from Delaware Phoenix, distilled in nearby Walton.
Menu:
Hours: Thursday to Monday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Address: 8373 State Route 28, Big Indian, N.Y., 12410
Phone: 845-254-6500
Reservations? Recommended
Website
5. The Tulip and The Rose
The Tulip and The Rose is an art lover's paradise in northern Delaware County. On Saturday mornings, local artists meet for "Artists Over Easy" and bond over blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup or a full English breakfast.
The restaurant describes its cuisine as American, Malay, Indian and Turkish and sure enough, the dinner menu features Turkish Kofte, Malaysian duck curry, Indian shrimp mahkni and more. On Tuesdays, the restaurant offers a special themed menu, such as Turkish or Malaysian, that changes weekly.
"When we first came, we were different," cafe manager Erdem Kahyaoglu told the Watershed Post.
Just like dinner, lunch covers a range of cuisines, with offerings such as gyros, Turkish lettuce wraps, shish kebabs and burgers.
Menus: Breakfast/Lunch, Dinner
Hours: Varies by season.
Address: 435 Main St., Franklin, N.Y., 13775
Phone: 607-829-4040
Reservations? Accepted
Website
6. Phoenicia Diner:
There's only around 300 residents in the village of Phoenicia, but swells on the weekends with out-of-towners looking for a taste of the Catskill Park. The New York Times ranked the Catskills 39th on its worldwide list of 52 places to visit in 2015 and the Phoenicia Diner gets a shoutout in particular.
The shoutout is justified, as the Phoenicia Diner is like no other diner. Here, the bagels come topped with locally smoked trout and not only is the corned beef hash homemade, the beef is housecured. All washed down with bloody marys made with local vodka and bourbon milkshakes. That's right. Bourbon and ice cream.
Menu:
Hours: Thursday to Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: 5681 State Route 28, Phoenicia, N.Y., 12464
Phone: 845-688-9957
Reservations? Not needed
Website
7. Goods Luncheonette
Goods Luncheonette has been dishing out reubens with housemade corned beef, Japanese boneless fried chicken, rosemary and garlic fries and more since it opened in May 2014.
Everything is under $10, making Goods a great choice for lunch. "The idea was to serve the 'best of the world's fast food,'" co-owner Adam Kowalsky told the Watershed Post. "We wanted to be like a food truck, but outside of a food truck."
Menu:
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 4125 State Route 28, Boiceville, N.Y., 12412
Phone: (845) 594-8579
Reservations? Not needed
Website
8. Blue Bee Cafe
Located on Main Street in Delhi, a town CNN named one of the 10 coolest small towns in America, the Blue Bee Cafe serves up giant salads, freshly baked pastries and more. The tea comes from Tay Tea, blended in nearby Andes.
The space had been split between the cafe and a used book store, but has transitioned to a cafe and the food offerings have expanded. The owners also own Stewart's Department Store across the street, a Delhi institution. Both are worth a stop in this up-and-coming town.
Menus: Part 1, Part 2
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Address: 114 Main St., Delhi, N.Y. 13753
Phone: (607) 746-8060
Reservations? Not needed
Website