UPTOWN KINGSTONʼS NEW YEARʼS EVE ʻ1913ʼ CELEBRATION!

December 10th, 2012

Neighborhood-wide event will re-imagine the Historic Stockade District to 100 years ago

To celebrate the new year- and say goodbye to what has been a very good year for uptown Kingston- several businesses have united to present a neighborhood-wide celebration themed as if it were a century ago, complete with pre-prohibition style drinks, food, music, and entertainment.

Beginning around 7PM, Boitsonʼs, Duo Bistro, Stockade Tavern, and BSP Lounge (all within a block of each other) will simultaneously be hosting era-specific festivities and providing gift/discounts to those patrons who are ʻdressed appropriatelyʼ. The evening will culminate with the first ever ʻball dropʼ at the corner of N.Front st. and Wall st. (which will be closed to traffic all evening) and events will continue well into the new year!

Here is a look at some of the scheduled entertainment, though roaming street performers, a vintage photobooth, an authentic newspaper reprint, and many other surprises will also be announced via the Facebook Event:

BSP Lounge (323 Wall st.) – A special design installation by At Home Antiques will be revealed with a free reception at 7PM! Located at 81 Broadway in Kingston, AHA specialize in turn of the century furnishings and décor; owner Rebekah Milne (of the Milne Antique family) will be transforming the front lounge and ʻprivateʼ burlesque room at BSP into authentically century-old suites. There will also be atleast one piece of furniture (a leather, rolling bar) that was originally on the showcase floor when the building that now holds BSP Lounge was still Standard Furniture (ca. 1950s) and was recently recovered from a family in Alabama, but thatʼs

another story. After 9PM, there will be a $10 cover (18+) for burlesque, vaudeville performers, a swing band, and a DJ after midnight.

Stockade Tavern (313 Fair st.) – Specializing in pre-prohibition style cocktails year round, this popular destination will also be hosting Caprice Rouge, an eastern European Klezmer band (think jazz meets polka) around 9PM (21+, free) and will have a DJ after midnight.

Boitsonʼs (47 N. Front st.) – Will be offering a special era-specific menu/cocktails, plus a focused set of music from 1912 (converted from 78rpm records) courtesy of local DJ Raissa St. Pierre.

Duo Bistro (50 John st.) – In addition to era-friendly menu items, Duo will host locally-based, internationally renown husband/wife duo Rebecca Martin & Larry Grenadier performing Jazz and Folk standards from the by-gone era (10PM, all ages/free). Also, and this no small feat, Duo will begin serving breakfast at 1AM!

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JULY 4TH LIGHTS UP KINGSTON WATERFRONT

June 19th, 2012

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The 4th of July celebration in Kingston will take place on the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston on Wednesday, July 4th from 6PM-10PM, with fireworks sponsored by Mainetti, Mainetti & O’Connor, P.C. taking place at 9:30PM. Visitors and residents alike are encouraged to bring family, friends, lawn chairs and flags and enjoy all that the Rondout waterfront has to offer.

Dining, shopping and reveling in a patriot celebration are at the forefront of this year’s festivities.

Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo encourages people to “spend the day enjoying all the historic Rondout district has to offer. You can take a stroll on our waterfront promenade, explore the Trolley and Maritime Museums or simply shop and dine while you wait for the fantastic fireworks display to start.”

The impressive fireworks display is sponsored by Mainetti, Mainetti and O’Connor, P.C., a law firm in Kingston.

“The City of Kingston and the surrounding community has given a lot to us,” said attorney Joseph O’Connor.  “We feel fortunate to be in a position to give something back and we feel that sponsoring the fireworks is something that everyone can enjoy and we’re happy to do it.”

With so much to see and do in this historic waterfront section of New York State’s first capital city, visitors will want to arrive early to stroll along the waterfront promenade and through the shops, art galleries, antique stores and two museums that line the streets.

Bring the family and enjoy outdoor dining at Dermot Mahoney’s Irish Pub, Mariner’s, Ship to Shore or Savona’s Trattoria while 92.9 WBMP and the classic rock band, Hot Rod, play music from the ’50s through the ’90s in TR Gallo Park.

Before the dazzling display in the summer sky a patriotic address will be given by Kingston Historian Ed Ford, United States Serviceman Daniel McShea will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Alliance and Terri Dwyer will perform a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Samir Hrichi, Chef/Owner of Ship To Shore Restaurant and one of the organizers of this year’s family oriented, all-American celebration, said, “I’m excited to be a part of this year’s Independence Day celebration, especially since we are celebrating it on the actual Fourth. This will be my 14th year on the waterfront and I don’t think there is a better place to celebrate than in the first capital of New York State.  I’ll even be creating a classic All-American menu for the occasion available all day and night!”

Further down the Strand, revelers will want to arrive early for creek-side dining and boat watching from the spacious back decks at the Steel House and Rosita’s.

In honor of the holiday the Hudson River Maritime Museum will enjoy extended hours and discounted admission. Public Relations Director Lana Chassman said: “Bring your friends, family and picnic blankets and join us at the best seat on the creek for the fireworks at 9:30.”

Make New York’s first capital your homeport for fun this Fourth of July. Celebrate in a city that remembers what the day is all about: A salute to our founding fathers and all those who continue to fight for and protect our freedoms. Bring your family and your flag for a day on Kingston’s waterfront.

For more information, visit www.UlsterCountyAlive.com

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Déjà-Vu Delis and Restaurants Now Serving

February 27th, 2012

From the Rondout to Uptown Kingston colorful new Delis and Restaurants recently opened, and are serving a hint of nostalgia with their diverse menus.

Along the Rondout Creek on Abeel Street, the P&T Deli had its soft opening a week ago, and is planning a major opening event in about two weeks.  The location is familiar to anyone who has shopped for computer parts, duct tape, hammers, or jack knives at the marvelously eclectic P&T Surplus store.  The P&T Deli is operated by Linda Smythe, the wife of the operator of P&T Surplus, Tim Smythe–aided and abetted by various family members–oh yes, and Igor the Robot.  Those who have attended the wine and cheese art openings at P&T’s annual “Nuts & Bolts” art exhibition are familiar with Igor, who will be pouring sodas for the grand opening of the deli.  At present the menu features  traditional deli fare with not-so-traditional fresh-baked bread.  There are breakfast sandwiches, hot soup, and, as soon as the weather warrants it, there will be a freezer case full of ice cream novelties.   The menu is perfect for a take-out early spring picnic in the nearby Block Park. This is not a new venture in the food business for Linda Smythe. For decades she owned and operated the legendary Lindy’s on Rt. 9-w in Port Ewen.  The  ghostlike structure is still standing, and is a landmark on the busy highway.  Linda is  planning that the P&T Deli is going to be a neighborhood center as Lindy’s was, with newspapers, groceries, and general store items.  Customers with mobility challenges are accommodated with curbside service.   P&T Deli will eventually be the only general store in the area with a robot serving the sodas!

Traveling up the Kingston Corridor at 342 Broadway, one will now find  the Taqueria, where Diego Rojos is doing a brisk business serving Huevos a la Mexicana, tacos, torta, burritos, enchiladas and many specialty dishes.  The traditional Mexican take-out is proving very popular with employees of the area health centers and with Kingston High School! Mr. Rojos reopened his restaurant last week after a year long hiatus and finds his new location to be much better suited for his clientele – it is larger with more seating.

Continuing up Broadway,  across the street from the Midtown Neighborhood Center and coincidently at the former location of the Taqueria at 456 Broadway is a new deli with a very familiar name, “Joe Beez.”  People who don’t mind going a block out of their way for really good delectable edibles have been  flocking to Joe Beez Kitchen and Catering at 40 South Manor Avenue for 11 years.  Joe Beganz noticed that the Broadway location was  vacant and felt it was “the right place at the right time” to open in a location more convenient for Kingston’s young people (and senior pedestrians as well.)  The Manor Avenue location will still be open as always, serving  delicious hot breakfast deli items, and the Broadway location will  be open for lunch and dinner.

Nearby is Tony’s Pizzeria located at 582 Broadway. Dylan and Neely Kennedy have reopened the famous Kingston Landmark which is the oldest pizza restaurant in Kingston. Serving hot slices and cold brew since 1937,  they kept the original name and neon sign on the outside and the iconic mural by Todd Samara is still the focal point of the interior, the hot, fragrant pizza is just as good as the old-timers remember!

Traveling to Fair Street in Uptown Kingston, a delicious fragrance  wafts in the unseasonable spring breezes, coming from the propped-open door of 275 Fair Street, where Yum-Yum’s Noodle Bar opened in mid-February.  The new Kingston Yum-Yums is owned by the same people who own the Yum-Yum’s Noodle Bar and Oriole9 in Woodstock.  Luc Moeys, Nina Paturel, and chef and owner Erica Mahlkuck felt that the time was right to expand their business to offer Kingston diners a new choice for lunch and dinner.  If that name “Paturel” seems very familiar, it is because Nina grew up in the now-legendary Cafe Espresso on Tinker Street in Woodstock, which was owned by her parents, Marylou and Bernard Paturel.  The cheerful  restaurant offers diners a variety of  ambiance, as well as a diverse selection of noodles.  One can chose either an intimate booth, a counter with a  panoramic vista of bustling Fair Street, or an old-fashioned lunch counter with those revolving stools that nostalgically remind most of us of our childhood.   The menu offers noodles, noodles and even more noodles, but in a dizzying variety.   There are four types of noodles (including gluten-free rice noodles),  five choices of sauce, and six choices of protein, including vegetarian tofu!

Joining our already long list of wonderful lunch and dinner spots along the Kingston Corridor we now have an expanded choice of menus offering something new with foundations deep in the area’s history for the past half century!

 

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FRESH ‘N’ EASY–The Name Says It All!

September 26th, 2011

The Fresh’n'Easy Bakery at 331 Hasbrouck Avenue in midtown Kingston has only been open since June, but it has already attracted scores of regulars from the nearby Kingston High School and Kingston and Benedictine Hospitals.

Fresh ‘n’ Easy is a lot more than a bakery–it is a family run bistro offering breakfast and lunch specials for less than the area fast-food restaurants–while using the freshest in local and natural products in the preparation!  It redefines “family run”–while daughters Heather and Crissy offer cheerful customer service back of the counter, owner Linda Bang and her mom, Virginia John, whisk together delectable fresh baked goods in the on-site kitchen.  Other family members pitch in as needed.

The ambiance is that of  beautifully preserved country store dining–with a modern flair!   The display cases are well-maintained retro, but there is wifi available so customers can catch up with their email while relishing big hot cups of Mountain Grown coffee in a selection of flavors, including decaf.    The $3 breakfast specials can include everything from cinnamon buns still warm from the oven to eggs and cheese.

The $5 lunch menu of soup and sandwiches attracts customers that want a lunch that is affordable and portable and has the best in locally grown and natural ingredients.  There are hot and cold sandwiches on the menu, and if you want to add a slice of tomato to that pulled pork sandwich on your choice of breads, it is available–with a smile and at no extra cost!  For one-stop shopping convenience, diners can also pick up a copy of the newspaper or a bag of snacks for later enjoyment.  Of course, we can also get a bag of still-warm baked goods ranging from sinfully delicious looking cookies though muffins, crumb cake, flakey little pastries and indulgent sweet rolls. The menu is always changing as the oven wafts forth  tempting scents into the cozy, immaculately clean little bistro with its 1950′s sundae shop decor and luxurious geraniums and petunias waving to outside traffic from the windows.

Customers can also order gluten-free and sugar-free baked goods, carefully prepared from scratch. One recent morning found Linda posting the special of the day–a roasted pork loin sandwich and a sausage and kale soup featuring kale that had been in a vegetable garden that morning!

Virginia, Linda and Heather

The real “special” at Fresh’n'Easy is the genuine “friendly family service”.   Special orders are taken with a genuine smile, the food arrives fresh, hot, and temptingly plated, and the relaxed atmosphere invites lingering luxuriously over a second big cup of Mountain Grown coffee while checking what is going on in the outside world on the laptop!

Fresh ‘n’ Easy Bakery & Cafe
331 Hasbrouck Ave.
Kingston, NY 12401
ph. 845-331-2579
fax 845-331-2578
Hours: M-F 6:00 A.M.-4 P.M.
Sat.   8:00 A.M.-2 P.M.
closed Sundays

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Mangia @ Mario’s!

September 26th, 2011

If a trip to Italy isn’t in this year’s budget, the next best thing is a dining excursion to the newly opened Mario’s Trattoria at the corner of  John and Wall Street in the historic former Stuyvesant Hotel building.  Only one short block from the Uptown Pike Plan, Rocco Panetta and his chef Mario Garcia are offering a dining tour of the best food and drink Italy has to offer, at a wide range of prices and calories!

Want to manga Italiana on a budget?  Tuesdays and Wednesday from 5pm to 10 pm offers delectable pasta special, served with a salad for only $10.95.  The Penne Giuseppe with its delicate pink cream sauce and mushrooms, peas, and chicken is an exquisite variation on the usual Italian fare.  There is a large selection of soups, salads, and panini for those looking for lighter dining.  Friday from 5 to 7 Mario’s hosts a happy hour that is becoming an uptown tradition with its generous selection of drink specials and $5 appetizers that are generous enough to serve as a meal, including Clams Oreganata or Mussels Marinara with Tuscan Grilled Bread!

For those who feel like splurging on a joyous celebration, there is a selection of upscale wines from California and Italy from the Trattoria’s extensive wine cellar.  For those who prefer beer, Mario’s offers everything from Michelob Ultra Draft through the ubiquitous Bud Lite.  And yes, of COURSE there is desert!  The Cannoli have sweet ricotta impastata with chocolate chips in a flakey shell — or there is the delicious Ricotta Cheesecake, or a half dozen other delicious choices.

Of course, Rocco’s restaurants (he owns one in New Paltz also) are online at  http://www.lastazioneny.com/, and you can visit on twitter and facebook also!   The best way to visit is to head for 33-37 John Street–and remember to bring you appetite!    Remember, you don’t have to put money in the meters after 5 pm or on weekends!

 

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El Danzante Returns, on Wheels

July 26th, 2011

For the past couple of weeks, a white truck with green and red stripes inscribed “El Danzante on Wheels: A Taste of Mexico” has been parked at Perry’s Towing Service every evening, from five to eleven. It’s a particularly welcome sight to the fans of El Danzante, a Mexican restaurant on Broadway that closed this year, after 11 years in business. Owner Rufino Juarez is now serving his famous Mexican specialties from the truck, fronted by several tables shaded by brightly colored umbrellas, transforming the pavement into an al fresco dining area.

The festive truck with its growling generator and accompanying tables, each with a decorative salt holder shaped like an animal, make you feel like you’re at Coney Island, if only there was a view of the sea. Novelty aside, the real reason to stop by is for the fresh, inspired food, which includes soft and hard tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, fajitas, and taquitos (Mexican-style beef with red peppers, rice, red beans, red sauce and guacamole). Three tacos are just $5, while the taquitos is $8.  Juarez cooks it all from scratch on the grill in the truck, which is accompanied by a refrigerated unit stocked with soda, juice and water. He also serves fish and chips, burgers, and hot dogs.

The taquitos is a full meal, but then so are the tacos, with a choice of chicken, beef, beans, cheese or pastor (marinated crispy pork, which I highly recommend). The soft tacos are warmed almost to the point of crispiness, and the small chunks of meat are tossed with chopped onion, cilantro, and tiny pieces of pineapple, topped with a guacamole that’s wonderfully redolent of fresh avocado and a delicately flavored red sauce. Two wedges of lime and a few radish slices complete the dish. All the ingredients are extremely fresh. It’s street food in the best tradition, and it’s available right on Broadway—making the auto-shop parking lot suddenly an appealing place to linger.

 A note on Juarez’s culinary approach: he cooks in a variety of Mexican styles, in order to appeal to the diverse population of Mexicans in Kingston: mole poblano, from Pueblo; oven-roasted pork, which is marinated for a few days and fried in a big pan, from Michoacan; and tlayuda, corn tortillas served with sliced steak or chorizo topped with black bean paste, string cheese, guacamole, red sauce, lettuce and tomatoes, from his native Oaxaca.

Juarez moved to Kingston 20 years ago from Millbrook, after his wife started helping out at his brother’s grocery store on Elmendorf Street. He had been cooking in Hyde Park, but in 2000 transferred his culinary talents to Kingston, opening El Danzante. Juarez acknowledged his customers’ disappointment since the place has been closed. “They keep calling me asking, ‘we need your tacos. There’s none that compare,’” he said, noting that the truck has filled that gap.

Juarez planned to relocate in the former Midtown Chophouse, in a building he owns, and has been renovating the space for four years, but the depressed economy and some remaining loose ends have delayed the opening. In the meantime, he and his wife have been faithfully running a Mexican grocery store, called Abril’s Boutique Plus, at 8 Van Buren Street—just around the corner from Perry’s. Its colorful lights brighten up an otherwise grim stretch of street after dusk. Juarez’ exceptionally friendly children, all of whom attend Kingston schools, help out, accompanied by their white puppy.

“When I started out, the street was terrible,” said Juarez. “It was totally destroyed. I put in my hands, money and time.” Now, with the help of Perry’s, he’s turned part of Broadway into a friendly outdoor eating spot, with plans to extend his season into the fall. So the next time you’re driving down Broadway at night, be sure to stop by and sample some extraordinarily good Mexican food.

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Rondout Music Lounge Makes Broadway Swing

July 11th, 2011

Kingston’s burgeoning music scene just got a boost with the opening of the Rondout Music Lounge. It’s open from 5 to midnight every day except Monday and features live music most nights (definitely over the weekend). Located in a handsome, vintage storefront with high tin ceilings and wood floors, the venue brings back a tradition of music that once happened here when it was the Sturgeon Bar. The lounge specializes primarily in jazz and blues, taking advantage of the numerous world-class musicians who happen to live in Ulster County, such as Joey Eppard, Harvey Sorgen, of Hot Tuna, and Michael Bernier, who has toured the world numerous times with Tony Levin. Right now, there is no cover, and a Budweiser is only $3 ($2 during a special happy hour some nights).

Owners Jared Zwiefel and Michael McGrath hail from Dutchess County—they were classmates at Arlington High School–and have migrated across the river partly because of the area’s cultural vibrancy. Zwiefel, who works at Hudson Valley Auto Interiors, located in Gardiner, during the day, bought a house in Uptown Kingston, while McGrath commutes from Millbrook. The two said their model was a club in Millbrook run by a friend called Millbrook R&B. “It books lots of bands and gave us the experience,” said Zwiefel. They landed in the Rondout partly because their landlord offered a very reasonable rent. Plus, he had restored the space beautifully, finishing of the wood floor and putting in new heating and AC and the vintage wooden bar.

Besides beer and wine—there are plans to serve hard liquor and soda soon–Rondout Music Lounge also serves burgers, quesadillas and other bar food, so one can have a meal prior or while listening to the music. Andy Parker, a musician and native Kingstonian, is booking the acts, and the work of two local artists hangs on the walls. (The large exposed side brick wall is bare, which Zweiefel hopes to cover with art; local artists, take note.)

The lounge has a Facebook page, and so far it is relying on word of mouth and the musicians’ substantial network to attract customers. Zwiefel said the central location was also a boon, with many walk-ins. In two short weeks, the place has already attracted many tourists, including a couple from Long Island visiting the area on their boat. “They were thrilled,” Zwiefel said. “They said there was nothing like this where they live.”

He and McGrath are considering opening the lounge in the afternoon, when they’ve noticed a bustle of activity before people disappear for dinner. There’s always something interesting playing on the sound system—even if it isn’t live; Parker promised to “play my harmonica while slinging drinks” as part of the entertainment. Joking aside, the venue is aimed at the 28-plus crowd—music lovers who are into jazz and blues.

Among the coming attractions are a performance by blues-guitar wunderkind Connor Kennedy, who is only 16 years old, and Roy Bookbinder, a folk blues guitarist with a direct link to the geniuses who defined the Delta Blues.

“I love the foot traffic,” said Zwiefel. “It’s a beautiful location. And we’re near the bridge, so we’re getting a lot of people from Rhinebeck.”

 

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New Rondout Pizzerias Serve an Excellent Slice

June 7th, 2011

Don Vito’s Pizzeria opened two days after Easter, substantially adding to the cluster of businesses in the Rondout, at 83 Broadway. A friend of landlord Ronan O’Neill, who recently renovated the handsome, Italianate brick building, proprietor Vito Zito visited the Rondout a few times and decided it was a perfect location for his pizzeria when the storefront became available. No hole in the wall, the store is bright and spacious, with 100-year-old brick walls, large windows, wood floors, and high ceilings.

Zito knows pizza, having grown up in the pizzeria his father, a native of Sicily, ran for 33 years in Marlborough. It was after his father, Dominic, had retired that Vito decided to go out on his own. Dominic hasn’t retired entirely: on a recent afternoon, he was in the store helping out, folding a stack of cardboard boxes. (There’s also an employee who makes deliveries.) Vito has taken to heart Dominic’s two tips for success—“good price and good material”: a slice costs only $1.85, and a medium pizza, measuring 14 inches in diameter, is $9.75, while a large, 18-inch pie is $11.75 and an individual pizza $6.75.

The pizza is delicious, with a thin, crispy crust topped by a rich marinara sauce with just the right amount of melted, slightly toasted mozzarella. “We stick with a quality product,” Zito said, noting he uses a secret family recipe, straight from Sicily. He also serves sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, calzones and strombolis, and wings—the basics. Although word of mouth has so far proved effective, Zito has mailed out flyers and bought airtime on WKNY. Customers can also fill out a ticket for a free pizza, with a drawing in September.

Zito said he’s been pleasantly surprised at the accessibility of the neighborhood. “I thought I’d get a lot of attitude, but people have been really friendly. It’s really nice,” he said. He added that keeping the streets clean is vital to business. “When you start seeing cigarette butts on the corner and paper stuck to the sidewalk, that’s the start of the neighborhood’s downfall. People won’t want to come back. The way it looks now, it’s beautiful.”

Don Vito’s Pizzeria is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm
and Sunday from 11 to 8. Their phone number is 845-802-5056

Down the hill, a second pizzeria opened just two weeks ago, at 32 Broadway. While its sister eatery across the street, Savona’s Trattoria, is a full-service, sit-down restaurant, owner Stephen Savona said Savona’s Pizzeria focuses on pizza and sandwiches. He said he jumped on the storefront space when it became available, having identified a demand for fast food in the area, especially with the arrival of the boaters at the city docks. With its two-toned cappuccino-colored walls, bistro-style minimalist lights, and 1920s framed Italian posters, with dramatic, surrealistic graphics, the pizzeria is unusually elegant (thanks to the design sense of Stephen’s wife, Mayte).

The new location, which is in effect an expansion of Savona’s restaurant, which opened four years ago, is a tribute to the family’s success in the neighborhood. “We’re blessed,” said Savona. “So far it’s been great. We haven’t done any advertising yet, although we plan to start marketing the pizzeria soon.”

The crust of Savona’s pizza is also wonderfully thin and crusty, with lots of cheese on top, for a milder flavor. A slice is $2.15, while a 14-inch Neapolitan pizza is $11 and an 18-incher $13. The special toppings will please gourmands: the Rustica features roasted red peppers, Italian sausage, red onion and spinach, the Meatlover is a carnivore’s dream with pepperoni, sausage, Genoa salami and homemade meatballs, and the Vegetarian is similarly extravagant, with eggplant, mushroom, artichoke, spinach and red onions.

Savona’s also serves calzones and strombolis, heroes, salads, and sumptuous desserts    (cannoli, New York cheesecake, tiramisu).

Savona’s Pizzeria is open seven days a week, from 10 to 10 on weekdays and from 10 to 11 on weekends.    –Lynn Woods

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New Java House Brightens Broadway

May 24th, 2011

@ Broadway, or Java @ Broadway, as it is informally called, after the large letters that adorn the front door, is a new restaurant on lower Broadway, which had its soft opening on May 3. It’s already attracted a following among high school kids and employees from Kingston Hospital and other nearby medical facilities.

@ Broadway is more than just a place to eat, however: it’s also a poster child for the business transformation that’s awaiting every other down-at-the-heels building on Broadway, provided one brings a little sweat equity, design savvy, and vision to the project. Owners Lyn and JoAnn, who bought the building in 2008 and moved here from the West Coast, have beautifully restored the original Victorian house with its bumped-out storefront at 346 Broadway, transforming the shabby building into a freshly painted, three-toned beauty, its spiffy black, brown, and gray colors as stylish as a fedora.

 

Lyn at the take out window

Totally getting what’s great about Kingston’s architectural fabric–that is, its retro charm—they’ve installed a take-out window overlooking the sidewalk. While waiting for your $2 hot dog or $3.50 breakfast wrap, you can stand under the metal awning, a Kingston original that’s been spruced up at Don’s Auto Shop with a glossy coat of toffee-colored paint. The window is not only a convenience for customers but also makes the street a friendlier place. To further improve their patch of streetscape, the partners have spread cedar mulch around the bases of the trees the length of the block. They’ve even posted a notice in the storefront window, which reads like a manifesto: JAVA@Broadway takes pride in being a neighbor in our block of Broadway. We show our appreciation in keeping the street clean, by picking up trash and by placing the red mulch around the trees on our side of the street. Think Green and Clean on Broadway!

 

Java’s narrow, high-ceiled interior is chic yet homey, with its speckled black linoleum floor, off-white walls, two red-lacquer frame mirrors, a back counter painted black with an octagonal black-and-white tiled top. A giant spoon, fork, knife and spatula hanging on the wall are a pop touch, while a row of Buddhist flags confers a silent blessing. A low bench along the wall is actually a repurposing of the original 1740s stone foundation. A few tables and a minimal couch complete the clean, streamlined look.

 

JoAnn at the counter

“I wanted to re-invent the old Java places from the 1930s,” said Lyn, who noted that her love of black probably goes back to her days in Seattle when it was still cool. “@ Broadway is like coming back to the Seattle of the 1970s and 1980s.” She said there are plans to clean up the weedy back yard and install a patio for customers.

 

The menu specializes in lunch basics: grilled cheese, ham and cheese, a “Big Mama” (bacon, ham, and cheese), melted cheese dog wrap, sausage and a bun, all-beef hot dogs, and a meatball sandwich. “We like our sandwiches to be hearty,””said JoAnn. There’s a choice of bread–Italian, hemp, wheat, English muffin–and cheese (American or Swiss). The cornbread that accompanies the homemade chili is fresh baked, and the soup is made daily. The pesto is shipped from Los Angeles and made from basil grown hydroponically. Coffee is just $1, and there are 60 varieties of teas arranged on the rack behind the counter.

 

Lyn and JoAnn also plan to open a club upstairs, with an open mike, comedy acts, live music, and a piano bar. The entrance will be like a speakeasy, with patrons knocking on a side door and passing through the distinguished former front hall, its handsome banister and paneling still covered in the original oxblood paint.

 

Kingston is a long way from Hollywood, so how did the two West Coasters end up here? They’d been looking for a place to retire to, heard about the Hudson Valley from a friend, and discovered Kingston after doing some research on the Internet. The two had been driving up Broadway on their first visit when a car collided in front of them, an event that JoAnn credits with their discovery of 346 Broadway. “We had stopped in front because of the car accident and saw the for-sale sign. It was a good price,” she recalled.

 

Upon purchasing the building, they installed a new roof immediately, quickly stemming the damage from leaks that in six months’ time would have doomed the building, said Lyn. It took them three years to do the complete renovation, including replacement of the exterior fishtail shingles and clapboard, with work suspended during the winter months. (JoAnn, who is in the military, was serving in Kosovo during much of that time, which further slowed down the process.)

 

“The local populace is very friendly and nice,” said Lyn. “We also love the city for its three centuries of architecture and grace.”   –Lynn Woods

 

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Stockade Tavern’s Special Chemistry

March 29th, 2011

Stockade Tavern, the  Federal-style drinking establishment—“bar” is too crude a term—at 313 Fair Street, is dedicated to restoring the art of the cocktail, which got lost during Prohibition, resulting in too many bland, watery drinks in decades since. Stirring and shaking up a variety of vintage cocktails every night takes brains (bartender and tavern co-owner Paul Maloney noted it’s a challenge remembering each complicated recipe),  brawn (all that shaking), and an ability to multitask (fulfilling three different drink orders at once isn’t easy). Just to give you an idea of what’s involved, here’s Maloney’s description of how he concocts two of his establishment’s killer drinks:

The first is for a Pink Stag, which is a kind of deconstructed Bloody Mary masquerading as a martini:

“I first infuse vodka with horseradish root (which is washed and cut into pieces small enough to fit in a bottle). I fill the bottle almost halfway with horseradish, put in the vodka, let it steep, and within four hours it’s ready. Then I “muddle” (extract the juice) from 5 or 6 cherry tomatoes, add a half ounce of fresh lemon juice and a little bit of simple syrup (water and sugar mixed in equal amounts). I add a basil leaf and use an oak “muddling” stick to crush the ingredients. Then I add a few ounces of horseradish vodka, an ounce of regular vodka and ice cubes and stir. I double strain it through a Hawthorne strainer (which holds back the ice cubes) and tea strainer into a chilled martini glass. I coat the top with a few dashes of ancho chili powder, add a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt, and top it off with a dilly bean (a green bean that’s pickled with dill).”

Maloney noted that he came up with this recipe as a way to avoid opening a can of tomato juice. “We juice everything ourselves,” he said. “This is a cleaner drink, though it’s hellacious to make if we’re really jammed. You can batch certain drinks, but not this one.”

The second drink is a Ramos Gin Fizz, named after a bartender in New Orleans who invented one of the Big Easy’s most famous cocktails in the late 1800s:

“I crack an egg white into a shaker tin. In the other half of the tin I put an ounce of half of half and half, a half ounce of fresh lemon, a half ounce of fresh lime, an ounce of simple syrup, two ounces of gin, three or four drops of orange flower water and shake for 20 seconds. When you crack the tin it should be nice and foamy. I add a bunch of ice, put the tins back together, and shake for a good minute or so. (Ramos shook his for 12 minutes, using a gaggle of guys who stood behind him.) I pour it into a Collins glass, without any ice, and fill an inch from the top, then add an ounce of club soda and tamp it down, by tapping the glass on the bar top. I pour another ounce of club soda into the tin and strain it into the glass.”

Maloney said he’s constantly adding new drinks to the menu, which insures a visit to the Stockade Tavern is never without novelty. Thanks Paul for sharing! —Lynn Woods

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