Fleisher’s Prepares for Thanksgiving

November 9th, 2010

Jessica & Joshua Applestone

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a particularly busy time for Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats. The old-fashioned butcher shop at 307 Wall Street has not only been pleasing palettes with its healthy and locally raised natural meats but also resurrecting the art of butchery through its apprenticeships and classes—and in the meantime generated articles in the national media as well as being featured in the high-profile memoir, Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell (author of Julie & Julia, which inspired the popular film).

Co-owner Josh Applegate appeared on The Martha Stewart Show last spring—he showed her how to break down a pig—and will be participating on Iron Chef on December 12, as one of the judges rating the dishes participants will concoct from a secret ingredient. (Fleisher’s will also be contributing the ingredient; it provided the veal featured on the show last month). Clearly this small Kingston business is making waves far beyond the confines of Wall Street.

Right now, it’s taking orders for its free-range turkeys—free of antibiotics and hormones, of course–which are raised on Dutchess County farms. As of Monday, already half of its orders had been filled, so don’t delay in ordering your delicious bird. The cost is $8.99 per pound, and the gobblers range from eight to 30 pounds—the store recommends allowing for a four-pound margin. Fleisher’s is also offering 10-pound capons (a castrated rooster, with extra-tender meat).

The next upcoming workshop, “Steer to Beef,” is on November 14, followed by “Pig to Pork,” on December 5 (which is also the start of a five-day Butchery 101 Class, which covers knife skills, breaking down animals, and sanitation). The one-day workshops are $300, which includes three meals and a visit to the farm to pick up the slaughtered animal. The longer class is $2,000, plus $100 for knives (which students keep). Employee Lindsay Pugnali said a couple of Martha Stewart’s assistants as well as a few employees from the Food Network were planning to attend one of the one-day workshops.

As mentioned, Fleisher’s also offers apprenticeships. Currently a young man from New Jersey and a woman from Portland, Oregon, are participating in eight-week programs,  and a recent Bard grad is serving a two-week stint, concentrating on pork. Fleisher’s employs eight employees, including the owners, Josh and his wife, Jessica.

Fleisher’s makes 12 deliveries a week of whole animals to restaurants in New York City, with some piggyback orders going to Westchester County. But the owners are equally focused on their retail business: they’ve purchased the former Neko’s luncheonette and are meeting with an architect to redesign the space, with plans for an upstairs teaching arena and downstairs retail store, perhaps including a restaurant. Fleisher’s is open on Thursday and Friday from 11 to 7 and from Saturday 10-6; Tuesdays and Wednesdays are devoted to its wholesale business.

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Gargoyles Sets Up Shop in Kingston

October 26th, 2010

Perhaps the best publicity a city can get is an article about it in the New York Times. An article appeared in the summer of 2009 that profiled a Brooklyn couple who bought a house on Abeel Street now the One Mile Gallery, has resulted in at least one newcomer relocating to Kingston. Hadassah Zuberi Ben-Dor, a resident of Philadelphia for over 40 years and owner of Gargoyles, read the article and was instantly intrigued. Having never been to the Hudson Valley before, she visited Kingston and fell in love with the architecture, arts community, fabulous restaurants, and relatively reasonable real estate prices.

She subsequently bought the former Coffey Gallery building on Wall Street, closing the deal in June and moving in at the end of August. Ben-Dor operates her retail shop and wholesale business on the ground floor and lives upstairs. “It’s just perfect,” she said, noting that the gallery nicely complements her other business, which is selling and renting props to department stores, restaurants, movies, fashion houses, photographers and other clients seeking high-quality vintage goods. She also has a side business producing vintage-style graphics for stores and restaurants.

Quality of life was an important factor in her decision to move to Kingston: “I will not make the millions I made ten years ago, but what I cherish is the serenity, beauty, and art culture of the area,” she said.

Ben-Dor, who was born and raised in Jerusalem, came to the U.S. as a student at the Moore College of Art, located in Philadelphia, where she got her degree in graphic design. She started out in the salvage business and eventually acquired a 10,000-square- foot building in Philly. Realizing that there was a market beyond home renovators, Ben-Dor started targeting restaurants and department stores and eventually became hugely successful, traveling the world for vintage goods. For a while, she was flying once a month to England, because “they have the look…with their old luggage and sports equipment.” She has made shipments as far as Japan, and her clients include such specialty businesses as a golf club in Maryland. Ben-Dor did more than just provide pieces: she also helped her clients come up with a look and an atmosphere, such as “Maine Fishing Village,” which she would sell as well as supply. “I was loving it,” she said. “It was so creative. The people I deal with are mostly designers.”

After 9/11, however, there was a significant fall-off in business, and eventually Ben-Dor had to sell her building. Finding herself priced out of the Philadelphia market, she was looking for an alternative when she read the Times article about Kingston.

Ben-Dor has already become active in the community, opening her doors on the First Saturday Gallery Walk, participating in the O+ Positive Festival, and becoming a vendor in the antiques show held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, in Rhinebeck. It’s been a perfect fit: “It feels like I’ve been here forever,” Ben-Dor said. She invites everyone to her “very beautiful show room,” at 330 Wall Street.

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A Taste of East Asia

July 26th, 2010

Karl Kimm has been running Kimm’s Gifts at 316 Wall Street since 1975. The items in the capacious store windows might look a tad dusty, as if they’ve been there several decades, but don’t be fooled: Kimm’s is solidly up to date, earning a following for its superior selection of Asian foods. On the shelves in the back, you’ll find sushi rice, five brands of soy sauce (“some are sweeter than others,” notes Kimm), jars of ginger, fermented bean curd, tins of roasted eel and mackerel in fish sauce, fried fish paste, bean, dumpling, and Peking Kung-Pao sauces, rice vinegar, fresh chili paste, bags of dried shitake mushrooms, dried seaweed, Korean kimchee, Japanese vermicelli, plum sauce, sesame candy, and boxes of green and black teas. The prices are reasonable–$1.49 for a jar of white pepper powder, $2.88 for six and a half ounce tin of anchovies.

Kimm’s also sells rice cookers—premium and affordable, take your pick—wooden bowls, tea caddies, bamboo steamers, tea and sake sets, and wonderfully painted chopsticks, of course. Rummage around some more, and you’ll come up with other treasures, gifts from Asia that preclude taking a trip: kimonos ($20 each), flat cloth rubber-sold shoes, gorgeous blue glazed bowls from Japan and China, in all kinds of patterns; paper hanging light shades; bamboo place mats; aromatic oils and soaps; incense; and origami. Kimm, who was born in Korea, said he wished Wall Street traffic went both ways, or headed west instead of east, and the taxes were lower (he owns the building). He’s too busy stocking items and taking change to say much more, but I’ll definitely be back to pick up some duck sauce and ginseng tea.

If you like your East Asian food already prepared, you have a choice of five Chinese restaurants located along the corridor, bracketed, like book ends by Kyoto Sushi on Washington Avenue and Golden Ginza Japanese Restaurant, on lower Broadway, in the Rondout (both serve sushi, teriyaki, and other Japanese specialties). Everyone has their favorite for Chinese take-out, but sometimes it’s hard to decide where to order your sesame beef, bean curd with oyster sauce, and pork chow fun, it’s all so good and unbelievably affordable. For example, at No. 1 House, located at 598 Broadway, the lunch selections start at $3.25 (and that’s not for something ultra basic such as fried rice, but, say, chicken with garlic sauce). The plentiful portion is enough for two days, which means it’s much cheaper to order out than cook at home. The Chinese restaurants are also convenient: the earliest closing hour is 10 pm, and Sunshine Chinese Restaurant, located at 364 Broadway, near the hospital, is open until 11:30 on weekends.

Eng’s Chinese Restaurant, located at 726 Broadway, is a Kingston institution and as much as a sit-down place, with its dimly lit dining room, lined with comfy booths. When Jimmy Eng opened it in 1927, it was Kingston’s first Chinese restaurant. Today Eng’s owned by Tom and Faye Sit, having been in business since 1927. The restaurant expanded and moved to its current location in 1978. General Tsao’s chicken and Cantonese steak are among head chef Hong Chan’s more requested specialties, and the prices have remained very reasonable, with lunch starting at $4.50 and the all you can eat buffet, offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5 to 9 pm and Sunday from 4 to 8 pm, for $9.50.

The other two places are Wing Shui, at 53 North Front and Hong Fu, at 694 Broadway. Wing Shui has an extensive selection of Szechuan specialties, including Kun Pao Shrimp with peanuts, fresh pork with scallion, Hunan Bean Curd, and Sesame Tofu. Wing Shui also has a separate dining room.

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Vintage Kingston

June 8th, 2010

If you’re into vintage stuff and antiques, or just looking for that special item which will transform your house into your own private castle—be it beautifully crafted French doors, crocks for the kitchen, a century-old landscape painting or a sleek mid century coffee table—Kingston’s the place to be, with several outstanding antiques places attracting customers from miles away.

Zaborski Emporium is the king of the vintage/antiques stores, judging by the sheer epic variety and amount of items it stocks. Occupying four floors of a former shirt factory at 27 Hoffman Street, the Emporium attracts movie set people (the film industry represents 10 percent of its business), New Yorkers seeking to decorate their lofts and even celebrities with homes in the area. Restaurants and other businesses come to Stan’s for vintage lights and other fixtures, while the used radiators are a popular item among home owners. Roaming amid the dusty corridors stacked with stuff spanning a century of American material culture–tables, claw-footed bathtubs, mirrors, dressers, columns, signs, doors, Victorian bird cages, rugs, chairs, trunks, vending machines, door knobs—is a trip down Memory Lane. In the basement is an entire room filled with doors.

Stan Zaborski started the business in 1976 and bought the building 13 years ago. The company has four employees and will delivery almost everywhere, for a fee. His prices range from 50 cents to $25,000, for a suite of bedroom furniture that once belonged to Robin Williams and was shipped east in a chartered plane.

“I love Kingston,” said Zaborski, who gets help from his partner, Sandy Balla, who also works as a cruise boat tour guide. “I’ve seen it in its boom times and I’ve seen it depressed. I really enjoy it here.” He is going to put a few tables outside with “really cheap merchandise” for the yard sale. (Stan remembers the first book about yard sales, published in the 1960s, which featured his father, who was a “‘used item business” pioneer.)

Other Kingston businesses that sell antiques are Velsani Arts and Antiques, on Wall Street, and On the Hill Antiques at the Skillypot Antique Center, which features multiple vendors, Mezzanine Antiques Center, and At Home Antiques, all on lower Broadway in the Rondout. Larry Zalinsky, who owns Mezzanine with his wife, B.C. Gee, said his store specializes in “smalls”—vintage items that can at least fit into the back of a Subaru SUV. They include Victorian jewelry, a variety of paintings and prints, and mid-century furniture.

Just up the block, At Home Antiques is the latest entrant, opening six months ago in a capacious, warehouse-like space in a building owned by Judith and James Milne. The Milnes have been in the antiques business for 40 years—they operated a shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years—and they have an eye, stocking items you’ll see nowhere else, including a coffee table inset with a geometric pattern of linoleum, painted screens from a Parisian café, a deco-painted bedroom set, sturdy farm tables, and a wonderful selection of metal porch chairs, each like a character out of a Gorey cartoon.

Judith said the couple bought the building in 2004 and opened the store after they lost their tenant. “We love Kingston and didn’t want it to have another empty storefront,” she said. “We wanted to help the business community. Kingston needs to become more of a destination.”

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Farmers’ Market Largest in Area

May 25th, 2010

The Kingston Farmers’ Market was started 11 years ago as a way to bring people to Uptown on a day when not much was happening, and it has been a resounding success. As many as 2,000 people attend on a hot summer’s day. “It gives people a chance to discover Uptown, and retailers have an opportunity to tap into the market” by putting up a sign on the premises, said Joe Fitzgerald, a caterer and realtor who serves as the market’s president of the board of directors.

It’s the biggest farm market in the region. This year there will be 32 vendors, including several newcomers: Gadaleto’s Seafood Market, a wholesaler from New Paltz; Chef Ef, who will be serving paella; Keegan Ales; Julia and Isabella, serving prepared foods; Acorn Hill Farm, which sells goat cheese; and Chocolate Revolution, which makes sugar-less chocolate creations. (For traditional artisan chocolates, shoppers can go across the street to Neko’s.)

A booth costs $400 ($300 if the vendor prepays). The proceeds help pay for a publicist and advertisements in the local press. Chronogram is a partial sponsor, and this year, by taking advantage of funds from Pride of New York, a state program that matches funds from the federal government to promote local produce, the market will also be advertised on radio stations WKNY and WKZE.

An adjoining crafts market on John Street will also open on May 29 and be held every first and third Saturdays, strengthening the Farmers Market’s appeal as a destination. Ad hoc musicians liven up the street, and this year, through a program organized by Karen Pillsworth, eight story tellers will be featured. Operation Front Line, sponsored by the Queens Galley, is a six-week program in which small groups of middle school children come to the market to learn culinary skills and nutritional tips from participating farmers. And this season certified nutritionist Holly Anne Shelowitz and Jennifer McKinley, owner of Kingston Natural Foods, will do healthy food demos, alternating each Saturday.

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What’s Happening Off the Corridor

April 27th, 2010

The corridor—the Stockade District, Broadway, and West Strand–is where most of Kingston’s businesses are concentrated, but let’s not forget the scattering of interesting retailers and restaurants off the corridor. Take a peek down the side streets and you’ll find some small gems. Here’s a sampling:

 Boice BrothersJust a few doors down from Boice Bros. Dairy on O’Neill St., distinguished by its large rooftop cow, is Boice Bros. Ice Cream, which opened in 1975. On mild nights families line up at the windows, manned by polite teenagers in spotted cow T-shirts. The store is managed by Sally Rogerson, one of five Boice siblings (out of six) who are involved with the family business. It’s open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

 Boice’s ice cream—both soft and hard—is made from all natural, hormone-free milk from the family dairy, which was founded by Rogerson’s grandfather on Boice’s Lane in 1914. The milk shakes—with a choice of more than 30 flavors—are particularly popular, along with the sundaes and banana splits. The coffee ice cream is made from real coffee and is slightly granular, redolent of freshly ground beans. Boice’s also serves a nondairy product that’s lactose free and a sugar-free, fat-free hot fudge. The prices hark back to the pre-Starbucks era: a small cone with a tennis-ball scoop of ice cream is just $1.70; milk shakes cost from $2.50 to $3.85, depending on the size. “My father wanted to keep the business oriented to families,” explains Rogerson, noting that her parents, who still own the business, had a big family themselves.

 Mid City LanesAcross Broadway, at 20 Cedar St., is a 30-year-old landmark, Ferraro’s Mid-City Lanes, still graced by its classic sign.  Owned by brothers Dave and Steve Ferraro, the bowling alley offers an evening of affordable fun: the special costs $10 for two and a half hours of bowling, plus $3 for shoes. It’s open every day until midnight—until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday–and bustles with leagues of all varieties. On weekend nights the alley is transformed into a “cosmic space,” with glowing purple black lights and loud music creating a club-like atmosphere, according to Dave’s son John.  Friday night is popular with teens, Saturday with middle-aged folks, and Sunday is taken over by the Cosmic League, made up of musicians and tattoo artists.

Sunshine MarketKingston’s neighborhoods used to be filled with mom-and-pop grocers. While most have disappeared, Sunshine Market, at 2 Jansen Ave., behind Burger King, is still going strong. For the past 12 years it’s been owned by Iranian Mehrzad Arbani, and it employs nine. The store stocks a good selection of fresh produce, and the deli carries the Boar’s Head brand; the sub special is just $2.99, and you can finish it off with homemade cole slaw or potato salad.

Sunshine advertises produce and deli specials every week in the Daily Freeman, said  manager Erika Black, who is just 20 years old.  It also sells packaged cookies, brownies, pies, and tea breads home baked by a woman in Stone Ridge. (I can personally vouch for the oatmeal-raison cookies.) Sunshine is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Picnic PizzaThe best pizza in the world is from southern Italy, and Picnic Pizza, located at 501 Washington Ave., next to the Holiday Inn, is a direct relation. Owned by Giuseppe Anselmo, a native of Palermo, Picnic Pizza makes pizza in a wood-fired brick oven, the way it’s done in the old country. Almost all ingredients are authentic, imported from Italy. The eggplant and fresh basil topping is famous. Dominick, the store’s manager and Anselmo’s son in law, said the pizzas’ crisp, thin crust is made from a secret Sicilian recipe.

 Picnic Pizza opened in 1987—it has a sister store in New Paltz—and has four  employees. It also serves wood-fire strombolis and calzones, along with Philly Steaks, wraps and salads; the full dinner menu features appetizers and pasta, eggplant and parmigiana meat dishes, with waitress service. Beer and wine are also served. Picnic Pizza is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Terri Lee moved her business, SensatioNail Creations, from Port Ewen to the Millard Building, on Grand Street, four years ago and has prospered. She credits the location, which includes free parking across the street, a loyal clientele and an “amazing” landlord. She also has an unusual business model: instead of hiring employees, she sublets the space to five other business owners–four hair stylists and two manicurists—each of whom has his or her own phone line. Combined, the business owners offer “180 years of experience,” Lee said. Facial waxing and pedicures are also offered.  Lee has room for a couple of more beauticians and hopes to rent out more space soon.

Next to SensatioNail Creations is Creative Surfaces, which sells cabinets, custom countertops, wood flooring, tile, carpet, and landscaping stone direct from the factory.  Mane Source Barbers and an adjoining store that sells sneakers has popped up at 10 Downs. Abril’s Boutique Plus, at 8 Van Buren, a Mexican grocery selling a little bit of everything–bacalao, sliced beef, limes, rolls, CDs, and elaborately outfitted dolls—is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

 This is just a sampling—we encourage you to get out there and explore the side streets to make your own discoveries.

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Mint – Tapas and Wine Bar

April 5th, 2010

Mint, a stylish, low-key tapas and wine bar just opened at One West Strand, the site of the former Downtown Café. “We wanted to open up something with a nice atmosphere, a place to come for cocktails and tapas-style food,” said Alessandra Tecchio, who operates Mint with her sister, Ileana. Alessandra is also proprietress of Dolce café, around the corner, and she is now extending her culinary talents to the night crowd.

The food has a distinctly Mediterranean accent, not surprising considering the sisters’ native city is Venice, Italy. There are 10 tapas and 5 desserts on the menu, ranging from $3 to $12. Sample dishes include prosciutto on homemade focaccia with fig conserve (figs carmelized with onions in balsamic vinegar), a kale or white bean bruschetta, and a cheese fondue, with ham, bread, and fruit. There’s also a chocolate fondue, with berries, pound cake, pretzels, and macaroons. Other desserts are tiramisu and strawberries with mascarpone and limoncello.

The wines are French and Italian, along with an Argentine vintage, and include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cote du Rhone, and Fume Blanc. Mint opened with a performance by internationally known jazz singer Rebecca Martin, who also happens to be a Kingston resident. “Right now we’re doing music once a month,” with plans to expand the live performances to twice a month.  Mint is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to midnight.

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La Mexicana on Broadway Kingston

March 29th, 2010

La Mexicana, at 638 Broadway, is one of at least two Mexican-American grocers in the city. As such, it’s not really a one-of-a-kind retailer, but, as a representative of Midtown, it does sell numerous one-of-a-kind items. If you haven’t been to Oaxaca, no need to board a jet: just check out La Mexicana’s shelves, which include beautifully crafted straw bags, tortilla baskets, blankets, shawls and clay pots and a wide range of CDs playing salsa, banda and other south of the border musical styles.

The family business, which is owned by Aldegundo and Laura Juarez, sells queso Oaxaca, a large ball of white cheese similar to mozzarella. For a change of taste, check out the fruit sodas, aloe verde drinks, and coconut waters, some of which are relatively low calorie, when the weather gets warm. Raw cane sugar is sold in packets, large cans of hominy are excellent for soup, and Abuelita is chocolate in a can, that’s dissolved in milk in Mexico for the traditional breakfast drink. Small plastic bags of spices include flax seeds, $1.99 each, which are a healthy addition to fruit and yogurt, and cacao beans. On occasion, homemade goodies, such as coconut sweets and rice putting, are for sale.

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Kingston’s One of a Kind Finds-Blue Byrd’s

March 29th, 2010

Blue-Byrd’s Haberdashery & Music, at 297 Wall, opened in 1992 in the Rondout before moving to Uptown in 2005. Owners John Blue and Maureen Byrd were looking to open a family business, and since Blue was unable to find decent hats in the area—he’d always worn one, first growing up on a farm, and then in college to attract the girls—they decided on the haberdashery. Besides pork pies, fedoras, and stingy brims—perennial favorites–they also sell leather caps from the Australia Outback, summer panama hats, and handcrafted hats from Nigeria. Prices range from $25 to $51, with higher-end fur felts priced from $150 to $190.

 The store also sells walking sticks–“a tribute to Dr. John,” Blue said—harmonicas, calendars, suspenders, performer’s shirts (including Charlie Sheen bowling shirts), and of course, blues CDs. While the Internet has led to a decline in those sales, Blue said his resources and knowledge of the genre give him an edge over the Web. “I have a catalog of probably 1,500 different blues artists and collections,” he said. “I’m a special order guy who can get you what you want as long as it’s still in print, or used.” He’s also starting to stock vinyl recordings for collectors. Not surprising, the store’s clientele includes a number of noteworthy musicians, “We are still the neighborhood music shop people grew up with, “said Blue.

Blue, who has a full-time job with the New York State Office for Children and Family Services, is in the store on Saturdays. He credits his wife, Maureen Byrd, who presides during the week, with running the business. Blue also steams, cleans, and reblocks hats as a side line. The store is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 to 5:30 and on Saturday from 11 to 5.

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Kingston’s One of a Kind Finds-Vinyl Record Store

March 29th, 2010

Ed Butler opened Wright Gallery Vinyl Record Store, at 50 North Front Street, four years ago, attracting customers solely by word of mouth. He currently stocks more than 20,000 records, which are priced from $1 up to $150 (that’s for a 1952 10-inch disk featuring jazz saxophonist Allen Eager). He also sells $40 brand-new reissues on vinyl. College kids buy his records because they want to play the music, while collectors in search of a first pressing just want to have the record.

Entering his store is like traveling down memory lane, with at least one of your favorite albums likely peeping out of the rows of cardboard boxes. Butler, who formerly ran a gallery in the store, does rotating themed displays of record covers (current theme: dance records). Also adorning the walls is a cover with a fetching photo of Edith Piaf, the album cover for Godz (an early art rock band), an early Johnny Cash album, and a cover for Tex Larabey, pasted with a photo of his tombstone.

When Butler still had the gallery, he did a show of album covers, borrowing records from friends. On the opening night, he set up a table, started selling albums, and the rest is history. Butler also plays guitar, and the jam sessions that used to happen in the back of his store led to the building of a recording studio. He now records musicians in the facility and also fixes guitar amps. Wright Gallery Vinyl Record Stores is open from 10 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday.

50 N. Front Street
Kingston NY 12401

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