we awoke to a crisp, cool Hudson valley morning with temperatures in the 50s. we rediscovered the hidden nooks and crannies that our route led us through, at times working hard to climb the hill to see what was next, and other times just enjoying the motion of free-wheeling downhill. i cock-a-doodle-doo'd to all the cows we saw, and they looked at me with perplexed expressions.
somewhere in ghent we stumbled upon one of my favorite parts of the ride, where we turned off onto a small country road covered by a canopy of trees. out of the corner of my eye, i saw something moving in the field to my left. it was a deer! we watched her gallop for about 200 meters along our left side behind the trees, until she finally made her way across the path and into the forest to our right. so powerful, yet graceful.
HANDS DOWN BEST BURGER EVER at grazin'! grazin' diner had great reviews on yelp and was highly recommended by our guesthouse, so we gave it a shot. inside the retro 70s diner towards the east end of warren street, we learned that grazin' angus acres (500 acre farm) was started by a couple from new york city in 2002 with a focus on grass-fed and finished blank angus. they use synergistic and thoughtful techniques to produce great tasting and healthy animal proteins, while also restoring the land. their restaurant was started in 2011 with most of the proteins sourced directly from grazin angus acres, employing the highest level of livestock welfare standards. and you can absolutely taste the different in their food.
in addition to the best burger ever, yep, the BEST MILKSHAKE EVER. we tried the vanilla and strawberry, and while both are delicious, their vanilla really stands out. it's made from their homemade organic ice cream so it's actually good for you :p
we did a little self-guided tour at the hawthorne valley farm. kevin loved seeing the massive steaming (literally, bc it was 87F out) piles of sht. we both loved the fact that none of the cows were around because they were out grazing in the pastures to be seen in the distance. it's a nice feeling to see the actual farm and processes in place to grow the vegetables and raise the livestock which we eat. both grazin' angus acres and hawthorne valley farm make it down to the USQ farmers markets each week, so i'm looking forward to supporting them closer to our home and regularly.
fish & game. we spotted this place last year, and on the recommendation of our architect, ayhan, decided to try it out! situated in a pretty high traffic area, zak pellacio's fish & game is quite understated from the outside, windows sealed by curtains and in a restored red brick building. the interiors were completely transformed. it felt like you walked into a a stylish hunting lodge, with taxidermy decorating some of the walls and dark wood panels the others. in the lobby/bar area to the left, there are plush couches and the warmth of a fireplace. in the dining area to the right, there are 14-18 tables with beautiful scandinavian styled seating and comfy booth seating as well. the decor was rustic, but clean and modern. it reminded me of the interiors of noma!
the service was impeccable and we were served a 7 course meal (5 savories + 2 sweet), with 2-year old aged house-made prosciutto and a bottle of cider from vermont. our favorites were definitely the amazing bread, prosciutto, cider, seared mackerel, and egg pasta with offal. and both sweet courses (of course). we learned about the herb, angelica, which was made into a refreshing ice cream! the other courses were tasty, but i think we may have been expecting something a bit lighter in the prime of spring. then again, the restaurant is called fish & game for a reason!
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