My family has a vacation home upstate where we all love to gather for weekends and/or holidays. We love to cook together to eat old favorites or try new recipes, many of which I have previously published here. Of course we love getting out of the kitchen to try some of the local restaurants. Usually we focus on ones that use seasonal ingredients from local farms and vendors, and the result is that I have two wonderful ones to mention. As we find others, I will include them.

Located in the northern Catskill Mountains Is Julia’s Local, in Round Top, serving rustic American cuisine with a Scandinavian twist. Most of their food is homegrown, and the menu changes daily, as the harvest in their culinary garden changes, as well as the availability of other ingredients. We started our meal with a
Snack Stand $24, just-picked garden goodies, pickled things, *rillettes, Chef Henning’s butter-of-the-day (ours was cranberry – dill), maldon salt, house-baked sourdough bread. All was amazing! The fresh baked bread was hot and crusty and soft inside.

*rillettes – French pork that is a long, slow-cooked meat spread with duck legs and herbs

Beef Short Rib Bourguignon $32 with horseradish mash was our next menu item. Oh, my! Cooked to perfection! We finished our meal with pots of mint tea and a Tarte au Citron with a vanilla meringue.

Another recommendation is Willa’s Bakery and Cafe, a neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot located next to the Hudson River in the charming village of Catskill. They also offer brunch on weekends.

“Our food, including a rotating selection of baked goods, is made from scratch and served with care and pride. As much as possible, we use seasonal ingredients from local farms and vendors – which reflects our commitment to being a part of our community and offering the best possible products.” Their BLT sandwich is packed with perfectly cooked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and herb mayo on arborio sourdough. Everything we tried was fresh and delicious. Their menu is extensive with fair pricing.