Restaurant (and Winery and Distillery) Reviews

Five Leaves

Tuthilltown Spirits

Whitecliff Vineyard

Five Leaves (18 Bedford Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY 11222)

Park) and a resident Best known as the late Heath Ledger's business venture, Five Leaves is more famous in Cafe Drake's Brooklyn neighborhood for their strong, cold-brewed ice coffees (conveniently served from a "take away window" across from McCarren Park) and a resident mixologist expert in crafting signature cocktails. A recent dinner here with Jen Lazzaro proved the kitchen is also very strong, and when coupled with a charming candlelit dining room and friendly, astute servers, Greenpoint benefits from yet another go-to restaurant. The menu is large-ish but discerning, as are the carefully edited daily specials, and offers a nice range of appetizers, small plates and generously portioned entrees. As mentioned the drinks are a major draw here and we adored a Calvados Sidecar ($10) - sweet and tart with an added complexity of flavor courtesy of the smooth apple brandy. Sensational starters included perfect fries ($6) and tender, sweet mussels steamed in a light coconut broth ($12); entrees ordered were a rich, decadent Shepherd's Pie ($18) featuring ground lamb and the zing of fresh herbs such as lemon myrtle and a whole grilled Dorade ($20). The fish arrives in its entirety but thoughtfully de-boned and topped with olive-oil poached veggies, an unexpected richness complimenting the tender flesh and crispy skin.

Gilded Otter Brewing Company (3 Main Street, New Paltz, NY 12561)

Cafe Drake admits to a prejudiced viewpoint here, so biased are we in context of the glorious October afternoon and our enjoyment of the outdoors when we knoshed on lunch here. Very tasty was a grilled meatloaf sandwich ($11) with chipotle chile sauce, mayo and both crispy fries and a scattering of onion rings! Decadent but delicious (and greedily consumed) was a bursting platter of cheese drenched nachos ($11) topped with the usual fixings but also a mound of three-meat chili (chunks of beef, pork and turkey stewed tender in a brick red dried A covered patio behind the brewery yields scenic views of a creek and ancient bridge across the road, and on this particular day, a blaze of upstate NY color: every tree it seemed boasting a different shade of gold, red or electric orange.

Tuthilltown Spirits (14 Gristmill Lane, Gardiner, NY 12525)

$8 buys a tasting of any three of 8 bottles on offer - do as Cafe Drake did and go with a friend so between the two of you a sample of (almost) each is guaranteed. At least three friendly dogs greet you upon arrival at the picturesque distillery, distinguished by being New York state's only manufacturer of high octane spirits. A rustic, backwoods mood belies the sophisticated styling and quality of these artisinal liquors and careful tending yields flavorful, potent liquors with hefty price tags ($30 to $50+ for a small bottle) to justify the TLC and top-notch ingredients. We especially enjoyed the Hudson Manhattan Rye (made from 100% whole rye grain) and the Four Grain Bourbon (richly dark and caramely) but found the Heart of the Hudson Vodka disappointing. Also on sale in the tasting room are the impossible-to-find Fee Brothers bitters, bottled in Rochester, NY for over 150 years and available in flavors such as Cherry, Grapefruit and Rhubarb.

Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery (331 McKinstry Road, Gardiner, NY 12525)

With sprawling views of both the vineyards and Catskills mountains - and a small wooden deck from which to soak up both scenery and wine and cheese plates ($6 per cheese) - Whitecliff is easily one of the more charming wineries in Ulster County. And they don't do too badly with their wine either: the quintessential NY grape Cab Franc is notable as is the value-priced Grappa.