True north
Little Goat, Dumbo listings, Alexis deBoschnek's Friday Routine, The Six Bells, House of Stefas, Club Sandwich, Hudson Diner, best Upstate hotels, game 7 tix, MORE
GETAWAYS • Rhinebeck
Not kidding around
The Skinny: This week, off a “busy” intersection in the center of Rhinebeck, Taavo Somer and Erin Winters — the duo behind two upstate favorites, the hotel/club Inness and Lola Pizza — introduced Little Goat, a beautiful new restaurant (and more). For now, it’s a dinner spot, but soon it’ll run all-day café service and a store hawking local provisions, homemade pantry staples, sauces, and bread.
The Vibe: Somer designed the space, transforming an 18th-century townhouse in a style similar to Inness: warmth emerges from subtle textures and tactile details, like soft drapes that hang above the small Calacatta Viola marble bar and a Josef Frank silk pendant light hanging over a large table.
The restaurant that previously occupied the building was decidedly outdated in its design — large displays of wine bottles crawled up the walls and oversized iron metal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, in early aughts suburban fashion. Transformed, the space is now awash in soft country ambiance. French ceramics are displayed on a wall and chamberstick candle holders sit on each table. The space looks intimate, but it’s quite large inside. Still, despite the size, we found tables a bit too close together (especially by Hudson Valley standards). We heard rumors of plans to build a bar and PDR upstairs, and, from the looks of it, back porch seating is also in the cards.
The Food: The “Mediterranean-inspired, farm-driven” menu features a selection of well executed homemade pastas and starters like broccolini with stracciatella and a mezze trio served with a perfectly snappy cracker. Among the proteins, there’s a classic farm-to-table juicy local chicken and Hudson Valley trout served with toasted turnips the table next to us couldn’t stop talking about. A selection of roasted and grilled vegetables are served alongside simple sauces like salsa verde and sesame pesto.
Desserts of olive oil cake and bombolone were underwhelming, given the rest of the meal, but I’m optimistic that once the bakery’s in full swing (and opening-night kinks are ironed out), the pastry program will improve.
The Drink: Like the menu, produce shines in cocktails, as in the herbaceous carrot and sumac tequila drink, which presented almost like a savory rum punch. In addition to the well-curated wine list, there is a small menu of n/a options with as many ingredients as their alcoholic counterparts. In all the drinks, the presentation is half of the fun, with ornate garnishes like a small, tweezer-placed rose.
The Verdict: Rhinebeck was in desperate need of an aesthetically minded dining space, and Little Goat fills that hole with fresh, sophisticated dishes to match. I’m betting once the cafe and market is in full swing, we’ll see long lines daily as the Hudson Valley cool factor finally makes its way down river. –Sylvie Florman
→ Little Goat (Rhinebeck) • 6380 Mill St • Wed-Sun 5-9p (for now) • Reserve.
GETAWAYS • Upstate Intel
→ BOVINA: Bovina Farm & Fermentory, which hosts weekly communal dinner-party style meals, is introducing guest rooms (above). There are two in the main house, including a larger suite with a kitchen and a clawfoot tub, as well as a small cottage down the hill. The rooms are simple — Shaker-inspired furnishings and hand-printed wall trimmings, all done by owners Elizabeth Stark and Jacob Sackett. It’s a natural addition for a restaurant that feels more like a home (and where the local wine and on-premises-brewed beer flows freely).
→ CATSKILL: An understated Phōs My Greek American Kitchen opens next Friday on Main Street in Catskill. The new spot from the former chef at Gaskins (RIP) has a farm-to-table vibe bringing Greece to the Hudson Valley, a welcomed addition to the Catskill dinner landscape.
→ HUDSON: The team behind The Meat Hook is collaborating with the folks at Mel The Bakery to bring a classic diner to Hudson proper. The aptly named Hudson Diner is teased to open sometime next month in the former Grazin’ Diner space on Warren St. Keep an eye out for another new diner at the end of the summer — West Taghkanic Diner will be reborn as Doves Diner from Kitty’s original head chef (that infamous sign has already been taken down).
→ TIVOLI: Club Sandwich, from Fortune’s Ice Cream owner and a former Kitty’s employee, serves twists on sandwich classics like a tuna reuben, an excellent chicken caesar wrap, and of course, their version of a club. Also in Tivoli: Bad Times is a new, sparkling, sophisticated bar in a nondescript home (except for the polished gold sign) on Main Street. It’s serving mixology-style drinks (and cheese balls with every order) alongside a limited menu of classic bar bites. And area-favorite florist Strega Flora opened a storefront selling bouquets and other small goods and accessories.
→ MILLBROOK: After a meticulous remodel, House of Stefas, from the brothers behind Four Brothers Pizza Inn and Four Brothers Drive-In, opens next week. It’s grand and kitschy — think velvet walls and animal statues — and goes over-the-top (in the best way) with platters of fresh seafood, mezzes galore, and all the Greek classics. Prix fixe option on Saturdays. –Sylvie Florman
→ ROSENDALE: A restored 1850s inn, The Six Bells is open for bookings from mid-June. The charming upstate boutique hotel is an extension of entrepreneur Audrey Gelman’s Cobble Hill homewares shop, with 11 rooms styled in Alpine and early American detail, like hand-stitched quilts and painted pine walls. There’s also a tavern overlooking Rondout Creek, The Feathers, which will offer traditional country fare from chef Molly Levine of Westerly Canteen. –Kat Odell
See also bonus Sagaponack General Store intel in Lost & Found below.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Major United-JetBlue partnership sets path for United’s return to JFK • FreshDirect opens first-ever retail store, in Southampton • Ranking hotel pet peeves.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Dumbo that came to market in the last 30 days.
→ 30 Main St #3B (Dumbo) • 3BR/2.1BA, 1887 SF condo • Ask: $3.85M • Manhattan Bridge views in the Sweeney Building • Days on market: 16 • Monthly tax: $2081; common charges: $2781 • Agents: Tara King-Brown & Danielle Morreale, Corcoran.
→ 175 Water St (Dumbo, above) • 4BR/3BA, 3545 SF townhouse • Ask: $4.999M • passive house-certified with private parking garage and glass-railed roofdeck • Days on market: 18 • Monthly tax: $1524 • Agents: Aroza Sanjana & Jose Nunez, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s. Open house Sun 11a-2p, by appt only.
→ 1 John St 3B (Dumbo) • 3BR/3.1BA, 2499 SF condo • Ask: $5.545M • views of both bridges through floor-to-ceiling windows • Days on market: 2 (and earlier) • Monthly tax: $3775; common charges: $2607 • Agents: Callie Katt & Eric Sidman, Compass.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: New renderings revealed for 842 Sixth Ave in Nomad • Checking out the newly reopened area of East River Park • Checking in on the Hamptons real estate market.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Necessary
Bloc Party • Forest Hills Stadium (Forest Hills) • Sat @ 6p • club 501, $121 per
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals • The Rooftop at Pier 17 (Seaport) • Sat @ 7p • Heineken Silver Zone, $150 per
Pacers v Knicks • Conference finals, game 7 (if necessary) • MSG (Midtown South) • Mon @ 8p • section 107, $4827 per ($1287 lowest avail)
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Met’s Rockefeller Wing to reopen tomorrow with day-long festival; it’s a masterpiece • Alcohol-free social club The Maze coming this fall to Flatiron • Trendwatch: Fake My Run.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Farm fresh
ALEXIS deBOSCHNEK • cookbook author and recipe developer • Side Dish, To The Last Bite, and Nights and Weekends (forthcoming August 2025)
Neighborhood you live & work in: Delhi (Catskills)
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
I'm a cookbook author and recipe developer, which means most of my time is spent in the kitchen, although of course there's some computer work involved too. As any freelancer knows, working for yourself means every day and week looks a little bit different. I try to keep some semblance of a schedule for my own sanity, but between the release of my upcoming cookbook release (Nights and Weekends is out August 12) and our busy season on the farm (my husband and I run an Icelandic horse and pastured poultry farm on 100 acres), by the time Friday afternoon rolls around, I'm spent.
Farm chores don't stop on weekends, but I try to carve out some moments to myself to bask in the joy of summer. Usually that involves getting a few friends together and going for a late afternoon dip in our pond with a pitcher of Negronis and snack spread.
Any restaurant plans?
There's not a ton of options for dining out, which means we (and our friends) spend most of our gatherings hosting each other at home. It's actually one of the many things I love about living in the Catskills — there's a real sense of place here. I love getting to know my friends’ homes intimately. On the off chance we need a break, or just want someone else to take care of dishes, we'll stop for a drink at the bar at Hollow in Delhi followed by dinner at Brushland in Bovina.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I'm a five-minute drive from the West Kortright Centre, a 200+ year-old church turned performing arts center that hosts incredible performances, musicians, plays, and workshops. The church is nestled in a valley and sits next to a dairy farm so it's not unusual to hear the bells of the cows coming in as the music sweeps over the hillside.
Any weekend getaways?
I'm lucky to live in a place where most people go to escape their regular lives. Between April and October when the weather is at its peak here, I try to stay put as much as possible. While my husband and I joke about feeling perfectly content on our farm, we try to make an effort to make the most of our surroundings by camping at Alder Lake, hiking Bramley Mountain, and canoeing down the Delaware River.
What was your last great vacation?
My husband and I went to Rome and Puglia for our honeymoon back in October, and I'm counting down the days until we can go back. So much of our day-to-day life on the farms involves caretaking — of animals, of the land, of farm equipment — and it felt like such a welcome break to wander for hours only thinking about what gelato flavor we'd try that night.
After five days in Rome we really wanted to spend the remainder of our honeymoon taking it easy. We landed on Borgo Gallana, a gorgeous countryside home in Puglia surrounded by olive trees, a garden, and pool. If you're going to Puglia, you must take a private cooking class with Julie Marr at Everyone at the Table. The day starts with a stroll around the town square with Julie's husband, Francesco, where you get to sample local produce, chat with locals, get a coffee, and if you're lucky, try freshly made mozzarella. From there you'll learn various regional dishes with Julie and end the day with a feast. We left feeling like we'd made lifelong friends. It's also worth doing day trips to some of the buzzier towns like Lecce and Ostuni, where we found our favorite cafe of the week, Burro Cafe. If you're lucky, you'll be there on the days when the antique markets are happening. Come prepared with extra cash and room in your suitcase!
Where are you donating your time or money?
I donate monthly to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Locally I'm on our town's beautification committee, and I’m in charge of all the planter boxes and gardens in our small town.
Photo credit: Christian Harder
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Upstate
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of NYC’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
Hotel Lilien (Tannersville), boutique hotel w/ cozy wood-clad communal spaces, bar and restaurant, seasonal pool, short drive to Catskill hikes, from $555