Drastic price reduction – was $949K, now $799K – Great opportunity! 

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86 Bridge Street, Margaretville, NY

We tried Obica after receiving a Blackboard Eats deal, and have now been there twice. I’ve tasted a number of dishes, all very good. The menu is extensive and offers the possibility to order a number of small plates or go the traditional appetizer plus main course route. The mozzarella bar is a great concept. I love mozzarella and burrata, and here they are served in creative ways.

Gnocco was a wonderful surprise for us. Always looking for great places to eat that are on discount dining plans, I found this by searching on Idine. Further research turned up much praise, so we went there a couple of weeks ago and had a memorable meal.  Everyone was seated in the enclosed, heated garden, which has a nice rustic feel.

We shared two starters. The octopus carpaccio was perhaps the best I’ve had of a dish not often seen. The shaved celery and pink peppercorns in lemon vinaigrette added much flavor.  The vitello tonnato, while not quite rivalling what we’ve had in Italy, was nonetheless delicious.  I had the branzino and Stanley the loin lamb chop. Both were perfect, with intricate flavor combinations. To drink, we both had Moretti La Rossa, one of our favorite beers.

For dessert, I had tiramisu and he had vin santo with biscotti.

Service was attentive.  The menu is extensive, and we are looking forward to trying many more dishes, including pizzas and pastas.

http://www.gnocco.com/#eat-together

Wow, what a find! I was alerted to this by a post on Chowhound, which has mysteriously disappeared, but I will be posting my own report there. Rive Gauche is everything you could hope for in a bistro. Charming decor, lively but not loud, warm and attentive service, and a large selection at reasonable prices. It’s classic French cooking done well.

The first thing to arrive on the table is a little ramekin of chicken liver mousse topped with a red wine gelee. Served with toasted bread, it’s a great starter. For appetizers we had the country pate, and escargot in puff pastry. Both were served with a pile of greens in a balsamic vinaigrette. The pastry was light as a feather. Portions are very generous. Our main courses were coq au vin (roasted, not stewed, but none the worse for that), and short rib Bourguignon, just a bit different from the classic, this one served on a bed of spinach. Both dishes came with a potato gratin. Now, I’m not a big fan of potatoes, but these won me over. For dessert, we shared a slice of dulce de leche cheesecake. It was very good, but I sense that the desserts are not made on premises.

The wine list looks pretty good, but we opted for beer. Stanley had Boddington’s and I had Keegan’s Mother’s Milk stout. We like these, but I was a little disappointed that the Founders Dirty Bastard, a favorite, was not on the list though I had seen it on the website.

All in all, it’s a great addition to the sleepy village of Athens and we hope to return soon.

http://www.rivegauchebistro.com/

Once again we have been searching for a good burger in the $10 range, since our latest fave,  Joy Burger Bar, closed. Last night we tried the 6th Ave. location of New York Burger Co. (there is another on West 23rd), and were really happy with the result. Like at Joy, you order at the counter, and are notified when your food is ready (they are very efficient). There are plenty of tables. I had a double burger with cheddar, and Stanley had the Tribeca Burger (blue cheese, avocado and bacon). They were perfectly cooked, the meat had good flavor and the buns are of high quality. The onion rings were absolutely delicious. We got a pitcher of beer, which was brought to the table. There is a good selection of sauces to top the burgers. I loved it and will make it a regular stop.

http://www.newyorkburgerco.com/

Click on the image below to view, and enlarge as needed:

UPDATE:  Dover has closed due to lack of business.  Surprising.

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Last night, we visited friends in Brooklyn, and were treated to a lovely dinner at Dover, a modern American restaurant on Court Street. The food was excellent, so I was surprised that it was not at all busy.

They have a happy hour that runs until 8 pm, during which they offer oysters, raw or broiled, for $1 apiece. I had a half-dozen each of raw and broiled. I love oysters so this was great fun. They give you delicious little gougeres to start, then an amuse-bouche of tomato soup.  The lamb loin I had for my main was perfectly done, and served with Brussels sprouts and chanterelles. I also got to taste the ravioli and pappardelle, both excellent. I drank a milk stout (Against the Grain from Louisville, KY), very tasty.

Main course choices include three meat and three fish dishes. The fish can be had as a large or small portion. A pasta and a small fish course could make a filling meal.

I could definitely see returning to Dover.

This past Saturday we attended the Hudson Valley Dance Festival in Catskill, sponsored by Dancers Responding to AIDS. As always, Stanley and I were members of the host committee. The pre-performance reception began at 4 o’clock, at historic Catskill Point, and though it was a cloudy day, rain held off until after the performance. This was the first time there were two performances, and both the afternoon and evening were sold out. Seven hundred attended in total, and ticket sales and donations resulted in more than $135,000 being raised, well above last year’s numbers.

DRA Development Director Sarah Cardillo with Stan Ackert and Hayden Coleman

Wine and snacks under the tent

After the reception, we moved indoors for the performance. Five companies were represented, and each gave their all to keep everyone happily engrossed for the duration.

The following photos of the performance are by Daniel Roberts:

Caleb Teicher and Company

Jennifer Muller – The Works

Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo

Madboots Dance

Nick Kenkel Choreography

Following the performance, we headed to the VIP reception. this time held at a new event space  on Main St. in Catskill called Joe’s Garage.  The very good food and wines made for a nice early dinner, and we had a great time schmoozing with old friends and making interesting new acquaintances.

To view the Hudson Valley Dance Festival website:

https://www.dradance.org/hudson-valley-dance-festival-2016

Temerario opened in February, but surprisingly, I was not aware of it until I received a Blackboard Eats offer yesterday. The fourth venture of the team behind Black Ant, Ofrenda, and Gardenia, it immediately looked promising to me, and we decided to try it last night. Some reports I read criticized food, service or both, but we loved the dishes we had, and the service was perfect.

Knowing that the portions at their other restaurants tend to be generous, we ordered two appetizers and one main course, and it was indeed plenty of food. We shared the fish tacos to start, and accompanied it with a smoky jalapeno Margarita (delicious!) and a “Bad Habit” (rum, cherries, etc., also very good).  For a main course, we shared the duck tacos and the burger. The burger was full of flavor, perfectly medium rare, and came with delicious fries, a pickle and a pickled jalapeno. We accompanied this course with a Negra Modelo.  This is a nice addition to the neighborhood and we will be back soon to try out more dishes.

http://www.temerarionyc.com/