The French Manor, South Sterling, Poconos, PA

The French Manor Main Dining Room, with views of the Poconos.

The French Manor

50 Huntington Drive

South Sterling, PA

Phn: 570-676-8573

www.thefrenchmanor.com

I know that it is our stated intention to try and restrict our columns to upstate New York, but what happened this past weekend is too good a story to pass on. The destination in question is really not too far from our home turf, just over the New York border at Port Jervis, and less than an hour into the Poconos of Pennsylvania. I happened to be in the area on a fishing trip, meeting a group of friends at the Sterling Inn, in South Sterling Pennsylvania. South Sterling is six miles south of Route 84.

I had arrived Thursday around noon with my fishing partner, Dick. We were scheduled to meet forty fellow anglers at the Sterling Inn for the weekend. The trip was a repeat of a trip we had taken five or six years ago, and we were looking forward to the return stay, the company, a few good dinners, and some trout fishing in the neighboring clubs that were playing host. We do this a few times each year, and this was our 2010 inaugural spring outing. Upon our arrival, it was immediately apparent that the Sterling Inn of our fond memories was exactly that – a memory. The inn had been sold. The new owners apparently saw no need for a kitchen, or a bar, or for that matter, paint. Since our evening dinners always end at the bar, not having said aforementioned bar presented as big of a problem as the lack of a kitchen.

Having neither the time nor the inclination to make other arrangements, we checked in, counted our provisions (read bottles of wine), and then went out looking for Plan B for the next few nights.

We drove around for some time looking for a place to have lunch, with hopes that it could also serve as a gathering place for drinks and dinner if it passed muster. We drove around for the better part of an hour, and found absolutely nothing – not even a burger palace. I tried Google. Google has not yet found Sterling PA. (Neither had my Garmin GPS.) Zagat.com would have been of little use, there was nothing to compare. We were borderline frantic. Driving back to the inn we did finally find a local family restaurant called the Raintree, and we stopped in for lunch. They had a passable menu and they served wine, although it did not have a bar. If all else failed, we would at least have a place to eat. We took one more turn around the area before heading back to the Sterling Inn to greet the afternoon’s new arrivals.

On the way back, I noticed a small wooden sign nailed to a tree. The French Manor – Fine Dining. I made the hard right, and followed the arrow up the road for about a mile, climbing Huckleberry Mountain. Near the top of the hill was another similar sign, at the entrance to the property surrounding the manor. And it was a manor. We pulled into the property, wondering where we were, what we were looking at, (and if we were about to be escorted off the property for trespassing.) The views from the mountaintop were nothing short of breathtaking. You could see miles of the northern Pocono range from the patio at the rear of the complex. The manor itself was a 1930’s stone building with a Spanish tile roof, and framed on either side with newer stone structures which we were to find out housed spas and additional guest rooms. We entered the main dining room, which was empty, tried my best Bon Jour!, and hoped for a friendly response. We were greeted immediately by Genevieve, the house manager. I explained our predicament, asked about availability, and were told that she would be happy to accommodate any and all of our brother anglers for dinner. Eight of us returned for dinner at 6:30.

We started with cocktails on the veranda - martinis all around, perfectly prepared. We could not believe our good fortune. Genevieve had set up a table for ten in the middle of the dining room, just in case we needed to expand. The dining room was one of the most beautiful rooms I have dined in. The room's forty foot vaulted beamed ceilings are framed on each side with stone fireplaces. Just out of sight in the corner was a grand piano which was in use when we returned on Friday for dinner. On Thursday evening the background music was provided by classic Ella Fitzgerald recordings, which is more than enough to keep me happy. In keeping with the setting the restaurant asks men to wear jackets, although they did allow a few of our group to pass without one. What they do not allow are children under twelve, which no one in my group found problematic.

The menu changes seasonally, and it seemed we were transitioning from some winter meals – short ribs were offered as an appetizer – to a spring lamb entre offering. I ordered a bottle each of white and red, and given the large mixed group I tried to keep the price reasonable. A Drouhin Bordeaux Blanc was offered at $33. We also shared a very nice Chevrey Chambertin ($45). On Friday night we shared a bottle of Sancerre and a Croze-Hermitage, which were also very reasonably priced for the setting.

I started with a classic presentation of escargot ($13) – served in their shell. I can’t remember the last time I saw escargot served in the shell. Actually I can, but I don’t want to tell you how long ago it was. Let’s just say it was the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts launches one across the dining room. She had operational issues with those spring loaded tong - like thingies. I managed not to do that -even after the martini and the Bordeaux blanc. The snails were served bubbling hot in a Roquefort and garlic butter sauce on toast points. A basket of French bread was also on hand to sop up the left over sauce, which is really the reason to order escargot in the first place, oui?

My entrée order was a breast of Muscovy duck which was seared to crispy perfection, but still slightly pink in the center. The duck had been rubbed with a little nutmeg and cinnamon, and then finished with a mixed fruit glaze of cranberry and orange. It was just spectacular, especially with the burgundy I had ordered to go with it. My dining companions raved about the ahi (yellowfin) tuna, which hey had ordered cooked just a moment beyond still qualifying as sashimi. A rack of lamb ($40) looked so good I ordered it the following evening. It was Australian lamb, not at all “gamey”, finished with course mustard and topped with chevre. It ranked right up there with my all time best racks ever. I’ll definitely order it the next time I go back.

I’m not going to suggest that you stop at the French Manor if you are in the area, because you are not going to be in the area unless you are looking for Lake Wallenpaupack and you are really lost. I am going to suggest that the French Manor is a weekend destination. It is worthy of the trip just for the food, but you could also spend a day or two in the spa, do some hiking or snowshoeing, and call it a vacation. They offer various weekend combination packages at the French Manor. In their brochure they quote (the late) Gourmet Magazine, which featured them as one of the best restaurants in Pennsylvania. I haven’t eaten in many upscale Pennsylvania restaurants outside of Philadelphia, but I suspect that they were right on the money.

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Cena 2000, Newburgh, NY

Cena 2000

50 Front Street

Newburgh, NY

845 561-7676

Lunch and Dinner, 7 days

Every May when the shad bushes are in bloom, my appetite invariable turns to the seasonal dishes of spring. Soon after the ice goes out, the shad and stripers and herring return to the river, ramps (wild leeks) appear in the greenmarkets along with fiddle heads and morels. At about the same time, the weather allows for outdoor dining and we, like the shad, return to the river.

Our Wednesday night sojourns frequently happen in Newburgh at this time of year, where we secure a table with a view of the river at Cena 2000. Cena and its sister restaurants Il Cena’Colo in Newburgh and Sapore Steakhouse in Fishkill are all owned by Sali Hazhibrahimi, who was instrumental in introducing rustic Italian cooking to the Hudson Valley twenty five years ago.

The first restaurant Sali opened was Il Cena’ Colo. I vividly recall my first visit. A friend, Tom Aposporos, called and insisted that we visit. He had been brought there the week before by a mutual friend, Jim Cater. We all went back for what was to be the first of many, many visits. The outside of the building that houses Cena was, and is, unimpressive. Cena’Colo looks like somebody built a foundation, ran out of money, and put a roof on it. What it offered inside however was a total revelation to any of us who had not yet traveled to Italy. I still remember the anti pasta table that you had to pass to get into the dining room. Plates of marinated vegetables – eggplant slices and roasted peppers in olive oil, and all kinds of summer squashes, and mushrooms, and entire wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and loaves of crusty rustic breads - surrounded a carving cradle holding an entire prosciutto. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had never seen anything like it. It changed the way I thought about dining out. It changed the way I thought about food. It remains to this day my favorite kind of cuisine. At the time I was writing for the Poughkeepsie Journal and awarded the restaurant four stars. Harrold’s in Stormville was the only other four star restaurant in the area, and could not have been more different than Cena. Cena really did change the definition of fine dining in the Hudson Valley. I later learned that DaSilvano in New York City was one of the first to offer this style of rustic cooking in an upscale dining experience, and Sali had worked at that restaurant. At the time Il Cena’Colo was the only restaurant in the area offering this type of “Cucina Rustica”, but now we are blessed with many good choices such as Il Barilotto in Fishkill, Aroma Osteria in Wappingers, and Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck. Unfortunately none of these restaurants are on the river, which is what we are looking for today.

Ten years ago Cena 2000 opened on the Newburgh waterfront. The style of cooking is substantially similar to Il Cena’Colo, but ratcheted down a few notches on the fine dining scale, and also in price. Cena 2000 is much more casual. It is still quite good, and just as entertaining, which starts with the menu and special offerings. When we first started going to Cena' Colo, we were overwhelmed by the number of specials that were offered nightly. The same routine awaits you at Cena 2000. The wait staff will launch into a ten minute recitation of half dozen appetizers , numerous pasta specials, six different seafood specials – tuna, swordfish, salmon, sea bass, striped bass, cuttlefish - multiple steak offerings, two veal dishes, three chicken dishes, and they are just getting started. Each is described in minute detail, including cooking method – sautéed, braised, roasted, etc. - seasonings, accompaniments, sauces, etc. All of this is done from memory. Rarely, if ever, does anyone look at a note. The first few times I heard this done I just could not believe that anyone could possibly remember that much information. After a few visits you realize what is going on. The specials never change. They recite the same thing every night. All right, maybe once in a while they change the fish, but the whole scene is a show. Wonderful entertainment, but it’s a show none the less. I guarantee you that tonight’s special will include a Dungeness crab pasta, served in the crab’s shell. (It’s actually quite good.)

In addition to the specials, they actually do have a menu, and once in a while we order something from it. Calamari ($11.00) is offered fried like everywhere else, but also alla griglia – tossed with a little bread crumbs and garlic and grilled. It’s a nice change, and one worth trying. I mentioned the cuttlefish (seppia), which is similar in taste and texture to calamari (squid) but is served sautéed in extra virgin olive oil. It’s always good. Along with the apps your waiter will bring out a basket of wonderful rustic bread accompanied by a small dish of sun dried tomatoes and olive oil. This is another dish that Sali introduced me to years ago that I now make at home. It couldn’t be simpler. Chop sundried tomatoes in a food processor, and add some good olive oil and red pepper flakes and blend to the consistency of hummus. I add some roasted garlic sometimes to give it a little extra zip. It takes literally a minute to make and beats the heck out of butter patties.

We usually break with a Caesar or arugula salad before ordering our entrees. The said aforementioned fish platters are consistently good, but I do feel more and more guilty about eating just about any seafood these days. Swordfish, farm raised salmon, and Chilean sea bass are all on the do not order list, each for their own ecological reasons. They sometimes offer a wild Alaska salmon, or rainbow trout. A special dish to listen up for is Vitello Tunatto – paper thin slices of roast veal, topped with a prepared tuna sauce. It tastes much better than it sounds, and I will almost always order it if available. Same for the grilled octopus, which the kitchen does a great job with.

The broiled veal chop served with the bone frenched for effect is always delicious. Another very good veal dish is the same chop, pounded flat, breaded, sautéed and served ala Milanese with cherry tomatoes on top.

Cena 2000 is equal parts good menu, good kitchen, an attentive and entertaining wait staff, and bustling riverfront cocktail lounge. It is one of the few riverfront dining establishments in the area where you would actually still go to eat if they were not on the river. The food is as good as the view, and that’s not easy to come by.

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The Owl at Twilight, Olmstedville, NY

The Owl at Twilight

1322 County Route 29
Olmstedville, NY 12857
(518) 251-4696

Update 5/5/2012 The restaurant is open in July and August
Dinner Served Thursday through Monday

A complete menu can be found here.

For many years the Owl at Twilight has been one of our favorite dining destinations. Located in Olmstedville, Essex County, the restaurant is located just six miles north east of North Creek. If you had to pick one of the least promising places to open a restaurant, a short list would have to include Olmstedville, NY. You pass through it if you are traveling from Schroon Lake to Gore Mountain. I tried to look up items of interest in Olmstedville on NewYork.HometownLocator.com and I got a blank screen. If you look up Olmstedville on Google News, you get the same thing – a blank screen. Apparently nothing has happened in Olmstedville. Ever. Unless you count the fact that the Owl at Twilight has reopened, and that is very wonderful news indeed. Perhaps the Owl’s lack of a web site has caused the oversight.

You can trust me on this, despite the lack of internet info, the Owl is serving two nights a week – Friday and Saturday night – until they expand to four nights during the summer. It is well worth the trip as it is solidly on our list of top ten North Country restaurants. The Owl is unique as an Adirondack restaurant. It makes no attempt at the rustic look and feel of so many area establishments. The dining room would fit in perfectly on the upper east side of Manhattan. The view of the vegetable garden out back could just as well be Central Park. The atmosphere is upscale casual. You would not feel out of place wearing a jacket, although most patrons do not. You might feel out of place in flannel and jeans, although I’m sure Joanne would be as welcoming as ever when you arrived for your reservation.

The main dining room has just twenty eight seats, not including four stools at the bar. In summer there is additional seating in a beautiful screened - in porch out behind the main dining room. This room is furnished with rustic chairs and lots of pillows and wraps for chilly evenings. In the winter the main room’s twenty eight seats are usually enough. On some nights in February there are twenty six seats too many.

The scale of the restaurant allows for two people to work the place on most nights. The owners – Joanne and Rich Dwyer – handle the task most capably. Rich is responsible for the kitchen. Joanne runs the front of the house. They make it look easy. When you arrive for your reservation Joanne will greet you at the door, and if you are so inclined, she will offer you a cocktail or glass of wine at the bar. I propose that you take her up on this. I also suggest that you order a cocktail – ideally a martini. Joanne prepares a memorable martini, one that I always look forward to. In my post last month about the making a proper martini, I noted Joanne’s as the best in the North Country. I suggest you find this out for yourself.

Joanne is also the perfect hostess. Some people come to this naturally. I suspect she is one of these people. Her conversation usually starts with – “so last visit you were telling me about such and such,” and she takes up right where you left off. She is a natural “front of the house” restaurateur, and a “people person”, as they say. Good restaurant owners can make you feel at home. Great ones make you feel like you are a guest in their home. Joanne is one of the great ones. Rich on the other hand stays in the back of the house, which is as it should be. Rich loves to cook, and he’s good at it, which is good for the rest of us. His talents complement Joanne’s perfectly. He does occasionally peek out from behind the kitchen door and say hello.

I’m not sure how the Dwyer’s would describe the menu if they had a web- site to do it on. I describe it as having a southwestern flare. Not Mexican, not Tex-Mex, just with a little “zip” in most of the dishes. An appetizer of mussels ($8) is served in a broth finished with a touch of tequila and habanera chilies. Not overly spicy, but just a little more “zip” than your average mussels. Sautéed calamari ($8) are stuffed with rice and shrimp. My favorite is a dish of roasted wild mushrooms ($8), finished with a touch of goat cheese from Nettle Meadow Farm in Thurman. I find this cheese also perfectly complements the olive from my martini which I am invariably finishing right around this point in my meal.

The Owl’s wine list offers a very nice selection of offerings designed to complement the menu. Joanne has introduced us to quite a few Rioja tempranillos and Jumilla’s that we now seek out. The list also offers two Barbera d’Asti’s – a Abbona Rinaldi ($39) and a Trinchero ($34). A Finca el Reposo Argentine Malbec and a few spicy Dolcetta’s and Zinfandels are right at home with Rich’s cooking. My favorite white on the current list is the Burgans Rias Baxas Albarino from Spain, offered at $35.

A salad is served after the appetizers. The salad has varied over the years. Recently the kitchen switched back from the romaine wedge that was the custom to a dish of arugula and green beans with a tasty vinaigrette dressing.

Entrée selections include an Ahi yellowfin tuna ($27), rubbed with fennel and finished in a grilled red pepper and saffron sauce. On Friday Mary tried the pork tenderloin ($27) rubbed with smoked paprika and served with grilled red onion and sage aioli. Sounds zippy, yes? A seared breast of duck ($27) comes with a side of Yukon Gold Potato cake. One of my favorite dishes is the Churrasco skirt steak ($29) with a classic chimichurri parsley sauce and sweet potato fries. Not currently on the menu but frequently offered during the winter is Rich’s take on braised short ribs. This is a dish worth remembering for next winter. The owner’s commitment to “farm to table” when possible is represented by Elihu Farms’ (Washington County) lamb chops ($38) finished with a piquant romesco sauce and served with roasted garlic whipped potatoes.

You should leave room for the house made desserts, offered with coffee or espresso. (Yes, espresso in the Adirondacks.) A dinner at the Owl at Twilight is always an evening thoroughly enjoyed. If you enjoy a well made drink, do leave time for a cocktail before dinner. I think you will enjoy the meal. I know you will enjoy the hospitality. It doesn’t get any better than here.

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It's BBQ Time!!

Logger, Welder, BBQ Pitmaster Scott Clark at his station.

Summertime calls for outdoor dining and big parties with lots of friends. Nothing says summer like BBQ – with platters of smoked ribs, and sliced brisket, and pulled pork. Traditional Barbecue does not mean “grilling”.

Real BBQ is s l o w c o o k i n g - hours and hours of very low heat, usually at 200 degrees or slightly less. I prefer a wood fired cooker. Over the years I have tried them all. I started many years ago (forty years?) with a small Brinkman “smoker”. Wet wood chips were added over burning charcoal. The chips provided the smoke. The coals provided the heat. The issue with this type of cooker is that the fire must be tended to constantly to provide a steady temperature. Some larger pieces of meat, like a pork butt, would require eight hours of cooking, and a half dozen changes of charcoal, and constant additions of wood chips. Air vents in the box would allow for a certain degree of control over the temperature.

When I started to get serious about slow cooking, I graduated to the first of a few electric cookers. The singular advantage of this type of smoker is that the heat can be regulated by a thermostat, so your cooking temperature is more consistent. My last unit was the size of a small bar refrigerator, and had two components. The cook box cabinet contained the heat element which could be regulated. A companion smoke generator was attached to the heat chamber. The smoke generator used hockey puck size discs of compressed wood chips, which you could buy from the manufacturer. The wood chip “pucks” were loaded, a dozen at a time, in a chimney column server, which fed in a fresh puck every half hour or so. With this system you could disappear for hours at a time, since the device pretty much took care of itself. It did however have one problem. The heating element sits in the bottom of the cooking chamber. The meat sits above it in the cabinet. A few pork butts weigh approximately twenty pounds, much of which is fat that is rendered out during the cooking process. The fat drips down on the heating element. Did I mention I had a fire? Actually I had a few fires, the last one almost taking out the garage. It did take out the wiring in the smoker which now sits in my friend Bunny’s garage, waiting for new switches and wiring.

My next adventure was to have a wood fired smoker built. The problem with wood smokers is that you have to feed the fire and pay attention, but if you build one big enough, the fire will keep going for hours at a time. My new cooker has two components. The meat cooking chamber is made from a 300 gallon propane gas tank. The attached firebox / smoke chamber is cut from a 100 pound gas tank. The firewood chamber is basically a woodstove, which is attached by a horizontal chimney to the cooking chamber . I pick out the wild cherry from my annual deliveries of firewood. This wood is common in the Adirondacks. Donations of pruned apple branches from friends with apple orchards make up the balance. I use the apple for smoking fish. Wild cherry adds a wonderful flavor to pork or beef. The total unit is on wheels, allowing for the BBQ to come to you if you can’t come to the BBQ. It’s big enough to do eight pork butts or briskets in one set, and small enough to tow behind the truck. I am told that the portable smoker is considered a “tool”, like a wood chipper, so no brake lights or licensing were required. I’ll keep you posted on that rules interpretation. My friend Scott Clark, who built the smoker, assures me of this. I suspect that someone in a funny hat might see things differently at some point.

Regardless of your cooking method, your BBQ will probably require two components, in addition to the meat that you intend to cook. First, a spiced “rub”; second a BBQ sauce. There are two schools of thought on rubs and sauces. Some prefer a dry product – rubbed with seasoning and not brushed with or dipped in any sauce. Others think the sauce is more important than the rub. I am of the former persuasion. A properly prepared dry rubbed rib is as close to culinary perfection as is humanly possible, requiring little or no sauce. If you disagree, please make your own sauce. I have yet to find a store bought sauce that I would call my own. They are easy enough to prepare at home. My recipes follow:

Dry Rub

2 tablespoons (each) kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, brown sugar, and paprika

1 teaspoon (each) dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, dried oregano.

Apply liberally on meat and rest, covered, overnight in refrigerator. (This is important.)

BBQ is cooked off direct heat at a very low temperature – approximately 200 degrees. Ever wonder why restaurant ribs are "fall off the bone" and your grilled ribs are not? Restaurant ribs spend all of five minutes on a grill, after hours of slow roasting in the oven. A rack of ribs at 200 degrees will take approximately five hours to cook. Baby backs require approximately four hours. Large pieces of beef brisket, or pork shoulder for pulled pork will take approximately ten hours. Use a meat thermometer! 165 degrees is the target temperature. Briskets should be placed in cooker fat side up, basting the meat as the fat renders out. Cook, uncovered in an outdoor smoker at 200 degrees until the inside temp is 175 degrees.

Dry Rub

2 tablespoons kosher salt,

1 tablespoon (each) freshly ground black pepper, brown sugar, and paprika

1 teaspoon (each) dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, dried oregano.

BBQ sauce (Tomato based)

Sauté one large chopped onion and four cloves of garlic in olive oil.

Off the flame add one cup bourbon and cook off alcohol for a minute.

Add:

1 cup ketchup

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup cider vinegar

½ cup mustard

Two tablespoons molasses or hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

1 tablespoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon (each) salt, pepper, thyme, oregano

If not using a smoker, add 1 teaspoon “liquid smoke” (optional)

A full rack of ribs takes approximately 5 hours to prepare. Pulled pork and beef brisket need to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, which will take about 1 ½ hours per pound. For a seven pound butt or brisket, this can mean ten hours of cooking. You can accelerate the process, and add flavor and tenderness by utilizing the “Texas Crutch” - cooking the meat in a covered pan with apple cider for a few hours, then finishing it uncovered for the last hour. If you try this option, start cooking the meat uncovered for the first three hours allowing it to develop some smoke flavor. Cook another three hours covered with foil in an inch of apple cider, then an hour or two uncovered to develop a "bark", or crust, on the meat. The meat is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

For BBQ ribs, brisket, or pulled pork, apply BBQ sauce or apple cider hourly during cooking.

For pulled pork, remove meat from oven and let stand thirty minutes. The meat will continue to cook and add another five degrees of temperature while it rests. Pull meat apart with two heavy duty forks. Add BBQ sauce and blend into meat well.

Note: Both the rub and the sauce contain sugar and cannot be used over a direct flame (grilled). For grilled chicken rub I use this basic recipe without the sugar. I apply the sauce after the chicken is done, and let it rest off the flame for a few minutes before serving.

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