Il Barilotto Enoteca, Fishkill, NY

Il Barilotto Enoteca
1113 Main Street
Fishkill, NY 12524
845-897-2031

Map & Directions
Lunch & Dinner: Monday ~ Saturday
Closed Sunday

Years ago, when Eduardo and Lucia Lauria, the owners of Aroma Osteria in Wappingers Falls, told me about their plans for a second restaurant in nearby Fishkill, I remember thinking at the time that it would be a mistake. The locations were too close, and a new venue would cannibalize traffic from Aroma. (The original conversations turned into a comedy skit. Eddie had toyed with the idea of opening a small plate "tapas bar" in Fishkill.  Word got around that he was considering opening a "topless bar".  You can imagine the phone calls.  That idea was abandoned.) My skepticism  was reinforced when menu ideas for a now planned Italian restaurant were discussed, as some of the staple  dishes - bistecca gorgonzola, a roast chicken, a daily risotto, seemed to mimic Aroma's menu. Fast forward to 2012, your's truly was proven totally wrong, Aroma is still bustling, and Il Barilotto is one of the most popular restaurants in the valley.  For good reason.

A Weekend in Ottawa, Ontario

First Nation "Beaver" Lodge Pole

In past years, Montreal has been our destination of choice for a long weekend in January.  This year we headed off in a slightly different direction, with some prompting from friends who have been singing the praises of the city of Ottawa. It is a four hour ride from Schroon Lake, twice the distance as the trip to Montreal. The weather was reasonably cooperative.  We had to deal with some snow squalls on the way north on Friday, but nothing that the Mini Cooper couldn't handle. We arrived at the Chateau Laurier midday on Friday and mapped out our itinerary.  The hotel sits on the banks of the Ottawa River, and a nearby bridge with a pedestrian walkway provides easy access to Gatineau in Quebec. Few cities are more pedestrian (and bike) friendly than Ottawa.  Paths line major thoroughfares, and the thoroughfares are not limited to roadways. The river and the Rideau Canal are major destinations for tourists and locals alike, especially in winter when skaters crowd the ice covered waterways.