88 Charles Street Cafe ~ Montgomery, NY

88 Charles Street Cafe
Montgomery, NY 12549
845.457.9850
www.88charlesstreetcafe.com


Open for Dinner - 7 Days
Lunch - Monday through Friday


It has been twenty five years since Mario Balicich opened the doors to 88 Charles Street - back in 1987.  The building had been the original home of custom motorcycle builders Orange Country Choppers, who had relocated to larger quarters. Chef Balicich retooled the space for dining instead of cycle building, and the rest - as they say - is history.  The successful business outgrew the original space, and nine years ago another dining room was added on the west side of the building, which looks out over the trellised grape vines surrounding the parking area, and - on the night we were there - a spectacular sunset. The room is set with white linen covered tables and bentwood bistro chairs. The waitstaff looks more starched than the service will turn out to be. The crisp white aprons and formal black ties and vests can't overshadow the casual friendly banter with their favorite regulars.  

The Chef's Tasting at Le Cirque

Le Cirque
151 East 58th, Beacon Court
New York, NY 10022
Reservations - 212 644 0202
Closed Sundays

Le Cirque's Kitchen

As our party of seven gathered near the bar waiting for an escort to our table in the kitchen, a most recognizable figure  - the Patron, Sirio Maccioni - sat in reception just inside the front entrance greeting regulars.  We had come by this special invitation to a "chef's tasting" in the restaurant's kitchen in the circuitous way that these things sometimes happen when you're lucky - a friend of a friend who knew somebody who worked in the kitchen. Our sponsor for the evening was the restaurant's grill chef - Christina Towers.  An earlier scheduled date had been scuttled because of some changes in staff. Olivier Reginensi, the new executive chef, had just come on board, and Christina suggested we wait for the kitchen to settle in to its new routine before we drove down.