One of the great pieces of advice we received on marriage was to remember to go on dates. You must date your spouse. And we've discovered, with school and work and weekend jobs and hobbies and a sometimes very tired wife, that dating your spouse is easier said than done. However, a solution presented itself this past weekend. Instead of trying to start the date in the evening when one of us may already be cat-napping on the couch, start the date in the early afternoon.
With that, we found ourselves heading across the river and into the Catskills to Woodstock. Yes, the town and the infamous concert share the same name. However, here is a bit of cocktail party trivia, the concert did not take place in Woodstock. It took place 50 miles away in a different county. The town, though, if you visit, has plenty of tacky tie-dyed t-shirt shops and various dens of memorabilia. The most interesting one we found was selling a $100 blown glass bong.
Woodstock, though, is delightfully more charming than these shops would suggest. It has well-stocked used bookstores, a great kitchen store, the best shoe store in the Hudson Valley, and it has Joshua's.
Given that we are still relative new-comers to this part of the world, we often consult local magazines and guidebooks for restaurant recommendations whenever exploring the Hudson Valley. The problem with this approach is that all these resources seem to mention the same places. It's fine for the first trip, but won't do for subsequent trips. We've been to Woodstock before so we wanted a new experience. We ventured the length of Tinker Street, the main thoroughfare, read menus, peeked inside. Woodstock does not lack for restaurants.
The menu at Joshua's caught our eye, though. I was happy that they served breakfast until 3:00 p.m. Brian was happy they served Middle Eastern food. We went in. The dining room was full. We were told there would be a wait. Oh well, we could go somewhere else. There were other choices. A wait. At 2:00 p.m. On a Saturday in December, the low season. It then dawned on us, separately and in silence, that actually this was a very good sign. And so we put our name in the hat, walked around for a bit, and returned.
Joshua's has two levels. On the ground floor is the main dining room. It is not large, but it has lots of windows that let in natural light. It is wood tables and wood paneling, the dark tones of these playing off the light somehow creating a peaceful environment in which to enjoy your meal. There are actual pepper grinders on the tables. Upstairs, where we did not venture, are a bar, coffee bar, and tapas lounge.
Brian and I have come to have our own set of standards for a good restaurant. Among these are good service, clean floors (check out the bathroom and the kitchen), and good food. Within minutes, Joshua's met two of the three. The floors were clean. The service, well, was just terrific. From the moment we put our name in the hat to the moment we left, we were well taken care of, and this despite the fact that we were the few people whom the staff did not know by name.
The menu is a happy mix of breakfast items, omelettes, specials, Middle Eastern favorites and continental standards. We found this a bit odd at first, until the waiter told us Joshua was a member of Israeli defense forces, the restaurant has existed for over 30 years, and it is now run by his daughter. Brian and I embraced the ecletic menu by ordering eggs and moussaka.
Eggs are one of those things that should be fairly easy to cook, but often come out tough and overscrambled. I selected eggs scrambled with cream cheese, scallions and tomatoes. The eggs were scrambled slightly dry so that the cheese provided the moisture in the dish and the tang of it played off the bite of the scallions and the sweetness of the tomatoes. It was warm and delicious in that little dining room on a cloudy, cold December afternoon. I paired a Bloody Mary with it, the spice and sweet of which went nicely with the eggs.
Brian ordered the moussaka, a Greek dish often compared to lasagna, containing ground lamb, tomatoes, eggplant, and topped with cheese. It was served over brown rice, our favorite, and accompanied by vegetables. The moussaka made Brian swoon, but the vegetables were a test. We find, too often, that restaurants give vegetables and vegetarian dishes the short shrift. So in addition to the clean floors and the good service, respect for the vegetables is another one of our signs of a good restaurant. Joshua's respects the vegetables. Pieces of steamed cauliflower and zucchini accompanying the moussaka were balanced, still possessing some crunch yet cooked.
In the happy moment after consumption, we sat at our four-top round in the middle of the dining-room, watching the pedestrian traffic outside, holding hands, and willing the moment to last a little longer. Obviously, coffee and dessert would help. And wouldn't you know it, but not be surprised by it, dessert is another test of a great restaurant. We are reasonable people. We know pastry chefs are expensive, restaurant profit margins are tiny, and outside desserts must be brought in. We would prefer it if all desserts were made in-house, but if they are not, they should be of the highest quality.
Even before the menu arrived, we discussed baklava, hoping the restaurant's history would yield it a dessert item. It was the first one. Sure, we looked over all the other choices, but baklava was the only one for us. For those of you who know me, you might consider this surprising given my walnut intolerance/allergy, but we have a system. I have two to four bites of filling and then I focus on the phyllo top and bottom. Brian happily eats everything that remains. We were waiting in anticipation for the baklava. It arrived in an askew wedge shape, the plate drizzled with honey. Clearly, it was made at the restaurant. A tell-tale square or rectangular shape would have hinted that it was brought in from somewhere off-site. Oh, it was so good! The crunch of the top yielded to the softness of the walnut filling, and the honey rosewater soaked sheets of phyllo composing the base.
We enjoyed the baklava with a cappucino and a latte. The only hiccup of the afternoon, a wrong coffee order, was handled quickly and deftly. Otherwise, the foam on each was appropriate to the drink, and the coffee was strong without being bitter or hinting of over-roasted beans. We finished our drinks, plates were cleared, the bill was paid, and then one last sign of a great restaurant was presented: the offer to fill our water glasses as we lingered not quite wanting or ready to leave.
Joshua's
51 Tinker Street
Woodstock, NY
845.679.5533
www.joshuascafe.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment