Friday, December 5th, 2008
I have been meaning to do this for a while, but have been too busy being stuck in my little world.
Ever since our little episode up at the Red Lion Inn over Thanksgiving, my job has been not to only find places to eat, but to also find out what people are saying about those places.
I am happy to report that I have located two very helpful online resources:
1. Zagat
2. Tripadvisor
I am sure there are about a million other resources out there, but these two suit my purposes well.
I use the above websites for two reasons; one, to actually locate the places we want to visit for whatever reason, and two, to see what the rest of the world thinks of them.
I did a lot of reading through these sites a few nights ago. I found that many people’s reviews are quite helpful, but a lot of them need to be taken with a grain of salt.
The first type of review that I learned to be weary of is the “nothing is good enough” review.
A while back, Laura and I ate New Year’s Eve dinner at the Hudson House in Cold Spring, NY. It was the absolute best meal of our lives. If I could catch that chef and persuade him or her to come live with us forever, I would. Really, it was perfect…well, for most of us.
About half way through dinner, two young gentlemen sat down at the table next to us. There was nothing particularly interesting about them, but after they ordered their drinks, the complaints began. “This is too cold, this is too hot, this is just right, but I still don’t like it.” When the actual food arrived, forget about it. I am not even going to discuss that scene. What was strange about the whole thing was that the restaurant menu was fixed that night. We were all eating basically the same thing and stuff was flying out of the kitchen like crazy.
There was an important lesson learned that evening regarding various types of diners. That lesson was; we all go out for different reasons and we all vary greatly with what we think of where we are.
The other type of review I learned to watch out for is the “cheapo” review. It goes something like this, “Hoity-toity…extremely pretentious…must be an outpost for New Yorkers.” That is an actual review I picked up from Zagat. Out of 37 really very normal reviews, there was this one stuck in the middle. I told you about those Bermuda shorts people…
Armed with my new review filter, I have been able to pick up a few seemingly nice inns located up in the Woodstock, CT area. I was hoping to visit one of them for lunch this weekend, but my better half was non-compliant. She may need a bit of a nudge, and by nudge, I mean holding on tight as I throw her over my shoulder.
I am planning a nice Christmas dinner and will be sure to take lots of photos and tell you all about it.
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Friday, November 23rd, 2007
Wow, what a night. Laura and I had a great Thanksgiving dinner at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA.
This is becoming quite the tradition with us. I while back, Laura and I decided to start a new tradition of going out to eat at different inns and restaurants located in different parts of…the area. Apparently, we have developed a few favorites.
I remember the first one we went to. It was New Year’s Eve. We went to the Hudson House in Cold Spring, NY. Since then, we have been to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA, the Village Inn in Lenox, MA, Old Drovers Inn in Dover Plains, NY, Fife’n Drum in Kent, CT, Bar, Barnaby’s in New Paltz and a few others I can’t remember. We really like the tradition.
Last night’s dinner was great. I was so nice to see the entire dining room full of people all dressed up. Of course, Laura and I looked marvelous, as usual.
Here’s a picture of the Inn at night…
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Thursday, September 7th, 2006
Every year, towards the middle of August, Laura and I venture to the Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel in Cold Spring, NY. This is one night a year we really, really have a good time. It reminds us of the culture in this world that we miss so much by focusing on work, day in and day out.
Last year, the show offered “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” I am not going to attempt to give a review of the show, as I am sure there are people out there who could write much better than me. Here is one from the Utah Shakespeare Festival. What I am going to try to do, is to sell the show and experience to you, and hopefully my photos can do that. You really do deserve a unique night out like this.
I have to say, the whole experience is a good one, from the drive over the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, through Beacon and down along the Hudson River into Cold Spring. It’s a beautiful ride. Continuing through Cold Spring and finally arriving at Boscobel is a pleasant surprise every time. The parking at Boscobel is even nice. The lots are shaded by trees and tucked back from the road. There is about a quarter-mile walk from the parking lots to the tent area and the mansion.
The gardens are especially nice on a cool, clear evening.
I always spend a good amount of time browsing around the gardens, getting good ideas for the future. I seem to forget that the fun is right around the corner. It is kind of like stopping and getting attached to the first ride you come across at an amusement park. You can’t stop there. I eventually snap out of it and wander onto the lawn.
This has got to be one of my favorite places in the world. Just being among people who are having such a good time with their wine and food makes me forget all about every day business. It reminds me a little of “Alice in Wonderland…”
We usually walk around for a while and wait for them to sound that the show is about to start. We have yet to set up camp and relax with our food and wine. This is a definate for next time.
When we hear them asking us to take our seats, we make our way to the tent to enjoy the show!
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