Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Yellow Brick Road to Liquid Gold


The "yellow brick road" behind
Dylan's Wine Cellar

There’s a yellow brick road steps away from the train station in Peekskill, New York.  According to a local historian, L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, traveled on this road as an adolescent on his way to the Peekskill Military Academy. There are several other claims to the inspiration of the yellow brick road that inspired Baum, though the Peekskill story is plausible.  The Peekskill Brewery is located just steps away from this road and is part of a booming restaurant and craft beer scene.

Opened in 2008, the Peekskill Brewery, a brewpub, never seemed comfortable in its original location.  With beer and food that has constantly improved, the brewery needed a larger space.  Now located in a four-story building, Peekskill Brewery seems to have hit its stride, pumping out great beer and great food; a welcomed break from the many mediocre brewpubs that sprang up in the 90’s.
Peekskill Brewery
In addition to their suds, the brewpub originally served a large list of beer from around the globe.  Perhaps with more confidence in their own product, they have significantly trimmed their offerings from outside.  This is a good thing.  The few brews they now serve from outside, which they call “guest brews”, tend to focus on other local/regional breweries.  This collaborative and regional effort seems to be part of the brewery’s approach.  They recently had a black IPA brewed with beans from Coffee Labs Roasters in nearby Tarrytown, and a witbier brewed in collaboration with Allagash and Bluejacket.  


Within the last year, the brewery has received two notable awards.  In April, they won Best Craft Beer in New York State at TAP New York for its Higher Standard, an imperial IPA.  In October, they were recognized nationally at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.  Their Amazeballs won silver for international-style pale ale.  The unfortunately named beer is delicious.
 
If dining for lunch, brunch or dinner, you can’t go wrong.  The burger is phenomenal.  If she could, my wife would probably drink the chipotle maple syrup they put on their fried chicken and waffle sandwich.
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Up the hill in Peekskill’s historic downtown, the Birdsall House gastropub was opened in 2010 by John Sharp and Tim Reinke.  Reinke is a co-owner of Manhattan’s well-known Blind Tiger Ale House.  The Birdsall House does not let down fans of Blind Tiger with their beer selection.  However, while the Blind Tiger has both quality and quantity, Birdsall House focuses on quality, and puts the rest of its energy towards food.  As with the brewery, there is a strong sense of local collaboration and support in their offerings for food and drink. 

Birdsall House
Birdsall also has an excellent beef burger, and its beet and grain burger is very popular as well.  Also not to be missed are the smoked pork nachos, fontina and peas mac n’ cheese, and excellent selections for charcuterie. 

The restaurant's design is really cool without feeling faux.  My guess is that they had the bones of a great space and didn’t mess with it too much.  The space extends to an outdoor dining area and a bocce court.  While it sounds like it could easily be overrun by the young and hip, there is usually a good mix of folks.  
The success of the Birdsall House has led to the opening of a second restaurant by the owners.  Located a few blocks away, Gleason’s has been serving up delicious flatbread pizzas since mid-2012.  
 
It seems that Peekskill is living up to the “opportunity” and “potential” seen by Sharp.  And he’s advocating these qualities not just for his own business, but for all of the downtown area as the President of the Peekskill Business Improvement District.  Sharp and his partners aren’t stopping with the two restaurants.  Noting “this is just the beginning”, he's been thinking about opening a diner and a distillery.   
 
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While the thought of a brewery and a gastropub in a town like Peekskill may have seemed like a risky venture, both places have proven to be very successful, drawing in regulars and newcomers.  But food and drink are not the only draws to Peekskill.  The City has a vibrant arts community.  There are a number of galleries, museums and events, including shows at the Paramount Theater, and exhibits at the HudsonValley Center for Contemporary Art.  You can find more information at the City’s Art Along the Hudson webpage.

Half pint of Amazeballs at Peekskill Brewery
Around town, you’ll find that Peekskill is a mix of charm and grit.  Like many U.S. cities, it suffers from post-WWII Federal housing initiatives, as well as local zoning laws, which restrict  residential development (i.e. regular housing) in its downtown area.  A significant number of historic structures were demolished to make way for large public housing towers.  The result is a city with a fragmented core, and a population heavily skewed towards low-income senior citizens.  However, the City is currently reviewing ways to correct this imbalance.

The brewery is located near the scenic waterfront, which contains a mix of parks, industrial development, and several eateries, including the recently opened Yellow Brick Road Café.  More dining options are on the way.  For better or worse, the view also includes Indian Point a nuclear power plant in the adjacent Village of Buchanan. 
Peekskill's Waterfront

If you need a little boost, the Peekskill Coffee House is a great place for a caffeine fix.  The large space typically exhibits local artist’s work, and often has live music.  Plus, they recently expanded, and now make a variety of crepes.  Next door you’ll find the Coop, which sells a variety of crafts, antiques, and other great products made by local artisans.  And upstairs is the Flat Iron Gallery.  In addition to the gallery space, there are a number of artist studios in the building, and you can usually wander around and check out their spaces.
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The train ride to Peekskill on Metro-North’s Hudson Line is the most scenic of any in the MTA system.  Make sure you get a riverside seat.  The hour-long ride from Grand Central takes you along the Harlem River, through Spuyten Duyvil, and into the Hudson River Valley.  On the way, you'll have views of the Palisades cliffs, as well as the Tappan Zee Bridge, and the construction of its replacement.  As Peekskill approaches, the Palisades fade, and the Hudson Highlands rise.  The Bear Mountain Bridge is visible just upstream. 

If you’re looking to do some beer shopping, you can get a growler from the brewery.  At Grand Central Terminal, you can stop in to the small, but well curated Beer Table Pantry.  Be prepared though, you’ll pay a premium for the selection and service.

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