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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Birdsall House |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
