I often forget this — and maybe it’s because so much of the population is concentrated in the southern tip — but New York is a vast, vast state. Get up north a bit and it’s wide open with rolling hills, pastures and farmland.
I was up near Albany this weekend; the Taconic would have been the most picturesque way to go, but I-84 to I-87 wasn’t too shabby either. Of course, I can’t drive anywhere without doing at least some food exploration, and on this trip I made two stops — one in New Paltz, the other in Beacon.
In New Paltz I popped in to The Village TeaRoom, a restaurant and bake shop right off of Main St. The outside looks like a quaint little farmhouse.
Grabbed a tasty oatmeal, apricot and almond scone for the road. It was very flaky and crumbly and ended up all over my lap in the car.
Beacon is a river town north of Cold Spring off of I-84. Might be best known for its Dia:Beacon art museum, and I’ve also read about the revitalization of the downtown, which includes new restaurants like this one: Poppy’s Burgers and Fries.
Not a ton of seating at Poppy’s — I counted three tables. They must do a lot of take-out? There’s also a pinball machine.
The owner (real nice guy) told me they’ll have a beer and wine license in a few weeks. In the back is an outdoor space being remade into a beer garden that’ll be ready by Memorial Day .
But let’s get to those burgers and fries. What stands out about Poppy’s are its ingredients; the beef is from nearby Kiernan Farm and is 100% organic and grass fed. The produce too, is local and organic. The quality is reflected in slightly higher prices, but I have a feeling you won’t mind.
Here’s my order of the hand-cut fries. You can’t see it, but this was a small, and the serving was huge. A large would probably suit four people, easily.
My “Classic Big” burger with lettuce and tomato: two 1/4 beef patties, raw milk cheese, diced red onion and a side of pickles.
I wasn’t asked how I wanted my burger cooked, and it didn’t occur to me to specify. The patties arrived cooked through (no pink at all), so maybe that’s just how they serve them.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m able to point out the specific differences of the grass fed beef, but I will say this: the burger is worthy of a heap of praise. It’s substantial, requiring two hands to maneuver; it’s flavorful, well balanced and screams of freshness; the raw milk cheese is killer; the meat, though cooked well done, isn’t at all dry. In fact, the whole burger is explosively juicy.
Rather eye-opening that this unassuming place, in this out-of-the-way city, is cranking out burgers like this. Some reviewers on Yelp claim that Poppy’s is superior to NYC’s Shake Shack, and I know people who worship at the altar of Shake Shack.
So, if you find yourself driving to Albany from Westchester, or you’re simply a burger aficionado, I suggest you drop in at Poppy’s. Let me know what you think.
The Village TeaRoom
10 Plattekill Ave.
New Paltz, NY
845-255-3434
Poppy’s Burgers and Fries
184 Main St.
Beacon, NY
845-765-2121
A Burger Pit Stop at Poppy’s in Beacon
I often forget this — and maybe it’s because so much of the population is concentrated in the southern tip — but New York is a vast, vast state. Get up north a bit and it’s wide open with rolling hills, pastures and farmland.
I was up near Albany this weekend; the Taconic would have been the most picturesque way to go, but I-84 to I-87 wasn’t too shabby either. Of course, I can’t drive anywhere without doing at least some food exploration, and on this trip I made two stops — one in New Paltz, the other in Beacon.
In New Paltz I popped in to The Village TeaRoom, a restaurant and bake shop right off of Main St. The outside looks like a quaint little farmhouse.
Grabbed a tasty oatmeal, apricot and almond scone for the road. It was very flaky and crumbly and ended up all over my lap in the car.
Beacon is a river town north of Cold Spring off of I-84. Might be best known for its Dia:Beacon art museum, and I’ve also read about the revitalization of the downtown, which includes new restaurants like this one: Poppy’s Burgers and Fries.
Not a ton of seating at Poppy’s — I counted three tables. They must do a lot of take-out? There’s also a pinball machine.
The owner (real nice guy) told me they’ll have a beer and wine license in a few weeks. In the back is an outdoor space being remade into a beer garden that’ll be ready by Memorial Day .
But let’s get to those burgers and fries. What stands out about Poppy’s are its ingredients; the beef is from nearby Kiernan Farm and is 100% organic and grass fed. The produce too, is local and organic. The quality is reflected in slightly higher prices, but I have a feeling you won’t mind.
Here’s my order of the hand-cut fries. You can’t see it, but this was a small, and the serving was huge. A large would probably suit four people, easily.
My “Classic Big” burger with lettuce and tomato: two 1/4 beef patties, raw milk cheese, diced red onion and a side of pickles.
I wasn’t asked how I wanted my burger cooked, and it didn’t occur to me to specify. The patties arrived cooked through (no pink at all), so maybe that’s just how they serve them.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m able to point out the specific differences of the grass fed beef, but I will say this: the burger is worthy of a heap of praise. It’s substantial, requiring two hands to maneuver; it’s flavorful, well balanced and screams of freshness; the raw milk cheese is killer; the meat, though cooked well done, isn’t at all dry. In fact, the whole burger is explosively juicy.
Rather eye-opening that this unassuming place, in this out-of-the-way city, is cranking out burgers like this. Some reviewers on Yelp claim that Poppy’s is superior to NYC’s Shake Shack, and I know people who worship at the altar of Shake Shack.
So, if you find yourself driving to Albany from Westchester, or you’re simply a burger aficionado, I suggest you drop in at Poppy’s. Let me know what you think.
The Village TeaRoom
10 Plattekill Ave.
New Paltz, NY
845-255-3434
Poppy’s Burgers and Fries
184 Main St.
Beacon, NY
845-765-2121