Top 5 places to eat and drink
The Debruce
The signature restaurant at The Debruce hotel is the region’s standout dining experience, with a seasonally-changing tasting menu that features locally sourced and foraged produce. Dishes may include venison tartare or a playful take on campfire food – sausage and an assortment of beans served in a mini tin. Tasting menu £96. thedebruce.com
Peekamoose
A husband and wife team who have worked at some of New York’s best restaurants, including Le Bernardin and Gramercy Tavern, are behind this homely wood-cabin restaurant. From local trout and homemade charcuterie, to the signature slow-braised short rib, Peekamoose delivers simple satisfaction using the best local produce around. Three courses £77. peekamooserestaurant.com
Prospect at Scribner’s
With floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor wooden deck, Prospect boasts one of the best dinner locations in the Catskills. The menu, which lists all the local farms where the produce is sourced from, features steelhead trout with homemade sauerkraut, and a juicy pork chop with smoked apple butter. Three courses £57. scribnersprospect.com
North Branch Inn
With an open kitchen located in a 100-year-old bowling alley and a menu that begins with ‘Bread & Fat’ – pork belly, beef butter, duck fat, and cultured butter – North Branch Inn is one of the Catskills’ most fun restaurants. Follow smoked trout dip and apple-infused pork belly with a few rounds of bowling; but be warned this really is a vintage alley so you have to set the pins up again yourself. Three courses £38. northbranchinn.com
Phoenicia Diner
This diner, complete with booths and peg-board menus, almost feels like a movie set it’s so picture-perfect. While the design is old school, the food is anything but, with diner classics brought up to date, all using local organic produce. Start your day with the farmer’s skillet – bacon, potatoes, cheese and two eggs. Breakfast dishes from £8. phoeniciadiner.com Accomodation for this trip was provided by Scribner’s Catskill Lodge (scribnerslodge.com) and The Debruce (thedebruce.com).