I am just back from my glorious sojourn in England, but since this jet setter doesn’t like to put down roots for too long, I zipped up to New York’s Catskills Mountains for a weekend of bosky bliss. I have an 1840s-era schoolhouse tucked away in a vest pocket-sized town high in the hills, and, when not gardening wildly, I love nothing more than getting out and exploring.
Here’s sunset in the heart of the Catskills, glorious!
My most favorite find of late has been the terrific Mountain Brook Inn, a cozy hostelry situated just outside of the town of Bovina, New York. Run by the charismatic Gary Simmons, a transplant from LA with strong ties to the entertainment industry (hence the occasional celebrity spotted cavorting on the grounds), the getaway offers deliciously simple-chic rooms paired with a divine setting (a burbling brook rushes through the center of the property—just as the inn’s name would imply). Mountain Brook personifies relaxed elegance with its suites done up with white-on-white furnishings culled from Pottery Barn and Ikea and loads of books and of-the-moment magazines.
The rustic-chic Mountain Brook Inn makes for the perfect retreat in the
mountains. Host Gary Simmons has style to burn, so the rooms are
perfection.
But perhaps even better than the rooms and the postcard-perfect setting is Mountain Brook’s Saturday-evenings-only “dining room,” when Gary and his team whip up a fixed-price, three-course menu for both hotel-goers and the general public.
Gary and the gals get to cooking.
Gary Simmons, the Mountain Brook’s charismatic owner-cum-chef.
Attending this one-seating-only dinner is like stepping into a rollicking party where you’ll quickly get to know your fellow revelers as you sup in the eclectic dining room. A sample menu might include an organic salad paired with locally produced cheeses followed by such retro dishes as lobster Newburg or a seafood au gratin with potato pancakes and all finished off with a decadent chocolate mousse (Note to the wise: If you ask nicely, Gary doles out seconds, even thirds.). All of this for $25 per person, excluding gratuity! Oh, and it’s BYOB. And book early; reservations here are the hottest ticket west of the Hudson River.
The eclectic dining room where guests make new friends as they savor retro-rama dishes finished off with sticky-sweet desserts.
My advice: If you live in the New York area and are looking for a sublime escape, hightail it to the hills.