by Janet Irizarry
Janet Irizarry
JIRestaurantConsulting.com
Move over World’s Largest Kaleidoscope, there is a whole new reason to come to Mt Tremper now, to experience The Woodnotes Grille. The newly renovated restaurant at the Emerson Resort opened this past November and is a great place to enjoy a taste of the Hudson Valley at its finest.
Located within a 30-minute drive
of Kingston and only 20 minutes from Woodstock, Woodnotes Grille is the perfect place to go for an evening out or on your way to or from the many activities the area is known for: hiking, biking, tubing, fishing, skiing, etc.
At Woodnotes, they define their style as “Catskills Creative Cooking,” which means that you get really local food, done well, in a very comfortable setting. It’s not pretentious, it is just great flavors combined well and done right. They are as farm-to-table as possible, tapping into the abundance of local farms as much as they can, sourcing produce locally and meats are all natural and antibiotic free.
Sitting down with Woodnotes Chef Brian Wren and Manager Greg Gagne to learn more, they shared, “Our mission is to serve the stuff that you know, but with our own special spin. It’s a step up from pub fare but it doesn’t get too fancy,” Gagne explains. “The thing is that people are coming to the area to enjoy the county, but especially if they are coming from the city they have high expectations of the food quality. We want to make sure we deliver and are memorable. We find word of mouth from people who have been here and experienced what we’re offering is our best marketing tool.”
Chef Wren adds, “Our goal is to keep it simple but approachable. We are here in the Catskills, so when we think of seafood we think of fresh catfish fish and chips and house smoked trout. Although we get a lot of people coming to the area from all over to take advantage of all the year-round outdoor activities, when we plan our menus we are also always thinking of the local clientele too.”
Wren, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, credits his talents to his real-world experience cooking with top chefs in Seattle. “It really opened up my eyes to the art of culinary 
creativity and gave me a whole new way of looking at cooking. I worked under chefs such as Keith Luce, former Sous Chef at the White House, and world renowned chef Lisa Nakamura.” Wren notes his biggest learning experience was when he worked at Herbfarm Restaurant in Washington, where they do a nine course tasting menu every night. They either grow their own or pick from local farms, the forest, or the ocean to highlight the bounties of the Pacific Northwest. The highlight of his experience there was doing a Hundred Mile Dinner, for which everything had to be sourced within a hundred miles. “We could not use pepper because there was none being produced within the hundred miles,” Wren said, “For salt we evaporated salt water. By chance there was one guy growing tea in the United State and we were lucky that he lived in Washington. It was intense, but a lot of fun and very educational.” It’s this experience and creativity that Wren brings to Woodnotes. “Every meal, our goal is to be great. We are focused on always doing it right. And we want to keep everyone smiling.”
Wren and Gagne understand the challenges of running a restaurant in a rural location and strive to create a niche and the right chemistry for the area. Part of this is always trying new things. “We come up with recipe ideas all the time and try them out to see how they go over on the menu. But sometimes the challenge is to get people to try it!” Gagne shares, “For example, we created a sort of sandwich with spring peas and prosciutto – it was like a mash-up of an empanada and quesadilla – it is so delicious, but we struggled to find the right words to sell it on the menu. We didn’t know what to call it, so we tried different names. Empanada, then quesadilla, and then, when we put it on the menu as a ‘Hot Pocket’ it sold like hotcakes – no pun intended!”
Gagne continued, “That is the fun of it too. Getting a customer to try something they might not have thought about before and seeing them really enjoying it. This is what gets people talking about us to their friends and family. This is what keeps people coming in and coming back again and again.”
As for the bar, Gagne considers the bar his creative domain, “Just like Brian’s goal is to make the food the best and the freshest, when we create drinks we put the same thought and creativity into the ingredients and flavors to create the best final product. We squeeze our own juices, make our own syrups and use really great ingredients. We take the classic cocktails that have been around for a hundred years and do a little riff on them. Most of our spirits are small batch and our beers are local and rotated frequently. Our bartenders are self-proclaimed ‘Spirits Geeks’ and have fun playing around and educating our customers on drinks and what they should order. Our customers are very receptive and have a great time.”
Woodnotes features inside and outside dining plus a great room that is actually a communal room for the hotel, but anyone is welcome to come sit, relax and have a drink or even food. The menu is very reasonably priced and they offer a great happy hour with $5 appetizers available on the weekdays. The outside area abuts the Esopus River, or as Chef Brian would say, “You could cast a lure from the patio door.” And since the resort is dog friendly, you can come and sit on the deck with your furry friends.
As I chatted with Wren and Gagne, they were adamant that people know three important things about Woodnotes Grille:
Woodnotes is open to everyone, you do not have to be a guest staying at the Emerson.
You can come as you are and from wherever you have been. It is a great place to come as a destination or after hiking, fishing or skiing the mountains.
It’s just a short drive from Kingston, Woodstock, Saugerties and the Catskills and when you arrive, they will make sure you are well taken care of!
One thing that was clear to me was their abundant passion for the food and the overall customer experience. Wren and Gagne have a shared vision and feed off each other’s energy, creating a very warm and hospitable culture that can be felt throughout the restaurant and will make your experience at the Woodnotes Grille a special one.
The Details:
Breakfast daily 7a.m. to noon
Friday – Saturday Bar Opens at 3 p.m. Dinner 5 to 10 p.m.
Sunday – Bar Opens at 3 p.m. Dinner 5-9 p.m.
Happier Hour Monday—Thursday 5pm to 7pm, Fridays 3pm to 7pm
Woodnotes Grille
5340 Route 28
Mt Tremper, New York 12457
Phone: 845-688-2828
www.emersonresort.com/woodnotes-grille/
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