Black Cat Cafe

It's tough starting a new job without any vacations days, especially when you want a getaway in the summer. Cooperstown's just a lovely reminder that a break from city life is just a little over an hour away with some tasty options along the route. For us, a typical trip to the Coop means stops by the Beekman 1802 Mercantile, flight of beer at Council Rock Brewery, and dinner at Brooks BBQ. Lunch at the cafe at Ommegang and Council Rock are great options, but when the hunger grumps hit en route, just hit up the Black Cat Cafe in Sharon Springs. 

Blink and you might miss this small, quaint little village down Route 20. Turn right on Main Street and you'll be greeted by the historic American Hotel and the village's charming boutique shops including the Beekman 1802 Mercantile. Dining options are limited aside from the hotel, but the Black Cat Cafe offered just what we needed for lunch. If you're up early enough the cafe has an array of breakfast options including omelets and breakfast sandwiches. For us late risers, lunch is an equally perfect opportunity to sit back and relax on the patio.

This isn't our first stop at Black Cat. We knew ordering a side of Lebanese potato salad and Mac 'n Blaak was a must. The potato salad is simply dressed in lemon, olive oil, parsley, and salt and pepper but so good; these bright, light and fresh flavors were perfect for summer. I'd rather have this all the time than the mayo-laden version. We've pretty raved about everything Beekman related and the same goes for the mac 'n cheese made with The Fabulous Beekman's Blaak Cheese, a semi-hard cheese made with 60:40 mix of goat and cow milk, with Martha Stewart's seal of approval.  Although the mac 'n cheese could have used some salt and pepper, the mild goat cheese flavor came through fabulously and was still distinct enough without being overpowering as some goat cheeses can be. A spoonful was a warm, comforting cheesy bite. 

Of course there's no such thing as too much cheese. As if "as featured on CNN" wasn't intriguing enough, the flavor combos of  the Wild Julia grilled cheese was too good to pass up on: extra sharp cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon, tomato, pepita seeds, and Frank's red hot on white bread. It might look like a lot of ingredients but they all melded together beautifully. Cheese and bacon are inherently a match made in heaven but the added texture and crunch of the pumpkin seeds along with the fresh bite of tomato and zing of hot sauce was like no other. They're all simple ingredients but sandwiched between buttery, toasted slices of bread, and they're transformed to a whole other level. 

Add an orange carrot smoothie and you've got yourself the perfect patio lunch. Stop by The Beekman 1802 Mercantile afterwards for an added bonus. It's conveniently located a few doors down from the cafe. Be sure to stock up on jars of Beekman goat milk cajeta. We've been eating the caramel by the spoonful and can't wait to return to both the Mercantile and Black Cat. It's a winning combo en route to Cooperstown or just on its own. 

Council Rock Brewery

Everyone has a weakness.  A certain place that, no matter what, they can't think a bad thing about.  I'm afraid the Council Rock Brewery in Cooperstown is falling fast into that status to me.  No matter how long it's been, no matter what mood I'm in or even my opinions about how the food and beer could be improved, I have never left there unhappy.  I think it says something that we have made the 1.5 hour trip multiple times primarily to stop there.

There's a refreshing honesty to the food and beer there.  In an age where the push is to culinary innovation and gastrology, it seems like simple done well doesn't get the attention it deserves.  Though the menu is pretty simple it is also executed very well with large portion sizes and surprisingly flavorful sides. You'll find standards like BBQ Pulled Pork simmered in their Brown Ale and Pastrami on marbled rye. But you'll also find some unique twists like Grilled Spicy Andouille Sausage with Gorgonzola Ranch Coleslaw. 

Our favorite are the garlic pesto fries.  Small shoestring fries cooked crispy but not overdone, tossed in an amazing pesto and sprinkled liberally with slices of garlic and served with chipotle aioli.  As much as we enjoy the rest, these fries are the reason we can't take a daytrip to Cooperstown without stopping at Council Rock.

So much for the food, but the reason you go to a brewery is for the beer, right?  Once more Council Rock's product stands proudly alongside any in the area.  I've found that a lot of larger microbreweries seem to stick to an identity to the exclusion of producing a great drink:  Shipyard uses a lot of English hops, Ommegang aggressively spices their drinks, etc.  Council Rock's identity, if it has one, tastes like balance.  The malt and hops are strong enough to be distinctive without drowning each other out, resulting in a surprising complexity for such relatively simple, honest brews.  The Friends and Neighbors Pale Ale is my favorite of the bunch, but even the ones I don't like are all an interesting take on their style.

In spite of its small size and unassuming look, Council Rock is one of my favorite upstate spots for food and beer.  With old-timers' day and the induction ceremony coming up, if you're on your way down to Cooperstown I would absolutely recommend a stop.  After all, baseball is much better with good food and beer.

Fly Creek Cider Mill

My folks were in town and it was on a whim that we took a day trip to Fly Creek Cider Mill near Cooperstown. Normally, Fly Creek is a mecca of samples from pickled vegetables to apple wine, cheese, fudge, jellies, jams, sauces, dips...you name it they have it. The list goes on and it's a delicious tour of the country store. The cafe next door is a great spot to grab an icy cold apple cider slush (free with a coupon from various visitor's guides) and an array of apple goodies from doughnuts, pies, dumplings, and cookies. For the kiddos and kiddos at heart, there's a coop of live geese, chickens, turkeys, and ducks who would be very happy to be fed corn treats for a mere quarter. There's also a play area, plenty of educational apple and cider related trivia, and displays of John Deere tractors. 

This past weekend just so happened to be the Annual Cider Festival and the line to get into the shop and the cafe were crazy long but we did not miss out on our small share of freebies. It's not every day that the International Society of Apple Parer Enthusiasts come to town. We arrived toward the end of the day but managed to sneak in samples of freshly pressed cider and sliced apples, sliced the old-fashioned way of course. 

Created with flickr slideshow.

The core of apple parer enthusiasts were a happy bunch of volunteers demonstrating the lost art of peeling an apple and slicing them through an array of antique yet functional machinery. There was even a demonstration of hand-pressed apple cider. 

It was a fun little side trip for us, but our main goal was to get a bite of the famous Brook's BBQ chicken for dinner and boy did it hit the spot. Nothing beats charcoal roasted meat. 

Brewery Ommegang & Cafe

J and I decided to venture out to Cooperstown during our staycation. Our goal was to finally visit Brewery Ommegang after unsuccessfully trying to squeeze in a tour and tasting this past summer. The brewery was way too hectic and overcrowded on a July weekend and now that it's fall season, it's the perfect time to visit. Plus the scenic route along Route 20 is perfect for leaf peeping this time of year. 

We got to Ommegang just as a tasting was starting and opted to jump in. Ommegang beers are on the stronger, alcoholic side. Needless to say a 6-mini flight tasting on an empty stomach wasn't exactly the best idea but it's quality beer! Ommegang prides itself on Belgian-style beer and at $3 per tasting plus a souvenir shot glass, it's a steal. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and no, there was no Game of Thrones beer samples but you get the classic six: Witte, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Abbey Ale, Three Philosophers and a fall brew called Scythe & Sickle in honor of the harvest season akin to the pumpkin beers of the season without the spices.