Here’s the bad news: Lekker, that great little all-day breakfast place a few steps from the intersection of Routes 209 and 213 in Stone Ridge, is no more — as such. Here’s the good news: The business was sold this past April to Lekker’s original chef, Page Moll, and his wife Shala. The sign outside now reads “Hash,” but the sunny space, the casual café atmosphere and the great menu are very nearly the same. You can still get eggs with interesting fixins at 4 in the afternoon, if you’re so inclined. You can even still order a couple of selections under the heading of “Medicinal Broths” for an immune-system boost if you’re feeling poorly, or a dairy-free turmeric latte.
In addition, however, you can now get burgers (including their popular Moroccan lamb version), tacos and yes, hash. “All the hashes are new,” says Shala, noting that the restaurant’s latest name was inspired by “my favorite thing that Page would make for me. He would take potatoes, sausage, eggs, cheese, whatever, and scramble it up together and call it hash.” Her special comfort food takes many forms, on the regular menu and as specials, including a meatless coconut curry tofu hash that features three different varieties of mushroom, plus spinach and dried tomato.
Although Hash isn’t open for dinner (except special catered events), you can get hearty entrées as well. The house-smoked brisket with spicy mayo is a hot item in both senses of the word. There are hearty soups and stews, sandwiches and wraps, salads substantial enough to make a full meal. “Pretty much all the dishes have a side salad,” Shala points out, “and we serve fingerlings instead of fries. Page doesn’t want any fried food [on the menu]; we don’t even have a fryer in the kitchen.”
It’s not quite “health food” in the obsessive sense, but Hash’s offerings do lean strongly toward sprightly preparation and healthful ingredients, very fresh and locally sourced whenever possible. “We’re lucky to be in place where there are so many beautiful, wonderful farms that we can get our produce from,” says Shala. “Hollengold Farms in Accord is one of my favorites.” Indeed, the walls of Hash’s interior dining room (there’s also an ample outdoor patio) are adorned with many botanical prints by Hollengold’s owner, Wendy Hollender.
Shala, who grew up in Woodstock, manages the “front end” of the business while Page takes care of the “back of the house.” A native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, he began working in restaurants as a dishwasher while still in high school, then moved to Santa Barbara, California to attend culinary school. At the community college where he started, says Page, an ex-military commissary manager taught courses that put heavy emphasis on sanitation and safety in the kitchen, and the lessons stuck: Page is a real stickler for perfect cleanliness in his kitchen domain. It shows in Hash’s presentation; the food practically sparkles.
His apprenticeships included several years aboard ship as a combination cook and SCUBA instructor, touring exotic places while working for Lindblad Expeditions and learning culinary tricks and techniques from around the world. He also ran a huge dining hall operation at UCLA and became executive chef at Google headquarters. Eventually he and Shala both ended up working at a fine dining establishment in Venice Beach called Restaurant 5 Dudley, met and fell in love in short order.
They married in 2011. When their son Paxton was born, Shala felt a longing to return to her Catskills roots to bring him up, and Page agreed to try living in the Northeast. Both found work at Woodstock’s Oriole 9 and later Shindig. When their friends Luc Moeys and Nina Paturel, former partners in Oriole 9, decided to branch out and open Lekker in 2012, they brought the Molls — and Page’s recipes — with them.
Now Moeys and Paturel have moved on, deciding to focus their energies on another of their businesses, the A & P Bar in Woodstock. Luckily, a “great team” was already in place and a loyal clientele established, and the Molls were ready to take the plunge on their own. Check it out next time you’re passing through Stone Ridge! Hash is located at 3928 Main Street (Route 209), and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. To view the full menu, visit www.hashfoodny.com; for an update on daily specials, visit www.facebook.com/hashfoodny.
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