The restaurant business is famously tough even in good times. But throw in a once-in-a-100-year pandemic carrying unpredictable restrictions on dining, and it’s no exaggeration to say 2020 was probably the most difficult year to open a restaurant in recent memory. We caught up with five Kingston restaurants to find out how they made it work.
Masa Midtown
666 Broadway, 514-2214, masamidtown.com
The owner and chef of Masa Midtown, Ozlem Oguzcan-Cranston, had to think on her feet when she realized a catering gig might not be the best bet after opening on March 1. She had already planned to cater several events – including Kingston’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade – but with people cancelling their events and gatherings not being permitted. It was clear that the original plan would have to be adjusted.
“Things started heating up and events started dropping,” said Oguzcan-Cranston. “The whole world shut down in a matter of a week, two weeks. We realized there was no way we could do anything with our original plan.”
Oguzcan-Cranston had purchased the former Midtown Chophouse space on the corner of Broadway and Downs Street, eleven months earlier. She and her husband had set to work renovating the space, her first venture into a permanent brick-and-mortar location.
She had previously been a freelance chef, hosting popups and cooking in private homes. She lived in Brooklyn and most of her work was in the New York City area.
Her husband is originally from Kingston. “We’ve been coming back and forth and visiting Kingston,” said Oguzcan-Cranston. “In 2016, we decided to buy a house here for the weekends. We found out we were enjoying our time in Kingston more than we were in Brooklyn.”
When opening day came and it became clear that catering wasn’t going to happen, she decided to pivot to takeout. “I was itching to get cooking in that kitchen,” said Oguzcan-Cranston. “It was a full year of renovations, and I didn’t want to sit back and wait. We wanted to do something.”
At first, she was the sole cook. After some time, she began hiring others to help.
“The takeout has almost been a blessing in disguise,” said Oguzcan-Cranston. “The original plan of doing catering would have closed off a lot of people intimately unless they had an event here. They wouldn’t have been able to taste the food immediately. People have really embraced us and their excitement has kept me going.”
Masa Midtown is now finding its groove, with weekend takeout and a small market on Saturdays with a variety of items, including Turkish hand sanitizer.
Oguzcan-Cranston’s Turkish roots shine through with the food she prepares. “My mom made three meals a day and I grew up with a lot of homemade, loving food,” she said. “Turkish culture is one that is constantly telling each other we love each other in food.”
An Oguzcan-Cranston menu favorite is kofte piyaz, which is similar to Swedish meatballs, served over a rice pilaf side of white bean salad and cacik. Other items include a chicken gyro bowl, a Turkish baked mac and cheese, and vegetarian green lentil soup.
Oguzcan-Cranston said response from the community has exceeded what she had imagined, though the business is still in survival mode. “We’re going to keep pushing and hopefully come out of this with a new sense of what the business is going to look like,” she said.
Masa Midtown is open on Thursday and Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additionally, Oguzcan-Cranston has begun to cater small, safe events.
Lunch Nightly
636 Broadway, 514-2214, lunchnightly.com
This hybrid deli by day, restaurant and bar by night, created by partners Samantha Strand, Gabriel Weinstock, Miles Crettien and June Rose, opened at the former site of the Peace Nation café in May. Three of the four partners, excluding Rose, had been working together at Lis Bar in Kingston when they decided to open their own spot. They recruited Rose, who had been working at Marlow & Daughters, a butcher shop and prepared foods counter in Brooklyn.
“He wasn’t classically trained – he learned how to butcher at Marlow & Daughters,” said Strand of Rose. “He was a chef in Los Angeles and Utah before, but was ready to do his own thing. We all started Lunch Nightly.”
The team of four are the backbone of Lunch Nightly.
“Even before Covid, we knew we would be working our asses off as owners, and we wouldn’t be able to start with a full staff,” said Strand. “It had to be small, and we wanted it to feel intimate.”
What really makes this spot unique is its flexibility. Customers can stop in for a roast beef sandwich or Italian sandwich with prosciutto and mortadella and come back at night for a drink and something from the rotating dinner menu to enjoy in the outdoor garden.
“We wanted customers to feel like they can come in during the day and have an experience, and then come back at night and have just as welcoming and lovely of a time but feel the difference between day and night,” said Strand.
Though Lunch Nightly is a butcher shop, vegetarians and vegans are warmly welcomed with a selection of meatless options. “It’s been lovely being a place that focuses on meat but has a ton of vegetables,” said Strand. “We have a ton of vegans who come here, and it’s been great that people can rely on us for both.”
The quartet have created an artistic atmosphere for customers to experience. “Most of us all have art backgrounds,” said Strand. “We’ve all gone to art school and had this pretty specific aesthetic that we’ve been employing our whole life. It’s all different and jarring and strange to all come together, but that’s what we did.” She described the result as “low capital, scrappy, and fun.”
The four were able to create a setting that clearly showed the influence of each one. One of their favorite additions are the orange glowing lights on the outside of the restaurant that help draw people in.
Despite the pandemic causing a “weird, wild roller coaster,” the owners say they never considered putting off opening. With the colder weather here, Strand welcomes customers who want to brave the elements and enjoy their outdoor garden. (They have outdoor heaters to make this prospect more palatable.) Above all, they are excited to see what Lunch Nightly grows into, and hope to follow the original vision of being a place that gives back to the neighborhood.
“We are a white-owned business who exists in a minority-owned neighborhood,” said Strand. “We can’t just exist on that level. We have to give back to the neighborhood and figure out how people can feel welcomed and let this be their space, too.”
Lunch Nightly is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
Grainne
299 Wall Street, 338-1388, grainnekingston.com
Jennifer Cruz and Chris Campbell found themselves jumping into a new endeavor when they lost their former jobs over the summer due to the pandemic. The pair took over the former Duo Bistro space in early November and officially opened their doors on November 20.
“It’s a gorgeous building,” said Cruz.
Campbell described it as an extraordinary location with a phenomenal community. The partners have found Kingston residents welcoming, kind and generous.
Taking over a space occupied by a restaurant that closed because of the pandemic, the pair were ready to take on the challenge. They’re focusing heavily on takeout, figuring out their market, and considering a potential delivery service.
The menu is eclectic, ranging from upscale bistro food to coffee and a breakfast sandwich for $5. “This is not the time to be pretentious with food,” said Campbell. “It’s the time to feed the people.”
Grainne combines Cruz’s background as a pastry chef with Campbell’s expertise working in a number of restaurants. Customers can look forward to pretzels, which some have dubbed as “the best in the area,” a pickled fried chicken sandwich (Cruz’s favorite), and eight-ounce hand-packed burgers served on a local brioche roll. Grainne also serves pho bowls, small plates, snack boards and more. In the morning, there is everything from scones and quiche to waffles and corned beef hash and eggs.
The Market at Grainne, the in-house bakery, is where a sweet tooth will really be satisfied. Cruz prepares specialty cookies, macaroons, hand pies, cupcakes, muffins and more. The Market is offering a cookie subscription service for those who want a consistent sweet treat.
In The Market, Chris and Campbell have displayed a “Pay it Forward” board for customers to hang a receipt of their purchase for someone who is in need. Additionally, they regularly donate to Kingston’s community fridges.
“It’s our way of making sure everyone is taken care of,” said Campbell.
“We want to do whatever we can to help people get through this time,” said Cruz. “It’s a rough time.”
Cases are increasing in Ulster County and it’s possible new restrictions may soon kick in for area restaurants. Cruz and Campbell are ready.
“We’re geared for it,” said Campbell. “Because we opened during the pandemic, there is nothing that can shock us at this point or change what we are already doing. Our menus are designed for eating when you get home. We’re good.”
“It gives customers one more option about what they can take home on yet another night sitting in their living room but don’t feel like cooking,” said Cruz.
Grainne is open from Thursday to Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Market and pre-ordered dinner pick up is from 4 to 6 p.m. Customers can order online and use curbside pickup if they wish.
Casa Vallarta
1571 Ulster Ave, 481.5318, casavallarta.us
Casa Vallarta is a new family Mexican restaurant off 9W/Ulster Avenue, often with a packed parking lot, in an otherwise lightly trafficked stretch of Lake Katrine opposite Adams Fairacre Farms.
The restaurant is a part of a franchise with five other locations – four in Massachusetts and the other in Poughkeepsie. Each is family-owned and family-operated. The extensive menu shows margaritas, guacamole made at your table, piles of nachos, quesadillas, tacos, burritos and fajitas. Desserts include flan, churros and deep-fried ice cream.
“People like authentic Mexican food,” said manager Raul Alegria. “We have been trying to do our best to make sure that every customer leaves happy.”
The pandemic has meant delaying some plans for the location. For example, they can’t yet bring in the live mariachi band that they hoped to. It also delayed the opening. Alegria said people are still able to come and enjoy the food. With increasing customer numbers, Casa Vallarta is preparing for another challenge to come.
“We’re going to stay open and do to-go orders,” said Alegria. “We are going to do our best to keep everything safe and the customers happy.”
Casa Vallarta is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Tilda’s Kitchen and Market
630 Broadway, 663-2286, hudsonvalleycurrent.org/members/tildas-kitchen-market/
Tilda’s Kitchen and Market is a creation of the non-profit Hudson Valley Current, an economic organization dedicated to fostering a sustainable local economy. You may have heard of the currency it created for use in participating businesses, The Current.
“We started this in 2014 in anticipation for the next recession,” said Chris Hewitt, director of Hudson Valley Current, “because local currencies stabilize economies. We had a solution to the next recession.”
Tilda’s began in March. It accepts both Currents and dollars, and rewards customers with one Current with every purchase in an effort to encourage the use of the currency. “We don’t call it a restaurant,” said Hewitt. “We are a nonprofit community kitchen who isn’t looking for a profit.”
Instead, Hewitt wants to bring attention to other local restaurants and farms through Tilda’s Kitchen. There will also be educational classes with guest chefs.
We are striving to shift the food systems to eliminate hunger,” said Hewitt.
For example, the establishment donated 50 pay-it-forward meals to two of Kingston’s community fridges.
The venture has faced its fair share of challenges. It has been following Covid-19 procedures with increased disinfection protocols, distance markers and limited indoor capacity. It was able to obtain an agricultural and market permit, instead of a health permit, which means it won’t have to shut down if there’s another lockdown. It could start delivering groceries and do curbside pickup. The difficulty is pivoting so quickly in a changing environment and adjusting out budgets accordingly,” said Hewitt.
Right now, Tilda’s is open for indoor and outdoor dining, as well as curbside pickup, and is “willing to pivot as necessary.”
The unique menu offers “community-inspired global cuisine” created by a panel of six chefs who are also local restaurant owners. There are four styles of cuisine: Asian, Caribbean, creative American and Latin.
Hewitt hopes that Tilda’s Kitchen and Market becomes “a center for community discussion, meal-sharing and storytelling.” It is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Join the family! 
