Mill House Brewing’s expansion to the west side of the Hudson has been a long time coming, but it’s finally here! HV1 got a sneak peek at The Ridge by Mill House during a soft opening event on Thursday, March 20, and we were suitably impressed. Launch day for the general public was Wednesday, March 26, but according to head chef/co-owner Dan Crocco, “We’re already sold out for the first week.”
Amongst foodies on local social media, anticipation has been running high for this new joint, based on the popularity of Mill House Brewing’s meals and libations both. The owners of the much-awarded Poughkeepsie brewpub, which has reigned on the site of the former Mill House Panda since 2013, purchased the former Gunk Haus in Clintondale last September, with the intent of having it open by the end of the year.
Various structural challenges in the 1826 building got in the way of that ambitious timeline: “The floor joists were rotten in the bar area. That set us back,” Crocco explained while leading a tour of the handsomely renovated restaurant. “In the kitchen, we ripped out the floors and put in all-new equipment.” They also tore out two nonfunctional fireplaces and replaced the old bar with a sturdy new one with a bullnosed quartz top. Old-time Clintondalers who remember when this building was a rather sketchy dive called the Hollywood Bar (but somehow missed its 2009 transformation into a respectable German eatery) would not recognize the place now, all spiffed up.
Crocco and his business partner, brewmaster/co-owner Jamie Bishop, opted for a décor theme that reflects their mutual interest in outdoorsy pursuits, so there’s a little crossover with the previous Bavarian aesthetic. Numerous examples of taxidermy are on display, along with waterfowl decoys, antique wooden snowshoes and so on. “That’s my grandfather’s recurve bow,” Crocco points out. The hallway leading to the brand-new accessible bathrooms sports an enormous mural of a pheasant, and a private dining room that replaced what Bishop described as a “former dog/office room” has an area rug depicting a rainbow trout under the main table. Creative director Kimberly Glatz described the sought-after vibe as “upscale cozy Grandpa cabin/lodge — but it smells good.”
Some design aspects of the Gunk Haus have been retained, such as the booths and church-pew seating around the periphery of the main dining room, as well as the handsome outdoor deck with its spectacular 180-degree view of apple orchards with the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskills lining the horizon. Spring peepers were serenading attendees at the soft opening who ventured outside. Bishop and Crocco knew as soon as they first visited the building that the sprawling viewshed was the site’s primary selling point, and were willing to gamble that active tourists visiting the area for such pursuits as hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and kayaking would be drawn to a brewpub that played up the “back to nature” angle. They plan to build a second bar outdoors, beside the deck, and they’ve already maximized the view indoors by installing a transom window in the new auxiliary dining room. When you arrive, the first thing to strike the eye — besides the formerly yellow façade having been painted in darker, woodsier tones — is a lighted sign depicting the Gunks’ iconic bird, a peregrine falcon.
But what about the food, and the beer? As with the celebrated Velvet Panda stout that Mill House Brewing developed in homage to the Poughkeepsie location’s previous occupant, Bishop is working on a new German-styled brew to be called Haus Hefeweizen. At the soft opening, half a dozen Mill House standbys were being poured from cans, but the bar boasts 12 taps, so you can expect a broad selection of tasty craft beers and probably a cider or two.
The food menuhttp://www.theridgebymillhouse.com/menu stylistically resembles but doesn’t duplicate the selection at the Mill House, classifiable as New American Cuisine with some signature Crocco touches. Instead of wood-fired pizzas, there’s a raw bar. “We’re doing all dry-aged beef in the house,” noted the chef, and the bison-and-beef Ridge Burgers being offered at the opening event were a tantalizing foretaste.
Most everything we tried featured an unexpected complementary flavor note, such as a tangy glaze on the lamb ribs, crunchy morsels with some heat tucked into the oysters and a salty crumb topping on the tiramisu. Salted pee wee potatoes came with togarashi aïoli for dipping. The Chinese five-spice honey-lacquered pork belly hors d’oeuvres were so good that I had to say yes twice. One could easily make a heavenly multicultural meal just by ordering from the Small Plates menu.
To make a reservation, download the Resy app/website at www.resy.com or use the Resy link at https://tinyurl.com/rnaw34wk. No reservations are being accepted by phone, and the maximum number for a party is currently six.
The Ridge is located at 387 South Street in Clintondale (Town of Lloyd, near the New Paltz border). It’s open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays (brunch until 3 p.m. on Sunday, dinner from 3:30 on). To learn more, visit www.theridgebymillhouse.com.
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