Day-Trippin': Peekskill Brewery and Restaurant, Peekskill, New York

Update, 10/12/09: In case you're curious about the sit-down restaurant, the NY Times posted a review a day after this post.

A dear friend of mine shared a great flick called The Station Agent--it's one of those quiet films that brims with understated human quirks, tenderness, humor, and a good dose of unassuming beauty. 

I won't get into plot synopsis or anything, but much of the film was shot in a tiny non-town called Newfoundland, NJ, and watching the characters follow train tracks and dip their ankles in lakes sparked a hippie wanderlust in me. 

So it was a happy coinkydink that I found myself in Peekskill, NY, not a week later.  Peekskill-proper leaves something to be desired, but the train station for this town is right on the bank of the Hudson, with a perfect-sunset-park on the river-side of the tracks...

...and the Peekskill Brewery just on the other side.  The intrepid Pour Some Sugar On Me had caught wind of this lil gem, and a homegrown pub is a better excuse than most to take a long Hudson drive on a bright, pretty day.

Like Daddy-O or the now-defunct Little D's Eatery (sob), Peekskill Brewery is a neighborhood haunt that makes you wonder why your own neighborhood isn't so lucky.  Some of the food invokes upscale-pub (burgers, pulled pork, wings, fish-n-chips), but some tilts toward bistro/ international drinking food (croque monsieur, steamed mussels, herb-roasted chicken).

The common thread in the spread?  As the name implies, Peekskill Brewery prides itself on beer-nerdery, and all the food (whether in the restaurant wing or in the pub) is geared toward pairing with their rainbow of yeasty bubbles, including 3 of their own custom draughts and beer-babies like Ommegang and Smuttynose. 

Let's face it, most bars (particularly beer-geared ones, however fancypants their aspirations) aren't places you want to be in until after dark, if only to avoid sunlight vertigo.  Not so here.  Peekskill Brewery is the daywalker of its kind--given the choice, I'd rather while away an afternoon than an evening here, soaking up the sunshine, suds, and gracious staff.

PSSOM and I planted ourselves in the short end of the L-shaped bar, to better soak up the rays through sparkling clean windows and read the chalkboard specials menu. Fried oysters for $8??? Yes, please!

Fried oysters are hit-or-miss with me (I was born to slurp), but these were textbook classics on how frizzled bivavles should be--crisp but not greasy, custardy and bustingly briny within.  And at half the price for subpar gussied-up lies in the city.  More.  MOOOOORE.

The Brewery Sliders were similarly juicy (4 for $12) and way tastier than their hot-dog-bun appearance might imply. (Martin's Potato Rolls, please?):

But as I learned on a later visit to The Man, the Sliders pale in miniaturized comparison to the 8-oz. Brew Burger ($9, $10 with cheese, birds-eye view pictured above):

Beefy, dripping, packed just right (neither cemented meatloaf nor fall-apart) cooked to temperature (medium-rare) she could have used a little more salt, but otherwise, this IS HOW EVERY BAR BURGER SHOULD BE.  Under $10, and a handful of multicolored drooling satisfaction.

Other prime sandwich options: PSSOM and I couldn't pass up the Croque Madame ($11), a hot mess of a ham-n-cheese covered in bechamel and a fried egg. 

Yup, we be wretched, gluttonous creatures...but look at her.  That's an oozy pile of primordial dairy love.  Pass the Tabasco.

And, to round out the sample set, The Man tried the Roast Pork Sandwich ($12):

We wished the arugula were raw rather than sauteed, to give the 'wich a bitter kick, but the fontina was a nice match, the bread crusty and the pork swimming in juices.  It reminded me of kalua pig, in all the best ways--no mess of sauce to get between you and tender shreds of smoke-inflicted meat.

All of this eating and imbibing happens amidst the chatter of friendly locals and the rumble of passing Amtrak and Metro North trains (all the better to get you to and from without worrying about a DD).  To some it may seem noisome, but it was just the opposite.  It set a rhythm and rightness to things, punctuated the peace.  As PSSOM took a smoke break, I wandered toward the water, belly full, and brain sprinkled with the pastoral happiness that I got from watching The Station Agent.

Sometimes, it's good to step outside the boroughed boundary.  Go on a weekend (or a hooky day!), nurse earnest food and pints of artisan hooch, and leave yourself time to talk a walk on the waterfront.  It's not Newfoundland, NJ, but cheers to new-found brew. 

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Peekskill Brewery
55 Hudson Ave
Peekskill, NY 10566-2025
Ph: 914-734-BEER (2337)
Fx: 914-734-1130 

Favorites: Brew Burger ($10 w/cheese), Fried Oysters (Special, $8), Croque Madame ($11), Roast Pork Sandwich ($12)

Still want to try: Haven't been to the restaurant-proper yet, so anything and everything there--Braised Pork Belly ($9), Herb-Roasted Chicken ($20), New York Strip Steak ($23)

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