From the chrome-edged bar stools to the slide-in booths, Phoenicia Diner is your perfect, all-American roadside restaurant. Everything about it feels cinematic. You want to sit there all day, drinking bottomless cups of coffee – or, when the time comes, a speciality thick-shake with a dash of local bourbon.
The town of Phoenicia is in the tree-covered Catskill mountains of upstate New York, a two-hour drive from New York City and 13 miles west of Woodstock. Recently, the area – Phoenicia in particular – has become the getaway of choice for the hippest New Yorkers, which has led to restaurants and hotels upping their game. But for travellers who just want to add a relaxing side-trip to a Big Apple break, it’s cheaper than the Hamptons, and those who don’t want to hire a car can get there by bus.
The diner has been on quite some journey itself. Built in 1962, the box-like structure was picked up in its entirety and moved to its current spot, by the side of Route 28, in the early 80s. It was a family business for 30 years, and almost bit the dust in 2011, but was saved by Mike Cioffi, a former film-set builder and resident of – where else? – Brooklyn.
Cioffi gave it a full makeover. In came a few hipster touches (eggs served in mini frying pans, menus with design-studio typography). But he didn’t inflate the prices ($9 for a stack of silver-dollar pancakes that will fill you up until late afternoon) or skimp on quality. A range of local suppliers smoke the trout, bottle the maple syrup and farm the free-range chickens. Even the bloody marys are made with local tomato juice and locally distilled vodka.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion