Local News from Marbletown, Rochester, & Rosendale
You’ve probably noticed by now that there’s a new vibe around the venerable Hasbrouck House in Stone Ridge. Co-owners Akiva Reich and Eitan Baron re-opened the doors to the classic 18th-century Dutch Colonial mansion late last summer, with 17 sleek suites designed to delight the hearts of travelers with boutique touches like fine Frette linen and Kiehl’s personal care products for the marble walk-in showers. The makeover is a success; Hasbrouck House recently made No. 1 on Jetsetter Magazine’s list of “stylish country escapes.”
Location is, of course, key; Reich and Baron have been excited from the start about being able to provide a sophisticated level of interior design and service in such a glorious location. The name of the restaurant, Butterfield, was chosen specifically to convey the melt-in-your-mouth delight of local cuisine.
This spring, there’s a dynamic new management team in place: Ruth Hevelone of Shandaken is general manager of the hotel operation, and Accord native Lauren Aitken is in charge at Butterfield. And Aitken has a message she wants her friends and neighbors to hear loud and clear: Come in and see her sometime!
It’s been an interesting journey for the 2004 Rondout grad. “In school, I was into being an athlete and artist. My first taste of the restaurant industry was when I went to SUNY New Paltz; I worked at the Gilded Otter for a number of years. I was still 100 percent arts-oriented; I graduated with a BFA in ceramics and a BS in art education.”
After graduation, she found work at a Poughkeepsie ceramics studio. Then, in 2011, she got an opportunity many of us only dream of: an offer to go to the British Virgin Islands to work at a high-end French restaurant and wine bar.
“It was just amazing,” she says of her time on Tortola. “I went there expecting to stay for a year and stayed for six years. Tortola is 2 miles wide and 12 miles long; it’s east of Puerto Rico, near St. Thomas and St. John. I didn’t know anyone at all when I got there, but it didn’t take long to change that. Talk about ‘everybody knows everybody’!”
Over her six years of Caribbean living, Aitken got an in-depth, hands-on education on hospitality, fine cuisine and wine. When the restaurant was due to change hands, she decided it was time to head home and get her knee surgery taken care of. From there, the Rondout Valley network led her to a new professional home.
“I was working for Jenny (Wonderling) at Nectar in High Falls,” she says, “She was friends with Akiva, and she mentioned to him that she knew someone with intensive food and wine experience.”
That led to an interview that lasted over two hours, as the Accord island girl and the design maven/hotelier discovered the outlines of future teamwork. “It struck me as very big that there were plans to have the community come in and make it more than just a citified tourist spot,” she says. “That was important to me. I’m local. I may have gotten this big experience, but I’m still a Rondout Valley woman who grew up knowing of this place, and I still have plenty of local friends who are looking to go out for a burger and a beer, and I’m not sure they’ve always felt welcomed here. But historic venue, top-notch food and five-star service doesn’t have to mean snooty or pretentious.”
Aitken and Hevelone put their heads together and set off on a Welcome Wagon mission around town. “We made a big pile of cookies and had the chef write a nice note, and we took the cookies around all over Stone Ridge -- the businesses, town hall, the highway garage. ‘Hi, we’re here, come in and give us a try!’ People must have thought we were crazy, but we had a blast.” On the restaurant’s website is a reference to Thursday as “Locals Night,” but Aitken says one should feel comfortable coming in anytime they’re open to nosh on the ever-changing locavore menu, luxuriate in the glow of the fireplace, leather banquettes and marble bar-top, or sip some locally-crafted beverage.
And there are big plans afoot for summer fun. “We’re going to be doing movie nights and other special events,” she says, “and we have a beautiful big fire pit for summer evenings; expect a bonfire every night when it’s nice.” The Butcher and Bar, housed in a smaller building on the property, is a lunch spot -- think burgers and veggie shakes -- with outdoor seating on a generous bluestone patio, adjacent to hiking trails.
“I think the future of fine dining is fine casual dining,” she says. “People don’t want to feel like they have to be in black tie and cocktail dresses to sit down for a truly top-notch meal. So come see us! The renovations are beautiful, the new owners and the whole team are amazing people, warm and welcoming, and we’re just having a super-fun time as the season starts to pick up. Come hang out with us!”
Butterfield at the Hasbrouck House is open for brunch from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and for dinner from 6-11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, “kitchen closes at 10; drinks till later.” For more information visit www.butterfieldstoneridge.com or call 687-0887.
