6426 MONTGOMERY STREET
RHINEBECK, NY 12572
(845) 876-3330
OWNER/EXECUTIVE CHEF: JOSH KRONER
Many newcomers to the region view the Hudson Valley as a monolith, but, in fact, the towns that hug the river bear characteristics that make them quite distinct. One chef, Josh Kroner, opened his restaurant, Terrapin, in two different communities on either side of the Hudson. He’s in a good position to suggest some of the differences between two popular Hudson Valley regions. “I founded Terrapin in 1998 at its original location in West Hurley.” The town, just outside of Woodstock, is on the western shores of the Hudson in Ulster County. “When I came up, I was a chef in New York City and I wanted to get out of the city. I was really hopeful that I could do something in this environment.”
Kroner continues, “And I knew Woodstock. I used to go up to Woodstock. And, with my first wife, I found an old restaurant that was failing; I was able to get turnkey at a very low price.” Terrapin’s original West Hurley iteration had challenges, and the work was exhausting. “It was in the middle of the woods. We opened up as Terrapin, and it was strictly fine dining; we were open for dinner five nights a week.” He adds, “To do that, I was there almost every second that the restaurant was open. Every plate went through my hands. But I was able to build up a reputation, and I became very successful with what I do.
“I took what I had developed over the five years in West Hurley, and I was able to finance the restaurant that I have here in Rhinebeck. I mean, I had seen Rhinebeck shortly after I moved up here, and I saw that Rhinebeck was really the place to be. In fact, I had even seen this building, which was at the time a brick-oven pizza place. I thought it was incredibly underutilized, and I saw something bigger for it.” Kroner had his eyes on the joyous architecture of Rhinebeck’s First Baptist Church, originally built in 1825.
“I had seen a lot of things in the city, especially restaurants like Gramercy Tavern, where you had a fine dining room paired with a more casual, comfort food area. I always thought that was such a great idea, and there was really nothing like that up here at the time. My goal was to do something like Gramercy Tavern, and this space is perfect—you know, where I am now—I have the bistro and the fine dining area.”
When asked why the city of Rhinebeck would be a preferable location for Terrapin to the neighboring town of Woodstock, Kroner pauses and becomes more selective with his words. “Well, certainly there is more money on this [the eastern] side of the river in general. More people have the ability to go out to eat. The number of people that I have in my restaurant here compared to over there is probably four or eight times as many. And the type of diner is different. In Woodstock people are more fickle.” He continues, “It’s tougher to run a restaurant in Woodstock, for sure. In West Hurley I wasn’t in Woodstock—I was just outside of Woodstock—and I did very well. In fact, I was one of the most successful restaurants in the Woodstock area.” He pauses, “I just saw how, in Woodstock, if a restaurant didn’t get a good footing right away, it was tough for them to get going—whereas on this side of the river, it might not be the same way.
“There is definitely some crossover between Woodstock and Rhinebeck, but the markets are very, very different. And moving over, I always figured that since I was a fine dining chef, the bistro would just be a supplement to what I did in the dining room. That really was the case in the beginning, but the interesting thing was that when the economy got bad, Terrapin’s bistro business picked up. What happened was, basically, the percentages switched. It used to be that 60 percent of business came from the dining room, and now 60 percent comes from the bistro. But overall, even with the recession, my last four years have been record years.”
(SERVES 8)
2 tablespoons light olive oil
½ pound Spanish onions, diced
1½ cups peeled garlic cloves
½ cup dry sherry
1½ quarts chicken stock
¾ cup heavy cream, heated
5 slices white bread, crusts removed and diced
¼ cup Italian parsley leaves, cleaned well
3 teaspoons honey
Salt, black pepper, and Sriracha to taste
Heat an 8-quart (or larger) stockpot over medium heat. Add the oil, and when it’s hot, add the onions and garlic. Sweat the vegetables for about 30–40 minutes, or until the garlic is very soft and golden brown.
Turn the heat to high and add the sherry. Cook a few minutes until the sherry has almost completely evaporated. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cream and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and mix in the bread and parsley. Allow it to cool slightly. In a blender puree the soup in batches, never filling the blender more than halfway, and return the pureed soup to the pot. Add the honey and the salt, pepper, and Sriracha to taste. Reheat and serve with crusty French bread.
