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A long-lit late-June evening allowed DP8 to savor the
remnants of an 80° day on the weather-beaten deck of the
Copake Country Club and its restaurant, the Greens at the
Club. Arriving at 7 p.m., we watched the waning sunlight
angles mingle with the waxing shadows across the first
fairway as it stretched 300 yards to its pin. A
half-dozen oak trees filtered the declining, yet still
warm, sun until the multiple hues of blue beckoned the
blackness of night. ... Food.
A compact menu seemed fuller with the listing of the
ingredients of each plate, as well as the addition of
specials. DP8ers stayed with the menu (and I am borrowing
heavily from it):
----->2oz rib eye steak, mashed potatoes, grilled
squash, roasted garlic butter, caramelized shallot jus
(Kriss: well-done, as always; OK)
----->grilled thick cut pork chop, mashed potatoes,
Swiss chard, apple cranberry chutney, sherry jus (Tim:
more rare than he likes or wanted although very good)
----->slow roasted BBQ baby back ribs, a red-sauce BBQ
sauce, mashed potatoes, braised greens, scallion cheddar
cornbread (Deb T: very good; Chay: just OK; Ken: good)
----->grilled olive-oil-and-herb-marinated tiger
shrimp, potato leek hash, spinach, lemon caper beurre
blanc (Judy: very good)
----->house-made fettuccine with Zehr farms mushrooms,
shiitake and oyster mushrooms, smoked bacon, sweet
English peas, parmesan (Deb K: excellent, delicious mix
of flavors, and more than she could finish)
----->pan roasted Scottish salmon, beluga lentils,
chunks of grilled zucchini, roasted beet and scallion
salad, sweet pea coulis (Don: very good, an adventure of
different tastes and texture)
Everyone who had the mashed
potatoes glowed about the taste, probably a cheese
component. And, most commented on the flavorful interplay
of ingredients of the appetizers and entrées.
The salad-appetizer course tempted
everyone, except Don, although he sampled Debs.
----->Caesar salad with romaine, parmesan,
garlic, anchovies, lemon, croutons (Ken, good)
----->a special the chicken and spinach soup
(Kriss & Tim very good & excellent)
----->olive oil roasted beets, shaved fennel,
asparagus and radish salad, asiago, roasted garlic
vinaigrette (Deb T, Deb K, Judy all excellent,
with a nice variety of tastes)
----->baby arugula salad, generous slices of prosciutto,
goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinaigrette
(Chay, very good)
Dessert or after-dinner drink
attracted all:
----->fudge walnut brownie sundae brownie (Don: with
mint-chocolate ice cream, an average-good chocolate
dessert, Kriss: also mint chocolate ice cream, average-y;
Ken: the rebel, with vanilla ice cream, good )
----->apple-cranberry crisp with caramel sauce and
vanilla bean ice cream (Deb T: a good, but not
outstanding, effort)
----->tres leches cake with whipped cream &
strawberries (Deb K: a different pick for her, delicious;
Judy: a good dessert but her standard is still Radio
Mexico)
----->liquid desserts: Tim enjoyed Frangelica while
Chay sipped his Sambuca
Opening the evening was the delivery
of two wire baskets of crusty, rustic bread, accompanied
by bottles of olive oil to dip, arriving twenty minutes
after seating. Excellent bread; why wait so long?
The drink order was taken Domaine Haut-Musiel 2007
Tralamont Cotes du Rhone Villages for five of us; we
liked the first bottle enough that we repeated the order.
Filling out the order was a prosecco split and two diet
sodas.
Parts of the service were
good. Susan waited our table pleasant, helpful,
personable, efficient. A manager oversaw the
activity and ably directed where needed. Two other
waitstaff delivered bread, bottles of water (plenty of
water), and cleared some of the serviceware. When timely,
their efforts were capable and reflected well on The
Greens. Thank you, Susan.
However, the pacing seemed casual, to the point of
lagging, or worse. Salads and appetizers came in 40
minutes, entrées in 80, drink order in 25. We departed
almost three hours later, which is fine on a nice night
with good friends but we were antsy at times. It seemed
to us that a busy Saturday night had stretched the
waitstaff thin and they were doing as well as they could.
Ambiance, as suggested in the
opening, was affected by our placement on the deck. We
whisked past the cozy bar area with its dozen stools and
several tables, and then waltzed through the
30x30 main room, with its two walls of glass
looking outside or into the enclosed patio, and we barely
noticed the patio with its beams and glass and high
ceilings. A dinner set inside surely would have changed
our experience.
Instead, our vista was the fairway of the first hole and,
off to the east, a slice of Copake Lake with the slight
breeze, boats, ski-doos, and water skiers rippling the
lake. As the sun set, the interplay of light and shadow
cast a new perspective every ten minutes, while a
ponds fountain in the foreground served as a visual
focus.
Generic casual plastic tables, ringed with nondescript,
yet still comfortable, chairs, were centered by a single
votive candle that became utilitarian at dark. A hefty,
linen-wrapped knife and fork set matched each seat.
The sunlight ran uncomfortably into a few eyes but that
subsided as the sun gradually lowered. The sky descended
from robin blue, transforming into cotton candy colors,
and, finally, shades of indigo ushered out a long
summers day. The one downside of the diminishing
light was a coolness that necessitated a jacket.
Piercing the tranquility was the too frequent tumbling of
several pairs of feet and throaty communications of kids
who were not cute after five minutes. And
Woodstock parents (sorry, Woodstock) seemed
oblivious to the noise and diminution of enjoyment for
other customers. We worried that one or more of the
urchins would fall into the pond; and then any slight
hope of tranquility was shattered by the wailing and
sobbing of one girl who may have sprained an ankle. When
they moved inside the main dining room, we breathed
relief while feeling sorry for the inner room diners.
Peacefulness cannot reign when the playground is running
around your table.
The final bill came to $125
per couple, a tad high for some, if one were expecting
the typical golf club fare, and overpriced for a couple
DP8ers. But, the food, generally, was very good, and we
ordered a few appetizers, and salads were a la carte, and
we all had dessert or an after-dinner drink.
...
The day had started even
before arrival at the Karneses. Six of us had been
invited to a graduation party for the son of friends.
Partaking of the good food and available drink could have
meant a partially sated appetite.
Deb K set out a platter of celery, carrots, and grapes,
and then came a mushroom-onion-pepper tart, which tempted
all but only a few of us participated. A tasty appetizer,
Deb, or even a meal!
We sat on the front deck, leaving a rambunctious Kalli
inside. The important business at hand was DP8s
recognition of Kriss retirement from C-D, and then
of Tims retirement from his practice.
Congratulations to both, for long and productive careers,
and best wishes for healthy and worthy years ahead, no
matter where the journey goes.
We guessed, based on a 6 pm departure, that the Karneses
were taking us an hour away, and the back seat of our car
tried guessing our destination. We guessed wrong, first,
when we crossed the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, thought Hudson
was too close, settled on Craryville or Hillsdale but the
right turn past the Taconic Hills High School led to the
right answer. Copake Lake has been on several of
Dons century itineraries.
The usual topics were quickly overshadowed by the
Adamses recent, and current, experiences with ID
theft, which, at first, looked like a compromised credit
card. Good luck with clearing that up ....
Then, on to the school retirement party for Kriss, her
last days of school, comments from students and
colleagues, and so on. Since Ken will continue working
until January, Kriss can pretend it is summer vacation in
September.
Other topics included the Adamses RV repair saga at
Alpin Haus; a new niece; Deb Ts cast-less foot
which is almost back to normal; summer travel plans; the
Adamses frenetic schedule; DP8 summer date next month and
inviting our substitutes (agreed upon); Kallis
progress; the sheep on Weed Rd; the repaving of the Pine
Meadow and the source of the Karneses influence;
grandkids; Kriss retirement from acting as group
censor (yahoo, we can finally speak freely!); last
weeks heat wave; Deb Ts photos of trips and
house; Nathans addition update; ...; golfing plans;
asking the waitstaff to take our group picture;
Jennies travels to China and elsewhere; the Van
Auken house and sale-ability, and more.
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