My husband and I had a wonderful time as guests at The Bruynswick Inn Oyster & Clam Bar opening preview and celebration. But this post is about our dining experience as customers just a few days later.
First, I invite you to remember the last restaurant you dined at in the Hudson Valley. Was it a chain? Was it fine dining? Was it a pub? Hold those thoughts.
Were you warmly greeted at the door with a smile and made to feel welcome? Or did someone cut straight to business and pointedly ask you, "Do you have a reservation?"
Once you were seated, in addition to asking you what you would like to drink, were you given insightful and detailed information about the selections available from the raw bar? Were you thoughtfully informed of the differences between various shellfish in terms of brininess/saltiness and size, the geographic location of their origin, followed by an informative overview of the specials?
Did you get the feeling at the last restaurant you visited that you were about to have a dining experience, or were you the people at Table 11?
Were you made aware of the locally sourced wines?
If you answered no to one or more of these questions, guess what, that restaurant and The Bruynswick Inn Oyster & Clam Bar are not the same.
As a result, making comparisons may not be the right thing to do. Kind of like the differences among various vehicles and car companies. Some manufacture reliable inexpensive transportation, while others are built for speed and may only have room for two. Luxury models aim to deliver comfort with a long list of options to enhance the driving experience. Some try to pick and choose a combination of benefits that seem appealing to the masses.
Back to food and restaurants.
Here's what it was like for us to dine at The Bruynswick Inn Oyster & Clam Bar this past Friday, officially Day 2 of being open.
We were meeting friends who were already at the bar. The hostess immediately conveyed a sense of welcome when she led us from the bar with a warm smile from the bar to our table and gave us our server's name.
All the servers were dressed neatly in long aprons with crisp white shirts. Zoë introduced herself with a smile and told us about the raw bar and dinner specials as well as the seasonal soup.
I know, I know–you want to know what we ate and how it tasted. So, here it is...
The appetizers we had were:
Steamers with toasted bread
Oysters Rockefeller
The crab cakes
(2 per order and comes with a delicious side salad)
PLUS
Our main courses included:
Cesar Salad with Chicken
The Seafood Pot Pie*
(The Seafood Pot Pie is presented with the puffed pastry neatly on top. It was removed for the photo to show contents.)
For dessert:
Housemade Baked Apple Goodie with Whipped Cream
Personally, I had the Oysters Rockefeller (my favorite) which was delicious! A combination of luscious goodness, spinach, and oysters. This appetizer is available topped with crispy bacon for a minimal upcharge.
I also had one of the crab cakes which was a generous portion of crabmeat to binder ratio as well as tasty and dressed with a flavorful remoulade.
I am still thinking about the silkiness of the New England Clam Chowder. This chowder was savory, fresh, and packed with clams and potatoes. I don't think I participated in any conversation while eating my soup as I enjoyed every spoonful.
Let's talk about the Seafood Pot Pie! I followed my friend's lead and removed the puffed pastry and dug right into the mussels, shrimp, and lobster meat making sure I had fennel, peas, and pernod (anise or licorice flavor) cream in every magical bite! As I worked my way through the dish, I would occasionally dip the pastry down in the cream sauce (highly recommend).
Finally, the housemade dessert includes freshly whipped cream. Let's hear a little commotion for this detail because honestly, it just tastes better than the stuff whooshed out of a can. The generous dollop meant I had enough cream for every, single bite of the flavorful and tender Apple Goodie.
Thank you to the entire team for ensuring our dining experience was stellar from start to finish. We all felt like well-cared for guests and all of our dishes tasted exceptional. We will be back!
The Oyster & Clam Bar at the New Bruynswick Inn is open Thursday - Monday from 3 - 9 p.m. located at 2162 Bruynswick Road in Wallkill, NY 12589. Reservations are recommended by calling (845) 524-4757 with the last reservation time being 8:30 p.m.
