Rogues on the Road, Reconnaissance: Restaurant Reconnaissance: Operation, Hopped Up Café

A “Rogues on the Road” Restaurant Reconnaissance:

Whenever we visit a restaurant or, for that matter, any type of eating establishment that shares its core values with us – sustainability, using local ingredients, farm-to-table – we are going to post a write up of the place on Facebook so our friends can read about it and discover something they might not have known about. Please send us a message if you know of a restaurant you’d like us recon and write about.

#Hopped Up Café

2303 Lucas Turnpike, High Falls, NY 12440

845-687.4750

We had the great pleasure of visiting an amazing, true, farm-to-table café last weekend. Hopped Up Café is an eclectic gastro-pub with an amazing tap selection and an even more impressive menu that features locally sourced ingredients.

The café is located just outside New Paltz, NY in the beautiful hamlet of High Falls. The moment we entered we were enthralled by the local artwork displayed on the walls. The art is impressive to the eye, tells a story, and is actually affordable to a collector who is looking to buy. We loved the 1920’s house music. It played softly in the background and conjured up visions of an old prohibition speakeasy.

We sat down at the handcrafted bar and ordered a couple of micro-brews. Rich was served a Rogue chocolate stout and Matt had a RushingDuck, double imperial stout, with an impressive 11.2% alcohol by volume (abv). It wasn't long before Patty Lowden, one of the owners, took our food order. We were presented with an impressive spread of appetizers, including: old Chatham camembert cheese topped with a local quince and cranberry preserve; locally smoked trout BLT served on rustic artisan bread with a horseradish mayo; and a flat bread pizza topped with goat cheese, smoked chicken, apple sausage, and crispy kale.

Half-way through our meal, the pub filled up with an array of people eager to participate in a local mead tasting. Bryan Clogg, an area vintner, arrived with a rose pedal mead – a blended maple sap mead finished in Tuthilltown rye barrels and concluded with a crispy local apple mead.

After a few tastes, the Hopped Up Café was truly hopped up. Before we knew it, Matt was conversing with a local resident about her experiences attending parties with Andy Warhol and Rich was having an in-depth conversation with Kim Mance. Kim is a journalist based in New York. She recently co-hosted Travel Channel's Destination Showdown as an expert judge, and also hosted NCC Media's Comcast cable on-demand show, Dream It. Book It. Do It! In addition, Kim is a contributing blogger for Condé Nast Traveler, has written for outlets like Marie Claire, WorldHum, Huffington Post, and is editor of Galavanting. Our attention turned as High Falls resident and Jack-of-All-Trades, ex-marine, Paul, who seemed to be loved by all in the Café, broke out samples of the best apple pie shine we’ve ever tasted. At little over 25% abv, it was like drinking the left over sauce at the bottom of a warm, freshly made fall apple pie.

Local artist, and owner’s partner, Linda Stewart, our friend and guide for the evening, eagerly broke out a sample of their homemade brew inspired by #RoguesontheRoad. The porter was delicious and drank crisp and clean, with just the perfect amount of hops and malt.

Patty served up a local Ploughman’s complete with three local cheeses and Mountain House locally made lamb sausage. The tea-inspired local cheeses consisted of a sharp, lapsang souchong, a lavender hard cheese, and a gamy blue cheese.

Overall we loved the café – it's a gem in a very small, rural town that has an incredibly welcoming, dedicated, and diverse following. They're dedication to source locally, combined with the imagination and sophistication of the local pallets makes this a place we will definitely visit again. And we can’t wait to experience it in warmer weather!