Take A Drive To The Country To Dine At This Exceptional Rural Restaurant And Cidery In New York
By John Williams|Published March 12, 2024
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John Williams
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John Williams is a writer based in New York City. He's been living in the state for over a decade. He loves nothing more than checking out some great regional cuisine and then taking a long walk in the park.
This spring, it’s time to head to the country and check out one of the true hidden gem restaurants in all of New York. Located in the Catskills hamlet of Accord, New York, which has a population of less than 1,000 residents, there is Westwind Orchard. We think it might be the best rural restaurant in New York. To learn more, keep reading below.
Westwind Orchard started in 2002 when the fashion photographer Fabio Chizzola bought a 32-acre apple orchard with his wife Laura Ferrara.
Chizzola and Ferrara made it their mission to revitalize the orchard and add more crops into the mix. One main goal was to make everything organic. At the farm, there are honeybee hives alongside acres of fears, apples, plums, cherries, berries, garlic, winter squash, herbs and a lot more.
The wood-fired pizza oven is one major highlight of the tasting room portion of the farm. Pies are created according to the in-house pizza maker’s nonna’s recipes, and come complete with toppings like prosciutto and anchovies. The pizzas are also served with fresh produce taken from Westward Orchard’s farm.
The Westwind Orchard’s cidery is making some of the best ciders in America right now. They use classic cider trees like McIntosh and Stamen alongside new orchards, which leads to interesting variations on traditional cider styles. The orchard has even been working with wild cider apples. They are truly on the cutting edge.
Also on the menu at the tasting room are plenty of great appetizers and pasta dishes. We Love the gnocchi di zucca, which is is served with house-made ricotta, butternut gnocchi, brown butter, pine nuts and crispy sage. For desert, we recommend the tiramisu, which is espresso infused.
This spring, why not take a tour of the orchard and cider? It starts with a walk around the orchard and ends at the cidery, where visitors can check out cider from raw barrels and get access to unreleased blends of cider. Tickets are only $30 per person.
For a great getaway with even better food and drink, check out the Westwind Orchard. While in the Catskills to visit this rural restaurant in New York, why not also check out The Arati Store, which we think is a calming mountain oasis. And if for those looking for a place to stay near the orchard, we recommend Stonehill’s Farmhouse.
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