Off Route 28 in the Catskills, Farm-to-Counter At The Phoenicia Diner
Fuel up for a day upstate by stopping by the Phoenicia Diner, a landmark eatery serving “farm-to-counter” diner-style food, just off Route 28, otherwise known as the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. The diner is a 1962 remodeled pancake house, a structural transplant from Long Island that packed its greasy spoons for Phoenicia in the early 1980s. Today, under new ownership and a community-minded vision, the diner is attracting an influx of day trippers, weekenders, transplants and locals by providing them with a modern take on comfort food in a spruced-up diner vibe setting.
“I knew there was more of a demand up here than what was being met, and from a business standpoint, I felt like the town was missing out on this demographic of people who were coming up on the weekend to experience the natural beauty of the Catskills,” says owner Mike Cioffi, a former television and movie set builder from Brooklyn who had spent decades driving past the diner on the way to his family’s weekend home in Margaretville. “I thought ‘the better the experience is here, the more people will want to come.’”
From bread to jam, everything written on their paper placemat menu is made from scratch with locally-sourced ingredients from all over the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions. Bottomless cups of coffee come from Java Love in Bethel, personal cast-iron breakfast skillets are made with eggs from Feather Ridge Farm in Elizaville, and classic diner desserts like apple pie are from Me Oh My Pies in Red Hook. Chef Mel Rosas has created a hearty menu that includes items such as locally smoked trout, grass-fed burgers, and free-range fried chicken and waffles.
“When I first bought the diner, I walked into the kitchen for a look around and I saw an empty fridge and a stocked freezer,” says Mike. “Now it’s reversed.”
Photos by Natalie Chitwood, Words by Sylvie Morgan Brown