Jan and John Maggs Antiques

How Jan and John Discovered Cafe Tamayo

Cafe Tamayo's signature Confit of duck

It was our first Rhinebeck show.

Since we had been invited to participate more or less at the last minute and were now last in line for the necessary three nights' accommodation, we began calling the motels on the list sent to us by the show promoter. All of our first choices had no vacancies, and we were well into the string of less desirables before we found a room at an anonymous hotel on the western side of the Hudson River.

We finished setting up our booth at the show and were exhausted as we left Rhinebeck. At the top of a precipitous driveway we found the hotel  - an ugly, faux-moderne relic that would be our home for the next three nights. The parking lot was empty, except for a small van bearing the logo of a local plumber. We were to find out too late that the motel was "temporarily" without water. The proprietor let us use the bathroom in her apartment, which, curiously had functioning plumbing. Unfortunately, when we awoke the next morning, the plumbing issues remained unsolved. We decided to terminate our stay and seek alternative accommodation. Before we left we called several motels; the nearest available room was in a Comfort Inn several miles north, in Saugerties.

At the end of an exhilarating day of strong sales, we arrived at the inn in Saugerties, where we checked in and inquired of the young receptionist about good restaurants in town. We received three recommendations: the first featured steaks and seafood, and the second served Italian dishes. The third specialized in "weird food." We asked for clarification and were told, "like rabbit and duck."

Five minutes later we were on the phone making a reservation at Cafe Tamayo, and that evening we enjoyed the first of scores of memorable meals we've eaten in this outstanding restaurant.

After years of serving one hundred or more guests several evenings of each week, the restaurant has settled into an almost idyllically civilized schedule. On weekends fewer than forty guests each evening are offered a prix fixe menu, consisting of an appetizer course, pasta, salad, and a choice of entree from a list of about half a dozen. With the exception of the duck confit - which we nearly always choose - the menu changes to take advantage of the freshest local produce. Servings are of sensible quantities; the goal is to provide a variety of unique tastes, in modest quantities. It's the taste that matters - and it does.

We began our recent vacation in Montreal with a Sunday evening dinner at Cafe Tamayo. Here's what we had:

Appetizer: Sautéed Wiltbank Farm oyster mushrooms, roasted peppers, marinated chickpeas

Pasta: Mezzi rigatoni with Heather Ridge Farm sweet Italian sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, chile, & grana Padano cheese

We were enjoying ourselves so much that we forgot to photograph our salad, Local greens with honey mustard vinaigrette (including greens from the Tamayos' garden).

Our Entree, Confit of duck with red onion marmalade & wild rice, was, as always, spectacular (photo above).

Dessert: Panna cotta with local strawberries

The price of the four-course prix fixe dinner is $35.00 per person. The three-course option is $30 (except Saturday). Desserts are $6. Visit the Cafe Tamayo website by clicking HERE.

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