REVIEW: Yvonne's

This past weekend Rickey, Ms. Henderson, and Rickey’s folks took a drive up to the Catskill Mountains (aka, the Jewish Alps) looking for just precisely where the gnomes from “Rip Van Winkle” go candlepin bowling. Sadly the gnome hunt proved fruitless, but they did visit a fantastic restaurant which we’d like to share with you. Located roughly 25 miles west of Kingston, NY on the bank of the Esopus river lies Yvonne’s, a small red shack which houses some of the finest French cuisine you’ll ever sample this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Once upon a time, the Catskills were awash in French restaurants run by expatriate NYC chefs. Now? Not so much, and the only remaining joint is Yvonne’s. (The Mapquest inclined can click on the link for directions).

This little haunt is owned and operated by a French octogenarian with a creepy penchant for stuffed dolls (seriously, there are freaking dolls everywhere) and the ceiling is covered in quilts. For lack of better words, we’d call the décor “French Country Style, a la Mickey Mouse.” But once you get past the fact that you’re sitting in a total dive, the food proves exemplary. Yvonne still does all the cooking herself and it shows. The food offerings range from your normal run of the mill French cuisine such as escarole soup and escargots, to your more exotic fare such as rabbit, and brie soup. For an appetizer, Rickey had the duck liver pate which was too good to be described by mere words. Other crowd pleasers included a creamy nectarine soup, the rillette, various pates, and the escarole soup.

For an entrée Rickey feasted upon wild roast boar covered in a lemon garlic sauce. Having never tasted wild boar before, Rickey can definitely recommend it to you folks. Imagine a meat that’s port pork, part chicken, and part unabashed awesomeness and you’re on the right track. It was amazingly tender too. Also highly recommended are the crispy duck confit, and a beef bourguignon stew that was wonderfully tender and flavorful. And to wrap things up, Yvonne’s crème brulee for desert is a must have. Eating the food, we guarantee that you’ll completely forget that you’re situated in the Borscht Belt, in the very un-French-sounding village of Shandaken.

Be warned however, the prices are steep and a dinner for two easily tops $100. And we guarantee that you’ve never spent this much money while dining in a room surrounded by stuffed dolls. A table for four is a cramped affair which is odd considering the fact that on a good night, this restaurant serves no more than 15 people. Also, Yvonne seems to have been effected by the Vichy regime and strictly enforces rules such as ONE TRIP ONLY to the salad bar, an additional charge for French butter (which we imagine is like regular butter, but smarmier), as well as an exorbitant corking fee (the joint is BYOB). Rickey would’ve taken pictures, but that might have resulted in screams of “verboten!” and his camera being confiscated. Indeed, dining at Yvonne’s is essentially a “sit down, shut up, and eat your excellent French cuisine” kind of affair. But trust us, the food redeems everything.

The best part of the experience? Walking out to the parking lot and seeing a large black bear strolling casually into the woods. You better believe he’ll be on the menu next weekend. Yup, welcome to The Catskills. Rickey highly recommends stopping off at Yvonne’s after a day of fishing, hiking, camping, or tubing in the Catskills. This review has been brought to you by the Catskill Mountains Chamber of Commerce.

SCORE: Out of a possible five ribs:
4.7