Page 23 - Valley Table - Fall 2023

had most recently operated as Chateau Belleview,
a longtime French restaurant, which closed during the pandemic. Today, it bears the touch of Savannah artist Juliana Lupacchino (known as JULU), sporting colorful, abstract murals and making use of the natural lighting streaming in from multiple windows.
The restaurant opened amid great excitement and has been billed as a place that nurtures community
in a joyful, artful environment. Chef Jonah Eagen (formerly of New York’s Soho House and The Fat Radish) heads up the kitchen, along with Chef Robert Howay (Kitty’s Restaurant and Market in Hudson). Together, they’ve come up with a menu built around American comfort foods “with a touch of whimsy,” according to Freihon.
Starters include East Coast oysters with “Nat’s Hawt Sauce” (a piquant blend of pineapple, mango and habanero), mignonette, and cocktail sauce; peel-and- eat shrimp with Old Bay aioli; crab Rangoon dip with wonton chips; and chickpea-battered pakora-fried radishes with cucumber-herb dip.
For entrees, labeled “Large” on the menu, Nat’s offers spicy spaghetti with corn, tomato, and pickled chili; falafel burger on a seeded bun with lettuce, red onion, and cucumber-dill yogurt; steak frites, a hanger steak paired with watercress and hand-cut fries; and the aforementioned trout tacos served in corn tortillas with sides of slaw and pickled vegetables.
Freihon added a salad called “Nancy’s Chopped,” which she based on one she enjoyed as a youth in Los Angeles. Named after acclaimed chef and author Nancy Silverton, it pops with the flavors of salami, provolone, and chickpeas. The dessert menu gives
a nod to Nat’s mother, Mary Ann, by featuring her devil’s food cake dusted with powdered sugar, along with other options like coconut cake for two; banana cream pie pudding; and a build-your-own sundae station that includes soft-serve vanilla and strawberry and, says Freihon, “all the best toppings.”
Drinks at Nat’s are just as unpretentious as the fare, including cocktails like “Skinny Jeans,” a blend of tequila, cucumber, ginger, and lime and one called “Kick Start My Heart,” with vodka, cold brew liqueur, amaro, and espresso. The menu also features frozen drinks like a strawberry colada, a half-dozen beers, and a few non-alcoholic options like “Strawberry Things” made with muddled mint, strawberry, and ginger.
“There’s always something going on at Nat’s. We want to encourage the community to join us in our backyard and have it become their hangout. We have a big, green space, and we want people to utilize all of it,” says Freihon. “Your puppies can run around, or if someone wants to get married and have a reception out there, Nat’s is the place to be.”
Nat’s Mountain House
6589 Route 23A, Tannersville natsmountainhouse.com \ 518.628.4478
“We want to encourage the community to join us in our backyard and have it become their hangout.”
September—November2023 | valleytable.com 21
From top, East Coast oysters; falafel burger; and potato salad.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NAT'S MOUNTAIN HOUSE