Five years ago, William and Eva Clark welcomed a son they named Oliver. And last December, they welcomed diners to Oliver’s, a pub-style restaurant in Mount Tremper. Visit the website and you’ll quickly spot a tagline, “a local’s eatery.” The words were thoughtfully chosen. “Mostly, we want to be your favorite neighborhood joint,” explains William. “Around here, your business has to involve catering to the crowds that come up on the weekends, but it seems like a lot of the restaurants in the area have sort of left behind the local population. There are many places that aren’t open during the week.”
Step inside the cozy establishment, and it’s immediately clear there’s an emphasis on low-key comfort. The walls feature rich, dark wood; the floors are made from wide planks; and the august wooden bar has a backstory—it was originally located in a circa-1920s tavern in Harlem. This is a place you where can dine as easily with a business associate as a friend—not only for a relaxed atmosphere, but also to enjoy seriously good food.
The main menu—often inflected with seasonal items and specials—focuses on traditional English fare to match Oliver’s atmosphere. Lighter bites include marinated olives and honey-chili roasted cashews, plus an assortment of savory hand pies crafted from house-made pastry and filled with various meats and vegetables. You’ll find more substantial iterations among the entrées: ever-popular chicken pot pie, as well as a steak-and-kidney version. The latter proved no challenge to Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Christine Campbell, whose resume includes a stint at the Dutch Ale House in Saugerties and her own catering company, Rootless Kitchen, which she still runs. “She has a background in whole-animal butchery,” says Eva. “We’ve really had a lot of fun utilizing that background—using the whole animal and finding innovative ways to do so.”
Jill Meerpohl, general manager and manager of the bar, also has Hudson Valley cred, having worked at Nat’s Mountain House in Tannersville. “She’s been enjoying the chance to get creative. We’re [serving] a lot of the classics, but adding a twist to them,” says Eva. Patrons frequently can be seen with a martini glass in hand: “One of our top sellers is the Dirty Boots martini, which has muddled fresh olives in it just to make it a little bit more interesting and different,” shares Eva. The Howlin’ Manhattan, another fan favorite, is given an extra layer of complexity thanks to the addition of burnt-orange liqueur China-China.
The Clarks understand that diners often want a little something sweet after a meal, but without the commitment of a sundae or chocolate lava cake. Their solution: a two-bite dessert presented on a spoon. The rotating selection includes a rich chocolate mousse and a sweet mixture called Princess cream, spiked with a bit of whiskey and sporting a graham-cracker crust. “They’re just tiny little desserts for $2 each,” shares William. “That has definitely gone over well. It’s been a fun sort of riff.” And, if you’d like to extend the fun into a stayover, Oliver’s is located within the Howland House, a charming inn the Clarks bought in 2019 and have since renovated.
The menu focuses on traditional English fare to match Oliver’s atmosphere.
Oliver’s at Howland House
1564 Wittenburg Road, Mount Tremper
oliversny.com
@oliverscatskills
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