Tried & True: a New Twist on an Old Town

One of the thrills of spending time in Tivoli is the presence of several terrific restaurants in town. When I first discovered the area, I used to go frequently to Cafe Pongo, on Broadway, which catered to the young bohemian Bard crowd and was a showcase for local artists and owner Val’s immense charm. Across the street was Stoney Creek, a tad more upscale, where there was always a party going on, and next door to that, the very fine sushi restaurant Osaka. The Black Swan, opened by Gerald, was a cool place to sup on late night chili or Shepherd’s pie. In time, Milagro’s opened in the stately old church next to Mike’s bakery, a pleasant environment for a peaceful Sunday brunch. Owner Pamela Morin made it a versatile venue for musicians and artists (it is now available for catering and events). Of course, there was always Santa Fe, the culinary pioneer, which lured foodies from as far away as Massachusetts and Connecticut, not to mention New York City. Later, after Pongo and Stoney Creek closed, other restaurants came and went. I recall something called Tivoli Pasta Company which took over the Pongo space but never caught on. And then came the short-lived Broadway Grille, followed by Coast, which looked as if it had found the magic formula for success but closed last January.

I remember fondly a small restaurant, Cafe Magdalen, opened by Jen in the old carriage house next door to Bayle’s, which made delicious sandwiches and salads. Unfortunately, Magdalen’s didn’t last very long and it was soon replaced by Cafe Paradox, run by Deb, of Luna 61 fame. That immediately became my favorite hangout, where I used to regale Deb with ribald tales and ridiculous jokes until I think she almost threw me out. I was very sad when it closed. One of my bookshelves in Brooks Books actually comes from Paradox which I bought at her closing sale. But Shane Sullivan soon took over the space and reopened it as Sully’s Cafe, a marvelous little bistro where the locals hung out every day for superb hamburgers, Caesar salads and the finest espresso this side of the Hudson. But last year, Sully’s burned down in a fire and shut its doors permanently. It nearly broke my heart. To give you an idea how special a place it was to me, Shane’s mother actually sent me a tuna casserole after the fire because she was concerned that I wouldn’t have enough to eat.

Tough Times for Tastebuds

Tivoli, which had become known throughout the Northeast as a restaurant destination, began to falter and sputter. Yes, there were still the old reliables: Broadway Pizza, Santa Fe and Osaka. But something else had been lost. A quiet place to have lunch, or tea with friends. The new Country Deli (which took over the old Stoney Creek spot) tried to pick up the slack but due to the nature of its business, and constant foot traffic, has not replaced the subtle appeal of Sully’s.

Now things are coming full circle. Luna 61 has opened in the same spot where Sully’s used to be, offering the finest vegetarian cuisine in the area. The Black Swan has revived its kitchen by offering gargantuan burritos. It became a hot spot during the World Cup games. And Coast is back in gear with a new look, a new menu and a spanking new staff. I know I will be there often cheering them on.

Mad About the Madalin

But perhaps the biggest change to hit Tivoli this summer is the remarkable success of the new Madalin Hotel. Long before I ever came to Tivoli, this building was the heart and soul of the hamlet. You couldn’t help but see it as you drove into town; it sat like the Bank of England on the corner of Broadway and North Road. In the early 19th Century it had originally been known as the Madalin House, named after the upper town itself which in those days was called Madalin (most likely after Magdalen Island in Tivoli Bays.) You can still see the name Madalin on the small bridge one crosses on the way into town on Broadway. Later the Madalin burned to the ground and was completely rebuilt. The New Madalin, according to Cynthia Owen Philip in her very thorough and entertaining piece about Tivoli in About Town, was bought by the Hoffman family, which owned the Hoffman House down by the river, and was soon sold to the Morey family which owned the Morey Hotel across the street from the Madalin. That Morey Hotel eventually became known as the Potts Hotel (see photo left) and the Madalin became known as the Morey.

I wasn’t here in the 60s and 70s when the Morey was in its prime as a wateringhole for all sorts of eccentrics and local characters. But the Bayle family which ran it kept it going for years to come, earning the respect of townspeople and fond memories from many a Bard graduate. Its reputation extended well beyond the Dutchess County line. Part of the edgy independent film The Adventures of Sebastian Cole was filmed there.

Recently the Morey was acquired by locals Joseph Cicileo and Domenic Scarpula, and given a spectacular makeover. Who could have imagined, while the building lay empty and dormant, that in such a short amount of time it would blossom into the magnificent hotel and restaurant that it is now? Joe and Dom have poured their souls into the refurbishment of this monumental establishment. I often would poke my head in during the reconstruction, but I had no clue as walls were being stripped, floors redone, and windows cleaned, that the former Madalin House would be transformed so seamlessly from an aging dowager into a glittering princess.

From day one, since Memorial Day, the hotel has been a smash hit. The restaurant and bar have proved to be ideal places to bring your friends and family for dinner. The eleven rooms upstairs are elegantly appointed and spacious, each with its own personality. I came opening night with my brother, visiting from California, and we were treated to a spectacular meal: spicy Asian noodle salad, melt-in-your-mouth pork tenderloin, a flourless chocolate torte. I’ve been back countless times, trying various aspects of the menu. Personally I have found sitting in the bar, after a long day at the store, to be a delightful way to relax, regroup and make new friends. The staff is good-looking and gracious, and totally efficient. No need here for waiters to give you a lecture on the difference between arugula and bok choi. They are deferential yet devoted to making your meal a carefree break from the mundane. I used to drive four and a half hours each summer to Cape Cod just for the fresh crab cakes, but now all I have to do is cross Broadway and order them at Madalin’s Table. I’m saving a fortune on gasoline.

To reach the Madalin, 53 Broadway call: 845-757-2100

(This week at Brooks Books Etc I am having a very large Fall Clearance Sale. I guess I just decided I had too many books and needed to make room for some new inventory. While I was going through some of the shelves I was reminded of a short piece I wrote many years ago for Connoisseur magazine. In it I profiled Tice Alexander, a leading decorator in New York at the time. He had a passion for books that made my own little collection seem small and pedestrian. I loved interviewing him. Sadly, he passed away not long after this article appeared. I have no idea what happened to all his wonderful books. Ironically, this article was written before the advent of the internet and Amazon.com and ABEBOOKS which makes collecting old tomes so much easier and in many cases less expensive. In fact some of the titles mentioned in this article I was able to find on Ebay. While I appreciate the facility offered by these new options, I think something intangible and magical has been lost in the bargain. Nothing can take the place of browsing through an old bookstore and stumbling upon a find, or a book you’ve been longing to have for years. I’m not sure what Tice would have made of Alibris and the lot. But I do know that he would have enjoyed perusing my bookstore and sharing a spot of tea over a good game of Scrabble.)

All Booked Up

Bibliomania is the world’s most exalted neurosis. The passion for collecting books — usually in large quantities — is as old as civilization itself, dating back to the libraries of ancient Alexandria in Egypt where manuscripts were treasured as nourishment of the soul. In modern times, the urge to accumulate private collections has in no way diminished, although finding top-quality first editions and rare out-of-print books has become increasingly difficult and prohibitively expensive.

Tice Alexander is one of New York City’s most eclectic, yet selective, bibliophiles, having assembled more than two thousand biographies, folios, encyclopedia, notebooks, novels, catalogs and diaries dealing specifically with the decorative arts, fashion and style. A casual glance at the towering black bookcases that line the living room walls of his Upper West Side apartment reveals an astonishing diversity: a copy of Les Passions Selon Dali signed by adding a flamboyant original drawing done with a felt-tip pen; a mint-condition copy of a catalog from Florine Stettheimer’s 1946 exhibition of paintings at the Museum of Modern Art; sketchbooks by muralist Rex Whistler and Vertes, the elegant thirties fashion illustrator; photographic anthologies by Jerome Zerbe and Baron Adolph de Meyer; complete sets of rare first edition Cecil Beatons; novels by Ronald Firbank and F. Scott Fitzgerald (including a first edition of The Great Gatsby with its haunting dustjacket); plus a smattering of Sitwells, Mitfords and Waughs. (more…)

One of the best things that ever happened to me during my curious stint as editor-in-chief of Quest in New York was having the opportunity to commission a piece on one of my favorite writers, Patrick Dennis, by author Eric Myers. The article, entitled Whatever Happened to Patrick Dennis?, generated a great deal of buzz and led soon after to a book deal for Eric. His biography, Uncle Mame, came out in November 2000 from St. Martin’s Press. Reading Eric’s scrupulously researched story, I found out that the life of a writer, even one as enormously successful and popular as Patrick Dennis, is not always as predictable as the clever blurbs on the dustjackets might indicate. Patrick Dennis was a phenomenon who churned out several incredibly funny and innovative works that went on to have additional lives in theatre and film, and influenced future generations of writers, artists and comedians. Charles Busch recently revived the play Auntie Mame in a hilarious drag performance.

But despite the pinnacles of fame that Patrick Dennis reached, his internal life was a mystery wrapped in an enigma — and his inner demons led him to transform himself into an eccentric character that like his most famous creation was decidedly larger than life.

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