Peekskill Brewery

This past Memorial Day weekend, I stayed in town and took a couple day trips out of the city instead of going away for the whole weekend. One of those day trips was an excursion to Blue Mountain Reservation, in Peekskill, NY.



I spent several hours exploring the hiking trails – they weren’t terribly strenuous and did not involve enough elevation gain to provide many scenic views, but they were pleasant (aside from the numerous mosquitos!). The reservation is only a couple of miles from the Peekskill train station, and an easy walk if you (like me) do not have a car but want to get out of the city for the day!



And after an afternoon of hiking, a pint (or cocktail, if you’re also like me and do not drink beer) and a meal at the Peekskill Brewery is the perfect end to the day.



Especially since their menu includes a vegetarian falafel burger (the patty is vegan, but the bun is made with milk, and the toppings include dairy-yogurt).



The bun was delicious – soft and fresh, slightly sweet, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was so flakey and fresh that I wondered if it was possibly even homemade.

The lettuce and quick-pickles were nice and crisp, a very smart and refreshing choice to go with the heartier, fried falafel patty. The menu said the toppings also included yogurt and harrisa sauce, but I honestly did not notice any yogurt, unless it was completely soaked into the bun by the time the burger arrived at our table. The spiciness of the harrisa was mild and not too noticeable, but was a subtle hint of flavoring.



The patty was not as dry as I had feared (I’ve had some less-than-stellar experiences with falafel patties in the past). Definitely house-made, it had a nice, moist consistency on the inside; and the outside was fried to a crunchy crisp. The whole thing held together very well and did not fall apart as I ate it. But for some reason the falafel mixture (a nice blend of mashed and still-whole chickpeas) had far too many chunks of still-mostly-raw white onions in it, giving the patty an overly-strong onion flavor.

Service was very slow (it took the waitress awhile to even take our orders), and the prices were comparable with NYC (I suppose they get a lot of people coming up from the city on the train, so they can get away with charging city prices for the food and drinks). But having good drinks and food after a day out hiking in the sun is such a satisfying feeling, and I would definitely return again if I’m ever back up in Peekskill.

Cost: $14.00
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 3       Bun: 4      Toppings: 4

Peekskill Brewery
47-53 South Water Street
Peekskill, NY 10566
914.734.2337



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