Author: Peter Conway

When we were first starting out as a family, and our businesses were new, dinner at one of our local diners was a regular thing! We had some very good ones near us in New Jersey, including the famous and infamous Tick-Tock Diner.

Well it has been some time, but the Red Line Diner in Fishkill with its bright compelling neon and crowded parking lot pulled us in, some many decades later. We were not disappointed.

I don’t mean to sound like a food snob, even if I am, but there is no denying we lean toward locally sourced, carefully made, gourmet ( I hate that word) cuisine. I am actually not a food snob, eat what you like, but I am carefully what I eat. We make most of our food ourselves at home we the best and most local ingredients we can find.

That being said we enjoyed our dinner here. I think the Vanikiotis family take care to use quality ingredients, but only so much is possible and still meet public expectations for good but relatively inexpensive food in decent quantity.

The family has a bit of a dynasty here, being in the restaurant business in the Hudson Valley for over three decades, their properties include the Daily Planet Diner in Lagrangeville, Table Talk Diner in Poughkeepsie, Red Line Diner and Barnabys Steakhouse in New Paltz. They also own Hyde Park Marina There is no doubt Greeks know how to run diners and do food very well.

As you might expect the wait staff here are all very friendly and attentive to your dining pleasure.

My Crispy Eggplant Sandwich was delicious, although I was not crazy about the roll, a little two dry. It is slices of marinated breaded eggplant, imported feta cheese, hummus and roasted red peppers on focaccia bread. Served with tossed salad, and tasty fries.

Diana had this traditional Greek Salad made of baby mixed greens tossed in the house-made Greek dressing with imported feta cheese, tomatoes, red onions, red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, Kalamata olives and stuffed grape leaves. And added charbroiled chicken breast .

I drank a couple of bottles of local brewer Keegan Ales Hurricane Kitty IPA. Diana stuck with water. There is a full bar, cocktails, wine, beer.

We both exercised the greatest self control and passed by the dessert case without succumbing what was likely to be a very pleasurable, but later regretful experience. An abundance of white sugar and white processed flour just does not do us any good at our age.

Well Red Line was fun. And we are happy so many people enjoy.

A Flower In Winter by  Forever Endeavor

A flower withers,
As a gust of wind blows,
And its once ruby red petals,
Turn brown and gold,
And one by one,
Each petal falls,
Due to the treacherous sound,
Of winter’s call. Continue reading The Winter Flora Thrives in the Hudson Valley

As we wonder about the year ahead.  Contemplating what great and dreadful events we may witness, taking a moment to celebrate the present is always good, to share a libation and not necessarily the alcoholic type.

You see a libation is a ritualistic pouring of liquid. It may be a toast, a long celebrated tradition, featuring rich glasses of beer, wine or spirits.

However, the roots of this practice, of libation or oblation, came from the pouring of liquids as offerings to the deities found in many religious ancient and contemporary.  Very often this was wine, but also olive oil, in India I am told they used the refined butter called ghee, each poured from exotic vessels like a patera. Like this one from the Byzantine era. Spilled onto an altar or the earth.

I’ve read that in East Asia, the reverent seek to detach themselves from surrounding bad karmic energy by pouring an offering of rice into a running stream. How about a river?

That being said we do enjoy a proper toast, with libations of the alcoholic kind.

There is quite a long history to this practice, it is an ancient tradition reports Rebecca Rupp writing for National Geographic in an article “Cheers: Celebration Drinking Is an Ancient Tradition” where she says. “No one knows exactly when alcohol first entered the human diet—chances are it was a serendipitous prehistoric stumble on fermented fruit—but clearly we took to it like ducks to water.”  Read More

We enjoy these “Toasts Proposed during the Revolutionary War” posted by Susan F. Craft after an event for the launch of her novel, The Chamomile. Which started with: “George Washington attended a Public Dinner at Frances Tavern on Pearl Street in New York where he would propose 13 Toasts with Hot Butter’d Rum.”  and ended with

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” – Ben Franklin  Read More

Our own toast is this:

May the Year Ahead Be Great

Flow Everlasting with Surprising and Foreseeable Events

May We Relish and Be Grateful for Every Moment

Share with Others our Bounty

Cheers!

Of course there are many ways to accompany this toast with a suitable drink.  Check Them Out Here

I must apologize, for goofing off, not writing in weeks. The excuses are easy, the holidays, work demands, all that. But it is really this.  As Earnest Hemingway once said “Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.”  Not that I mind. Frankly I am a hermit by nature. Give me some good books, some wine, a comfortable chair, some things to eat, a view of the river and I am set for days. Ask my wife.

But , sometimes, the lonely life, leads to writer’s laziness, I won’t dare to say block because it is not nearly that severe. There has been no shortage of content, the last month has been filled with tons of activities, family, friends, holiday festivities. Lots of stories to tell.

Nevertheless, as a writer you can wonder, is anyone even reading? Does any one care? Why bother? Then something happens.

Yesterday, Neal Santelmann, Cold Spring resident, writer himself, with Hawkins International Public Relations, and member of the fabulous local band Laminated Menu, approached Diana in Foodtown yesterday. Saying “your her” from Hudson Valley Pleasures, “you changed the name to InTheHV.Com.” He paid us some very nice compliments and from a fellow writer that means a lot.

So off we go into a new year, inspired and writing again! Thanks Neal!