Brave The Flames — Restaurant in Town of Hunter

*Updating to add: I tried the smash burger with onion and jalapeño and it was ridiculously good. Juicy, packed with flavor, and the potato roll takes it up a notch. Indulgent and crave-worthy.

My partner and I popped in here for lunch while out in Tannersville and were pleasantly surprised! The vibe is cozy, casual, and friendly with easy-going counter service.

We ordered the Skew'r'd Rice Platter with half lamb/half falafel and a Chicken Gyro. Both dishes were generously portioned, especially the rice platter, and I loved how we could customize them with toppings and sauces. We chose to get all of the toppings (lettuce, tomato, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, chickpeas, hummus) and sauces (spicy red, garlicky white, and a tangy herby green), which I highly recommend doing.

The chicken gyro was delicious and filling and its side of fries were great - hot, crisp, and nicely salted. For the rice platter, although the falafel were delicious, the lamb was the real star. It was incredibly tender and well-seasoned and I'll have a hard time ordering anything else when I go back.

To drink, we had the mocha and a dirty chai, both with oat milk. The mocha was our favorite. It is rich and flavorful with just the right balance of sweet to bitter...I shamelessly scooped out the bits of melted chocolate at the bottom of the cup. For dessert, we had the baklava which was a nice sweet end to the meal (but to be honest, we were so full, we would have been just as satisfied without).

To sum it up: This place is great value for money and is definitely going to be one of my top choices when I'm back in the area.

Side note: They're also open for breakfast as Twisted Toast Cafe, where they serve a fun and creative...

So this place is pretty cool. Granted I'm biased because I want to see them succeed, but still, they're good at what they do so I'll give them a plug!

They're doing a hybrid thing with the space, it's kind of like 2 restaurants in one: Twisted Toast breakfast (primarily french toast, but also egg sandwich type things, and a cafe for coffee/espresso), then Skew'r'd Grill dinner (lamb, chicken, fish, or falafel rice platters/gyro wraps, chicken or fish sandwiches, etc.)

Some details: They have vegetarian and vegan options/alternatives, and they're sensitive to allergies. You can order take out or dine in, but they don't have table service. They're family friendly - good menu options for kids and grownups. I've been there with my son, with a friend, and I even held a meeting there (sidenote - turns out it's a great place for a meeting - good atmosphere and large tables suitable for a group). For both breakfast and dinner, their portions are 'country meal' sized, aka, they'll definitely fill you up.

For breakfast, I'm not usually a french toast person but the ones I've tried so far (hole in da boat with the chili roasted peach jam, the berrykill, and the sweaty elvis) were all amazing. I can't recommend the chili roasted peach jam enough - it's really my everything right now.

For dinner I tried their falafel, which was great. Not too heavy or greasy like some places, with a nice mix of sauces. My son had their chicken sandwich and he claims its the best chicken sandwich he's ever had (he admits he has limited experience though). He also recommends their hot chocolate, which definitely isn't from a powder like some places!

Overall, highly recommend this new brick and mortar spot in...

We were driving through Tannersville, early in the morning, before visiting Kaaterskill Falls, and found ourselves hungry for breakfast. The signage for this place is a little confusing (there are like three names!?), but the food is really good.

Inside felt very warm and welcoming and the bar was surprisingly ornate. We ordered a monte cristo on gluten free bread with a (optional) chili roasted peach jam, a side of home fries and one of the specials "chai bread pudding", oh and a mocha latte.

The mocha latte was excellent. (maybe the best I have ever had, it's really that good) It was not as sweet as what I have typically found at most coffee shops and had a rich dark chocolate flavor. According to the server, they carefully sourced their dark chocolate that they used as an ingredient. The Monte Cristo was solid and the (optional) chili roasted peach jam complimented the savory flavors, elevating the dish to something unique and memorable. The chai bread pudding was rich, though not too sweet. The chai spices danced in my mouth as I truly cherished each bite. I left breakfast impressed with this small little restaurant and I intend to return (from the other side of the Hudson River) eager to try out more of their dishes and well-balanced...