The Gold Fox

Location: 600 State Route 208
Gardiner, NY 12525-5601
(845) 255-3700
The Gold Fox Website

This restaurant probably doesn't get much attention from the climbers in the area because most climbers drive on the main road from the 'Gunks into New Paltz and miss it completely. Well, my partners and I got sick of waiting in that lousy traffic that can back up for miles on Sunday afternoons, so we decided to do an end-around into the small town of Gardiner. From the 'Gunks, instead of taking the left at the Brauhaus toward New Paltz, go straight. Follow that road into the winding-road village of Gardiner and find the Gold Fox on the right at the stop light at the end of the village (btw - you take a left here to head back to New Paltz, and this end-around probably only takes five minutes longer without traffic on the main road to New Paltz and many minutes shorter with traffic).

Style of service: Mostly sit-down and catering. There are three sections to the restaurant: the bar area (which has the same menu as the restaurant), the banquet hall area (separate menu from the restaurant), and the restaurant.

Food type: Definitely starts with an Italian base, but most customers will find something to their liking if they don't prefer Italian. There are vegetarian options, good burgers, good seafood, and plenty of salad and appetizer options, too. The menu, in general, is standard for what you'd expect from a typical American restaurant in the Northeast.

Ratings with best being five stars - FOUR STARS

Food rating: FOUR STARS

I've been here twice, and true to my nature, I've ordered the same thing each time: the garlic and horseradish burger with sweet potato fries. Each time the burger came cooked to perfection (I order my burgers medium), and so did my fellow climber dinner-companions find their burgers cooked to their liking. The first time I went, I went with two vegetarians who were skeptical about the menu at first. But then the waiter pointed out a few options for them to give a go, and they loved it, too. Now I can't vouch for all of their other meals, but unless the Gold Fox's quality drops off significantly after the burger, then I have a hard time believing the other dishes won't be up to par. This place really is a hidden gem, and the burgers absolutely rival the more generously located German place at the base of the 'Gunks.

Prices: THREE STARS

There is a reason why we all ate burgers each time we went, and that's because there is a significant difference in the prices between the burgers and the regular entrees. The burgers are reasonably priced (about $8 - $10) for the type of restaurant, but the entrees start at around $15 and go as high as $28 - as of July, 2009). Even so, while the burgers are outstanding, this place is a little more expensive than other joints with similar offerings.

Service: FIVE STARS

We've had nothing but the best from these folks each time. We've been seated where we wanted to be seated each time, had quick service from multiple servers regarding ordering water, drinks, and food, and the food always came out in a reasonable about of time. Also, the staff is very friendly and they don't bug you too much beyond the obligatory, "can I interest you in coffee or desert." You order what you order and they bring it to you. Enjoy...

Rino's Pizza

Location: 246 Main St # 6
New Paltz, NY 12561-1621
(845) 255-8600


Style of service: Mostly take-out and delivery with a few tables for eating in. Order at the counter, pick your drinks out of the cooler (or ask for a fountain drink), and they'll bring the food out to your table or deliver it to your house.

Food type: Mostly Italian, focusing on pizza (pie or slices), pasta dinners, appetizers, and sandwiches and wraps.

Ratings with best being five stars - FOUR STARS

Food rating: FOUR STARS

Rino's is a must-stop at the end of every 'Gunks trips. It's a bit out of the way (away from downtown in the plaza across from the Stop and Shop near I-87), but you won't be disappointed when you do. The pride of their pizzas is the sauce, and they offer several different varieties by the slice or can make whatever you want by the pie. The garlic knots probably don't come with enough sauce when ordered, but I get them every time I walk in anyway. The salads are huge and the moist chicken is cooked to perfection. They also use the good greens, not the lousy iceberg stuff that lousy restaurants use. Soups are also larger than you'd expect and are full of flavor. I made sure I soaked up every last drop of broth when I ordered my soup, and I was polite and didn't drink from the bowl. I mostly order the buffalo chicken BLT wrap. Don't see it on the menu? Read "service" below for the reason why.

Prices: THREE & A HALF STARS

Rino's is neither cheap nor expensive. You get what you pay for here, and then more. Yes, some of their dishes are very large for the price you pay (particularly the salads and soups), but there's nothing on the menu that could be considered a main course (sandwiches and wraps included) around five dollars. But who cares? The prices are definitely reasonable and I've always come away filled enough to not need another meal for hours without being overly stuffed. I'd say a typical wrap, drink, and appetizer will set you back about $12. Not bad.

Service: FIVE STARS

These guys get it. For one, the turnover at this establishment is minuscule. I see the same guys working the counter, the pizza oven, and the stoves out back every single time I walk in, and I've been going every weekend I'm in the 'Gunks for a couple of years now. Sometimes I'm there every Sunday afternoon for a couple of months in a row, and sometimes I'm not there at all for a couple of months (because I'm climbing elsewhere). But each time I go in the guys know what I want. They always wait before punching it in the register, but they also ask - "same as usual, buffalo chicken BLT on a wrap?" That's right, he doesn't just ask if I want the usual, but he recites the order just to make sure. And I'm not even local by several hours.

But here's what gets me. They have a buffalo chicken sandwich. And they have a BLT wrap. But do I want either one? Noooo, I want them both, in one sandwich, as a wrap. Can they do it? Not only can they do it, but I get a "coming right up" without any questions. No thinking about it. No shifting their weight back and forth from one foot to the next with a "you're a pain in the ass" look on their faces. No extra charges. "For here or to go?" and that's it.

Don't be a fool by passing this place up. The food is too tasty, the prices just right, and the service too good to not give a chance at least once. And then once you give it a chance you'll be going back for more, guaranteed.

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