Village Bistro in Tannersville,  New York, is a charming, intimate restaurant owned by Chef Edward Lanzinger and Shake Kertoyan. The restaurant is a lovely surprise in the Catskill Mountains, where the portions are plentiful and the service is welcoming and inviting.

After graduating from a six-year hospitality and tourism program in Austria, Chef Edward Lanzinger honed his career working in Italy and France before coming to the United States. Shake Kertoyan, who describes herself as an Armenian who was born in Romania, lived in Turkey, and is a proud American, is the personable front-of-the-house host, at their restaurant, Village Bistro, which they opened in 2006. Together, they bring an international savoir faire where the focus is on "international food" utilizing local and seasonal produce, and local game when available. The menu has enough diversity to appeal to both carnivores as well as vegetarians.

Chef Edward Lanzinger 

Edward and I had dinner at the restaurant in late August 2011, and found the ambience to be cozy, inviting, bright, and airy. Live plants grace the large windows; a fireplace beckons from the front of the room, as does the wood bar that is lined with high wood stools located at the back room, which we learned that Chef Edward Lanzinger had built. Hardwood floors, wood wainscoting on green walls, a copper colored pressed tin ceiling also added interest to the room. Tables were double draped with white and green linens to pick up the colors of the room.

Village Bistro Restaurant 

Edward began with a first course of Eggplant Rollatini, which arrived as three thinly sliced battered eggplants that were stuffed with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese, rolled, and served on a bed of tomato sauce and garnished with tomatoes and lettuce. 

Eggplant Rollantini 

I had the Bistro Vegetarian, which was an ample platter featuring hummus, baba-ghanouj, tabbouleh, dolmas, fresh greens, tomatoes, and hot pita bread, that would have been more than satisfying as a main course, followed by a generous salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives for both of us.

Bistro Vegetarian

We paired a bottle of Red Diamond Merlot from Washington State with our dinner, which had rich, ripe, red berries and plums on the nose and the palate with a hint of spice that complemented the food. 

For his main course, Edward had the Braised Lamb Shanks and Potatoes, which Chef Edward Lanzinger had first soaked in water to eliminate any gaminess from the lamb, followed by marinating it early in the day, and finally slowly braising it with red pepper and onions. The result was meat that was full of flavor and extremely tender after Chef Edward's careful ministrations, and served with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. 

Braised Lamb Shank 

I continued with the Pasta de Roma, which was another vegetarian course, consisting of imported pasta with gorgonzola cheese, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic, and olive oil, and garnished with steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. 

Pasta de Roma 

Although the dessert offerings were tempting, portions at the restaurant were more than ample, and duly satisfied, we wisely decided to forego dessert for another time. 

Village Bistro, Tannersville, New York 

Village Bistro is open for dinner from Thursday until Tuesday from 4:00 pm. Please note that the restaurant is closed on Wednesday. On Thursday, the restaurant offers a special three course Bistro pre-fixe menu. They also have wine dinners throughout the year, and other special interest dinners. 

Read Chef Edward Lanzinger's recipe for Venison Medallions with Cognac Cream Sauce in the Chefs' Recipes section.  

Village Bistro
6033 Main Street
Tannersville, New York 12485
United States 
Telephone:      +1518-589-5855
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website:         www.TannersvilleVillageBistro.com 

Read other articles on the Catskill Mountains in the Destinations and Performances sections.

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