Eats

GRANBY, CT – Have you ever been riding and just happened upon a location that made your day? This happened to me when I spied Grassroots Creamery, today’s stop in “The Great Northeast Ice Cream Run.”  What a find!  This little gem makes its own ice cream on site. The …

SHELTON, CT – It’s Friday, which means another stop in “The Great Northeast Ice Cream Run.” Before getting to this week’s featured creamery, let me invite riders to share tips on their favorite places to buy ice cream as well as post pics of their favorite places on RIDE-CT & …

CANTON, CT – A global pandemic can quickly cause folks to reflect on all the simple pleasures that many of us have had to do without lately – like a leisurely ride through the countryside on a warm, sunny afternoon with an ice cream stop along the way.  Together, motorcycles …

SOUTHWICK, MA – It’s helpful to be polite when visiting the Gristmill Cafe, but only because it’s a cozy eatery with tables so close together that it’s sometimes necessary to make room for neighboring diners to come and go. “Always Ridng” columnist Paul Siciliano had suggested stopping there for lunch …

NEW LEBANON, NY – It doesn’t have a tin roof, rusted or otherwise, but the The K Shack is a funky little shack that has been serving up shrimp tacos, pulled pork and other roadside fare for slightly more than six weeks, having opened on July 4. Owner Kelly Hagan …

COPAKE FALLS, NY – Because it was only built in 1857, the Taconic Wayside Inn can’t ever claim that “George Washington slept here,” but old pictures posted online by the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society reveal that New York Yankees’ slugger Babe Ruth once visited. Other old pictures show an establishment …

(Editor’s note: THIS EATERY HAS CLOSED) SHEFFIELD, MA – Its name comes from the nearby Bash Bish Falls. It has been open for nearly four years, but RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland only heard about Bash Bish Brew & ‘Que recently when a friend discovered it, came away raving about its combo …

NEW PRESTON, CT – In a pub filled with artifacts, the shiny, red 1920 Indian Scout “motocycle” enclosed in glass behind the bar stands out. “Every part on it is original,” reports John Harris, owner  of the White Horse Country Pub & Restaurant, who obtained it out of a museum …

DERBY, CT – It’s a place that’s easy to drive by. That because House of Bones BBQ is located in an odd spot on busy Route 34, just east of Route 8.  Heading south, House of Bones BBQ comes quickly into view as you come around a corner. The problem …

BREWSTER, NY – It was shortly after stopping at Bob’s Diner here recently that I mentioned the visit to someone, who immediately responded, “That’s a greasy spoon.” Well, yes, and that’s what makes the eatery at 27 Main St. so neat. Opened in 1955 and footsteps from the train station, …

WILMINGTON, VT – It’s no exaggeration to say that Dot’s Restaurant is the diner too beloved to close. It could have easily stayed shuttered after Tropical Storm Irene came through in late August 2011 and caused the Deerfield River (which runs through downtown) to overflow. Dot’s sits above of the …

GAYLORDSVILLE, CT – There are always those places in your locale that you continually pass by and just never really notice – until a heavenly smell comes billowing your way and draws you in. Enter The Old Oak Tavern. Established in 2016, it’s located at the southern end of South …

PORTLAND, CT – If you ride by a place often enough, it’s only natural to get curious about it. Is it any good? Eggs Up Restaurant on Route 66 in Portland, CT (but nearer to Cobalt) was such a place until last weekend. Up until Sunday, the time to stop …

BRATTLEBORO, VT – It’s called Top of the Hill Grill, although it might better be called Side of the Hill Grill as the ground adjacent to its patio and beneath it expansive deck plummets to lush green lowland just north of where the West River joins the Connecticut River. The …

SOUTHBURY, CT – It’s unpretentious, casual and a Southbury institution. Denmo’s, the outdoor eatery at 340 Main Street South, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on July 1 having sold countless hot dogs and hamburgers since opening under the original name of Cedar Hollow Snack & Dairy. The name changed to Denmo’s …