Piaule Catskill, a 24-cabin boutique property in the Catskills, is designed to feel like a calm retreat from New York City without giving up comfort. According to the report, the hotel was created by founders Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs, who first launched Piaule as a homeware brand before opening the property five years ago. The design emphasizes the surrounding landscape, using local and natural materials and putting the architecture front and center.
The main building brings together the hotel’s restaurant and spa, with features like an untreated white oak ceiling, west-facing windows that look toward the mountains, and a sloping roof that mirrors the skyline. Guests also have access to a cedar-wall sauna and a saltwater pool facing the Catskills. The setup is meant to feel generous when full, but still intimate when only a few people are around.
A menu rooted in the Hudson Valley
The Restaurant at Piaule serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a hyper-seasonal approach that reflects the Hudson Valley. Dinner offers four choices for each course, and the kitchen makes room for gluten-free and vegetarian diners as well. A meal might begin with lamb sausage with braised fennel, yogurt, and herbs, or a venison tartare from Highland Farm, followed by house sourdough with cultured butter and mains such as Hudson Valley steelhead trout, wagyu hangar steak, golden hen, or forbidden rice.
Extras and desserts add to the experience, with options including caviar with potato chips, crème fraîche, and chives, as well as raw and roasted oysters. One highlighted dish was oysters Kilpatrick baked with butter, prosciutto, Worcestershire, and Calabrian chili. For dessert, the report mentions a cheese plate, campfire semifreddo, and blueberry sorbet. Breakfast is complimentary and includes local yogurt and pastries, with egg dishes available to order, while lunch brings sandwiches, soups, and salads. Between meals, guests can make pour-over coffee with a kit provided in the rooms, use Piaule mugs, and snack on complimentary local treats such as BjornQorn. The overall effect, according to the report, is a stay that leaves visitors feeling noticeably more at ease.
Source: bonappetit.com
