Coffee Ride to The Kitchen Table

The Ride

This was a long ride as the Beeline directly to The Kitchen Table was 82.5 miles, so I took the GS. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.

As it would be long, I chose to go reasonably quickly toward the Bear Mountain Bridge. I’d heard some roads were open again, so I tried Seven Lakes Drive. There was new pavement in the hairpin just past the Inn, and it was evident from the newly added water management in the hill above it just where it had washed out the road. Seven Lakes to Route 6 was open, but at the roundabout, the rest of Seven Lakes was still closed, so I had to stay on Route 6. Around Middletown, I passed the Orange County Community College and was trying to find a road to pass through, but I kept hitting dead ends, so I eventually got back onto Route 17.

Past Middletown, the roads improved, and I got onto some back roads I enjoyed, especially Shady Hollow Road where I turned off Route 211. I did try to follow the compass on a road named Brandt Road that led past a camp for kids. The road was nice & winding & I enjoyed it, but it ended up at some private property with no indication there was no outlet at the start, so I backtracked to Route 209. I turned left at Pine Kiln Road which paralleled Brandt Road for a bit before turning more to the north along some great winding roads that led me to Yankee Lake where I made a left and that led to Wolf Lake and a small winding road that hugged the edge. Two were available, but I took the one to the right.

I eventually had to get on 17 when it was a highway just before Monticello, but I could get on 17B past it, a much better road, passing through Bethel, NY, where the Woodstock festival took place.

REVER is a mobile app designed to help you track, plan, or navigate your ride. With the app, you can easily plan your route, view maps and directions, and track your distance using GPS technology. The app is an excellent tool for anyone who loves to ride and wants to keep track of their progress and distance.

I ignored a sign for Callicoon & stayed on the road leading to Route 97, which hugs the river dividing NY & PA. This finally brought me to Callicoon. I made a left where the compass pointed to “downtown” and was met with a town stuck in time. A large white building with three stories named Western Hotel was the prominent building overlooking the train tracks that bisect the town with the date 1852 clearly visible next to the name. Catskill Provisions and Distillery was next to it. Crossing the tracks, I saw the Kitchen Table Cafe and found parking just in front.

My route recorded by REVER clocked in at 122.8 miles, a decent distance for a coffee ride. See the route below.

The Coffee Shop

Callicoon is a hamlet in Delaware, NY, part of Sullivan County. It is directly on the Delaware River, the border between New York & Pennsylvania. The name is derived from the original Dutch name of the area from the 17th century, Kollikoonkill or Wild Turkey Creek, due to the large number of turkeys in the area at the time.

The train line is still evident as you enter the downtown, originally part of the Erie Railroad. Originally, the town was a natural stop along the railroads, and the Western Hotel visible on my way in was a common place to stay for those traveling on the passenger rail. But with automobiles becoming more popular and displacing the railroad, Callicoon’s primacy as a railroad stop fell behind, and the last scheduled passenger train departing Callicoon was in 1966.

But, now, with the beautiful location right on the river and the camping and canoes drawing visitors to the area again, Callicoon is having a resurgence with tourism as the primary industry.

Entering the shop, small black and white tiles are on the floor. A couple of small tables for 2 people, another larger for 6, and a wooden bench for people to wait for their goods were the extent of seats beyond the stools facing the window toward the railroad track and hotel.

Coffee mugs hang on the wall above the window. One wall is painted white with some text reading, “The Fondest memories are made when gathered around the table.” On the opposite side are a couple of pictures and a blue sign reading, “Smile, share joy and kindness. Play outside. Dance in the rain. Eat a cupcake. Smell the roses. Sing loud and proud. Be Happy. Listen & Learn. Laugh out loud. Snuggle and hug. Be thoughtful and gracious. Dream big and finally Enjoy life.” This area inspires one to get back to the basics, be in touch with nature & enjoy all moments of life.

Toward the back is the counter with the menu on the wall behind it. Coffee options included a house blend, various lattes, cappuccino, and espresso. The breakfast menu had egg sandwiches, yogurts, and bagels, while lunch had grilled cheese with or without bacon, a chicken salad sandwich, a few wraps, and several baked goods from various sweet-flavored breads, scones, turnovers, and oatmeal cream pie.

To the right of the counter is a small hallway leading to the bathroom and another door to parking in the back.

The woman behind the counter was pleasant and took my order for a house blend but said she had to make a new pot. I also ordered banana bread and a grilled cheese with bacon since it was around lunchtime.

It was empty, with only two people seated and one other picking up a take-out order when I arrived around 1 pm. Some Depeche Mode was on the radio, playing in the background closer to the kitchen area.

I chatted with the owner and mentioned how much I enjoyed the grilled cheese and coffee. He asked if I was on the NEBDR as the starting point in Hancock isn’t far from Callicoon. He said several riders come through and say he is right on the route! He moved up from Queens when his son started school and said he bought this space four years ago, just when the pandemic started. If you come on the NEBDR or just for coffee or lunch, stop in as they are very moto-friendly!

There is WiFi available that requests an email address. It only appears to work with major domains, so you may have trouble registering at first. There was no service for my AT&T phone, given the sparse population, so the WiFi was a necessity.

The Refreshments

My house blend was served in a light blue-green paper cup with the Kitchen Table logo. The banana bread was served in a small bag made of butcher’s paper, and my lunch was served in a cardboard box.

The coffee had a wonderful aroma and a balanced body with no bitterness noted. It was quite hot, so I took the lid off to let it cool a bit more, and once at sipping temperature, the flavors popped out. The banana bread paired nicely with the coffee, bringing out the sweet notes.

My lunch was an unexpected surprise. The grilled cheese was on a thicker bread with the perfect amount of toasting. The bacon added savory flavor, with the well-buttered bread augmenting it. Probably the best-tasting grilled cheese sandwich I have ever eaten!