#foodadventures: Oriole 9, Woodstock, NY

Hello boys and girls... I'm not even going to apologize about being m.i.a. for nearly three months. Because honestly, I don't even think being busy with work and life is a valid excuse anymore (a.k.a. I've just been so sh*tty at managing my time that the blog is getting a bit neglected).

BUT, I did want to introduce a new series of content for you guys. As y'all can probably see from my Instagram account, I've been doing a lot of day/weekend trips and have been trying out A LOT of food places. I figured, I'd share mini reviews of the places I've been exploring along with the food places we (my bf & I) have been discovering.

So, first on this series is Oriole 9 in the quaint town of Woodstock, NY. The town is quietly tucked in the Catskills region in upstate New York. My boyfriend and I have been doing a lot of driving to some random towns to explore, and this gem just happened to pop up on our radar after a brief (and failed) hike through one of the trails.

I'm sure you've heard of Woodstock though (if not, read up: Woodstock) and the artsy cultured vibe of this super cute town. The town was dotted with so many small shops carrying anything from clothes, trinkets, and other odds and ends, that we wish we had more time to explore everything.

We ended up stumbling into this cute spot called Oriole 9 as we were walking around and figured we'd give it a try, since we're always up for anything (especially if it had anything to do with food). The place was pretty quiet when we got there, just a few tables were occupied, which of course we didn't mind at all. I wish I got to snap a few pics of the place since it was a pretty simply decorated place, with the walls lined with artwork from some local artists.

alfredo pasta w| chicken, greens & toast, rating: 8/10

The menu itself was pretty small, but I didn't mind it at all because it wasn't overwhelming and honestly, the food sounded promising. Plus, the prices were reasonable too. My bf got a beer, I decided to go with a mimosa, and we split a pasta dish from their daily special list since it was a huge serving (from what I remember it was some sort of chicken alfredo with a twist?). This was really good, the chicken was moist, the pasta was al dente, and the sauce was perfectly creamy, albeit the toast was definitely a bit burnt (but really a little slice of bread shouldn't ruin the entire meal)

banana nutella french toast, rating: 9/10

Afterwards, we decided to try out one of their sweet breakfast treats and ordered the banana Nutella french toast. I'm already not a big fan of super sweet things, so initially I thought this was gonna be a bit much, but to my surprise, it was actually REALLY good (and really huge). We didn't even finish it an ended up bringing the leftovers home. Only thing I would say about it is I wish the bread was a bit more crisp on the edges maybe rather than soggy. Overall though, Oriole 9 and Woodstock was a great experience.

When I have some time, maybe I'll share our drives through the Catskills and the amazing landscapes of the area. It's definitely worth a day/weekend trip.

-Frances