Hugh Ryan

Freelance writer

A Gay Oasis, With Beer and Barbecue

First published in The New York Times on August 11, 2011. Read the original here.
WALK past the low-ceilinged bar, the jukebox and the pool table. Keep going, beyond the stage where “Queeraoke” erupts every Tuesday, and right out the back door. Feel the sunshine on your face and inhale the relatively fresh air (this is [...]

Fall Getaways

First published in Westchester Magazine’s August 2011 issue. Read the original here. I contributed three pieces to this round up: (Rox)bury Your Cares Away, Life’s a Beach, and Tons of Fun in Bennington.
Excerpt
Even from a distance, it’s easy to see that The Roxbury is not your average Catskill Mountain motel. The vivid green detailing on the [...]

Dining Dilemma

First published in Westchester Magazine’s August 2011 issue. Read the original here.
My parents’ dining room table is early 20th-century mahogany, with solid columnated legs and comfortable seating for six—eight if necessary, 10 on desperate family occasions. In the morning, it’s newspaper sprawl and pots of coffee. In the afternoon, laptops and lunch. Family dinner, whether for [...]

Island Creek Oyster Bar

First published in The New York Times on January 14, 2011. Read the original with comments here.
Island Creek Oyster Bar brings a special twist to the trend of farm-to-table restaurants: the small farms carefully listed next to each dish on Oyster Creek’s menu specialize in aquaculture, the raising of seafood and shellfish. [...]

4 Towns, 4 Tasty New Reasons to Visit

First published in The New York Times on November 17, 2010. Read the original with comments here.
Preston Hollow
Bees Knees Cafe
For nearly 200 years, the old farmhouse on Broome Center Road has been the heart of Heather Ridge, a working farm in the Catskills town of Preston Hollow. For the last year, it’s [...]

The Blind Pig

First published in The New York Times on August 8, 2010. Read the original here.
At the Blind Pig, Joseph Frase, the chef and an owner, smokes his own sausage in the backyard — appropriate for a restaurant in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood. His menu reflects the working-class history of the area, with upscale renditions of pan-European [...]

keep looking »