Is The Woodshed on Park the Best Restaurant in the Adirondacks?
TUPPER LAKE - Is The Woodshed on Park in Tupper Lake the best restaurant in the Adirondacks? Opened three years ago by husband-and-wife team Evan Sloan and Siobhan Spencer, it has already racked up plenty “best of” accolades. And while I’ve not tried every restaurant in the ADK, I’d wager it’s right at the top.
We first visited The Woodshed on a bright and sunny spring day for an early reservation. Simply walking in was transformational. Our eyes literally had to adjust to the dark interior. But once they did a whole different world came into focus. The dark wood paneling, antique furnishings, and curated, whimsically gothic touches—a framed antlered animal skull, a pair of yellow velvet chairs, mixed media moss art—make the place feel both cozy and intriguing. You’re not in Kansas anymore—or even in the Adirondacks.
Dimly lit, cozy, and a bit mysterious, you feel transported as soon as you enter.
But it’s not just a look that sets it apart; it’s the whole package. Starting with the staff, which is friendly yet exceptionally professional. Take for example the simple act of filling water glasses on the table. The server holds the water pitcher in one hand and positions the other behind their back. This may seem like a small thing, but it, along with touches like scraping the crumbs off your table before dessert, adds to the feeling that you’re being well cared for in an establishment that knows exactly what it’s doing.
The savory menu, which changes with the seasons, is divided into Snacks (ranging from $7 to $15), Small Plates ($13 to $17), and Large Plates ($21 to $46). With just four or five options in each category, some may find the offerings slim, but I’d rather a few exceptionally well-made dishes over more mediocre ones. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with the cocktails.
It’s worth pulling up to the bar just to see all the different DIY concoctions, many of them stored in pretty crystal bottles. A dirty martini fan, I was immediately drawn to the Ode to the Olive, which comes in either a 3- or 6-ounce serving. I didn’t specify size and was rewarded with the larger drink. Made with fat-washed gin or vodka (that fat being Frantoia olive oil from Sicily), a house-made olive brine, and kissed with Carpano dry vermouth, it’s got a lush texture and olive-y flavor amplified by a skewer of olives. The drink arrives in a small carafe set on ice along with a small dropper filled with basil olive oil for you to float on top. It was the most beautiful and most fun presentation of a martini that I have ever experienced.
My husband’s Old Fashioned, made with a brown-sugar-cinnamon syrup, was not as interactive but also delicious. A newer-to-the-menu cocktail called The Grass is Always Greener, shows off the craft of bartender Emma Crouse; the tequila-based libation features Curacao, cucumber, and a tangy snap-pea shrub in a glass rimmed with parsley-cilantro salt.
The adorable dropper dispenses basil oil to float on top of your drink.
For dinner for two of us, we chose one Snack and one Small Plate to share and a Large Plate each. (The large plates, while ample, are single servings.) Snacks like crispy chickpeas dusted with ground dried chiles and thyme or the house-made potato chips with French onion dip would make a great start, but we opted for the bread course: slices of house-made sourdough with a choice of three spreads: whipped ricotta with honey and thyme, whipped brown butter, or mushroom pâté with pistachios and pickled mushrooms.
We were waffling over which to choose because they all sounded so good when our server steered us toward the pâté. We owe her. One bite and my worry that it would give groovy-health-food vibes disappeared. Given the enchanted aura of The Woodshed, one could assume that the silky smooth texture is the result of some kind of kitchen magic.
The mushroom pate is earthy, silky smooth, and comes with pickled mushrooms and pistachios.
When we visited, the Small Plates included a parsnip bisque, a baby kale salad, polenta, and fried Brussels sprouts. (While crispy sprouts have become de rigueur in restaurants, these come with an intriguing sounding caraway dressing.) We made the mistake of sharing the kale salad - the only mistake being that we shared it. Tossed with just enough golden raisin vinaigrette to make the leaves glisten, the salad came topped with finely grated raclette (from Meier’s Artisan Cheese) and dukkah, a mix of ground whole spices, nuts, and seeds that added a toasty flavor, and texture and is an idea I’m stealing.
Onto the Large Plates. Though the adjective “elevated” is overplayed when it comes to food, the description fits here. The Skillet Chicken & Biscuits ($28) is essentially a pot pie, and, yes, it comes to the table in a small skillet. What makes it a standout is the care with which the filling was made including roasting chicken bones for the rich gravy. And the tender yet crunchy-topped biscuit topping makes the dish more fun (and more filling) than traditional piecrust.
Steak au poivre was perfectly cooked.
Classic steak au poivre serves up perfectly cooked sirloin paired with a deeply flavored, peppery (but not too peppery) sauce and sides, such as potato puree and glazed carrots, that change with the seasons. The gorgeous, purposeful plating would be right at home in a fancy Manhattan restaurant, which makes sense when you learn that Evan was Chef de Cuisine at Riverpark in Manhattan before trading the East River for Tupper Lake. (More on that in a minute.)
The grilled White Marble Farms pork chop ($35) looked to be worth getting for the sides and accompaniments alone: roasted cauliflower and sunchokes, a cauliflower puree made with brown butter, and a black garlic jus.
The Woodshed is also renowned for its burger ($21). Topped with Meier’s cheddar, red onion, tomato jam, and mayonnaise, it’s served on a house-made bun.
On our visit, there were no vegetarian Large Plate options and no fish on the menu at all, though there has been some in the past. Plant-based eaters can do well, however, by ordering from the Snacks and Small Plates, which all look to be meat-free (though check with your server to be sure).
The restaurant also periodically offers delicious sounding (and looking based on their Instagram feed) handmade pasta on Thursday nights. Pasta offerings have included braised beef ravioli with smoked celery root, and pecorino and a farfalle pasta paired with chicken, spinach, and artichoke.
Curious if desserts would be as good as our meal, we split a slice of buttermilk pie and loved the tangy lemony treat as well as the coffee that came to the table in a single-serve press pot.
So how did humble Tupper Lake win the jackpot of getting such a special restaurant in its midst?
Turns out Evan is a native. And way before it was transformed by the magic of Siobhan’s unique eye and the pair’s hard work, the building was home to the Red Barn, the first restaurant Evan ever worked at. After 10 years in Brooklyn, the pair left the city soon after COVID hit and have not looked back.
New York City’s loss is the Adirondacks’ gain.
GOOD TO KNOW:
The restaurant is open 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Reservations and walk-ins are accepted equally. Parties of 5 or fewer can make reservations online. Parties of 6 will need to call, and larger parties are not accepted.
Happy hour is on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5:30.
The Woodshed on Park
218 Park Street, Tupper Lake, NY 12986
(518) 929-8067
Top image courtesy of Woodshed on Main