Sharp turns
From cowboy bars with taxidermy bears in Jackson Hole to lake weekends in Pennsylvania and martinis in Manhattan.
Be prepared for some whiplash this week. One minute I was sitting beneath antler chandeliers surrounded by taxidermy bears and cowboy boots in Jackson Hole. A few days later, I was deep in a Pennsylvania lake with a beer in one hand and grilled clams in the other. Then, I was tucked into a leather corner booth in the East Village, sipping martinis with my sister.
This week’s dispatches span three states and wildly different vibes, but they all left me feeling grateful for who I got to share that saddle bar seat, boat ride and booth with.
Dispatches from the Corner Booth
Tales from a week of dining.
A whirlwind wedding weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Landing at Jackson Hole Airport is an experience in itself, catapulting you straight into Grand Teton National Park and greeting you with sweeping mountain views, a rustic mountain lodge-like terminal and even a live animal or two. As we descended, I blasted Noah Kahan while catching my first glimpses of the Teton Range. Awestruck is really the only word to describe it.
And the magnificence doesn’t end there, as the drive to town serves up even more breathtaking vistas that make you want to stick your head out the window the whole way. We eventually pulled up to Trailborn Jackson Hole, a recently renovated boutique mountain lodge at the base of Snow King Mountain, eager to settle in for a weekend of outdoor adventures and wedding festivities. Complete with a pool, spa, adventure planning desk, bowling alley and restaurant, the hotel made the ideal home base for the weekend.
We wrapped up a few final work emails first by the oversized fireplace in the lobby and later by the glistening pool, before heading upstairs to refresh for dinner. The room offered stylish, modern touches that elevated your typical mountain stay, like fluffy Parachute robes hanging on the wall, Grown Alchemist products in the shower and Huck instant coffee at the bar, all while maintaining a relaxed, unpretentious feel. Bonus points for the comfy bed.
Nearly delirious after a long travel day, we then beelined to Old Timer Bar & Restaurant, where we couldn’t resist a spot on the patio, facing the sunset, tucked into our own little corner. First came a friendly server, then came exceptionally crafted cocktails (a Black Manhattan for Mr. Corner Booth, a Prickly Pear for me), followed by an array of plates to feed our travel-induced starvation: deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail and a pair of beefy smash burgers. If it were wintertime, I could easily imagine coming in here for an après-ski feast consisting of the alpine cheese fondue, raclette poutine and elk & bison chili.
We toasted to our arrival in Wyoming, to our friends getting married, to simply being in a place so spectacular. But we couldn’t linger for long, because we had a certain special bar to get to…
Million Dollar Cowboy Bar may be one of if not the most well-known watering holes in the American West. I’d seen photos of that iconic sign so many times, it felt like I had already been there. It’s like the Disneyland of the Wild West, where taxidermy bears lurk in every corner, couples in cowboy boots practice their two-step and thirsty patrons sip whiskey and local beers from saddle bar stools, all underneath antler chandeliers. It’s a landmark, it’s crowded and it’s a downright good time. We greeted the bride and groom there for a night of pool-playing, beer-chugging, live music-dancing revelry.
Taking advantage of the time change, we rose early the next morning to squeeze in a hike through Cache Creek, with the hopes of seeing a moose in the wild (we did not, sadly). Then we were swept up in a blur of wedding celebrations, from a Western-themed welcome party atop The Cloudveil to a stunning ceremony on a family ranch framed by the Tetons. Between festivities, we snuck in visits to vintage shop at Perennial West, grab pints at Snake River Brewing and pick up coffees at Persephone Bakery.
No amount of time here could ever be enough. We’ll have to plan another trip, to make those moose-sighting dreams finally come true.
A steamy hot fourth of July by the lake in Waymart, Pennsylvania.
After sucking in all of that fresh, crisp mountain air, returning home to a boiling hot, humid, 100-degree New York was tough. But luckily, Fourth of July weekend was upon us, and we snuck away to a friend’s lake house in Pennsylvania to spend the entirety of the weekend in a body of water. We pretty much only emerged to grab beers from the cooler, grill up some hot dogs and watch the fireworks from a boat.
I brought with me a bag of PopUp Bagels, a Samuel Adams Star Spangled Variety Pack, a bottle of Cann Spritz and the ingredients to make Wishbone Kitchen’s turkey cheddar pepper crunch sandwiches. But the best bite of the weekend was grilled local clams, prepared with beer, butter and seasoning that made a broth so addictive we drank it straight from the baking sheet. Happy birthday, Amurica!
A sleek night with ice cold martinis in the corner booth in East Village.
In yet another sharp pivot, I traded brews and burgers by the lake for martinis and fries in the city, meeting my sister for a weeknight catch-up at the new stylish cocktail bar Limo Bar. Boy oh boy does this place have some good corner booths, ready and waiting to welcome you with their oversized, chocolate brown leather arms. In a nostalgic, polished space evoking ‘80s-era New York, we sipped on their signature Clean Dirty Martini, which comes with a frozen olive orb that slowly melts, transforming the drink from crisp and dry to progressively dirtier. We also snacked on impeccably executed classic bar bites, including shrimp cocktail, olives, mini hot dogs and fries, while recapping recent travels, gripes and gossip.
The celebratory yet intimate atmosphere also made it the perfect place to pop a certain question to my sister as well. Tucked into that corner booth, I officially asked her to be my maid of honor for my upcoming wedding, complete with a custom card and a sparkly necklace.
She said yes!
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So glad you got to visit my favorite place ever and made some great stops! Snake River Brewing is one of my family's go-tos and Persephone is hard to beat. If you ever make it back, their sister restaurant, Picnic, is a great casual lunch spot!