Entering A Food Coma At Mohonk Mountain House

At an all-inclusive resort I fear the establishment has less motivation to provide exceptional food. New Paltz looked charming, but it would hardly be worth leaving the lodge to even explore, making Mohonk a veritable culinary monopoly. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was nothing short of outstanding: an abundance of choices, creative pairings, and spot-on preparation. For dinner the first night, a lentil soup so thick it stuck to the spoon and tender rack of lamb set the tone. 

Dinners are a sit-down occasion (nice attire recommended), but breakfast and lunch are buffet style. Waiters buzz around the massive dining room taking orders for beverages and clearing plates, but guests are free to get up and down as they please to peruse the double-line buffet spread. For breakfast I spoiled myself with all manner of fresh fruit--blueberries, blackberries, raspberries--that are too expensive to buy en masse in the city. The berry and plain yogurt parfait also helped justify the large pile of bacon and other gluttonous indiscretions of the weekend.

Most importantly, we went for Chocolate Weekend. At the breakfast and lunch buffets we indulged with all variations of chocolate. 

By Sunday brunch I had eaten at least a week's worth of calories, and cross-country skiing only works off so many pieces of chocolate cake. So, I had a lighter fare of shrimp, cheeses, berries, and salad and still felt completely satisfied.

A view from the main dining hall