Cafe at Woodstock

Just killing time last Saturday in Woodstock and felt completely unexcited by any of the restaurants there and resigned ourselves to Joshua's, the Middle Eastern Place (which used to be a sort of co-op soup kitchen back in the old days, I've heard). As we were waiting for a table to open up, we read the new Ulster County magazine and on the cover was an ad for "The Cafe," at the Woodstock Lodge, a new restaurant behind a school, a little out of town at 77 Country Club Lane off Route 375. We ditched Joshua's and dined on the generous portions of steak tartare appetizer, and a garlic-caper-sundried tomato-red pepper chicken entree, lobster ravioli, house salad and a bottle of our favorite Orvieto, black forest cake and some sort of icecream and fruit (I can't remember exactly what I had for dessert--the wine, I suppose) all for a mere 53 bucks plus a tip. It's great when you expect so little and feel as though you've turned up a gem. The service is friendly and attentive. All in all, pretty good offering for the area.