Fall brought two additions to the growing southern Berkshires café and bar scene with the opening of the lounge-like natural wine purveyor Half Rats in late August, followed by beloved North Canaan specialty roastery ilse coffee installing its second location on Railroad Street in mid-November.
Head up to Great Barrington this holiday season to caffeinate, then ingurgitate (in moderation) – just don’t forget to hydrate.
The bright interior of ilse is simple and elegant.Alec Linden
(47 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts). Hours: Thursday - Monday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday open at 9 a.m.
Stylized lowercase, this sleek coffee brand does away with pretense and lets the brew speak for itself. Sourced ethically and with a focus on partnerships between producers, consumers and the roastery itself, a black coffee at ilse is served on a tidy tray in a clear glass mug, alongside a ceramic cup for the drinker to transfer the elixir into at their leisure. The whole set up feels emblematic of the transparency and collaboration at the core of the roastery’s ethos.
Situated in the airy space formerly occupied by Marjoram + Roux, the new coffeehouse builds on the concept inaugurated by ilse’s first public location in a converted auto body shop in North Canaan. Rebecca Grossman, who co-founded and co-owns the business with her fiancée, Lucas Smith, is local to the area, leading the couple to move roasting operations north from Stamford when they decided to expand from the wholesale production they had focused on the previous four years.
ilse’s sleek coffee packaging and merch lineup is eye-catching beneath the register.Alec Linden
With the new shop, the brand moves even further into the food-and-beverage service game, aiming to build out a full breakfast and lunch menu as it ramps up operations on Railroad Street. Currently, the bites on offer are primarily provided by Canaan-based baker Pastries By Hanna, with the addition of one item produced in-house: a fluffy scone stuffed with cream and jam – Smith’s mother’s recipe; she’s English. In the coming months, the open kitchen that takes up about half of the café’s interior will roar to life as the team develops the culinary program.
Stylistically, the space follows the minimal, elegant example set by the North Canaan location, but lower ceilings, tighter quarters and a communal table that abuts the bustle of the above-mentioned open kitchen make for a decidedly cozier atmosphere. Tuck yourself into a window seat and sip a cup of steaming, ethically-sourced coffee while gazing down at the brick-lined streets beneath the hulking ridgeline of East Mountain, and you’ll find it easy to remember why you love the Berkshires.
The comfortable lounge area, where games and wine-related literature are available for those who have exhausted their conversation quotas.Alec Linden
(343 Main Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts). Hours: Wednesday and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Natural wine and resurrected Victorian slang are unlikely partners in Abby Pendergist’s new downtown venture that happily marries modern tastes with classic appeal.
“Half Rats” references 19th-century parlance meaning slightly tipsy, or buzzed, which is exactly what guests are invited to become – responsibly, of course – as they swill Pendergist’s rotating ensemble of natural wines from around the world. The snobbery that sometimes hangs over wine-forward enterprises is nowhere to be found here, perhaps booted out by the semi-deranged rodents who decorate the menus, clearly half rats themselves. Instead, the vibe is decidedly relaxed, inviting drinkers to approach the wines with an open and playful attitude.
The space, designed and decorated by Pendergist with help from her boyfriend, Nick Speidel, indicates a well-practiced eye is behind the madness. Located within the tall brick walls of the 1924 Whalen & Kastner Garage, Pendergist has tastefully decked out the room with quirky paintings, a hemlock sapling adorned with string lights, rat-themed T-shirts and the taxidermized head of an antelope wearing an evergreen garland as a necklace. Memorabilia is all around – Pendergist has a background in selling antique clothes, including at a former brick and mortar on Railroad Street.
Paintings and palm fronds are just two of many types of idiosyncratic decor that fills the room at Half Rats.Alec Linden
Amid the mayhem, there is a carefully-wrought logic to the space. Guests freely move from seats at the pounded steel bar to a comfortable lounge, where games and wine literature await, or simply peruse the walls as one might in a gallery. A massive communal table dominating the center of the room is highly modular in its function, hosting large parties of wine drinkers or pumpkin carving contests alike. Several window tables and high-tops offer couples seeking a quieter drink the opportunity to do so with some privacy.
Like everything else, the menu is eclectic and changeable. A core selection of Pendergist’s favorite bottles remain while others rotate, though no bottle is safe from being swapped out. In addition to the main lineup, special bottles are also on offer until they run out. On a recent Thursday, a chilled and unchilled red, both Austrian, graced the specials menu, joined by another red, this one Georgian, as well as a Portuguese orange and a white gleaned from the faraway lands of Maine.
A short, rotating list of craft beers, alongside cheaper standards ($4-$5), are also available, as well as non-alcoholic options such as Mexican coke and espresso. Simple but enticing bar snacks — including olives, a goat cheese plate and “Spanish skewers” of anchovy, olives and pepper — are also available for those who like a snack with their Syrah.
For those who want to bring the experience home, small souvenirs and knickknacks, including Christmas cards, are available for sale at the bar. A Syrah, and snack and a sticker it is, then.
Kate Farrar at Foxtrot Farm
Flowers are the hallmark of the business, with a rotating rainbow of colors each season. You can find species like lisianthus and heirloom chrysanthemums — Farrar’s current favorite — and a range of in-season foliage like vines and fennel fronds that are used to accent bouquets.
“It can change the entire vibe of a bouquet,” she said. In addition to flowers, Farrar grows select fruits and vegetables, like raspberries and kale. Each year, she adds more native plants to support her regenerative, pesticide-free farming model. Because she doesn’t use chemicals, Farrar relies on the robust ecosystem of insects, birds, and native predators attracted by those plantings.
While soil health is the foundation of her regenerative model, she said creating a diverse ecosystem is just as important. “I think regenerative farming is not only amending the soil for your crops, but improving the quality of the soil,” Farrar said. “And beyond that, it’s about creating an ecosystem where things can thrive.”
Each season, Foxtrot offers its products through several business models. Flowers are available wholesale to florists and other businesses, arrangements are available for weddings and special events, and a pick-your-own membership is available for local residents.
Farrar also offers a community-supported agriculture program — commonly known as a CSA — for customers seeking a steady supply of locally grown blooms. Participants can pay through a seasonal lump sum, in installments, or on a sliding scale.
Farrar spent a decade farming for other people throughout the Hudson Valley before she decided to take the next step in her career. She didn’t want to do it without land security, so when an opportunity arose to purchase land in Stanfordville with a friend, she felt that the timing was right.
The 2021 season focused on cover-cropping and infrastructure, while 2022 marked her first production year.
A science and art
Farrar said she initially focused on flowers because they offered the highest return per square foot, but she stayed with them because she loves them.
While the farm is her livelihood, she views Foxtrot as not just a business and a science, but an art. “I get to be playful with the work, and it’s a straightforward way to tie art into agriculture,” Farrar said, reflecting on her dual English and photography major at a liberal arts college.
Her senior thesis involved photographing people in agriculture. “I hadn’t gotten my hands dirty yet, but I was already drawn to it,” Farrar said.
By Aly Morrissey
From grief to growth
Farrar’s mother died when she was a senior in college, and she found herself navigating intense grief at a pivotal moment in her young adult life.
A friend brought her to a farm to get her connected with the land and, for Farrar, it was a light-bulb moment. “It reminded me that there was a spaciousness beyond deadlines and tests,” she said. Farrar described that experience as cathartic. “That was the moment I realized I didn’t just want to observe the land through photography, I wanted to work with it.”
Today, as Foxtrot enters a new growing season, Farrar is excited to be expanding. After operating largely as a one-woman farm with some part-time seasonal help, she is looking forward to hiring a full-time employee for the fifth growing season.
Winter craft event on Jan. 18
Foxtrot Farm will host a winter craft event on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Vitsky Bakery in Wassaic. Farrar said she chose to host the crafting event as a way to stay relevant and connected with the community during the winter months. “Collaging is a low-pressure activity, and it gets you out of ‘productivity brain’ and into something more meditative,” she said. Attendees will be able to enjoy conversation and add some color to the cold, winter months through the floral dreamscape collaging event. Farrar will also share more information about Foxtrot’s CSA. The event is free and open to the public.
Millerton Fire Company crews directing traffic as they waited for a tow truck large enough to haul the wrecked box truck away from a crash site on Route 44 just south of the entrance to the Millerton Gun Club on Friday, Jan. 9.
Details of the incident were limited as emergency crews worked at the scene. Roger said a box truck and a passenger car were the two vehicles involved, but additional information was not immediately available.
A box truck involved in a crash with a passenger vehicle blocking a lane of traffic on Route 44 outside the Village of Millerton on Friday, Jan. 9. Millerton Fire Company crews directed traffic around the truck until just before 2 p.m. when a tow truck arrived from East Fishkill.Photo by Nathan Miller
The passenger car was towed from the scene by about 1:45 p.m. A heavy-duty tow truck from East Fishkill arrived shortly thereafter to remove the box truck.
The disabled box truck blocked a lane of traffic on Route 44 just outside of the village, causing significant delays for motorists and prompting many to take a detour on Mill Road to avoid the congestion.
"It takes a minute," Roger said. "We don't have any large vehicle tow companies nearby."
