Since its opening in 2006, Woodstock’s Oriole 9 has developed a strong reputation as a go-to for breakfast and lunch. This month, the restaurant made big moves, expandng to include a long-term dinner service and a new patio. Owner Jessica Anna is proud of Oriole 9’s established reputation. “We’re excited to start offering dinner,” Anna says. “The space is available at night, and with a loyal customer base, dinner will give us the opportunity to give our guests more of what they already love.”
The dinner service at Oriole 9 launched June 6 and is available Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 5-8pm. During the hours of 3-5pm, while the restaurant is transitioning from lunch to dinner, there is also a new happy hour bar menu offered. This menu features the same salad, starters, and soups as are on the regular menu, as well as a special $2 off select beer, wine, and cocktails.
Anna and the whole team at Oriole 9 put a lot of thought into crafting an exciting dinner menu while being conscious of the items that customers have come to expect from the restaurant. “I don’t want to change the things that the customers love,” Anna says. Holding true to this, the dinner menu contains many of the same soups, salads, and sandwiches that are offered on the brunch menu, as well as many of the same dishes from the “tacos y mas” section of the menu, honoring Anna’s love of Mexican food. Some popular specialties of the new dinner menu include a beet carpaccio: thinly sliced beets, served with goat cheese, arugula, and pistachios, with a drizzle of orange vinaigrette ($16), a classic French onion soup ($13), a local Beaverkill pan-fried trout in white wine, basil, and cherry tomato sauce, served with mashed potatoes and green beans ($28), and an ahi tuna tostada: ahi tuna, spicy salsa macha, and fresh avocado served on a crispy tostada ($16).
The overall vibe of the restaurant is similarly upheld during the dinner service, although slowed down a bit to allow for the more relaxed dining experience that the evening meal often inspires. “Our lunch business is very busy and very fast. It’s nice to have a more leisurely dinner time,” Anna says. At 5pm, the lights are turned down, the candles are lit, and Oriole 9 transitions from its bustling, stop-along-the-way lunch service into a delicious way to end the evening. While Woodstock offers a plethora of sit-down dinners to choose from, Oriole 9’s is a more casual option. “It has a real community feel to it,” according to Anna. “Regulars come here, and the servers know them. People sit and talk to each other at the community tables. It becomes a very friendly, community-oriented place for people who come here.”
In conjunction with their new dinner service, Oriole 9’s new patio opened on June 20, in the old home of the Little Apple Cafe. This outdoor space offers a more limited version of the classic menu and is also open for people to eat with their well-behaved dogs at their side. Opening just in time for summer’s peak, the patio is already popular with community members, who enjoy being able to eat and drink in the midst of the town they love.
“We have a special staff,” Anna says, “Some people who have been here for the whole 19 years that we have been in business.” Entering its 20th year of service, Oriole 9 remains true to its mission. “We do our best to use great ingredients and make the food honest, good, and consistent.”
