When Ari Alonso-Lubell took over the beloved Route 28 cheese shop and market Cheese Louise in March of 2023, he was just getting started in the local food scene. The same way that his curiosity and frequent patronage of Cheese Louise led him to purchase the business, his frequent dining excursions at Woodstock’s sushi restaurant Medo put him in contact with David Fletcher. Fletcher, one of the original partners of Medo, reminisces on how he would often see the other young entrepreneur come in. “He kept telling me to come to the cheese shop,” Fletcher says.
When the other partners in Medo pulled out to focus on other projects and the restaurant announced its closure via social media on April 5, Fletcher saw an opportunity to bring Alonso-Lubell on board. “When this came up it was no brainer,” Alonso-Lubell says. “We went all in on this.”
Medo officially reopened on June 25 after almost three months’ closure to recoup and reorganize. With the same Nobu-trained head sushi chef, Kevin Lin, who is now also a partner in the restaurant, the overall personality of the original Medo has been preserved across the change in ownership. While Fletcher and Alonso-Lubell have plans to work on the upstairs portion of the restaurant in the future, the atmosphere is staying the same. “We love the aesthetic of Medo 1,” Fletcher says. “We want to preserve it.”
Similarly, they are working to uphold a lot of the menu. The main value proposition for the first iteration of Medo was to have amazing sushi located in Woodstock. “We plan to expand upon what people loved about that aspect of Medo,” the pair says. While the sushi part of the menu will stay relatively untouched, Fletcher and Alonso-Lubell are working to increase vegan and vegetarian options.
While the kitchen menu is small right now, it will grow in the future. Alonso-Lubell and Fletcher are giving Chef Peter Kerwin, who has been with Medo since the beginning, the freedom to play around with new flavors and options. “He’s the guy,” Fletcher says. “It’s been a great inside-Medo story. He had no experience in Japanese cuisine when he started, and now he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He’s fantastic.”
However, the “crowned jewels of the new menu,” according to Fletcher and Alonso-Lubell, are the omakase dinners. Two options are offered every night: option one features 10 pieces of sushi or 16 pieces of sashimi ($65), and option two features 12 pieces of sushi or 18 pieces of sashimi. These plates are curated by Chef Kevin and change weekly, featuring the freshest seasonal fish. Besides the omakase, the menu includes a Woodstock Roll: a shrimp tempura and avocado roll topped with spicy tuna, eel sauce, and spicy mayo ($20), a Medo Salad: artisanal gem lettuce and assorted mixed greens, pea shoots, micro wasabi and a special Medo dressing ($7), and a Local Mushroom Tempura, served with black garlic aioli ($16).
Another standout on Medo’s new menu is their N/A cocktail list, designed intentionally to hold the restaurant over until it gets its liquor license and then continue to serve the alcohol-free crowd. This list includes a mango punch featuring Harney and Sons decaf darjeeling tea, lime, mango puree, passionfruit puree, and mint syrup ($10) and a yuzu sour: yuzu super juice, lime juice, coconut water, orgeat, and angostura bitters ($11). “It’s been a very cool development,” Alonso-Lubell says, “Seeing customers come in and want to drink alcohol, and try the N/A cocktails. And it’s good for the kids, too.”
Other Projects
While Medo 2 is taking off, Alonso-Lubell and Fletcher have both been working on expanding solo projects of theirs, Alonso-Lubell with Cheese Louise, and Fletcher with his new venture, Upstate Bowls. After buying Cheese Louise’s building over a year ago, Alonso-Lubell has installed commissary kitchens in the building’s extra space. These kitchens are commercial facilities that can be rented out to food trucks, farmers market producers, bakeries, and ghost restaurants for food preparation, cooking, and storage. As of now, Alonso-Lubell is hosting six commissary tenants who are doing baked goods, pizza trucks, and wedding catering. Rising River Bakehouse and The Little Rye Bakehouse are his permanent tenants, and he is even able to offer some of their delicious treats in Cheese Louise’s new coffee, espresso, and baked goods section.
“Cheese Lousie is still my bread and butter,” Alonso-Lubell says. “But commissary kitchens are a way of offsetting expenses in the building. It’s also such an awesome way to connect with other local small business owners and create a tight-knit community in this one building full of people who are all trying to make great stuff for the Hudson Valley to enjoy.” Cheese Louise has also recently expanded into Woodstock, with a pop-up inside home goods store Casa Ziki. The pop-up offers grab-and-go items, a rotating cheese cart, and coffee to offer locals an easy and quick place to grab lunch on-the-go during the week.
In conjunction with Cheese Louise’s expansion, Fletcher opened Upstate Bowls on February 9. Located within Sunflower Market, Fletcher got inspired while working at the original Medo and sharing a parking lot with the health food store. Upstate Bowls is dedicated to using fresh, local produce and staying away from processed, unhealthy ingredients. Its bowls are completely free of processed sugars, gluten, and seed oils. Upstate Bowls also offers wraps, smoothies, and burritos. “It’s something I’m happy we’re doing,” Fletcher says, “because working with local farms makes for a tastier and more sustainable product.”
While both Fletcher and Alonso-Lubell are thriving on their own, their new partnership is taking Woodstock’s food scene to new heights. Their goal of running a well-oiled restaurant serving delicious Japanese food and elegant vibes is well on its way after Medo’s first few weeks under the new partners. “This is the dream now,” Alonso-Lubell says. “It’s been an adventure, as it always is,” Fletcher adds. “The community is rallying around us, showing us a lot of love, and it’s been great.”
