The Corner

It’s beautiful, nice art and ambiance. Service mediocre for the $$$$$ until they realized how mortified we were by the portions. Then they checked every four minutes to see if it was enough food, which it wasn’t. We laughed about where to go for part two. The appetizers were homeopathic for supermodels. We ordered three plates for eight of us and the charcuterie had four green beans, and about eight quarter and dime sized salamis. We will be laughing about this evening meal for ever! We thought we’d take the movie producers doing a documentary on the family legacy there. It was $ 250 no booze before tip.

There’s a song I love (from one of my favourite singers, Marian Call) about life on the road; in a key lyric, the band notes that they’re going through the pain for «those moments of transcendence.» That’s a lot of what I hope for in restaurants: I’ll tolerate a lot if there’s a stunning high note somewhere.
Well, The Corner had one: a burger (no, really) that made _​both_​Jenny and I stop and say ‘wow.’ Perfect texture, deep rich taste, really just superb.
And yet: they get two stars. Why? Because I have not been so disappointed in a meal for a long time.
It’s a consequence of expectations. The reviews were great, the building and room enjoyable and bright. The meal came after a splendid Neil Gaiman talk at Bard College… it had been a great day and I really wanted a great meal. Wine offerings are very limited, but both of our glasses (a greek red and a s[arkling rose) were good. ok then.
The problem? Everything other than that burger was actively mediocre. A flourless chocolate cake that never stepped out of corporate soullessness, paired with meringue sticks that were dry and pointless. A duck egg carbonara — how do you make carbonara meh?! — that was praised by the waitress, cost $ 23, and yet managed to be both poorly cooked (the pasta almost raw in places) and damn near flavourless. That takes active, premeditated avoidance of taste. [To be fair, it was better as leftovers after a couple of days in the fridge; but that’s itself hardly praise.] Chickpea fritters with little or no taste other than the oil of frying and the mayo of a sauce — again, I was astonished at the ability of the kitchen to seemingly extract and remove flavour.
So — sorry, but no second chances here: we’ll not go back. That one instant of glory is not enough to justify the pity at what might have been.

Visited the Corner for the first time…
Super in every way…
It’s almost worth going to The Corner for the light fixtures, be sure to see the bathroom.
Good burger, real French fries… What more could you want …

Party of four on a Friday night, and it was busy in the restaurant and at the bar. I was worried it would be too busy for an error free meal, but the wait staff hustled and made for a great night out. The Mescal cocktail was excellent. The calamari was superior to any other restaurant’s. It was surprisingly as good as I had heard and shouldn’t be missed. My wife split the grilled Bronzino, for two, with me, and it was a good portion and had great flavor. It was deboned in the kitchen. It was another good surprise. Chocolate torte dessert was excellent. Very good decafe. Overall… a really good experience and shockingly excellent food. I will return. The bill was @$ 360 for four with apps, drinks for three, two desserts, coffees and a bottle of wine.

One of my favorite restaurants! The ingredients are locally sourced and the food is soo tasty. The service is wonderful as well. Highly recommend!

— Had a wonderful Labor Day dinner — we were a party of four and everyone was very pleased with the tasty food… a nice quiet relaxing evening — we will be back.

Beautiful ambiance, pleasant and friendly service, if a bit uneven, but the
food was delicious, especially the bread was to die for, and the food was
delicious and beautifully presented. this is a great find in a place where it
was sorely needed… close to Bard for concert goers!

LOVE this place. They have a fantastic patio best suited for a lazy Sunday afternoon brunch. Of course I sat outside and basked in the sunshine.
Everything here came down to the smallest details like the water carafes to the linens. They made all the difference. If you are like me, and are very observant and curious by nature — you’d love this place. They have little quirky and spunky things happening everywhere that’ll keep you on your toes. The artwork sprawled around the whole restaurant was like being in a mini gallery! And If upon first entering. And you are not instantly in love by the warmth and spunk of it all. Then let the food change your mind– really quickly!
The bread basket. They bake all of the breads (and pastries)! And make all of the jams! In house. I couldn’t put my finger on which I liked most, but I remember enjoying the pumpkin bread with cinnamon butter. This is a menu item– that on paper — is very simple but they really nailed it here. The bread basket is decadent and memorable and I am pretty sure I could eat this bread basket for the rest of my life!
For entrees we had the chickpea fava fritters with a lemon pimenton. Really tasty, and packed with really great flavors. Surprisingly filling for an appetizer!
We also shared the grass fed, red potato hash. Also, a huge portion! It was served with a perfectly fried sunny side egg and pickled jalapeños.
I had a really great experience here and can’t wait to come back!

Wish I could love The Corner but just can’t quite. The décor is lovely and the outdoor covered porch delightful. The menu has a few choices at lower prices but main dishes can be expensive, for example $ 35 for branzino. As main portions are small, an expensive appetizer is needed. Too many dishes have odd ingredients. The dessert sundae– one scoop of ice cream — with chocolate and caramel sauces had very little of either, and does it really need «pickled berries»?
On the plus side, the kitchen is faster and the service better organized than on several previous visits. We’ll continue to go but would like to see a few classics on the menu in addition to the burger.

Stayed here for the weekend. Super friendly staff who seemed overjoyed to let my dog stay there too.
Ate brunch at the restaurant today and the polenta, sausage and eggs were fantastic. Last night got the chance to meet Malcolm Gladwell, who was having dinner at the restaurant!
I felt like everyone at this place went out of their way to make our trip enjoyable. Looking forward to our next visit.

Just want to put in a good word for The Corner where we held our son’s graduation celebration this past weekend. They did a marvelous job of accommodating my every whim — and (quite correctly) pushing me in some directions I would have never considered. Because we had a large group we fashioned an elegant farm to table family style dinner which met and exceeded everyone’s expectations. The food was wonderful, deliciously prepared and well-​presented. The staff was superb, attentive and easy going and the ambiance just right; its a lovely space with a lot of thought given to allow in natural light. They have a great wine list as well.
But really the kudos go to Janett — a real maîtres de maison! She is absolutely a joy to work with and kept everything running so smoothly (yes I was watching out of the corner of my eye throughout!) I especially appreciated that she accommodated my request to up the reservations (twice on a very full night) and shortly before the meal to move indoors because of the anticipated cold weather. A real pro, they are lucky to have her.
The Corner is a very special place — go, enjoy and bon appetit. We hope to go back soon.

A gorgeous space, spare but colorful and hip without being pretentious, it’s a serene oasis in an area with often overly-​hyped restaurants. The staff is sweet, but very professional and informed about the menu. The menu itself was well thought out; balanced and interesting choices. Our brunch was very good; not amazing, but definitely well prepared. My husband liked his pork belly w/​fried eggs and hash browns. My baked eggs with ricotta and peas was very good, although my toast was charred and burnt… but since our brunch companion shared her excellent french fries with me, I didn’t care. We will definitely return the next time we are in the area.

It might have snowed the first weekend of spring in upstate, NY, but the atmosphere at The Corner in Tivoli was warm and inviting. Upon entering the Hotel Tivoli, a very professional hostess showed us to our table in this eclectically decorated restaurant. The chandelier over the bar is spectacular. The brunch menu was very interesting and locally sourced. The lamb sausage and egg sandwich was scrumptious. The spicy sausage complemented the egg, a delicious roll and very well seasoned potatoes. The steak and eggs over polenta were perfectly done with a side of very memorable grilled bread. The cappuccino was perfect (from Irving farm Coffee Roasters). The servers couldn’t have been more attentive. The flowers on the tables and bar were real… Of course! Compliments to the chef for a unique and delicious experience and for realizing that good bread makes such a difference. Compliments to the management and servers for providing a very upscale but comfortable atmosphere. Next time, dinner!

Went for drinks a couple of months ago. Dying to get back for dinner. Everyone was so nice and very attentive. Beautiful space. Worth putting on your list of places to visit. Only giving 3 stars because I did not eat the food. Will return to add to that I’m sure.

I really enjoyed it. We went during their first month of business. I generally have more negative things to say about a restaurant in its infancy but I thought they did a great job. Server was young and nervous but knew the menu and presented things well. Food was very nice as well as the cocktials.
There China kicks ass. Really beautiful ceramics. I am looking forward to returning.

The trifecta: great food, great service, great ambiance. Don’t miss it!