"The first thing you’ll see when walking into Silvia is the roaring fire at the center of the open kitchen. Fire is a recurring theme in the dishes, too, with wood-fired pita, smoked beets drizzled with charred jalapeno chimichurri, and a 14-ounce steak that outshines pretty much every other piece of beef we’ve eaten in the Catskills. The food is really well done, and a night here is a surefire way to impress a date or persnickety parents. Food Rundown photo credit: David A. Lee Smoked Beet Beets are treated with the respect they deserve here. We love the smokiness and the neon green chimichurri that brightens up each earthy, tender bite. photo credit: David A. Lee Local Steak The Catskills are home to a lot of small, independent farms raising cattle in better living conditions than your average college dorm room. This hefty steak comes from such an environment. The cross-hatched grill marks impart the perfect amount of campfire smokiness, and the beef is simply seasoned to really show it off. You can almost taste the breezy, grassy knolls that this cow probably napped on. Cocktails Silvia has a very fun list of drinks including a celery bee's knees and a watermelon bergamot paloma. We really like the Szechuan mule, which is light and spicy from the combination of ginger, anise, and lemongrass. It's somehow ideal for both porch sipping on a hot day or warming up inside on a snowy afternoon." - Anne Cruz
