Nestled in a cute little hamlet about 35 minutes away from my house at the foot of the Catskills, is the Oak Hill Kitchen, which is a wonderful little restaurant run by the Twelve Tribes communities. I'll let you read up on them at their website TwelveTribes.com, and I will not go into any controversy surrounding their way of life. What I saw when I went to the Oak Hill Cafe was a group of relaxed, happy, friendly people, playing music, and sharing food.
That large booth above on the right, is where we had a birthday dinner for my sister. She had discovered this place just the week before, and was dying to go back and share it with us. That "window" in the booth looks downstairs, and gave us a view of the musicians below playing traditional Irish music. I'll tell you what: That day, I had really gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, and didn't even want to go to dinner, much less drive 35 minutes to this place after driving 35 minutes to get home from work. But I'm SO glad I did.
The music was wonderful, and the people so kind, the food was great, and the interior of this place was gorgeous. Look at all that hand-cut/hewn wood! It's just beautiful. They are open 24 hours a day, except for Saturdays, because they observe Shabbat. I know next to nothing about religion, so don't ask me...lol...but from what I've read, they are Christians, just not "regular" ones...lol. Who cares? I am totally a "live and let live" type of person, and this place felt very welcoming. They sort of reminded me of the Amish. The food and atmosphere were more than enough to get me out of my funk on Thursday night. I felt like I had stepped back in time to a kinder, gentler place, and it made me feel good. (Hey Rose...you would have LOVED this place--it was all "peace and love" and I kept thinking about you while I was there! :-))Here's hoping you all can discover a quiet little "find" in a town near you where you can go to unwind and be at peace.
P.S. I have shamelessly stolen the above pictures from the Oak Hill Kitchen website. I'm hoping they won't mind, since I DID give them such a glowing review! Hee!
