Justin L.
Yelp
Was hungry after hiking Inspiration Point nearby, and was looking for a donut place I had visited awhile back. I mistakenly went to Bear & Fox after it showed up in a search, which turned out to be a good error. They had no donuts, however they do have the Catskill vibe down. Sometimes this bugs me as it's an excuse to just not take care of your building; in this case other than the bathroom, it works.
Only the owner was here and he was a nice guy. Lots of retail items, some pricey some not. I picked up some Catskill Schwartzbier for later on which I was commended for. In terms of food, I got the Bear & Fox bagel (everything bagel, local smoked trout, homemade scallion cream cheese, tomato and capers) except in true upstate fashion they only had plain bagels. This was one of the better bagel sandwiches I've had in awhile. I do not like trout typically. That said, I loved this trout. It was not oversmoked, a decent portion, and had great flavor. Scallion cream cheese is what I always get on bagels, so I'm a snob about it, and this one was great. They didn't overdo it on the capers, tomato was fresh, and they added everything bagel seasoning to make up for not having the bagel itself (which was good as is). The mark of a truly great restaurant is to 'sell' you on something you don't like, and these guys cleared that bar. Red eye over ice was good as well.
I do want to find the fucking donut place as it's going to drive me crazy, however this place is damned good and will be hard to skip. Strikes a good balance of catering to both locals and tourists. I will be back!