Willow (CLOSED)

John Poiarkoff and Carver Farrell share a mutual, unwavering love for the Catskills—first with their ode to the upstate summer camp at the Pines and now at this intimate, 30-seat locavore eatery named for an upstate lake. Set inside a single-story building with 15-foot-high ceilings, the rustic, walnut-wood–wainscotted restaurant spotlights ingredients from farmers near the mountain range, including Star Route and Lucky Dog. A majority of the menu comprises snackable small plates like chicken-liver mousse cannoli in graham-cracker shells, pork rillet rolled in burnt-orange caramel and coated in bread crumbs, and duck-confit nuggets dunked in house-made honey mustard. "We tailored the menu to fit the diverse neighborhood, but we also wanted to be more playful," Poiarkoff says. "Finger food is fun, plus you can build your own tasting menu of sorts." But larger-format dishes also make the cut, like a 45-day dry-aged strip-loin steak served alongside bite-size fried potatoes, and pork jowl cooked sous vide atop charred, fermented cabbage slaw. Tapping local wine importers like Zev Rovine and Savio Soares, the Pines pair curates a list of all-natural French and Italian vino, and pulls suds from breweries close by, including Other Half, Finback and Grimm Artisan Ales.