PUBLIC LOUNGE BRINGS REGION’S ONLY LATE-NIGHT FOOD MENU
What’s going on with Roxbury?!” Public Lounge, Roxbury’s chic cocktail boite has expanded their offerings for the second time in less than a year – this time by expanding their food menu – and the buzz isn’t stopping at the door.
“Something seems to be in the wind in Roxbury. More people, more activity…it
seems that it’s the place people want to be.” says Andrew Williams,
Public Lounge’s owner. “Building Public here was a risk and a
labor of love, and our customers appreciate that. After only a few
months it was clear we’d have to expand, but we wanted to make sure
we did it right.” It seems they did – orders far exceeded
Andrew’s expectations and feedback has been exuberant.
The new food menu brings unique small dishes to sample and share; and with the kitchen open until 11:30pm, Public Lounge becomes the region’s only late-night eatery. “The menu is fantastic,” Andrew says with a wide grin. “We do food like we do drinks: the classics, expertly made, but with a twist.”
With a South American bent to the menu, the pizzas, quesadillas, and exotic miga (crustless)
sandwiches all are presented to the table with a design flair you’d
expect from the architect owner. And Public Lounge is the first place in
the region to import Argentinean empanadas, those little crusty
meat-filled pastries that are a staple of pub crawls south – way south-
of the border.
Public Lounge joins its neighbor, The Roxbury Motel, which just began a large expansion project, in responding to ever-growing demand in the region for more services by expanding their offerings. “First we brought outdoor seating, barbecues, and the historic beer garden to Kirkside Park, but every day we heard that Roxbury needed more food options. I have to say I’m proud of the relationship we’ve built with Roxbury and our customers, and giving something back is what we’ve always been about.”
Open Friday through Sunday, Public Lounge brings a modern stylish décor to an historic blacksmith’s shop. “We discovered a lot of history building Public… more than many locals knew. Even we were shocked.” The space’s (in)famous past has been chronicled on Public’s website (www.publiclounge.net) and is detailed in the back of the menus. Public has an eclectic mix of patrons from tourists to weekenders and local residents. And the word seems to be out about Roxbury – customers show up from all over the world attracted to this little slice of turn-of-the-century Catskills. So what is going on with Roxbury? “Hmmmm…it’s on the tip of my tongue…” laughs Andrew.