The Basement Bistro, established in 1990 by Chef Damon Baehrel as a showcase for Sagecrest Catering, is located at 776 Route 45 in Earlton, NY (Greene County). The 30 seat restaurant is located in the basement of Damon & Elizabeth's residence, sharing the same property with their Sagecrest offices and catering kitchens. Damon's goal was to bring his original, creative regional cuisine to his patrons is a unique, casual location. When you visit the Basement Bistro, keep in mind that the premises were hand built by Damon and his father, Jules. This testament to old fashioned hard work truly was, and continues to be, a labor of love. Chef Damon's goal has been, as always will be, to exceed his guests' expectations.

His love of ingredients, knowledge of their flavors and textures, and passion for creating a one-of-a kind dining experience for his patrons is one of the ways he celebrates his life. To say he is a perfectionist is a bit of an understatement, as his colleagues, purveyors, area farmers and restaurant critics will attest to.

When first opened, The Basement Bistro offered a continually changing a al carte menu; consisting of a variety of appetizer, entrees and desserts. These menu items were created based on a careful search for the most beautiful ingredients Chef Damon could gather from a network of area farmers and growers raising a variety of organic meats and produce for him. Many of the fresh vegetables and herbs were, and still are, hand picked by Chef Damon from his own gardens and used in abundance to create and enhance the bounty of his menu. Guests were delighted with his bold and inventive preparations and presentations, and local and regional press wrote glowing reviews. He has been touted as "King of the Kitchen in the Upper Hudson Valley" and the Basement Bistro was a "Best of the Hudson Valley" winner 7 times consecutively. Chef Damon was also asked to create a cover for Hudson Valley magazine featuring local ingredients; the only "food cover" in the magazine's history. Things were proceeding very nicely, except for one thing: the chef wasn't satisfied with "leaving well enough alone".

With the a la carte menu, Chef Damon felt that his guests were not enjoying the full experience of everything The Basement Bistro had to offer. He was finding that customers were coming and ordering their favorites time and again, missing out on new tastes and discoveries. With perhaps three dozen squash blossoms from his garden, or five pounds of fresh Diver Scallops in the shell on ice in the kitchen; he found that he couldn't justify ingredients such as these going unchosen. So……he began sending out "surprise" courses, to have his guests experience various ingredients at their peak. This became so popular that the "Sunday Supper" was born. Served in a contemporary "Family Style" format, guests would arrive for dinner and not even know what would arrive at their table from the kitchen!

From this concept evolved our current "Tasting Menu" format. Generally offered in two levels - the "Chef's Tasting" and the "Grand Tasting" - at specified seating times, Chef Damon offers several key dishes and embellishes the remainder of the meal with "surprise courses". Vegetarian tasting are available with 72 hours advance notice, and a "Basement Bistro Classics" a la carte menu is available periodically (click on Bistro Happenings for more information).

The Basement Bistro underwent a renovation in early 2002. This predominately cosmetic remodeling gives our guests a new look, more "elbow room" and a new state-of-the-art heating and cooling system for their comfort. In addition, Chef Damon is especially pleased to offer his guests an expanded wine list from our new wine cellar.

The Basement Bistro is available for private parties, wine dinners and holiday gatherings. Please click on Bistro Happenings for more information.

We look forward to you joining us at The Basement Bistro for a dining experience you won't soon forget. As we do require reservations, please click on "Reservations" for further details.