New restaurant cooks up nostalgia

MILLERTON — Something’s simmering across the street from Salsa Fresca and Shandell’s. The Big Grill is the newest restaurant to call Millerton home, having opened its door to the public about three months ago.

The restaurant is owned by Basil Gabriel. If that name is familiar, it’s because Basil’s Auto Sales and Service has been in business on Route 44 since 1993. It doesn’t seem like there would be much connection between fixing your car and fixing yourself a meal, but Gabriel has found one.

“You work long hours in the garage,� he explained, “and at the end of the day, you want a steak and hamburger.�

Gabriel has a simple vision for The Big Grill, one that could appeal to a large number of people both living in and visiting the village.

“My dream is to have a restaurant like the old American restaurants of the 1800s,� he said. “The tables, the servers, the food... and I really feel in my heart that Millerton fits in with that image.�

There are plenty of visuals to back up Gabriel’s wish: the wooden beams running across the ceiling, the early settlers depicted on murals across the walls, down to the restaurant’s somewhat tucked-away location off Route 22.

The Big Grill serves American favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week (closed on Tuesdays). Big things are on the horizon, as they are a few days away from their liquor license (and with that are plans to stay open until midnight) and Gabriel is hoping that in the next few months he will be able to outright buy the property.

Things “haven’t been bad, considering the economy,� Gabriel said, sitting down at one of the outdoor tables. But for him, The Big Grill isn’t about turning a huge profit.

“My goal is not how much I’m going to make,� he stressed. “As long as I can pay the bills, that’s all that matters. This is something I want to do.�

The Big Grill can be reached at 518-789-4422 (easy to remember, according to Gabriel, as they can see Route 44 from their location on Route 22) and are located right off the intersection of those two routes.

“I think it’s a nice place to eat,� he said simply. “A husband and wife can get out to eat and not have to re-mortgage their house. It’s good food for a good price.�

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