New Scenic Café is the North

Nostalgia, broth, and meat define this iconic North Country restaurant.

In New York, restaurants that relied on Open Table or Resy are sick of the no-shows. Some are so sick of them that they’ve decided to return to old-school pencil-and-paper books, where the barrier of having to both call to get a seat and cancel means people are more likely to show up. New Scenic Café, and lots of small city restaurants like it, never left this old system, which means your reservation—and hospitality experience—starts on the phone.

A warm voice greeted me when I called, asking me how I was. I could hear kitchen noise and guest chatter in the background. I knew exactly where the host was standing, smack in front of the door, 10 feet from the kitchen, in a waiting room likely full to the brim. “I’m going to make a few reservations over a few days, all for one,” I said. I could hear the noise growing louder in the background. “It sounds busy. Should I call back?”

I heard the schlick of the book they use as the host opened it. “Now is perfect,” she said, asking for the first date. I listened to the chatter of a full restaurant in the pauses of her writing each date down before she asked, “When next?”

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My first visit for this piece was on one of those busy Friday nights. The restaurant was abuzz.

The table to my right was delighted when someone dropped off a free birthday dessert. The table behind me got a free pour of wine to go with their meal, because as their server Adam said, “You just always order white and I think you’d like this red.” They loved the wine.

Another woman was complaining that all of New Scenic Café’s dishes were meat in broth, and look, she’s not wrong, but instead of giving in or apologizing, Adam said, “You’ve totally picked up on something here! That’s the chef’s style.” Then, while refilling her water, he said, “I have a dish for you.” He turned to me, for a moment, and asked after drinks. I told him I was sober and he flipped over the menus to point out all he NA options. The list was massive. He left me to think for a minute.

When a new couple sat at the table in front of me, he said, “It’s so good to see you again.” Then he asked if they wanted the wine they had last time. The first—and only—time that table ever came was August of 2023.

Adam dropped warm pistachios at my table, the classic welcome gift at New Scenic Café.

Then, his name was called from the kitchen. It was an order for the woman who was complaining about the broth. On the house, he brought her a dish with no broth in it. “Don’t hesitate to ask what dishes aren’t brothy next time,” he said, “I’d love to get you something you would enjoy.”

He turned to me and said, “Want me to help pair the dishes you order with NA drinks or do you want to order them as you go?”

I joked, “How well do you know NA drinks?” It’s a valid question—sometimes flavor notes don’t pair like they might with wine or beer. Sometimes letting a bartender or server pair your NA drinks is a mistake.

His response was, “I wrote the menu.” So I put myself in his hands.

“Help me pair,” I said.

This all happened over 15 minutes, before I ordered food. It was unlike any hospitality experience I’ve ever had. On the busiest of nights, with a line in the entry, Adam took the time to take care of all of us. He is one of New Scenic Café’s greatest strengths.