If anyone out there has heard of Whole 30, they know it’s gauntlet thrown down at your social life when you decide to take it on. It is mostly paleo, definitely gluten free, and also bears a host of other restrictions because it’s supposed to show you what foods you are allergic to. Did I mention no drinking? YUP. Here’s a more comprehensive understanding of the plan.
This past Saturday, in honor of my pal Chris Luther’s birthday, we hiked to the top of Mount Beacon in Upstate NY. Just a hop, skip, and a Metro North ticket from NYC, it really is a beautiful and quaint town filled with lovely shops, eateries, and, of course, Duane Reade… where you can buy your last minute sunscreen.
I had to make sure to pack some raw cashews, Larabars (which are Whole 30 approved!), tons of water, and extra socks (those aren’t edible, they just make your life easier).
Above, as you can see, we got pretty far up there. WELCOME TO (….dum dum dum) JURASSIC PARK. No, seriously. It looks like Jurassic Park—I was half waiting for the raptor paddock to open any moment and I’d have to run/hobble on my half working legs and climb up the death tower. I did not personally climb the tower, but the accounts of standing at the top of the wobbly structure sounded terrifying and with the gusty winds I am shocked everyone got their electronics down in one piece. As you can see from the picture, my lady bro Angela made it far enough to throw her arms up for the a Kodak moment and then swiftly walked back down.
Below, I triumphantly stare toward the heavens to thank the mountain gods that I didn’t roll my ankle or slide butt first down a ravine.
There is definitely a calm and a peace being so far away from it all. However, the bountiful exercise mission is not where our day ended. We headed to 2 Way Brewing Company, right next to the Metro North stop where, as the dedicated food journalist that I am, had my buds explain all of their hops to yours truly while I sadly asked the bartender “do you have seltzer water?”
2 Way Brewing Company
18 W Main St, Beacon, NY 12508
http://www.2waybrewingcompany.com/
The name 2 Way was inspired by its location on the Two Way River, which actually is an estuary that flows both ways. This is a cute destination, featuring adult size connect four, shuffle board, games and scribbling on the bar with markers! They take some of the best etchings and hang them on the wall near the loo’s. To cope while my compatriots were getting down and dirty with some beers, burgers, and fries, I got a burger with no bun, steamed broccoli, and a can of Polar naturally flavored seltzer. I was feeling frisky so I got a cherry and a lemon… watch out for party town over here.
Luckily, everyone tried a little something different. On the bottom, Chris Luther is acting out his Climb High IPA which Paul Wielunski is holding with aplomb, while Katie Mack royally offered up her Imperial Stout and finally Angela Perrone clutched her Anti Anxiety Pilsner. Seriously, you can’t take comedians anywhere. Well, you can, but this will happen.
2 Way also offers nice-sized beer flights and a solid menu. The standout beer of the day was the Forbidden Fruit IPA, which definitely had some to go growler orders placed from the party.
As a food blogger, Whole 30 can be a drag but it can also be a beautiful experience into discovering the tasty snacks you can create and have that will make your body ready to do anything… even an eight mile hike up and down a mountain when you’re not physically conditioned to do so. It’s still hard though—like really, really hard.
