Indian Road Cafe after a Walk in Inwood Hill Park Native American Nature Center - Blocks Away yet Worlds Apart Still Share Sense of Sustainability

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Our weekly "explore our local region outing" took us to the fascinating Inwood Hills Park at the very northernmost tip of Manhattan. We're embarrassed to say that after living in or around New York for so long we had never been there before. The park is rich with heritage. We learned about the lifestyle of the Lenapes indians who dwelled there and saw, the mysterious caves, the remains of the R.S. Strauss mansion, and the sight of the purchase of Manhattan, Shorakapok, where Peter Minuit acquired the island for trinkets.

We enjoyed a wonderful guided tour by Ranger Martha of the excellent New York Urban Park Rangers. The day became colder and cloudier than we expected and while the authentic Lenape Wigmam offered some authentic warmth we were happy to enter, after our hike, the fabulously cozy atmosphere Indian Road Cafe, less than a block from the Inwood Hills Park Nature Center. Here we had a wholesome brunch and enjoyed some very good beer and coffee.

Indian Road Cafe has a nice selection of draught beers and a huge selection in bottle along with many great wines and spirits.

I fell in love with a new local brew from the Bronx Brewery which I never even heard of before. The Bronx Pale Ale is crafted in small batches of the very best ingredients to ensure the utmost quality. We have been tasting a lot of craft beer lately and this one has immediately risen to top of our favorites list.

It is made of five different malts that provide a complex blend of nutty, caramel and biscuit flavors. The hops are whole Cascade and Centennial hand add a pronounced aroma of rich grapefruit and earthy notes.

We also enjoyed a very good oak aged dark ale but just can't remember the name. On Saturdays from 9:30 to 4:30 Indian Road serves their abundant Brunch menu. Lots of wonderful breakfast lunch dishes. We decided on something more on the lunch side of brunch and really enjoyed their signature chile con carne and a delicious curried chicken salad.

The cocktail and dinner menu assures that we will be back for another meal here soon. Can't wait to try the Apple of My Rye - Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Clear Creek Apple Brandy 8 yr, Demerara, Orange Bitters.

Indian Road also has a wonderful coffee bar and sells many fresh pastries.

Another great feature of the Inwood neighborhood is the Saturday Inwood Farmers Market which even in the middle of winter had much to select from.

While it has been 100's of years since Native Americans lived on these lands the neighborhood, that has been called home "by Indians, Dutchmen, Hessians, captains of industry and hardscrabble Irish immigrants," Colin Thompson still seems to embrace a sense Native American sustainability that I really value. Find out more about Inwood here: MyInwood.net