Seven Lakes Station: Sloatsburg's Trailhead Taproom

Some places are destinations; others are the reward at the end of one. Seven Lakes Station, the craft beer taproom, bistro, beer garden, and market at 80 Orange Turnpike in Sloatsburg, was built to be the second kind. It opened in September 2016, when Jamie Lovelace and Martijn Mollet — a married couple drawn to the village by its closeness to Harriman State Park — decided to open the hangout they wished existed. Lovelace, who also works in the hotel industry, told the Journal News the pair rolled the dice on quality food and drink because, as nature lovers, they felt the area needed more for people their age to do. The taproom's own pitch calls Sloatsburg the New York City metro area's "gateway to the wilderness," less than an hour north of the city.

The beer program is the draw. Fourteen local and specialty taps rotate — a Journal News profile from the taproom's early days noted seven were set aside for Northeast breweries — with growler fills, bottles behind the bar, and a market section stocked with more than 100 craft beers to take home. The kitchen leans Belgian: mussels and frites cooked in white wine with garlic, shallots, celery, and cream, and twice-fried frites the menu calls award-winning. Burgers are brisket blends on brioche — the Truffle Burger piles on truffle aioli, Swiss, and sautéed mushrooms and onions — and the sandwich board runs from a Cubano to a shrimp po' boy.

Everything about the place points back outside. The site invites guests to wind down "after a hike, ride, swim, or paddle in Harriman State Park," and the beer garden — dog-friendly, with outdoor seating — is where the post-trail crowd lands. The Journal News' early visit caught patrons huddled around the fire pit on a cold Saturday night, hands wrapped around snifters of richly colored brews, nobody in a hurry. Reviewers keep praising the friendly staff and the affordable prices, and Google visitors rate the place 4.7 stars.

The taps rotate, the frites stay twice-fried, and the trails aren't going anywhere. Go earn the burger.