A Tradition of Warm Country Dining
The Johansen family invites you to celebrate a romantic evening in the country. Nestled at the foot of Mount Peter in the town of Warwick, The Iron Forge Inn has been famous for its fine country dining for over 70 years. The Inn is located on the site of an historic forge in a revolutionary era home built in 1760. Chef/Owner Erik Johansen, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America emphasizes local ingredients as he changes the Modern American menu each season. You will be dining in one of our 5 intimate rooms amid a warm colonial ambiance. You will find many personal touches the Johansen's have provided: antiques, original artwork, paintings, furniture, carvings, even the music.
You may also choose to enjoy more casual fare in our Tap Room which offers a pub menu and seating near the fireplace (the original 1760 cooking kitchen). Whether celebrating a special occasion or just sharing a light meal and drinks with friends, you will enjoy a unique dining experience at The Iron Forge Inn.
Please call for reservations: 845.986.3411
Background
Erik Johansen, Chef/Owner of the Iron Forge Inn with over 20 years of restaurant experience, teaching and consulting, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
"Some of my earliest food memories as a child are of picking peas and other vegetables in the garden with my family. That first taste of a sweet pea, blackcaps, summer corn, apples from the tree – I hold these memories very dearly." Erik strives to bring these food experiences into his cooking classes, private parties and into the kitchen of the Iron Forge Inn. In the restaurant kitchen training new chef’s to be calm and confident in an intense environment comes as second nature. Erik has extended this love of teaching to his "Cooking with the Seasons" classes. Whether it’s seeing one of his students revel in making a simple soup recipe with ease or taste fresh picked produce for the first time, this is what the Cooking with the Season’s class emphasizes.
Erik Johansen began working at the Iron Forge Inn at the age of fourteen. He worked his way up from dishwasher to basic vegetable preparation to working on the “hot line”. The previous owners, the Malocsay's, gave Erik enough creative control and guidance to influence his next move into the Culinary Institute of America. “I learned not just a love for cooking, I learned work ethics and how to treat those that I work with and cook for – everyone gets respect.”
Erik went on from his schooling to work around the country at numerous award winning restaurants as well as for James Beard Award winning chefs across the country.
Erik has since returned to the kitchen of the Iron Forge Inn, leading the kitchen as Chef/Owner. In addition he performs farm market demonstrations, teaches adult education courses near and far, hosts private party catering and provides consulting for new and existing businesses.
"One of top 10 restaurants in the Hudson Valley"
–Times Herald Record
Stone Garden Patio
Set on a private hillside surrounded by natural rock formations. Views extend seven miles out over the Buckbee farm to Sugarloaf Mountain.
Open April thru October
Weather Permitting
Sunset Gazebo Dinner
The Iron Forge Inn hosts one of the most unique dining experiences in the area with a private tasting menu offered in our hilltop Gazebo.
The restored Gazebo features fully enclosed private dining. It is located away from the Inn in a wooded area at the edge of a rock precipice overlooking the Warwick Valley.
The western view offers a perfect view of the sunset with the Bellvale farmlands below. The Gazebo is approximately 80 years old and is topped with a copper pineapple, a colonial welcome symbol. Access is via a lighted pathway.
Reservations are accepted for your exclusive use of the Gazebo. The perfect setting for a private romantic dining experience for 2 or for a party of up to 8.