Dishing Up Fresh, Local Fare in Mahopac

Hannah Hopkins, chef and co-owner ERIC owner ERIC GROSS Hannah and Kevin Hopkins first met at a punk-rock show in New Haven. Kevin was a connoisseur of the genre, having loved 80’s bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains. The pair fell for each other, and after moving back to Kevin’s native Mahopac, they dreamed of opening their own bistro restaurant. Hannah, a personal chef and caterer, finally had enough of just dreaming.

“We were sitting in our living room,” Hannah says, “and I said, ‘Let’s stop talking about it and do it.’ The next day we started looking for places. We didn’t have a business plan at the time. But we knew what we wanted to do. We’re going to make this happen.”

Hannah says she knew the plan was going to work because The Dish stands out. “There are so many places to get Italian food, or Chinese,” Hannah says, “but we wanted a real farm to table operation, a bistro, a hip, happening place, with good food, but not over the top.”

That means the Dish serves burgers, as well as duck. “We keep a small regular menu, and then fill out the specials board every day,” Hannah says. The farm-to-table concept requires a lot of leg work, but Hannah says she wants the Dish to support the community and reflect the environment its in.

“It’s a lot of phone calls, and a lot of driving around to pick stuff up,” she said, “but we’ve built great relationships with local farmers, who are just the best people around.” And because the menu changes everyday, Hannah reports, “We have regulars who come in three or four times a week and they have something different every time.”

“We try to educate the customer on where the food comes from,” Hannah says. “Vegetables will sit on a truck for 14 days before they reach the supermarket and then how much longer in your refrigerator? That’s why it was important to me to make the food here fresh.”

The Dish, though it has a small bar, has an extensive and eclectic wine and beer list. “That’s where Kevin comes in,” Hannah says. “He takes the time to order different kinds of beer and wine.” Kevin favors small organic or sustainable producers, and the concentration is mostly on Rhone and Languedoc wines and his favorite artisan beers on draft, with a few select bottle highlights. Wine specials run weekly, and half price bottles on the full list are offered all day Wednesdays for a great way to get over the mid-week hump.

Building the Dish was a challenge for both Hannah and Kevin, but the two took the DIY spirit from the punk scene to their business. “The bar was a built-out,” Hannah says, “we aren’t professional contractors, but we set ourselves to it, and figured it out.”

A major part of the Dish’s appeal is its staff. “People often say they come for dinner and a show,” Hannah jokes, “our staff is quite a crew, and we are very lucky to have them. They are very loyal to us and to what the Dish is all about. We couldn’t do it without them.”

The Dish is located on 847 South Lake Boulevard in Mahopac, open Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am- 11pm, and Sunday 11am-8pm.