The Man of Kent Tavern -- Hoosick Falls, NY

Sometimes a restaurant just happens to be in the right place at the right time. When that restaurant is consistently good and inexpensive, so much the better,

We travel fairly regularly on Route 7 between or home in Salem, NY, and Albany, the gateway to the NYS Turnpike the rest of civilization. This route takes us past The Man of Kent Tavern in Hoosick Falls, and all in all that’s a really good thing.

A month or so ago, we were in the middle of a five-hour drive home, and we wanted to eat before we got home, so I suggested The Man of Kent to my wife, who had not been there, but lived in London for two years and would enjoy the feel of the place.

We’re talking a small place, festooned with sports decorations from European football scarves, rugby and European soccer jerseys, golf tea flags and a corner shrine to horse racing at nearby Saratoga. Yes, there are even a few American football items thrown in. All this and a view of the woods with a stream below, plus an outdoor patio.

Did I mention one of the best tap lines near the Northway, with a huge variety of British beer? Plus an excellent bottle selection? Those are things that really appeal to me, especially the fact that they still have Brown’s Brewing’s Whiskey Stout up, and I do not think I saw it at the restaurant the last time I was there. They do it right, using the right glasses for the specific beers. One nitpick: My wife would have liked to have seen a cider on draft.

Still, for all that terrific atmosphere -- and the beer – for this restaurant to be as good as it is, it needs the outstanding type of food that the kitchen produces. What’s important to remember along with the quality of the food is that the cost is quite low. The Man of Kent has some of the lowest-priced pub burgers I have seen, and they are excellent.

We pulled in, extremely hungry and tired, an hour from home, and it turned out to be one of those perfect stops. I had a reuben sandwich, and my wife had a roast beef sandwich that she said had clearly come from a recently roasted beef. Both came with chips. The waitress was attentive and knowledgeable about both the food and the beer. She was having a good time, as were the other folks there. I had a couple of beers – including the aforementioned Whiskey Porter – and my wife opted for ginger ale. We decided to share a chocolate dessert, and she had tea – real English tea – and I had coffee. The bill before tip? $30. Well worth it.

For those who may have visited before, the tavern was sold in July 2007, by John Stoate, an Englishman who had established the pub in the 1980s. In talking to folks and reading reviews, there does not appear to have been any major changes. The friendly atmosphere and the care of the staff are still outstanding.