Chicken, goat and rat feces covered the rotten floor and stunk up the home of a once-thriving western Fulton County establishment. Hay covered the porch. The bar area was destroyed.
Local couple Courtney and James E. Smith witnessed this scene in early 2023. At the time, the two had just taken ownership of the building with the intent of rebirthing the Brookside Tavern.
“There was no word for it,” Courtney said about the site. “We literally stripped it right down to the studs.”
Since then, the space has been overhauled: there’s a new façade, floor, deck, porch and bar area; there’s a new addition, spanning the space to 3,500 square feet; weeds have been cleared around the Sprite Creek.
Going up is trimming and décor. The kitchen won’t be up and running until the couple can determine the facility’s occupancy level.
“We’re at the final stages,” Courtney said.
Once the Smiths get authorization from the state to sell booze, they’ll set an opening date.
“With the state taking as long as it has taken to get through the licensing part, it’s just given us a little bit more time to do the final touches, which isn’t a bad thing,” Courtney said. “But obviously we can’t wait to open.”
Restaurateurship is new for James and Courtney. Her husband once worked in a restaurant years ago, but now he runs a construction company. The wife owns a pet grooming shop in Palatine Bridge.
Buying the Brookside Tavern wasn’t a long-term goal. The opportunity surfaced last year.
“As many times as I’ve driven by this building, I didn’t say, ‘Gee, I’m going to own that someday,” Courtney said. “I just saw it for sale and my husband and I were financially okay to buy it, so we said, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’”
Over time, Courtney said she grew discontent with the deteriorating state of the 95-year-old building, having patronized the establishment while it was open.
It closed doors in 2017 and was sold a year later, seemingly ending a long-standing legacy in the western Fulmont region.
“The people in Fort Plain, Canajoharie, St. Johnsville, Gloversville — everybody used to come here,” said Ephratah resident Ivan Duesler. “The four-wheelers and snow machines were out here. It was just a nice place to take a stop.”
Digitally archived newspaper records include some references to the joint dating back to 1946. It was home to a number of celebrations, events and gatherings, including a meeting to discuss the formation of what is now the Ephratah Volunteer Fire Department.
Courtney wasn’t intent on replicating the old restaurant, which underwent numerous ownership and management changes over the years.
“It has completely changed,” Courtney said. “It’s still the Brookside Tavern, but it’s new and improved.”
Once open, the Brookside Tavern will be among a short list of restaurants in western Fulton County. Since the nearby Saltman’s Hotel temporarily closed after the COVID-19 pandemic, Ephratah has been void of a dine-in-style restaurant.
On the Brookside Tavern Facebook page, there’s been an outpouring of support for the Smith’s ambitions.
“Drove by yesterday on my way to see family in Caroga Lake, and admired how great the place is looking!” commented a man from Little Falls.
“Will be awesome to bring back an iconic place to Ephratah,” commented a man from Cherry Valley. “So many people will be there to support it and keep the tradition alive.”
“So excited for a place to go! Hopefully you guys will be open when we are not so we can come!!!! Hahahah,” the Caroga-based Nick Stoner Inn wrote in a comment.
The couple is still in the process of fleshing out a menu. So far, it’s been that the restaurant will have bloomin’ onions, pizza, fried cauliflower and hot turkey sandos. They’ve thought about having chicken parmesan specials and a prime rib dinner night.
“We have so many ideas,” Courtney said. “I was actually possibly going to reach out to the town and say, ‘Hey, what would you guys like to see featured on our menu?’”
The year-round tavern is likely to employ 10 staffers working Thursday through Sunday, according to Courtney. The hours haven’t yet been set up.