Brian Arnoff had a no burger rule for years. It wasn’t anything personal. “It’s not about burgers. I love them,” he explains.
He just didn’t want one on the menu at the Kitchen Sink, the farm-to-table restaurant he opened in Beacon in 2015, which he’s since turned into a supper club. While the smaller, more intimate establishment definitely has its playful moments, there had to be limits.
“A burger belongs in a burger joint,” Arnoff maintained. But despite his vow, the requests still came in.
Refusing to break down and change the menu, the chef and restaurateur opted instead to build the burger joint. By 2017, he opened Meyer’s Olde Dutch, named for his great-grandfather Meyer Wald, at 184 Main Street in Beacon.
Known affectionately as “MOD,” it’s a modern interpretation of a classic burger joint that promises local ingredients, made-from-scratch sauces, and condiments—not to mention a full cocktail bar. The slogan reads, “a classic burger, damn good crispy chicken sandwich, and the best fries around.”
The menu of fan favorites is now also available in Poughkeepsie, with a second location that opened at 15 Collegeview Ave about three months ago. Literally across the street from Vassar, the spot is perfectly positioned for hungry college students with its line-up of burgers, chicken tenders, and hot dogs only a short walk away from campus.
But there’s something for everyone on the menu. For instance, vegetarians can try the veggie Dutch, a made-from-scratch patty composed of mushrooms, onions, black beans, and tofu, or the crispy tofu sandwich with honey-habanero glazed tofu topped with pineapple and cabbage slaw. There are gluten-free buns and dedicated fryers for those avoiding wheat.Health-conscious eaters might opt for the grilled chicken sandwich, served with goat cheese, tomato jam, arugula, and shaved fennel, or the quinoa salad now on special, adding the grain to mixed greens, feta, dried cherries, hazelnuts, and oranges with a ginger vinaigrette. Other current specials include a crispy eggplant sandwich, with sweet and spicy tomato jam, arugula, pickled onions, and lemon dill yogurt, a beet slaw topped with tahini and lemon dressing, and a watermelon feta salad.
Arnoff wanted to appeal to the full family, from high school kids to their grandmothers. “All can have lunch and dinner with us,” he says. Guests can grab something quick or linger over beer, cider, craft cocktail, or mocktail.
Arnoff takes “from scratch” seriously. Look at the fry sauce, for instance. It starts with making a garlic aioli, which means roasting a whole garlic first, then making homemade mayonnaise. Add in fresh pickles, also made right in the kitchen. The fry sauce tops one of the most popular menu items, the double Dutch, a burger with two patties, stacked with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. The crispy chicken sandwich, another top seller, stars a hand-breaded chicken cutlet, pimento cheese, coleslaw, and more of those homemade pickles.
A second MOD location had been in Arnoff’s dreams since before the pandemic. When COVID hit, however, he focused his attention on a remodel instead. He temporarily shut down the Kitchen Sink and moved the operations of Meyer’s over.
Beaconites continued to enjoy the MOD burgers, while crews at the original location went to work on the HVAC, plumbing, and roof, as well as refurbishing the kitchen to make it more efficient.
“Once we got MOD back up and running, it was in a good place, and we were getting good feedback, it felt like something we could replicate,” Arnoff says. The key was the addition of a new business partner Jeff Silverstein. The two met through a mutual friend and, before long, were cooking up plans together. “Being around him helped push the opening of a second location,” Arnoff says. “He felt there was an opportunity.”
Silverstein, who lives in Cold Spring, had built a career in advertising and marketing but also had a love for food and an interest in the restaurant industry. He admired Arnoff’s skills in both the kitchen and business—and was intrigued by the prospect of a second MOD location. “There’s a great blueprint here,” he says.
After Kitchen Sink’s reopening in the summer of 2021 and the original MOD going strong in its refreshed space, Silverstein and Arnoff started searching real estate listings. “We felt like we had to find the perfect spot,” Arnoff recalls. “We looked all over the Hudson Valley.”
Last fall, the duo finally found the ideal rental in Arnoff’s hometown of Poughkeepsie and signed a lease on March 31. Then, they went to work making the space their own. “Jeff and I were here every day starting April 1,” Arnoff says.
After an intensive month, the second Meyer’s Olde Dutch opened its doors. “It takes a while to get your name out there and for people to realize we’re here now, but we’re seeing it happen,” Arnoff says.
Silverstein explained that the goal is to have top-notch food at both locations, to not be able to differentiate the level of service or the quality of the ingredients. “I want you to be able to come, take a bite of the burger, and not know if you’re in Beacon or Poughkeepsie,” he says.
Once assured that both locations are operating at the same high consistency, there might be room for another expansion. “We’ve got a good thing going,” Silverstein says.
In the meantime, Arnoff and Silverstein remain focused on creating the ultimate experience for their guests, whether in Poughkeepsie or Beacon, in an upscale supper club or fast casual burger joint. “At the end of the day,” Arnoff says, “it’s all about cooking really great food.”
