MIXED CROWD Guests at the bar in the newly renovated Stumble Out on Main Street in Livingston Manor enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail. Amy Hines photo
Ink drops in to the Stumble Out
Eatery has a new menu, expanded space
By Jameson Barerra | Manor Ink
IMPECCABLE! A few Stumble Out dishes: scallops, manicotti with veal ragu and steak frites. Amy Hines photo
Livingston Manor, NY – If you are looking for a place that is inviting, has really good food, and is conveniently located, you need to check out the Stumble Out. The Stumble Out, formerly part of The Walk In/Stumble Out, is a newly-renovated restaurant located at 67 Main Street in the hamlet.
The venue has recently expanded to accommodate more seating and a more extensive menu. Chef Erin Ellis and co-owner Lily Price have relocated the Walk-In across the street in the former Neon Croissant space to be a separate and more casual breakfast and lunch spot.
I’m just going to say it straight up front, the food at the Stumble Out is impeccable!
A WILL TO WORK Though she is co-owner of the restaurant, Lily Price’s duties include everything from biscuit roller to dishwasher. Amy Hines photo
Price and Ellis recommended that I try the steak frites. I was blown away by how delicious this dish was – the steak, fries and curry sauce were all perfect. My father, who joined my mother, my Manor Ink mentor and me for dinner, said, “This is the best curry sauce I have ever tasted.” He knows his curry from his time in England. In fact, my parents raved about every dish, which, unlike me, they tasted.
There is homemade bread to go along with the food, which is wonderful. And while the entrees are amazing, so is the service. All the staff are nice and friendly. For instance, if you don’t like the flavored butter that comes with the bread, you can ask for standard butter, as I did.
“The Stumble Out is best known for seafood dishes and sidewalk spritzes,” it says on the eatery’s website. Ellis and Price enjoy experiencing cuisines and cultures from around the world. Ellis trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and she specializes in French cooking. She also trained in Vietnam and savors and serves Asian cuisine as well.
Like all businesses in Livingston Manor, staffing is a challenge. “It’s a difficult task, but everybody who we have right now has been with us for a long time. We try to focus on in-house training,” Ellis explained. “I love to teach people how to cook – that’s my main focus, teaching and mentoring.”
“I love to teach people how to cook – that’s my main focus, teaching and mentoring.”
“While we are manager managers, I am also a dishwasher, a line cook, a bakery opener, a biscuit roller and kitchen closer,” added Price. “We have zero requirements to work at either of our establishments. If you can prove you have a will to work, that’s all we need here.”
GOOD FOOD Chef Erin Ellis prepares a dish in the Stumble Out’s kitchen, Amy Hines photo
Ellis and Price aim to appeal to everyone. “We love looking around this room and seeing every walk of life in here,” Ellis said. “We’ve got a mom holding a newborn baby snuggled up in a blanket across from dad, enjoying their first meal out since the baby was born. And, you know, a totally mixed crowd.”
Price encourages people to give the new Stumble Out a try. “We have a lot of die-hard regular local customers, but there is, I think, a misunderstanding that it’s not for everybody,” she said. “This restaurant and bar is open for absolutely anybody who wants to be here.”
The Stumble Out is indeed open for everybody Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 to 10 p.m. Takeout is also available. For menus and additional information, visit stumbleout.menufy.com.