Located at 178 Route 42 in Shandaken, the Catskill Seasons Inn Italian American Restaurant is a wonderful place to sit, relax and have a home-cooked meal of generous portions at extremely affordable prices.



The business is a family labor of love for chef/owner Michael Santaniello and his wife Christine (their young daughter, while not yet old enough to help out, seems perfectly comfortable walking through the restaurant, charming everyone she sees). On any given night, you’ll find Michael in the kitchen, cooking up recipes that have been handed down in his family for generations and Christine on the floor, making sure her guests are happy and feel welcome. “I really feel like this is my home,” said Christine, “and I want people to feel really comfortable here, like they’re dining at home with friends.”



Michael grew up in the restaurant business, his family running a clam bar in Sheepshead Bay, NY. Michael and Christine bought the Catskill Seasons Inn three years ago, and immediately set about renovations to both the chalet and to the restaurant.



The chalet has 14 rooms for rent, which are available nightly, monthly or seasonally. The rooms all have new carpets, and some have new furniture. There’s a swimming pool for a cool dip in the hot summer months, and it is conveniently located close to both Belleayre Mountain (10 minutes away) and Hunter Mountain (20 minutes away). Renovations to rooms above the restaurant will be completed soon, allowing for more rooms for rent.



After building a new bar and adding new furniture and carpets, the restaurant finally had their grand opening in December of last year. Since that time, it has become one of the most popular places for locals and tourists alike to eat some great food in a homey atmosphere.



The menu changes weekly, although a few popular standards remain. Appetizer selections include a zuppa di mussels (mussel soup, served either red or white), fried calamari, roasted peppers with mozzarella, a seafood salad, lentil soup and New England clam chowder. Entree selections include scallops and shrimp fra diavolo, eggplant parmesan, chicken sorrentino (chicken with eggplant, smoked ham, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce), a grilled ribeye steak served with potatoes and onions, baked clams and broiled salmon. There are plenty of pasta dishes as well—this is, after all an Italian restaurant—and the sauces are real, traditional Italian sauces. Desserts are heavenly, and include New York cheesecake, chocolate cake and neapolitan ice cream.



Thursday night is “Buy One, Get One Free” pasta night. Diners can choose their variety of pasta and their favorite pasta sauce. On Sunday nights, a complete dinner with soup or salad, entree, dessert and coffee is just $17.95.



There’s a cocktail lounge, separate from the restaurant area, that has a full bar. A bar menu includes all the standard favorites, from french fries and hot wings to jalapeño poppers, and on Friday nights, items from the bar menu are half price. During the summer, there will be frozen drink specials. Beginning in April, there will be music in the bar area every two weeks. A wide variety of acts, from jazz and blues artists to DJs will get your toes tapping or get you up and dancing.



Catering is available on or off premises, with the restaurant able to accommodate about 75 people. On premises, catering choices include both buffet-style and sit-down dinner.



The Catskill Seasons Inn Italian American Restaurant is open for dinner Thursday through Sunday from 4 pm to 10 pm. The cocktail lounge is open from 12 pm to midnight. Reservations are not required, and everyone is welcome, especially families with children. For more information, please call them at 845 688 2223 or visit their Web site at www.catskillresort.com.