Woodstone Country Club and Lodge opened its new restaurant, Timber, in February without skipping a beat—transforming the eatery from its previous incarnation as Aromi, which closed in December. New décor and freshly conceived cuisine offer a new dining experience that features well-executed fare with a special focus on warm and welcoming service.
In a rural area northeast of Northampton, Woodstone’s 200-acre property features an 18-hole private golf club, but Timber and other Woodstone offerings are open to all, says general manager Tim O’Neill, emphasizing that everyone is welcome.
The sprawling clubhouse where the restaurant finds its home has a massive presence, its stone and wood construction blending naturally with the rural setting. Those same earth elements, stone and wood, inspired the restaurant’s name as well as the club’s, obviously.
Natural warmth predominates in the restaurant’s ambience. Stone wainscoting along the walls and stone at the bar bring the building’s exterior inside, showcasing the simple beauty of nature’s materials. Wood appointments such as cross-sections of logs behind a television screen contribute a rustic touch. Newly painted beige walls, new tables and chairs and a new bar top complete the restaurant’s transformation. Views of the pristine golf course and Blue Mountain through floor-to-ceiling windows add a wide-angle perspective of the natural world.
Timber’s cuisine is in line with Woodstone’s redefinition of its restaurant as “fine casual” dining.
Woodstone wings, with an array of sauces, and the Woodstone turkey club exemplify casual selections; seared sushi-grade tuna with forbidden black rice and New York strip steak with the French-inspired accompaniments pommes purées and au poivre sauce offer fine-dining-style choices.
Executive chef Oliver Filley, who now heads up the kitchen following the retirement of Paolo Nota, worked as a lumberjack and logger before entering the culinary field, so it makes perfect sense that he would cook in the kitchen of a restaurant called Timber. Growing up on a 100-acre farm in Bedminster, NJ, he says, “I always had good food on the table,” and he operates from that mindset in his restaurant kitchens.
The foundation of great food, Filley says, is starting with the best ingredients. Each of the kitchen’s stocks—veal, beef and duck—as well as its demi-glace is made in-house. He plans to source as many ingredients as possible locally, as our Lehigh Valley growing season begins, and he hopes to grow some foods for the restaurant on the property.
Filley is classically trained—he’s a graduate of the former French Culinary Institute (now part of New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education)—but the restaurant serves all kinds of food, he says.
The menu bears this out. Starters range from soy-glazed pork belly and black truffle sacchetti to Blue Mountain Zingers (fried boneless chicken tenders with Zinger sauce). Light fare includes a crab cake sandwich, a Reuben, a crispy Buffalo chicken sandwich and Chef Filley’s cheesesteak (made with filet mignon). And entrée selections, which change seasonally, can run the gamut from pasta to seafood to pork and poultry: braised short rib bolognese, Maryland crab ravioli, a Premium Reserve pork chop with apple Dijon mustard sauce and blackened duck breast with lingonberry sauce.
The peppered crusted tuna starter has such bright flavor it’s almost palate-cleansing, which makes it a fine way to start a meal at Timber. Delectably highlighted with its light pepper crust and faint notes of spice, sushi-grade tuna—rare on the inside (but can be cooked to order)—is tender enough to cut with a fork. It’s served atop eye-catching Asian slaw with red and green cabbage, julienned snow peas, asparagus and carrots, its zippy heat offsetting the tuna’s singular taste. Corn tortilla crumbles add surprising texture. Finished with a wasabi microgreens garnish, this vibrant dish is every bit as beautiful as it is flavorful.
The restaurant’s delightful signature drink, the Timbertini—RumHaven, lime juice, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, peach schnapps, Sprite—opens with a hint of vanilla but finishes on the palate with fresh notes of citrus and fruit, and a subtle touch of coconut. It’s a refreshing way to open up a palate for taste experiences to come.
Comfort food with class—filet mignon risotto—is complex and intense in the best way. The risotto, cooked in mushroom stock, is finished with wild mushrooms sautéed in Madeira, shallots, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tarragon, thyme, chervil and a touch of demi-glace. The filet, mouthwateringly pan-seared, is marinated in black garlic, which adds a layer of luxurious and mysterious flavor. With its earthy mushroom essence, the risotto paired with the steak is partner perfection. A glass of fruity Avia pinot noir complements taste notes in both, completing the total flavor experience.
In the seafood category, shrimp spaetzle is a revelation. The six sautéed jumbo Panama white shrimp in this dish are some of the best I’ve eaten. How interesting to pair in-house crafted German spaetzle, which I think of as a wintry-style carbohydrate, with shellfish. But Filley lightens up the tiny dumplings with lemon zest as they’re sautéed in butter until browned and crisp. A bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano adds savory and subtle nutty notes. The spaetzle provides lovely balance—buttery richness and crisped texture—to the crustaceans. Lemon beurre blanc sauce, made in-house, of course, tops the perfectly cooked shrimp and spaetzle, tying both together in citrusy lightness. Timber’s margarita pairs well with the shrimp, its citrus reflecting the spaetzle’s lemony notes.
Olive oil cake, in the department of sweet things, is as rich as rich can be, and oh-so-satisfying. Like many cakes, it’s made with flour, eggs, milk and baking soda. This cake also includes heavy cream in its ingredient list, and there’s “lots of olive oil” in the batter, says Filley. I didn’t ask the chef to define “lots”; I’m thinking I probably don’t really want to know, considering the cake also gets an olive oil drizzle on top when it emerges from the oven. Sometimes ignorance is, indeed, bliss. And this cake is bliss. No need to jeopardize the indulgent joy it brings by counting its calories. Served straight from the oven, topped with Luxardo maraschino cherries, this cake is nirvana in a cast-iron pan.
Woodstone Country Club and Lodge celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. During its quarter of a century, the club has provided golf and dining in a scenic setting, of course, but there’s more, too.
As an event venue, the club hosts more than 100 weddings a year across its property in its grand ballroom, in the Woodstone gardens, in smaller and more intimate gathering spaces and in the Lodge, which boasts custom stone walls and a Kodak-moment grand staircase. There’s even an option for adding fireworks to a wedding day.
The club also celebrates several holidays throughout the year with specially created buffets: O’Brien says guests total about 1,000 on Thanksgiving, Easter and Mother’s Day. Fourth of July usually brings about 3,000 people to an outdoor extravaganza that includes food trucks, a half-hour fireworks display, zip lines, axe throwing, bouncy houses and rides in a hot air balloon and a helicopter.
The Lodge has 28 rooms that O’Brien says are mostly booked on weekends throughout the summer, often with wedding guests. Winter is busy as well; the Lodge is a favorite of skiers, since the club is conveniently located only three and a half miles from Blue Mountain Resort.
And speaking of Blue Mountain, Maria Harding, marketing and sales coordinator, says Woodstone’s scenic views provide beautiful sunsets every night. It’s a natural dessert to finish a great meal at Timber or mark the end of a memorable wedding day.
How fitting for nature to cooperate with O’Brien’s goal for guests to leave Woodstone remembering a warm welcome and a fond farewell. A farewell doesn’t get much fonder than a beautiful sunset.
Timber at Woodstone Country Club and Lodge
3777 Dogwood Rd., Danielsville | 610.760.2777
woodstonegolf.com
HOURS
Tuesday—Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Closed Monday
Cost: Starters: $9–$20
Mains: $27–$45
Parking: Ample parking in property lot.
Reservations: Walk-ins welcome; reservations recommended.
WHAT TO ORDER
The Timbertini: Citrusy. Coconutty. Ah, refreshing, too. Shrimp spaetzle: perfectly cooked shrimp, lovely lemon flavor; how often do you get yummy spaetzle? And, for goodness’ sake, do not miss the olive oil cake. You will go back for more.
Published as “Inside Dish” in the May 2025 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
