WOODSTOCK, N.Y. -- Like just about everything else here, the Bear Cafe has its roots in the local arts scene. The restaurant opened in 1971, not long after the influx of hippies into the area. Founded by Albert Grossman, a music industry veteran who managed artists such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Band, and Peter, Paul and Mary, it was operated by Bernard and Mary Lou Paturel, thrived until 1980, and then went into decline.
Woodstock locals Peter Cantine and Eric Mann decided to refurbish and reopen the place in 1988. As teenagers, Cantine had been a busboy and Mann a dishwasher at the old Bear Cafe. After stints ''climbing the ladders in the kitchen and the dining room" of New York restaurants, Cantine says, they returned home, with Mann as chef and Cantine as manager. A year ago, they joined with partner Andy Cooper, who helped them purchase the property after renting it for 16 years.
Magazines, including Saveur, Gourmet, and Wine Spectator, have gradually discovered Mann's winning cuisine, a blend of American and French, naming the Bear a top Catskills dining spot. Mann's signature dishes include an endive and watercress salad (with warm polenta croutons, gorgonzola cheese, pears, and cranberry vinaigrette) and filet mignon (with port garlic sauce and Stilton blue cheese). Cantine says the menu has changed considerably in the 17 years since they opened. No longer relying on butter and cream, dishes have evolved with diners' growing sophistication.
Remarkably, Mann has no formal culinary training. ''Eric learned the trade the European way, dishwasher on up," Cantine said while seated at one of the tables overlooking the rocky bed of the Sawkill River. ''He's tortured like any good artist is. The pressure from him is 100 percent internal, to please people, to improve."
The cafe's building dates to at least 1905. Cantine thinks it was a storage barn for a general store across the street. Today, the rustic wood interior has been furnished with harmonizing wooden tables, a bright bar, ceiling fans, and soft lighting. Paintings of tropical locales by Cantine's grandmother, Jo (Arosemena) Cantine, are the only splash of color. The place manages to feel classy and romantic as well as welcoming to casual diners and families with children.
Weekenders who ''go soup to nuts" with multicourse meals and bottles of wine may be the Bear's bread and butter. ''But we also feed some of the town highway workers," Cantine said, listing dishes, such as his burgers with fresh-cut fries and chicken with green peppercorn sauce and garlic mashed potatoes, that have a wide appeal. ''You go to other places, and they're pigeonholed."
Cantine is most proud of the Bear's place in the community. ''People are emotionally invested in your restaurant and menu items," he said, describing the ''local uprisings" each time he tried to take the filet mignon and chicken off the menu. ''Over the years, we've seen babies born and raised on our food." He pointed to a busboy who was a regular patron at age 3, eating steak and brown sauce at the restaurant.
The Bear Cafe, Bearsville Theater Complex, Route 212, Bearsville, N.Y., 845-679-5555, www.bearcafe.com. Dinner 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; till 10:30 Friday, Saturday. Closed Tuesdays. Appetizers $7.95-$13.50, salads $5.95-$16.50, entrees $17.95-$28.95. 
