Finger Lakes question

There will be 12 of us going to the Finger Lakes in July 2010. Last year we visited Napa and I was in charge of dining options. One of the things I did was reserve "The Vault" at Restaurante Allegria in Napa. It was a pleasent surprise for our group, food was excellent...it was a memorable evening. Other options I looked into while in Napa was Dinner in the Caves. There were only 8 of us, so it's something we passed on...Can someone suggest a memorable dining option in the Finger Lakes region? Looking for great food, and something unique, maybe even a personal touch...views of the lake would be nice....I appreciate any help...

-Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike.

Debbie and I visited the Finger Lakes area a couple of years ago and the best meal we had was at a restaurant in Hammondsport, The Village Tavern.

It doesn't have a view of the water, but it does have a view of the village square. Food is good and they have a very large Finger Lakes-based wine list.

well, there is that Castle place in Geneva - not remembering the name right now. hard to miss.

Where are you planning to visit? Dano's on the east side of Seneca Lake is excellent if you want Austrian food; it's between Lodi and Valois on 414. We've eaten there a number of times. Nearby is Suzanne's, which friends have recommended highly, though I haven't been there myself.

Rio Tomatlan is a very good Mexican restaurant (not your usual Tex-Mex fare) in Canandaigua if you'll be around there.

well, there is that Castle place in Geneva - not remembering the name right now. hard to miss.

Esperanza Mansion? Although the views and ambience seems very nice, the food and service has poor reviews...

Where are you planning to visit? Dano's on the east side of Seneca Lake is excellent if you want Austrian food; it's between Lodi and Valois on 414. We've eaten there a number of times. Nearby is Suzanne's, which friends have recommended highly, though I haven't been there myself.

Rio Tomatlan is a very good Mexican restaurant (not your usual Tex-Mex fare) in Canandaigua if you'll be around there.

I actually have Suzanne's on my list....nice to here they were recommended!

I actually have Suzanne's on my list....nice to here they were recommended!

I definitely intend to try it if I can pry my wife away from Dano's...

Although I haven't posted anything about it in the "offlines" forum, this year's NiagaraCOOL (6th annual) will be Saturday, June 26th (picnic) and Sunday, June 27th (Seneca Lake winery tours followed probably by dinner in the FL area). I'm sure there will be postings and pictures of the festivities shortly afterwards, which may help you and your group, but with shorter notice. We (Ed Draves and I) will also be following recommendations posted here.

The Inn at Glenora has excellent food, view, and wine on the west side of Senaca. Bully Hill has very good food, and an excellent view on the west side of Keuka.

I think the castle place near Geneva is the Belhurst Castle, and unless things have changed radically, you should stay away. The only good place around Geneva was the Madderlake Cafe, but they are closed (said to be reopening, but haven't heard anything yet).

Personally, my choice would be the Hazelnut Kitchen, not directly on a lake, but in the charming village of Trumansburg (see http://www.hazelnutkitchen.com) . Dano's is also a great choice and has more of a wine country feel. Many people I know have raved about Suzanne's, but I have never made it in (dinner only). I'm not a big fan of the Village Tavern, but it is probably the best choice around Hammondsport. Ithaca has a number of good choices.

I'd hit up the Bistro at Red Newt- lots of local wine available (not just Red Newt's)
http://rednewt.com/web/index.php?option ... Itemid=103

I also reccomend, if you have an IPHONE there is a Finger Lake Wine Country app that is pretty amazing

The Bistro at Red Newt is one of the prettiest dining rooms in the FL's.., haven't eaten there tho..If you are going to be near Ithaca, quite a few nice choices available in Ithaca

Another vote here for the Bistro at Red Newt. We have had dinner and lunch there many times and have yet to be disappointed. Deb Whiting does a terrific job of building entrees around local fare.

just returned from the finger lakes international wine competition. lots of finger lakes wines; but lots of others too.
1. i'm told that the best restaurant by far is Ports Market near Penn Yann. this is from people who live there and are very into food.
2. i again was able to taste some Hazlett wines. the Cab Sauv was spot on - not a great wine; but really good and very CS - and much much better than the Dr. Frank.
3. i can recommend Belhurst for the wines if not for the food. the wines are made by a number of wineries depending on the variety. the only real dissapointment was the syrah. everything else was cleanly made and attractive.

just returned from the finger lakes international wine competition. lots of finger lakes wines; but lots of others too.
1. i'm told that the best restaurant by far is Ports Market near Penn Yann. this is from people who live there and are very into food.
2. i again was able to taste some Hazlett wines. the Cab Sauv was spot on - not a great wine; but really good and very CS - and much much better than the Dr. Frank.
3. i can recommend Belhurst for the wines if not for the food. the wines are made by a number of wineries depending on the variety. the only real dissapointment was the syrah. everything else was cleanly made and attractive.

Thanks David! Funny you mention Ports...I just called them yesterday to inquire about reservations for our group.

David,
Hazlitt really has come along, and they've done so without de-emphasizing the Red Cat bus and limo trade that had been their brand. Parking for buses has even been increased. What vintage was the Cab. Sauv. you tasted? Their '08 Gewurztraminer is excellent and can be found for $10.

Dan

you know, dan, i don't remember; but i know it is the current one. we had it at the opening reception and i wasn't taking notes.

The Inn at Glenora has excellent food, view, and wine on the west side of Senaca. Bully Hill has very good food, and an excellent view on the west side of Keuka.

I second that! Right on the lake and great food!

1. i'm told that the best restaurant by far is Ports Market near Penn Yann. this is from people who live there and are very into food.

If this is the place that's actually closer to Geneva than Penn Yan, then it's a place recommended to us by the folks at the WIne and Culinary Center in Canandaigua. We've got it on the list of places to try.

The dining room at Glenora gets a vote from me as well, lovely room, good food, beautiful view

We took the tip offered here and had dinner at Ports in Geneva the other night. It was as good as advertised. An extensive specials menu featuring local ingredients changes each night and the arugula salad alone I started with ensured that we’d be coming back. Reservations are a must. The place was full by 6:30 on a Thursday night.

On the wine menu were several wines by the glass from local producers. We tried Shaw’s Sauvignon Blanc and Billsboro’s Pinot Grigio, not varietals for which the Finger Lakes is known but both quite good.

Earlier we had stopped just up the road to taste Belhurst’s ’09 Dry Riesling which has been winning all sorts of awards. They are deserved. A combination of crisp fruit flavors and a beautifully balanced RS of 1.1 were too much for my usual price ceiling. I went for 2 bottles at $19 each (ouch!).

Belhurst doesn’t produce its own wines, which makes the ’09 Riesling even more remarkable. I asked where the wines were made and was told only that grapes are sourced from 4 locations and that the wines are made “under Belhurst’s supervision”. Whatever this means, someone is doing a very good job.

Hi Dan,
I think you will find the following link interesting; it’s from “Greeting from the Finger Lakes” by Michael Turback. Just scroll up to the beginning of the article.

http://books.google.com/books?id=C9nCyu ... er&f=false

Salute

Hi Victor,
Thanks for your help. So some of the mystery has been removed. I've driven past White Springs many times and wondered what was going on there. Interestingly, while the front label on the '09 Belhurst Dry Riesling says only "Seneca Lake", the back label says "Produced and Bottled by Belhurst Estates Winery, Hector, NY". The White Springs I know is on the west side of Seneca near Geneva at the north end, but Hector is on the east side at the south end. Perhaps the arrangement described by Turback has changed in the 5 years since the book came out.

Dan