Hornell/Alfred, New York

I find myself going to Hornell, New York tomorrow for one night. (Actual destination: Alfred, New York) Sorry about the late post, but does anyone have a restaurant recommendation for the area?

Having grown up in Alfred and spent a large part of my adult life there, and tried every restaurant for 100 miles.... good luck!

Oh wait.... there is one nice dinner place in Alfred owned by a guy we went to high school with, Eric Cushing, that I haven't been to yet.... Cafe Za. 18 Church Street. 607.587.9673. Right downtown. (Of course, in Alfred, EVERYTHING is right downtown! LOL!) Don't know if they take reservations, but I'd suggest it if they do. Not a huge place.

My brother Michael, took my daughter and my mom there when he was home in the fall and reports that it is great and they even have a wine list.

Liz, my (20 year old) daughter, eats there frequently and loves it. She says they have a fairly extensive menu, however, it's expensive by the (so-called) standards of the area.

If you go, tell Eric that the Wenslow kids say hey.

For breakfast or lunch, the mainstay is "The Jet" (real name... The Collegiate) diner-like place. 7 North Main Street. 607.587.9293. Owned by John Ninos. Really reasonable prices, good comfort food items on the menu. Old fashioned milkshakes.

For coffee, pastries, and soups..... Terra Cotta Coffee House. 34 North Main Street. 607.587.8800 Not sure if this is one of John's places too, or if it's owned by the *other* John Ninos!


Have a great time. Stop by and tell my mom I promise I'll write soon! She lives right on Main Street in one of the Victorian houses.


Edited to add..... avoid all restaurants in Hornell! I can't think of even one that I could recommend with a clear conscience.

You know, I should have just sent you a PM - I though of you and that out of everyone on the WLDG you'd have some ideas. We're going up to Alfred U for an accepted students visit (my son hasn't decided yet). I hope that they give us dinner but there's a good chance they won't. I'll print out your post and let you know if we go to one of the sopts you mentioned.
Thanks again - JP

I'm not sure when you're going or how you;re travelling, but there is a major winter storm warning for that area from Saturday (4/14) evening through Monday AM.

Howie, I appreciate the information. The good news is, we were on our way back to the DC metro area by 3:00 PM on Saturday. We ran into rain an hour from home and that was it.
Thanks again.

Cynthia, we made it to Alfred and back again. Thank you for the suggestions.

We did not find Cafe Za; apparently is has moved off of the main drag and we drove around but did not see it (I'm sure we passed it). I really wanted to tell Eric "HI" for you.

We saw "The Jet" and heard about it doring our campus tour but didn't have time to go in.

We did have coffee and a mid afternoon pastries at the Terra Cotta Coffee House - very nice and cozy.

It looks as if my son will select Alfred so we'll be back to try everything. I did but some Bully Hill wine (ne: Taylor Wine) for sentimental reasons: My Dad, who worked for Westinghouse, used to sell water pumps to Mr. Taylor, that Mr. Taylor used to move his grape juice around in the winery.