Restaurant Week in the Finger Lakes

One thing I love about this area are the wine and food pairing dinners served at local restaurants here in the Finger Lakes. These dinners are reasonably priced and make a meal into a divine experience. Next week on June 18th through the 24th many of the local restaurants are taking part in a week long gastronomic extravaganza of flavors.  The unique concept of this restaurant week is that the restaurants participating are using all local ingredients to prepare their artful cuisine. This project is sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country and is the brainchild of Morgan McLaughlin, their Director.

On the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, 3 restaurants and their chefs are taking part in this most impressive culinary endeavor. Chef John McNabb, of Knapp Winery and Vineyard restaurant is well known in the area for his luncheon menu but also his absolutely heavenly, exemplary titled, wine and food pairing dinners. Recently I have had the fortunate experience of dining at the restaurant for lunch for their well-known chipotle crab cake salad.  Chef John is such a sweetheart and made an appearance at our table to let us try something very unique and different, organic corn shoots from Thunder Mountain, a local producer that taste bread and butter corn on the cob that he’ll be using in his salads.

Lindsay Freeman from Crystal Lake Café located at Americana Winery is another great chef full of mesmerizing food creations.  One thing is for sure you will never leave hungry. I have experienced their brunch menu on occasion and love their veggie omelets made to perfection. On their lunch menu they’re offering a gorgonzola salad filled with dried cranberries, candied walnuts and crispy shallots.  They also topped this salad with one of my favorites, sweet potato fries. A salad after my own heart.

If you love wood-fired pizza then the perfect place for you is the Copper Oven at Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery. The chef there is Mary Jane Challen-Kircher daughter of the owners Tom & Susie Challen. That girl has a definite flair for the ultimate pizza mixings. I love her Figgy Piggy Pizza made with homemade crème fraiche, topped with prosciutto, onion scapes from her garden, parmesan cheese and local fig  balsamic vinegar.  Presently she’s offering a new Pizza titled The Fun Guy Pie topped with you guessed it, local Shitake mushrooms. Last year she hosted her first specialty wine and food pairing dinner and hope it’s not the last.

Make sure to visit these three restaurants and the culinary expertise of these three chefs next week for an edible burst of flavors that you will never forget. Luncheon menus start at $25.00 and dinners start at $30.00 with a flight of paired wines for an extra $15.00. Bon Appétit and see you along the trail.

For more info check out Finger Lakes Wine Country RestaurantWeek. 

Participating Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Restaurant Menus either linked or below. 

Knapp Winery and Vineyard Restaurant menu

Crystal Lake Cafe at Americana Vineyards

The Copper Oven at Cayuga Ridge Estate Vineyards

 The Copper Oven Prix-Fixe Lunch

100% Local Restaurant Week 2012

Tomato Lovin’

Roasted tomato soup with Waid’s honey, thyme from the garden & balsamic reduction

Cayuga Ridge Estate Chancellor, NV

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The Courgette Pizza

Crème fraiche, grated green & yellow summer squash, chopped fresh basil, Lively Run Chevre & a pinch of Seneca salt

Cayuga Ridge Estate 2008 Non-Oaked Chardonnay

OR

The Sunny Side Up Pizza

Crème fraiche, Autumn’s Harvest smoked sweet sausage, cheddar cheese, green onion scapes, topped with a farm fresh egg

Cayuga Ridge Estate 2008 Chardonnay Select

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Pudding Chomeur

Rich butter cake swimming in a bath of maple cream

Cayuga Ridge Estate 2007 Orange Muscat

 

Sources

Countryside Produce, Waid’s Apiary, Hillcrest Dairy, Black Cat Ventures, Lively Run Dairy, Autumn’s Harvest Farm, Carlton Horvath, Seneca Salt and the Challen Family Garden

Summer at Montezuma Winery

You’ll be rockin’ this summer at the northern tip of Cayuga Lake at Montezuma Winery with events, Farmer’s Markets, and their Friday early evening concerts. The Martin Family is a great clan always full of brand new ideas, great hospitality and just plain old charm. Their products vary from dry to sweet wines, meads, even sparkling mead and distilled products such as vodka, corn whiskey and other liqueurs such as Maple Liqueur. I have had the recent pleasure of attending their Corn Whiskey Release party and let me tell you that whiskey was smooth. I love their Maple Liqueur too, especially on ice cream, Maple Syrup move over.

Here is a List of their upcoming events, on June 2 join them for their Olde-Tyme Rhubarb Festival & Classic Car Cruise-In from 12-4pm. I love their Rhubarb wine simply because it tastes like a slice of rhubarb pie in a glass. Step back in as they celebrate the rhubarb harvest season. Visitors will enjoy rhubarb specialties, while sampling some of the most unique fruit, grape and honey wines and spirits in the Finger Lakes.

If you love rhubarb then this is the place to be. Here you’ll enjoy rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb chili, frozen wine slushies and of course wine!  Purchase locally grown fresh rhubarb.  The Cayuga Lake Creamery will be serving up their home-made ice cream and rhubarb wine sorbet. 

If you’re looking for some rhubarb fun, play to win at the rhubarb stalk throw or enter the hula hoop contest. Take a stroll down memory lane viewing some of the classic cars of the “good old days” on display and listen to classic rock on the Montezuma stage by the band Inside Out.  If you like The Beatles, Stones, Doors, Lovin’ Spoonful, Moody Blues, The Monkees, Tom Petty then you'll like this band.  All are invited to join us for a fun-filled day of food, music, rhubarb and wine! Fee for food.

On Sunday, June 17^th join everyone at the 9th Annual Wildflowers & Wine Celebration.  Bring Dad out this Father’s Day and enjoy learning about wildflowers, grasslands and the creatures of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge that need them.  Montezuma Winery & the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge will partner for this family, fun-filled event. 

Free Guided Birding Walk: Take a guided birding walk on the refuge lead by the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex from 9-10:30 a.m. Call Montezuma Winery at 315-568-8190 for reservations. RSVP required before June 14^th. Last year my husband and I took the bird walk and it was amazing to see so many different birds and listen to their tunes as they entertained us through the walk. The gentleman we had for a guide knew his birds and dazzled us with his knowledge. Birds were not the only creatures we saw for we were bedazzled by very bright green frogs, whom  we believed a relation to Kermit.

All main event activities for this event will be held at Montezuma Winery from 11am-4pm and include scheduled bus tours of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (first come first serve basis), wildlife displays, birds of prey and petting zoo, balloon art, chainsaw carving, art & craft vendors plus live music by Mitty and the Followers.  Admission is free, no RSVP required.

Don’t forget to sample our award winning wines and be the first to taste our collector’s limited edition “Cedar Waxwing” wine bottled especially for this event.  A portion of the sales of the wine will be donated to the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex to continue conservation projects.

Treat dad to lunch with our mouthwatering chicken and pork BBQ, salt potatoes, steamed clams, kettle corn, home-made ice cream and wine ice cream by the Cayuga Lake Creamery and of course wine & frozen wine slushies!  Fee for food and wine by the glass.

As the summer continues make sure to hit the Summer Clam Jam at Montezuma Winery & Hidden Marsh Distillery on Saturday July 28, from 12-4pm. There’s a beach party and clam bake in the wetlands of Montezuma Winery?  That’s right! Wear your flip flops and bring a beach chair and kick back to the rock and roll music of the Castle Street Band.  The admission price gets you a feast of raw or steamed clams, BBQ chicken, Italian sausage, clam chowder and more! Pre-paid reservation only $40/person or $20/person for non-clamers (drinks and ice cream not included).  If you’re not too full from all of the great food, play some of the beach party games for prizes or cool off from the summer heat with an ice cream from The Cayuga Lake Creamery or a frozen wine slushie. Don’t wait, RSVP before July 12^th

All through the summer from June 15 till August 31 visit the winery for their Farmers Market & FREE Music Fridays on their lawn from 3-7pm. Purchase local New York produce, baked goods, cheese and more. The goal of the market is to provide local growers and crafters a place to introduce themselves to the community and provide fresh, healthy, local products while promoting local business in our area. Come support New York!

Each week listen to live music from 5-7pm.  K&R Catering will be serving up chicken and pork BBQ each week.  Bring a blanket or your lawn chairs and kick back.  Fee for food and wine.

For more information on any of these events or their Farmer’s Market contact Donna Lahr at Montezuma Winery & Hidden Marsh Distillery at 315-568-8190 or visit www.montezumawinery.com. Montezuma Winery is located at 2981 Auburn Rd (corners of Rt. 89 and 5/20) in Seneca Falls, NY 13148.

Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway

Congratulations to everyone in Finger Lakes Wine Country who contributed towards the creation of the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway.  A couple of weeks ago  the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway made one of the top 10 American Road trips to visit featured through yahoo tourism.  The picturesque 80-90 mile stretch of road stands by such great highways as the Pacific Coast Highway Rt. 1 in California and the Florida Keys. Here in New York in the Finger Lakes we are proud.

Now you say to yourself, how did this come to be? I just recently learned that 20 years ago back in 1992 a woman known by most locals as Moe Koch and now Moe Young and as she says “Forever Young” saw the potential in the beauty of the land. She said I think Rt. 89 is the most beautiful road ever with its’ falls, lake views and rolling vineyards that it would be great if we could get this road listed as a Scenic Byway.  That’s all it took and with a few other visionaries such as Bill Hanson and a lot of hard work a “Star was Born”.  The paperwork was insurmountable but with many painstaking hours they kept their eyes on the goal and after much prose and pictures the application was complete. New York State agreed and here we are today. 

Presently I am very fortunate to work with such an outstanding group of individuals who never give-up. Just last week we had our first of a series of informational signs placed at the top of the lake in Seneca Falls at Montezuma Winery. It was a bit cold and quite windy but we unveiled the sign just the same with a toast of Buttonwood Grove’s sparkling wine, Diva.  We followed by a lovely reception where Cayuga Lake Wine flowed and the culinary genius of Mary Reed dazzled us.  There were Chardonnays Rieslings, Liberty Spy Hard Cider plus white and red blends. Mary Reed who will be opening a restaurant in Ovid in the very near future offered us a delectable taste of the Finger Lakes. Salads with strawberries and pecans, cheese puffs,  quiche, bacon delights, meatballs and strawberry cream tarts plus truffles infused with raspberry and blackberry wine. Who attended? Don’t you wish you did? Government Officials, business owners and of course our trusty board members past and present.

So what’s cooking on the burners now?  We’re in the process of working on a website redesign. Our goal is to develop our new site to help visitors better understand and access the resources along the byway. Another great project coming up this fall is our Geocaching program, a real outdoor treasure hunting game where players locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online spreading the word. We will have 20 geo-caches spread between both sides of the lake.

Click here for the complete article on the Top 10 American Road Trips.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-travel-releases-ten-great-140800255.html

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/top-10-all-american-road-trips.html?page=7