Genesee Brew House: Enjoy the Sparkling Waters of the Genesee

High above the “sparkling” waters of the Genesee River in Rochester NY, is the Genesee Brew House, once a century-old packaging center, the  Brew House has transformed the 9,200 square-foot space into a beer destination, featuring interactive exhibits, multimedia content, gift shop, pilot brewery and pub-style restaurant.

The Brew Pub offers all the classic Genesee Beers plus a changing array of delicious microbrews, I loved the Expresso Porter. The bar upstairs was built from old beer barrel boards. It was opened in September of 2012, after a LONG restoration process which is well documented.

The  retail store sells irresistible “Beer Gear,” the great selection of vintage t-shirts, with the full “Brew-story”. We were not wowed by the food, but the beer on the terrace with this fabulous view was well worth the price.

Hours: Mon-Wed 11am – 9pm Thurs-Sat 11am – 10pm Sunday Noon – 9pm 25 Cataract St. Rochester, NY, 14605 Get Directions 585-263-9200 Check out their reviews on Yelp.

The Bank Street Café in Geneseo: Where Breakfast Bears Notice

The view down main street from the cafe

Geneseo is a charming upstate town that enjoys preserving it’s history along with it’s sense of humor. Legend has it that Seneca Indians called it jo-nis-hi-yuh, meaning the pleasant or beautiful valley. This evolved into Genesee, the river which carved out the beautiful valley containing the town of Geneseo.

The bear holds a working lantern

In the center of Geneseo, right in the middle of the street is a large round fountain, with a bronze statue of a sitting bear, holding a lantern. This is the Wadsworth Fountain. It was built for Emmeline Wadsworth, an animal lover, and the fountain was intended as a watering trough for horses.

The Wadsworth brothers built their homes at either end of Main Street, then recruited others to move to the town and assisted them in building their homes.

The bear which remains  remains the iconic symbol of the town, holding it’s  $15,000  lantern — a working replica of the original — has inspired an annual teddy bear parade.

While visiting Geneseo stop for breakfast at the Bank Street Café and Grill.The Café is easy to locate — right across from the famous fountain bearing the Bear.

Most wonderful Blueberry Pancakes

The Bank Street Cafe & Grill is no ordinary eatery. Nothing at Bank Street has been pre-processed. Everything is home-made from scratch. Breakfast is served all day long, and I enjoyed the best (and biggest) blueberry pancakes ever. They are also known for their angus beef burgers.

The village is making a proposal to widen the sidewalks at the three sides of the Bear Fountain and create a small outdoor cafe spot with tables and chairs opposite his restaurant. That would give the town even more character.

The Bank Street Café is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays

The Piggery: Ithaca’s (and the world’s) Best Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ithaca strikes me as the LAST place on earth to have a restaurant that specializes in pork. If it was “The Sproutery” or “Veggies and Stuff,” I’d believe it. But when a friend told us not to miss the Piggery, I was incredulous.

So my friend and decided to go whole hog. We walked in at noon on a Sunday and asked if we could order some bacon. Classic comedic response: “We ran out of bacon yesterday.”

Cure, #50 Public Market, Rochester NY

Cure for the common cold, cure for what ails you, Cure is all and more, creating a warm and inviting slice of good taste.

Since they are the only thing happening at the Public Market at night, parking is NOT a problem. I noticed their window said “Javas,” and found out that they share the same market space as a daytime coffee house — brilliant.

Combine the great tastes of the Finger Lakes at the Farm and Fork

It’s a hot Saturday summer night. We enjoy a long drive rolling through the heart of the Finger lakes, headed for Trumansburg. As the sun grows low in the sky, we park the car, looking at a normal-looking farm and barn. Can this be it?

Silver Queen Farm plays host to a monthly gourmet, farm-driven meal, known as the The Farm & Fork. The Farm & Fork is a collaboration between a caterer and local farms. The third Saturday evening of each month they welcome guests for a gourmet meal prepared with just-picked vegetables and fruits from the Finger Lakes Region.

Castaways: Rochester’s Tastiest Sunset

Castaways has been a favorite Rochester dining spot since the 1920′s. It offers a casual dining atmosphere right on the shores of Lake Ontario. Summertime it can be very busy, but when we arrived, on a week day evening, just before sunset, we were quickly seated.

If you sit outside, you will enjoy a spectacular view with a gorgeous sunset. Two tiered lakeside decks are the perfect setting for outdoor dining, in spring and summer.

Entertainment on Sodus Bay — Abe’s Waterfront Boat House

waterside view of Abe’s.

If you search on Google for “Sodus Bay Entertainment,” the first listing that appears is “Abe’s Waterfront Boat House Bar and Grill.“

Sodus Bay is a town geared up for summer fun on Lake Ontario. The Bay is full of spots to moor your boat and get something to eat. Abe’s Waterfront Boat House is set up for whatever type of entertainment you could want day or night — order a drink, enjoy the breeze and  listen to some live music.

Looking down the bar at Abes

Back in 1910 this property was Walsh’s Boat Livery and it is decorated with turn-of-the-century boathouse artifacts. The club and outside decks can seat over 600, with both on-site parking plus 32 boat slips for boats.

View of Sodus Bay from the deck at Abes

We ate outside on the spacious deck overlooking the bay, but there is the main Boat House as well as the Upper Deck or Crows Nest for dining and drinking.

What is the history of Sodus Point and Sodus Bay? Most of what is recorded tells about the town of Sodus, just south, where the Arbor Day was started. The land was originally territory of the Onandaga Nation. Sodus is believed to be an indian word meaning possibly “gleam on the water.”

The area around Sodus is filled with fruit orchards — once cherry, peach and apple, and now more and more, you see grape vines.

Sunny lunch on the deck

Lunch  menu

Located at: 8527 Greig Street, Sodus Point, NY

Call: 315-483-4444

Dano’s on Seneca Lake

Appetizers = Vorspeisen = spreads

Dano’s Heuriger along the east side of Seneca Lake, is America’s first heuriger (pronounced hoy-rig-er). Dano’s is a traditional Viennese winery restaurant featuring Finger Lakes award-winning wines paired with the superb Viennese-inspired cooking of chef/co-owner Dano Hutnik and pastry chef/co-owner Karen Gilman.

Ever-changing menu on a giant chalk board

View inside of Danos

As you ride along Rt 414, on the east side of Seneca Lake, Dano’s does not grab you with a stunning roadside facade. Other than the sign you don’t see much, just a large shingled roof and a big gravel parking lot.

Ceiling shot

Architect Andrea Simitch designed the building to with the same voluminous space as a barn, and the spacious interior brings to mind the traditional volumes of a farm building, but with much more warmth and light. The west wall is glass, floor to ceiling, placing you right into the surrounding fields.

View from the deck

Beyond the glass wall that faces the lake, there is an outdoor terrace with seating for up to 60.

Horseradish Beet Salad, House Pate, Bratwurst

Dano, the chef, makes make his own sausage, and cheese, and re­cently added a vegetable garden and fruit or­chard. He makes a mean chutney.

The menu is completely a la carte. You can order all at once or in dribs and drabs — which we did. Sharing is encouraged. Arriving at 4pm on a Saturday worked out perfectly, as we beat the dinner rush, and could take our time ordering and savoring. Dano’s seats continuously from noon until closing.

We started with three spreads for $9. The Liptauer is their house special and was our favorite A “spread” is pretty much a base of cream cheese with tasty items like feta paprika, onion, garlic, caraway seed, or capers, mixed in producing  yummy things to spread on sliced bread (or gluten-free crackers). We also tried the Pumpkin Seed Oil and the Hotel Sacher spreads.

Our helpful waiter guided us to try some white wine:  A Berger Gruner Veltliner, and a Standing Stone Vineyard Vidal Blanc.

Sacher Torte — rich chocolate with orange

We moved on to the the House Paté, a Horseradish Beet Salad, Smoked Hungarian Sausage, and a Bratwurst. Any chinks left in our tummies were solidly filled with the rich Sacher Torte and a Red Newt Port.

Dano’s has been named a regional semi-finalist in 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards. The awards annually honor the top professionals in the food and beverage industries, and are considered the Oscars of the food world. This year, there were a record 57,000 online entries.

Location of Danos

Dano’s Heuriger is located at 9564 Route 414 just south of Lodi, NY.

Geneva’s Friendliest Pub — The Red Dove

Geneva is a charming college town located at the north end of Seneca Lake. While researching some Finger Lakes history at the Prouty Chew House, we stopped at the Red Dove Tavern a “gastropub” on Castle Street, in downtown Geneva.

Inside the Red Dove I was instantly reminded of the friendly tapas bars we frequented while in Barcelona’s Barre Gotic neighborhood. However unlike the limited fare at traditional tapas bars, The Red Dove’s mission is to “expand palettes” and the variety of offerings on the blackboard menu above the bar was tempting proof.

Honeoye Falls Brewery Pub and Grill: Brew and a View

The best view of the falls is from the patio of the pub

Honeoye Falls describes itself as “a friendly little village situated on the upper falls of Honeoye Creek approximately fifteen miles southeast of Rochester, New York.” The village has been a productive center of commerce since the late 1700′s, when mills and factories began to pop up along the upper and lower  falls. It changed names many time before becoming known as Honeoye Falls in the mid-1800s.

Located right in the four corners of town is the Honeoye Falls Brewery Pub & Grill, which  has been a tavern/pub, & or a restaurant for over 70 years, while the building itself has housed everything from a millinery, shoemaker, & a bakery, over the previous 70+ years.

Located on the four corners of downtown Honeoye Falls

The Brewery Pub and Grill offers the only view of scenic Honeoye Falls while you enjoy casual dining. You can it outdoors on the deck during the warm months, or enjoy the ambiance of a fireside meal in the enclosed gazebo complete with a fireplace.

13 Lucky Drafts made Syracuse Basketball lucky

We visited on a quiet wintry Saturday. I was interested in sampling the 13 Lucky Drafts:  a changing selection of microbrews from across the US, and a burger — for which they are well-known. It was a tough choice — should I try the Southern Tier Eurotrash Pliz or the 3 Heads Brewery Loopy. Better try them all.

Charlie ordered the “No Bun Mo Fun Burger” — 8 oz. Angus Beef atop a mound of French Fries with Chili, shredded Cheddar, scallion & sour cream. I ordered the Brew Burger which I believe was designed to maximize my beer quaffing experience.

Lunch in the gazebo

After we enjoyed our lunch we stopped at the bar for another round while Syracuse University Basketball was on TV. The bartender knew everyone by their first name and the cast of regulars made us feel right at home. While at the bar we were also able to meet the chef, Kirk, who was an old friend of Charlie’s friend Ginger.

Charlie's poet friend from Atlanta, Ginger Murchinson, recommended we say hello to her good friend Kirk

The Brewery Pub is located at 8 West Main Street in Honeoye Falls.

Hours:
Monday 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Tue-Thur: Lunch 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Tue-Thur: Dinner 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Fri-Sat: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM (Lunch Available Till 5:00)
Sunday Lunch: 12:00 PM – 5:00PM
Sunday Dinner: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM