Celebrate New Years Wisely at the Owl House

Located on Marshal Street, just off Monroe Ave

Happy New Years 2014!

Tonight our family will take our combine dietary challenges and relax in a sumptuous feats at The Owl House. We have a Celiac, a couple of Vegetarians, a couple of serious Meat-eaters and the Owl House’s New Years Eve Dinner is guaranteed to fill all tummies and give me a rest as scullery maid. Hooray!

Annual Owl House New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner!

December 31 2013

 4 courses. Complimentary Prosecco toast. Wine pairing optional.

55 / Person
70 / Person w/ Wine Pairing

MENU SUBJECT TO CHANGE
December 31st, 2013

55 / Person
70 / Person w/ Wine Pairing

FIRST

Local Winter Squash, Lemongrass & Coconut Soup w/ choice of:

Cider Glazed Smoked & Pulled Chicken (Gluten-Free)

Roasted Pear, Roasted Chestnuts, Watercress (Vegan / Gluten-Free)

-Pascal Jolivet – Sancerre (2012) France

View of the bar

SECOND:  Choice of One

Moxie Braised Lamb Shoulder, Pomegranate, Polenta, Pine Nuts, Poached Egg (Gluten-Free)
or
Roasted Local Beets, Dill, Polenta, Nasturtium, Pine Nuts (Vegan / Gluten-Free)

-Tenuta Rapitala – Nadir (2010) Sicily

Note all the drink specials!

THREE :  Choice of One

Citrus Marinated Smoked Scallops, Shiitake Bacon, Mint & Almond Gremolata (Gluten-Free)

Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Red Curry Chimichurri, Bone Marrow (Gluten-Free)

Brined & Roasted Japanese Yams, Crispy Beet & Eggplant, Lime Crema (Gluten-Free / Vegan)

-Tenuta Rapitala – Alto(2010) Sicily
or
Maison J. J. Vincent – Bourgogne Blanc (2011) France

FOUR :  Choice of One

Dessert TBA

Lamberti – Prosecco DOC (NV) Italy

Seating downstairs

For more 4-season info on The Owl House, check out my previous post.

The History of Corbett’s Glen

This is usually where the salmon run out of gas.

An early snowfall with a twenty degree drop in temperature. I hear shovels and snowblowers at work. Time to layer up, grab my skis and enjoy Corbett’s Glen.

At the end of my street is a spur trail that takes me into a lovely park called Corbett’s Glen. When Mr Corbett lived here, in the fifties, he mowed a ball field for my sister and brothers to play on. Now it’s a Brighton town park with two miles of paths. The skiing here is some of the best in the county. Although the trails are not groomed like Mendon Ponds, the snow is often here for a week or two longer than any other park.

As you travel through the park you may hear three or four trains pass. Take notice as this is the famous New York Central Line. These tracks are where Abraham Lincoln’s body travelled  as it was transported from Washington DC to Springfield Ill for burial. The train passed through the glen area most likely in the night of the 26th of April of 1865,  as it left Albany April 25,  at 10pm, and arrived in Buffalo, April 27, at 7 a.m., traveling at 20 MPH. Lincoln’s funeral train was the first national commemoration of a president’s death by rail.

Railroad tracks underpass holds the creek and a road.

The north-west side of the glen has a Parking lot facing Penfield Road for easy access. The southern side can only be accessed by parking on Glen Road, off 441, and walking under the railroad trestle bridge. Two miles of Trails loop in a circle around both sections of the glen.

My Mom told me years ago that the part of the glen nearest Penfield Rd would never be developed because the Tobin Meat packing plant had used it as a dump during the war. She was convinced the ground was contaminated. My family’s first home was built on Dale Road (formerly an orchard) as soon as construction began after the war. I’ve never read this information anywhere else to verify.

The paths wind through the woods, full of Bittersweet in the fall,  and the prehistoric looking Pileated WoodPecker. There are some unusual geological features:  eskers, and moraines. (eskers are what give the park trails their dramatic pitch and slope. Rivers on the ice sheet would sometimes bore a hole and flow under the ice in a winding tunnel. When the glacier and water were gone these stream beds looked like low snaking ridges of rubble.)

Allen Creek runs through the park

Today the trails are busy all day with dog walkers, families, fishermen, photographers, runners and in the winter, snowshoers and skiers. Allen Creek winds through the southern edge of the park with lovely waterfalls. There are board walks to traverse the swampy areas, a picnic table and benches and boulders along the trails for resting.

Celebrate Christmas in the Finger Lakes

Christmas in the Finger Lakes has many places and faces. I took a day to explore what each town is doing and celebrate the season. I shopped for gifts, found the perfect Christmas Tree, enjoyed a hot meal and supported local business.

Live music, bare knees

Skaneateles is celebrating their traditional Dickens Christmas. Each year from Thanksgiving to the 24^th of December the town welcomes Charles Dickens and his cast of characters, to interact with residents and visitors in the streets, stores and restaurants.

Visit Finger Lakes has a great deal for Christmas. Stay two nights at any of the participating hotels during Christmas and you will get a third night free, as long as one of those nights is actually ON Christmas.

Enjoy free admission, holiday music and shopping at the Corning Museum of Glass. Make  your own glass ornament and see the Giant Glass Ornament Tree.

A trip to Corning is worth the drive because the museum’s permanent collection and a glass blowing demonstration are wonderful any day of the year. While you are in the area, visit the Christmas House in Elmira. They have events every day in November and December.

If you are looking for ideas on how to decorate your home for the holidays, drive down the eastern side of Cayuga Lake to the little town of Aurora, and visit the MacKenzie Childs Store.

For unusual gifting try visiting some of the great antique stores along Rts 5 & 20.  You can find depression glass, cookie jars, cookie cutters, period clothing and hand-made gifts.

If you get hungry, grab a warm bowl of soup at the American Hotel in Lima. This will be an easy hop after the antique stores. They feature several different homemade soups every day.

I passed by several Christmas Tree Farms on my journey. I love a fresh tree to bring the smell of the season into my home for the holidays.

This holiday doesn’t have to be about malls and crowded parking lots and slush and traffic. It can be filled with great adventures and fond memories. Enjoy!