The Colgate Inn in Hamilton has put together an incredible feast for February 2nd that will feature game meats, wines and beers.  Stretched out over five courses, dessert and cocktails the staff at the inn have designed a deep and well thought out menu.
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You can check out the complete menu here, but it is obvious that a lot of time was spent picking beers, wines and game meats that not only showcased the flavors inherent in each, but also that showcase many local products too. 
The beer list includes beers from Good Nature Brewing Company, Ommegang and Middle Ages Brewing, all regional CNY breweries.  The wine list features Finger Lake beauties from Dr. Konstantin Frank, and Lamoreaux Landing. 
Local foods enhance a menu that will feature venison, duck, salmon, trout, and wild mushrooms.  Dessert will be a Sherry Wine with Blackberry Compote. 
The dinner begins with cocktails and a meet and greet at 6pm and the meal begins at 6:30.  You should make reservations soon, as this may be one of the best meals served in Central New York all year long. 
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It's a celebration of everything Scotland this weekend as the Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia hosts its annual Burns Night.  In fact the celebration of the famous Scottish poet has turned into a three day weekend event.
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Friday night the festivities kick off with Scotch tastings, Scottish finger foods and great Celtic rock by the Causeway Giants.  The music begins at 9pm and goes in to the wee morning hours. 
Saturday is the big day when the annual Burns dinner takes place.  There may or may not be a table left for reservations, so give the Brae Loch a call and find out at 315-655-3431.  If you can't make it this year, this an event for your bucket list.  It is a true Scottish celebration including cocktails and dinner at 6pm and the festivities which includes traditional Scottish music, pipers, dancers, poetry reading, stilling minstrels,  and the Address to the Haggis.
On Sunday the festivities wrap up with a Celtic brunch from 11am-2pm.  Enjoy the Brae Loch's famous Sunday Brunch with Scottish favorites while listening to Fiddle and Guitar with Ten Strings Duo.  
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Chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas will present a cooking demonstration Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m., at the Colgate Inn, 1 Payne St. Seating will be limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended at colgatebookstore.com/cookingdemo. Tickets are $10 and include admission to the event, food samples and a credit towards a cookbook.

The demonstration menu will include mom’s crab dip, grilled spice-rubbed salmon with spicy corn crepe and sweet goat cheese turnovers with hazelnuts, mint, and honey.

Douglas, along with his wife and business partner Jackie Cross, owns 10 of Seattle’s most exciting restaurants: Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Palace Kitchen, Lola, Serious Pie (with two locations), Seatown Snack Bar, Cuoco, Ting Momo and Brave Horse Tavern.

With almost 30 years in the restaurant business, Douglas helped put Seattle on the culinary map by cooking global cuisine using regional and seasonal ingredients. He also runs a retail bakery, Dahlia Bakery, now with a second counter, the Dahlia Workshop; a catering business, Tom Douglas’ Catering and Events; and an event space, Palace Ballroom.

All of his restaurants are located in the downtown Seattle and South Lake Union neighborhood.

Douglas is the author of three cookbooks: Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen (Morrow, 2001), Tom’s Big Dinners (Morrow, 2003) and I Love Crab Cakes (Morrow, 2006), with two more in the works. In addition, Tom’s specialty food line, which includes “Rub with Love” spice rubs plus barbecue and teriyaki sauces, is sold nationwide.

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The grapes are growing in preparation for the fall harvest at Owera Vineyards and the anticipation is building for an evening of celebration at the annual Taste of Cazenovia which will take place under the big tent at Owera Vineyards in Cazenovia on Wednesday, September 21st from 6-9 pm.  For 40 years, the community has supported and embraced the mission and work of the Cazenovia Children’s House.  Cazenovia Children’s House, a not-for-profit charitable organization, proudly provides quality early care and education to the children of Cazenovia and surrounding areas. The Taste of Cazenovia is the largest fundraiser for the Children’s House and all proceeds support programming and tuition assistance for qualifying families with financial need.

 

This year’s Taste is generously hosted by our Valued Partner, Owera Vineyards and Presented by Willowbank Company, L.LC.  Event sponsors: Bryant & Stratton, Dannible & McKee, L.L.P., East Lake Designs - Maggie Borio, Ecologic LLC, Marquardt Switches, Inc., Key Bank, Pelco Component Technologies and GHD; Entertainment Sponsor: The Noisy Boys; Media Sponsors: Eagle Newspapers, Oneida Daily Dispatch, Southern Madison County Living and Table-Hopping Newspapers; Graphic Design Sponsor: bzdesign; Printing Sponsor: Avalon Printing Services.
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As Madison County Buy Local Week continues, it is time for our top of the line chefs to shine.  Six restaurants in the county will be featuring special locally made dishes for your enjoyment.  Here is a rundown of those local menus.  It will be hot, hot, hot this week so let someone else do the cooking for you.
Circa on Albany Street in Cazenovia will feature :

Local Tomato Jam Crostini
with herbed Meadowood bribis and crunchy frenched onions
Heritage Breed Pork Chop
with red currant compote, new potatoes, and green onion flan
Local Blueberry Compote
over Kimberly’s Vanilla Ice Cream with a Ginger Crisp


  The Colgate Inn on Payne Street in Hamilton:

Mosher Farm Sweet Corn Soup BBQ
Meadows Farm Kobe Short Ribs
with Three Onion Potato Hash and Sautéed Swiss Chard
Mosher Farm Berry Tart

The Copper Turret Restaurant and Tavern on West Main Street in Morrisville
Alambria Springs Fresh Farm Salad
with a creamy green garlic dressing
18 hour Short Rib of Beef
over fresh herb pappardelle pasta
Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwich
filled with in-house made cream cheese ice cream
Hunt Country Hunter Red wine

The Hamilton Inn on E. Lake Road in Hamilton
Baked Goat’s Milk Cheese with Garden Lettuces,
Roasted Figs, Pears, and Toasted Almonds
Bacon Wrapped Colby Meatloaf
set on Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
Mixed Berry Mascarpone Napoleon

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern on US Route 20 in Bouckville
Grilled Flatbread
fresh mozzarella, Shiitake mushrooms, arugula
Braised Drover Hill Farm Short Rib
over pickled red onion, crushed new potatoes
Frozen Raspberry Mousse
Fox Run Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Poolville Country Store on Earlville Road in Poolville
Smitty’s Market Farm Field Greens Salad
with “our own” wild blackberry vinaigrette
Pan Grilled Ingallside Meadows Sirloin Steak
with caramelized onion butter or
“Our Own” Herb Brined Pan Grilled Chicken Breast entrée served with roasted root vegetable medley from Common Threads
Homemade Berry Sorbet

Local Producers: Heamour Farm, Fruit of the Fungi, Drover Hill Farm, In-Beetween Farm, Mosher Farms, Alambria Springs, Stone Brook Farm, Gianforte Farm, Fresh Herbs of Fabious, Lively Run Farms, Meadows Farm, Common Thread, Kimberly’s Ice Cream, Smitty’s Market Farm, Ingallside Meadows Farm, Poolville Country Store, Copper Turret
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One of the beautiful things about the internet is I can see how people get to this blog.  One of the most popular keywords lately has centered on the Horned Dorset Restaurant in Leonardsville.  If you don't know, this restaurant is a landmark and one of the best dining experiences I've ever enjoyed.  Unfortunately for aficionados of fine dining in Central New York, the Horned Dorset did not open this spring.  We have received many calls about it and from what we have learned there is hope for a renassiance, but not until next spring.  The owners of the restaurant are busy creating what they are calling an "artist colony" in Leonadsville, anchored by the Horned Dorset.  They tell me that is the focus this summer, and by this time next year we will be back to enjoying the wonderful foods created by their talented chefs.  Until then, we just have to wait.
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A few links to peruse as we enjoy the brand new Central New York Website.  Have a great Wednesday everyone.

It is Canal Fest time in Chittenango (Madison County Courier)
Save 60% on food and drink at Nichols and Beal (syracuse.com deal of the day)
Some people have a hard time grasping the Observer/Contributor category at the Boxing Hall of Fame (Opposing Views)
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What are your plans for Thanksgiving?  The traditional sit down dinner, or maybe head out a restaurant and let them do the cooking, cleaning and entertaining.  If you are picking the latter, may we suggest Zabroso in Oneida for your dining pleasure.  Here is the menu for Thanksgiving dinner.
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Back during the Bouckville Antique Show, a dispute between the owner and operator of the Hamilton Inn forced visitors out of the inn and left them scrambling for a place to stay.  Now the Hamilton Inn on East Lake Road is under new management and that's great news for visitors to the area, brides and lovers of fine dining in Central New York.  The Utica O-D had the following story:

Central New York innkeeper William (Ben) Eberhardt III recently signed a long-term agreement to operate the Hamilton Inn, located on the east side of Lake Moraine, on East Lake Road just outside of Hamilton.
Eberhardt grew up in the innkeeper business in Skaneateles. Over the last 30 years, his father Bill and their family’s company built a network of high quality hospitality venues throughout the Central New York region. Their flagship operation is centrally located at The Sherwood Inn on the north end of Skaneateles Lake.
A combat veteran who left the Army after 14 years of service and an ascent to the rank of major, Eberhardt brought his family and his management company to Hamilton in 2004 to independently lease and operate the Colgate Inn from Colgate University.
Eberhardt explained that with new agreements in place his company will now have operational oversight of both the Hamilton Inn and the Colgate Inn, both located in Madison County but distinctly different in character. His vision for his newly acquired Inn is distinctly different from that of the warmth and vitality of Colgate Inn (owned by the Colgate Inn LLC of which Colgate University is the sole member).
“The Hamilton Inn has an extraordinary reputation that it has earned all on its own. It is a quiet setting outside of the village for a more intimate, private dining experience,” said Eberhardt in a press release last week. “My very logical course of action would be that the Hamilton Inn continues its own pursuit as yet another regionally recognized landmark of first-class food, beverage and hospitality in that venue.”
Eberhardt’s company has had great success over the past six years providing hospitality to the many visitors of the community. He places all credit for these accolades squarely on the leaders within his company and its employees.
“I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by truly great people. They are the entire force behind all our success,” he added.
Additional personnel, as well as the existing Colgate Inn staff, will assist in transitioning the Hamilton Inn into its future role of hospitality and service to the surrounding communities of Hamilton and Madison.
Eberhardt explained that the inn has featured a beautiful setting for exceptional quality dining, comfortable lodging, and an extraordinary weddings venue since 1989. The Inn is currently operating its lodging facilities and Eberhardt anticipates re-opening the restaurant by the third week of October.
The inn will continue to offer a high quality dinner menu, private banquet space and overnight accommodations as well as on and offsite catering, he concluded.
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LEBANON - The Fun Haven Recreation Center, located outside the charming rural landscapes of the hamlet of the Town of Lebanon along Lebanon Road near the intersection of Reservoir Road, has re-opened for business with a planned 7 day a week schedule and a new menu.
    Fun Haven will be serving food including lunch and dinner items, ice cream, live entertainment on Friday and Saturdays for the entire family, regular Flea Markets on Fridays and Saturdays hosting local vendors, an arcade, volley ball, horseshoes, a family focused minature golf course, a banquet room and space for business meetings, a large screen TV and video accessories for meetings or conferences, internet access, after school and summer activities for children, specialized events featuring acoustic, live bands and DJs.
    Dining will be offered outside and inside and there will be game nights, card nights, horseshoes and volley ball nights.
    Fun Haven can be reached to schedule an event or find out more information at (315) 837-4107.
    Fun Haven has long been an historic site of regional dancing and recreation, dating back to the days when the farm family of Frank and Muriel Musician started the dance hall with weekend dances that were quite popular with locals as well as Colgate students, and at one time, the facility had a rope towe and ski hill for winter months as well.
    Fun Haven has had several owners since but Jeff and Elaina Morgan have been operating the facility for the last decade, hosting supervised teen weekend events and offering quality banquet or reception services for residents from a five county region - Madison, Chenango, Onondaga, Cortland, Oneida and Herkimer/Otsego counties at times. Teens would attend from throughout the region to the popular weekend programming.
    The program was so well thought of that Elaina and Jeff were presented an award by the Madison County Mental Health Community Services Board for their work several years ago in helping to prevent teen alcohol and substance abuse by offering this carefully supervised alternative programming that was utilized by children and families from throughout the region.
    Fun Haven has hosted many community programs with a public service focus including the Lebanon Bicentennial Kickoff celebration in February of 2007 and the Lebanon A-Faire, held last summer by the Lebanon Historical Society, heralded as a big success by town officials in bringing the community together.
    Lebanon Supervisor Jim Goldstein promotes the facility as the ideal location for business to have a welcome rural retreat to discuss strategic planning, sees it as a wonderful family focused facility that offers a number of game activities for the entire clan, a great source of entertainment,  and is encouraging all residents of the region to pay the facility a visit and experience the classic, rustic building in the coming weeks and months.
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