Thirsty Owl WInery, Finger Lakes region, NY

Thirsty Owl Winery
6799 Elm Beech Road
Ovid, NY
www.thirstyowl.com

The Finger Lakes is the largest wine-producing region in New York state.  More than a hundred wineries dot the perimeters of the lakes in this area because of the unique microclimate created by the lakes, which is perfect for growing certain types of grapes.  There are wine trails you can follow that leads from one winery to the next (the Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka Wine Trails).   Because we only had a few hours left to linger before heading home, we decided to try one winery by Cayuga Lake and one by Seneca Lake.

We picked Thirsty Owl by pure happenstance, because it was just set so gorgeously next to Cayuga Lake.

It was unbelievable how picture-perfect the Finger Lakes was that weekend, while it was raining buckets back home.   In the foreground of the picture are some of the (new) vines at Thirsty Owl. 

Thirsty Owl.  In the back of the building is a smart bistro that overlooks the lake.  I'm sure it's really relaxing to have lunch here on a fine summer day. 

One awesome thing about the Finger Lakes wineries  is that wine tastings are rather nominal.  Here at Thirsty Owl, I believe that we paid a couple of bucks each to try about five or six of their wines, which was credited to our final purchase.

DJKung about to try out some Thirsty Owl.

At the end, we decided that their white wines were much easier to drink.  We got two bottles of their 2008 Vidal Blanc.  This was on the dry side, with a light mango/peach bouquet, and super easy to drink.  Very fairly priced too!

Connie's Diner, Finger Lakes region, NY

Connie's Diner
Waterloo, NY

So on our way home the next day, we decided to hit a few wineries, and perhaps a farmer's market for some fresh veggies to bring home.  We stopped by Connie's Diner to fuel up for the long day ahead. 

Connie's Diner, unlike its New Jersey brethren with their strong Greek prescence, is owned and run by an Italian family, and has been open for quite some time.   We recalled that even Emile's was an Italian restaurant, and we had passed quite a lot of pizzerias here in upstate New York.  We're quite curious as to how one ethnic group, and not another, had made inroads into the Finger Lakes back then, to seemingly dominate the local restaurant industry. 

Connie's was bustling that Sunday. We were lucky to snag a booth by the window, well within sight of the furs who were waiting in the car. We liked the old-school, authentic feel of the diner, with its blue-and-orange vinyl upholstery and jukeboxes on the table.



The verdict: hearty good diner food!

DJKung got the steak and eggs.

I got eggs with potatoes, and sausage for the furs.

Emile's Restaurant (Finger Lakes region, NY)

Emile's Restaurant
369 Routes 5 and 20 Westbound
Geneva, NY 14456

Besides the pizza we had en route to Geneva, we had not eaten all day.  Deciding what to have for dinner was a tricky affair, given that we could not leave the doggies in the hotel room (a definite no-no according to the front desk), nor were we cold-hearted enough to leave them in the car.  Thus, we opted for take-away.

Emile's Restaurant was definitely the happenin' spot of the area.  It is an Italian-American joint, with the usual pasta and meat entrees.  A lot of locals come for good fillin' food, and great local wines by the glass.  It was really nice to see a wine list that showcases local wines.   DJKung had a pint of Ithaca Pale Ale, which was remarkably smooth.  I had a glass of the house red. 

This picture was taken the day after. Emile's is only open for dinner, and it was rockin' the night we were there.

Thinking that we were just ordering takeout, we neglected to bring the camera.  Thus, we were unprepared to take pictures of their gorgeous salad bar, which is a self-serve bar with salad greens, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and bean salad.  We were taken aback when handed two styrofoam take-out containers and told to help ourselves at the salad bar.  I really took advantage of their all-you-can-eat policy!

DJKung ordered pork shops, which were two generous portions that came with a side of applesauce.  The chops were meaty and moist and the furs really liked it.  I got the linguine alfredo, which me and the furs had the next day because we got filled up from the salad. 

Best of all, the prices were really reasonable, considering the portions of the food that we got. We all slept with full bellies that evening.

Fall getaway at the Finger Lakes

Finger Lakes region, New York

It was perhaps about two weeks ago when we decided that we were due for a little UFC getaway.  DJKung has raved about how gorgeous the Finger Lakes region is.  I was a bit undecided about going, especially since I wanted all the furs with us, and there weren't a lot of pet-friendly accomodations available on short notice, being the weekend and all.  But we decided to brave it, despite the rainy forecast, and it was well worth it. 

The drive took about five hours and yes, we did suffer some mishaps along the way.  We had a poop incident in the car (none of the furs admitted to it), requiring an emergency stop to mitigate the damage.  We also had a bit of a tiff regarding driving (I wanted to drive, but DJKung wanted to keep driving).  Despite this, it was a relaxing drive through the Pennsylvania countryside, lots of farms and barns and animals to gawk at. We stoped by the visitor info at the border (route 81 north?), where we stocked up on maps and brochures. 

We made a pit stop at Avicolli's pizza in Seneca Falls for a quick slice (nice thin pizza, but maybe too thin, because the slices were falling apart) and drove up route 96 north, which is on the western border of Cayuga Lake.  This was not a very scenic path and we missed most of the local attactions on Cayuga Lake.    From 96 North, we went west on Route 20 and passed by Seneca Falls and Waterloo. 

Let me sidetrack a bit and elaborate a bit about the Finger Lakes.  Yes, they do look like long skinny fingers, protruding from the humonguous Lake Ontario, up to the north.   I am sure I've read somewhere that these lakes were formed a gajillion years ago as the glaciers that covered the continent started to melt and shrink post-Ice Age.

So, on our drive by the little towns by the lakes,our impression was that these places are really vibrant and active during the summer season, but unfortunately, they shut down and close shop for the winter.  Overall, it was rather too quiet for us.  The only downtown that seemed relatively bustling was in Geneva, where it seemed like there were a handful of people out (mind you, this is at 5 pm on a Saturday).  I am sure that there are those who'd love a quiet country getaway, and I guess that the end of fall is the best time to go if that is your preference. 

I wondered if this windmill is purely decorative.

We then proceeded towards Penn Yan, which is by Keuka Lake.  I wanted to see if we could catch the farmer's market/flea market that day, but we were simply too late.  We also did not have much luck with the hotels in the area.  The Ramada Inn by the northern end of Seneca Lake looked rather nice, and more importantly was pet-friendly.   We were able to snag the last room available (there was a wedding reception at the time), woo-hoo!

The best part about the hotel was that it was right on Seneca Lake.  It was awesome waking up in the morning and having a brisk walk with the furs right on the lake!!!

This was the best family picture we could come up with.  This was taken on the banks of Seneca Lake.  That tiny white speck in the distance was our hotel.   This park alongside the lake is perhaps three miles long and hugs the side of the lake.  There are piers and boat launches aplenty, and lots of park benches.  It's really pretty, and we can see this park getting a lot of action during the summer. 

You can learn quite a bit from reading the little factoid posts along the park: Seneca Lake is the second largest lake (next only to Cayuga Lake, which sits to its right).  It's about 35 miles long, and 3.5 miles at its widest.  This lake I thing the second deepest body of water in the US,  about 300 feet deep, and was used for sonar exercises around WWII.  Also, Seneca Lake is the lake trout fishing capital of the world, where tournaments are held yearly. 

The water was really clean and clear.  Babams just jumped right in and wanted to swim far out!!!  Alas, this is a leash-only park.  Don't worry, we'll be back again very soon, hopefully at a campground close to the water!!!

P.S.: We have quite a bunch of literature on the Finger Lakes region, which we found a lot more helpful than the stuff we found online.  UFC is glad to lend them out for free... just drop us a note in the comments section!

Slurp up some soba at Sobaya

Sobaya
229 East 9th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-6966
www.sobaya-nyc.com


Sobaya is one of the places that we've been going to for quite some time, but we've never gotten around to mentioning it here.  Pretty much all of our out-of-town relatives love this little gem in the lower east side. This restaurant is small, simple, and yet quite transporting.  The decor is very soothing, and I especially like the netsuke collection (little carved ivory and wood knicknacks) on display as soon as you walk in.  If you're lucky, you can catch a glimpse of soba noodles being made in-house!

Matsutake mushrooms (red pine mushrooms improted from Japan) were a special on the night we went.  These were a bit pricey but we were game to try it, so we got the cheapest matsutake on the menu.



                             

Matsutake tempura. The mushroom had a sweet, creamy and delicate flavor to it.

I have not had this in a long time.  This is chawanmushi, a light warm custard made from fish broth and egg, with a bit of veggies thrown in.  It is a bit strange the first time, since we usually equate custard with something sweet and dessert-like, but it is quite good.

Of course, Sobaya specializes in soba noodles prepared different ways.  Their soups are quite hearty and filling, perfect for the nippy fall weather.

Tanuki soba.  This is a simple soup with soba noodles, broth, a fish cake and "fried batter flakes," or the crunchy stuff that you see on a piece of tempura.  This was hearty and very filling.

DJKung got his fave, zaru soba.  He was rather upset that he did not get the hot soba broth at the end of the meal, but it might be because it was almost closing time.

If you are adventurous, check out the automated toilets (I think only the women's restroom has it).  It's exactly like the ones you see in the posh Tokyo department stores!!!

More BBQ at Bloomfield Avenue Barbeque

Bloomfield Avenue Barbeque
391 Bloomfield Avenue
Newark, NJ 07107
(973) 268-5415

After our AC excursion, we finally made it back to north Jersey.  DJKung admitted that he suffered a bit of seafood overload over the weekend.  He wanted to go to Bloomfield Avenue Barbeque, which his mechanic friend tipped him off to, for his meat fix. 

They do a serious bbq business here at Bloomfield Ave BBQ, with a big grill in the front that had a pretty constant stream of take-out orders.  The menu is pretty straightforward, with mostly chicken, beef and pork bbq, churrasqueria-style.

Shrimp in garlic sauce. This is a classic spanish tapas-type of dish, usually baked in a small clay pan.

Despite the tiny size of the shrimp, they were flavorful and very garlicky.  The sauce went really well with the rice.

DJKung and his dad got the half ribs with french fries and yellow rice. 

The meaty ribs are marinated and barbequed with a good char. The fries and rice, on the other hand, were just so-so.  I noticed that DJKung did not really use the mild-tasting barbeque sauce for the meat.

The meal did not seem complete without a side of black bean stew.  It was pretty tasty, with a nice hunk of pork (unsmoked), and went well with the rice.

Overall, this was a solid, hearty, rib-stickin' meal.  It's a great place if you're really hungy, as the portions are quite massive.  The menu did not have a lot to offer for vegetarians, though--- this is strictly a meat joint. 

Wine festival at Valenzano Winery

Valenzano Winery
1320 Old Indian Mills Road
Shamong, NJ 08088
(609) 268-6731

We read about this festival in our local paper.  Valenzano throws the biggest wine festival in these parts, and it fit in perfectly with our AC trip. 

Valenzano is a relatively new family-run winery established in 1990.  Since then, their vineyards have grown from three acres to 84.  The vines here are typical for the region, and seemed almost identical to the grapes grown at the other winery we visited.  Did you know that Vineland, NJ (in the vicinity) and therabouts used to grow a heckuva lot of grapes back then for at least one big grape juice company?
By the time we arrived, there were already many people streaming in, with coolers, picnic baskets, blankets,chairs, and even their furs!!! The lucky ones had private tents reserved for the event and had trays of food.  The weather was all that you could ask for--- blue skies, perfect temps and low humidity.  The turnout was really good.

For a $10 entry fee (kids free), you get a wine glass for tasting Valenzano's wines (white, red and fruit wines---17 in all!).  The wines are mostly sweet,fruity and kinda bubblegum-y.

Valenzano's selection included several fruity reds and whites.  Fruit wines were also represented.  I rather fancied the white cranberry wine, which had a very nice zingy flavor.

DJKung's dad got a bottle of "Dangerous Red," a syrupy fruit punch-flavored rose.

Here's another tasting station.

Besides the wines, they had two stages with live music (cover songs and jazz), a big tent for arts and crafts merchandise, games for the kids, pony rides, and even helicopter rides!  Plenty of food stalls too, even deep-fried oreos!!!  

Besides all that, it was just lovely walking around and admiring their landscaped grounds and plantings.

Classic car show.  DJKung's dad even saw a car exactly like the first car he drove, and he got a real kick out of it.

And of course, the grapes.

This event comes only once a year, and people really come out for this.  By the time we left, perhaps around 1pm or 2pm, there was a long line to get in, and a lot of cars parked on the grass on the side of the street.  Definitely a good idea to come early.