The last Sunday of the year is an opportune time to reflect on some exciting eating experiences of 2007.
Welcome to the recap of the top 10 restaurants that we reviewed this past year.
It's refreshing to know that all but one are solely owned one-of-a-kind establishments.
Only two received top honors of five forks — "fabulous-don't miss it" — Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge and Eat 'n Meet, both within 10 miles of each other in the Adirondacks.
Bubbling just below, at 4 1/2 forks, four being "excellent," was Ives Hill Country Club in Watertown and La Cena in Fayetteville, just east of Syracuse.
The rest received four forks.
Here are my picks for the top 10 restaurants we've reviewed this year, in order of preference. Some menus may have changed since we visited, so be sure to check Web sites or call ahead if there's something you're particularly interested in.
If you're interested in reading the original reviews in their entirety, they're accessible at WDT Plus on the Watertown Daily Times Web site, www.watertowndailytimes.com. Click on Food for Thought and scroll to the bottom of the current review.
#1
HOHMEYER'S LAKE CLEAR LODGE
6319 ROUTE 30
LAKE CLEAR
1 (518) 891-1489
Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge is a gem of a place in the Adirondacks tucked away in the woods between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid.
The lodge is the family home of Ernest and Cathy Hohmeyer and their three children. It's cozy as can be, from the fireplace warming the reception area to the hand-hewn wooden beams and vintage wooden tables throughout the dining room.
There's only one seating each evening, limited to approximately 50 guests.
Cathy does the cooking and Ernest does the schmoozing.
Your evening begins in Ernest's domain, the basement-level "wein and bier keller." Relax in the plush couches, look over the menu — good, hearty choices that combine old world recipes with traditional Adirondack preparations.
Appetizers include a sampler of sausages — grilled German brats and a spicy Andouille, handmade potato pierogies filled with potato, bacon and seasonings, and herring "cooked" in a Riesling wine sauce and served chilled over fresh greens.
The chef's soup, a marvelous mixture of chicken, vegetables, barley and herbs and spices in a brownish poultry stock, is one of the special Hohmeyer recipes passed down through the generations.
Indulge in Adirondack hunter's stroganoff made with local beef and port, crisp roast duckling (another family recipe), smoked Cornish game hen from their smoker out back, hand-cut bone-in roast pork loin, hand-pounded chicken schnitzel, and of course, sauerbraten, marinated for 72 hours.
Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge is a true old world experience — fine food and gracious hospitality in a century-old lodge in the heart of the Adirondacks
#2
EAT 'N MEET GRILL AND LARDER
139 BROADWAY
SARANAC LAKE
1 (518) 891-3149
Eat 'n Meet Grill and Larder opened a little over a year ago, but it looks like it's been there forever.
There are only three small tables that take up half the place, so if you plan to eat in, you'd better get there early. They share the space with a good-sized, well-equipped open kitchen.
Proprietor John Vargo is the magic, an accomplished chef who migrated north from the Hudson Valley.
Everything is homemade, and I mean really homemade. The menu is as interesting and diverse as the place, with pierogies, pork schnitzel, linguine and clams, Jamaican curried goat, oyster stew, po' boys (fried fish on baguette), slow-grilled skewers of chicken, pork, beef, lamb or shrimp, gyros, fresh fish, homemade sausage and the most unbelievable corned beef brisket, brined and smoked right there.
Sides are equally eclectic, with fresh cut onion rings, Southern fried okra, sweet potato fries, plantain dumplings, mac and cheese, hush puppies, jalapeno cornbread and potato pancakes.
Desserts? Key lime pie ("kinda, but better" says the menu), celebrated French chef Joel Robuchon's chocolate tart, warm bread pudding with rum and raisins, caramel flan and warm apple pie, the best we've had in a long time.
Eat 'n Meet Grill and Larder is a culinary happening that needs to be experienced.
#3
IVES HILL COUNTRY CLUB
435 FLOWER AVE. W.
WATERTOWN
782-1771
The good old days are back at Ives Hill Country Club in Watertown.
The clubhouse has been totally renovated, the lounge is separate from the dining area, and best of all — it's open year-round to the public.
Watertown native Geoff Puccia's menu is simple yet subtly sophisticated, with a twist of Italian. A half-dozen appetizers and barely a dozen entrees allow the kitchen to prepare and present dishes that not only look great, but are flavorful and imaginative.
Bruschetta's done right, using fresh Roma tomatoes, olive oil and basil, served on hard-crusted ciabatta rolls. Geoff's caprese is especially inventive — thick rounds of tomato topped with similar-sized slices of mozzarella and chiffonade of fresh basil, served over a bed of pesto and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.
Bacon-wrapped scallops are finished with wild honey, mussels are perfectly steamed in white wine, five-spiced calamari is served with a fresh tomato dipping sauce.
For entrees, fettuccini con salcicia bows to Geoff's Italian heritage with his house-made sweet sausage in creamy Alfredo sauce. His veal Parmesan is lightly breaded, topped with tomato sauce and melted provolone.
Blackened honey salmon is lightly rubbed with Cajun seasoning and caramelized honey, broiled and served over a bed of lemon spinach. There's a good selection of top-quality prime steaks on the menu, too.
A specialty of the house is Utica greens, a slightly spicy vegetable sauté made with wilted escarole, cherry peppers, prosciutto, olive oil, Parmesan and bread crumbs.
If you haven't been to Ives Hill Country Club yet, be sure to give it a try.
#4
LA CENA
105 E. GENESEE ST.
FAYETTEVILLE
637-3388
Great atmosphere. Very cozy and warm. Small and intimate. Candles on the walls and tables. Moroccan-influenced décor. Excellent food. Generous portions. Good beer and wine selection.
That sums up La Cena, the Mexican/Spanish/"Creative Latin" restaurant tucked away in the back of a house in Fayetteville.
Its one-page menu has great variety, with ginger-curry mussels, crispy shrimp, tostadas and quesadillas, homemade soups, trendy salads like beet, pecan and pear, paella, chicken mole, crispy catfish, spicy pasta and enchiladas.
Mussels were fabulous — lots of them in a sauce of fish stock, sweet curry, subtle ginger, chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro. Crispy shrimp were lightly dusted with a mildly spiced flour and deep-fried, paired with citrus jalapeno mayo.
La Sopa (The Soup) is homemade and changes frequently. The cream of mushroom was as good as it gets, made with hearty, meaty crimini mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in butter, then incorporated into a thick, real cream stock.
We were equally impressed with the beet, pecan and pear salad with Maytag blue cheese and mustard cider dressing.
Paella de mariscos is a traditional Spanish dish loaded with shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and spicy sausage slow-cooked in saffron rice with snap peas and chunks of sweet red pepper. A half chicken was served in a complex mole sauce with hints of raisin, cinnamon and clove.
Crispy catfish is deep-fried and served with chipotle mayonnaise, corn on the cob, black beans and cabbage slaw. Spicy pasta with grilled chicken was buttery and cheesy, served over penne.
Save room for dessert, because they're excellent — Grand Marnier chocolate mousse, vanilla crème brulée, angel food cake with mango sauce and strawberries, and flourless Kahlua torte.
If you've got an adventurous palate, La Cena will be right up your alley. It's a little difficult to find, but will be well worth the effort.
#5
DUCCI'S
993 STATE HIGHWAY 11C
BRASHER FALLS
389-4060
Ducci's was a total surprise when we visited in June — upscale dining in a diner setting in a small town in St. Lawrence County.
The food is prepared by enthusiastic 24-year-old chef/proprietor Kyle "Ducci" Vesper, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology's culinary program.
He's back in his hometown now, cooking with a flair for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
His dinner menu offers familiar favorites like meat loaf, mac and cheese and prime rib, alongside more hip dishes like pecan-crusted tilapia, roasted Southwestern pork loin and pan-seared Applewood bacon-wrapped salmon.
Our evening began with a phenomenal sweet potato bisque, thickened with its own starch and a little heavy cream. Ducci's chicken strips and coconut shrimp were hand-breaded, moist on the inside with a superior crunch from the breading. Bruschetta was excellent, spread with basil pesto, layered with fresh marinated tomatoes and topped with Parmesan cheese.
Salads were great, with lots of field greens, julienned carrots, seeded and diced fresh tomatoes plus cucumber cut on the bias.
Pan-seared pecan-crusted tilapia was done up right, partnered with a wild rice blend and a citrus butter cream sauce.
The flank cut of Black Angus beef comes from Pat Kilcoyne's farm about a mile away. It's marinated, grilled, sliced and draped over shallot mashed potatoes, finished with ginger demi-glace.
The grilled veggie stack — a pile of grilled portobello mushrooms, zucchini and roasted red pepper — was drizzled with shaved Gruyere cheese.
Hunter-style chicken breasts were sautéed with tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and spinach, then tossed with a sherry brown sauce and served over Ducci's fresh-made linguine.
Desserts are made locally. Particularly outstanding were the cannolis, made in-house by Ducci's uncle.
Ducci's still has a diner look inside and out. But there's some magic happening in the kitchen that's been turning some heads.
#6
RIVER VALLEY INN
6670 BURDICKS CROSSING ROAD
(CR 36 TOWARD GREIG)
LYONS FALLS
348-4480
What Ducci's is to St. Lawrence County, River Valley Inn is to Lewis County.
River Valley Inn looks like just another country bar from the outside. It looks like a country bar on the inside, too, with its big, bright, open dining room.
The menu, however, is far from country bar: potato-crusted salmon with strawberry glaze. Lollipop pork chop with sweet honey caramelized apples. Chicken with peaches and pecans in a Tennessee whiskey demi-glace.
Andrew and Megan Zuccaro opened River Valley Inn last summer. Megan is the hostess and bartender. Andrew is the chef, with credentials from major resorts up and down the East Coast.
Being a north country native, he has designed his menu with the north country in mind. Chicken wings plain and simple with blue cheese and celery sticks. Classic Caesar salad, but with a twist: a hint of white anchovy. Traditional prime rib, just a little different: slow smoked for five hours.
For appetizers, loaded nachos was a colorful, impressive presentation. Steamed clams were served in a white wine and garlic butter sauce with just a touch of marinara. Artichoke and spinach dip is like you've never had before — chopped artichokes and spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella, served bubbly hot.
The New England clam chowder was thick and rich and creamy and clammy. French onion soup was the best we'd had in a long time — caramelized Vidalia onions in an excellent, flavorful, beefy stock.
Chicken riggies — rigatoni pasta and chunks of grilled chicken in a spicy tomato/cream sauce — was done just right. A 10-ounce lollipop pork chop was frenched, grilled and topped with caramelized apples, honey and a hint of bourbon. Tilapia is baked with a spinach and artichoke stuffing, then drizzled with a lemon beurre blanc.
River Valley Inn is in the sticks, but we north country foodies are used to driving for something that's a cut above.
#7
TEXAS ROADHOUSE
20790 ROUTE 3
(ARSENAL STREET IN FRONT OF LOWE'S)
WATERTOWN
785-1946
If you're a meat and potatoes person, there's a new chain restaurant in Watertown for you.
It's Texas Roadhouse, on outer Arsenal Street. From hearty steaks to succulent ribs to chicken specialties and thick, juicy pork chops, this is the kind of place that would make a vegetarian shudder.
It's a loud, fun, down-home type of place with a hip, young, well-trained staff, all dressed in jeans and flannel shirts. Barrels of peanuts and peanut shells all over the floor add to the ambiance.
Appetizers include chicken "critters," (white meat tenderloin strips), rattlesnake bites (gooey-good deep-fried balls of diced jalapenos and jack cheese), and tater skins, loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon and sour cream.
Juicy steaks are the centerpieces of this place. Sirloins come in four cuts. Ribeyes are available in three sizes as are New York strips. Prime rib is available in 10, 12 or 16-ounce portions.
You can even order "road kill," a 10-ounce chopped steak with onions, mushrooms and jack cheese.
Barbecued ribs were fantastic. The meat was falling off the bones, somehow crisped on the outside with cooked-down barbecue sauce and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside.
Grilled, boneless pork chop was simply seasoned and grilled till just a trace of pink remained in the center, leaving it tender and juicy.
As we were leaving, about 10 waitresses broke into a line dance to "Achy Breaky Heart" right in the middle aisle of the restaurant.
I'm generally not a fan of chain restaurants, but I'll be going back to Texas Roadhouse, for the food and the entertainment.
#8
CAVALLARIO'S CUCINA
133 N. MASSEY ST.
WATERTOWN
788-9744
LUCIA'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
11613 ROUTE 11
ADAMS
232-2223
There's a two-way tie for eighth place, a veteran Italian restaurant and a newcomer.
Cavallario's Cucina has been around for over a decade, serving upscale Italian food. The restaurant has an elegant feel to it. It looks formal but feels casual.
If you want to stick to traditional Italian dishes, there's eggplant, chicken or veal Parmesan, chicken or veal saltimbocca, plus familiar pasta dishes like lasagna, manicotti and baked ziti.
But get a little adventurous and consider stuffed rigatoni pomodoro, citrus-glazed salmon or beef braciole, lobster ravioli al verde or shrimp scampi with roasted peppers, artichoke hearts and kalamata olives tossed with angel hair pasta in a garlic sherry wine sauce.
For appetizers, try "pepper shooters," cherry peppers filled with provolone, ham and prosciutto. Hot seafood antipasti incorporates jumbo shrimp and sea scallops sautéed with artichokes and roasted peppers in a garlicky wine sauce.
Cavallario's version of bruschetta is "pomodora bread," crisp focaccia flatbread topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and mozzarella. Seafood cakes are made with crab meat and scallops, a nice variation on an old theme.
Scallops Italia was a beautiful entrée, sea scallops sautéed with sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic and lemon in a Romano cheese/sherry cream sauce, served over a bed of fresh fettuccini.
Eggplant Parmesan is hand breaded and layered with ricotta, Asiago and provolone, baked and served over fettuccini.
Spinach tortellini was a generous portion of "little hat" pasta filled with creamed spinach and sautéed with chunks of tender chicken, roasted red peppers and baby spinach in a rich Asiago cream sauce.
Cavallario's offers lunch too, with signature salads, gourmet burgers, deli sandwiches and homemade soups.
Lucia's Italian Restaurant on Route 11 between Adams and Adams Center opened earlier this year.
The menu includes shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta, shrimp and penne with pink vodka sauce, cedar plank salmon, and hand-cut steaks; Parmesan preparations of chicken, eggplant, veal and haddock, Marsala preparations of chicken and veal, piccata preparations of veal, chicken, salmon and haddock.
For appetizers, we sampled clams casino, fried pickle spears, crab cakes and pan-fried calamari.
The clams casino were more like stuffed clams, topped with a cheesy cracker crumb stuffing. Fried pickle spears were pretty straightforward, lightly breaded and deep-fried.
Crab cakes contained a decent amount of crab meat with a good amount of mayonnaise holding it together. Calamari was exceptional, lightly breaded and pan-fried in olive oil with sliced cherry peppers, fresh basil and garlic.
Shrimp and penne with pink vodka sauce incorporates butter, cream, tomato sauce, cheese and, yes, vodka. Tortellini carbonara was a large portion with a classic sauce made of prosciutto, peas, garlic, lots of cream and egg yolk to thicken.
We were impressed with veal Marsala, a tender piece of veal sautéed with olive oil, Marsala wine and chicken stock, producing a dark, flavorful sauce. Salmon piccata was another excellent preparation. The lemon-caper sauce worked very well with the fish.
The restaurant was just weeks old when we visited, and we were very impressed.
#9
FIRST NATIONAL BEEF & BREW
108 COURT ST.
WATERTOWN
755-BEEF (2333)
Here's a new restaurant in downtown Watertown that sounds like a chain but isn't.
First National Beef & Brew has no waiters or waitresses. It's a new concept designed to keep payroll costs down and menu prices in check.
The menu is simple and to the point — upscale pub food, with classic deli sandwiches, trendy panini sandwiches, homemade soups, a good variety of salads, and a western New York favorite, "beef on weck."
Deli-style corned beef Reubens with sauerkraut, swiss and Thousand Island dressing are on the menu, plus the hot version they call The Wall Street Beef, served on deli rye with a side of mustard.
What's this beef on weck thing? It's a staple of Buffalo bars and taverns: a roast beef sandwich on a kummelweck roll — a kaiser roll topped with lots of pretzel salt and caraway seeds. Kummelweck is simply shortened to "weck."
The amazing house soup, English beef tea and onion, reminded us of beef au jus.
Crab bisque was equally amazing, rich and creamy with lots of real crab meat. Roasted red pepper soup was also excellent.
For salads, you can get traditional tossed, classic Caesar, or Caesar with chicken, beef or ham, or the one we chose, Mediterranean mix, their version of an antipasto with roasted red peppers, red onion, shredded Parm, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing.
Here are a few examples of their paninis. The Chase Manhattan, with crab cakes, Havarti cheese and roasted peppers. The J.P. Morgan, with Genoa salami, cappicola, red peppers, mozzarella, romaine and herbed mayo. Veggie Medley, with breaded eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, red onion and roasted red pepper sauce.
The prime rib was a big, 16-ounce slab of juicy, red medium-rare cow on a plate.
Comments around the table: "Nicely seasoned." "You could cut it with a butter knife." "Best prime rib I've had in a long time."
You know how sometimes you just want a taste of something sweet for dessert, not necessarily a plateful? Beef & Brew has "sugashooters," an oversized shot glass filled with two or three spoonfuls of sweet stuff — and for only a dollar.
#10
WISE GUYS PIZZA & PASTA
12113 ROUTE 12E (MAIN STREET)
CHAUMONT
649-5200
Every little town in Northern New York has its own little pizza place.
But Chaumont has something really special: Wise Guys Pizza & Pasta.
It's a welcoming, nonglitzy family spot on Main Street with lots of highlights — the minestrone, the garlic knots, the antipasto salad, the pizza dough, the pizza toppings, the pasta dishes, the special fried dough dessert.
Homemade garlic knots were, in a word, fantastic. It's all about their excellent homemade dough. These light and airy morsels were tied in the shape of little knots, dusted with some kind of magic and set over an amazing garlic sauce.
The only soup on the menu, minestrone, is a bold and full-flavored Italian vegetable soup loaded with tomatoes, spinach and pasta in an herb-laden garlic chicken stock with a sprinkling of Parm.
The antipasto was plenty for four: romaine lettuce with salami, ham, provolone, olives, tomato, onion, artichokes and pepperoncini.
The pizza was great. Once again, the homemade dough made the difference. The crust was thin, fresh and flavorful.
There are 16 toppings available, including seven meat and six fresh veggie choices. We tried chicken, broccoli, pepperoni, portobello mushrooms, black forest ham and cheese, all outstanding.
For Italian pasta dishes there are only four, so we got to try each.
Cappellini with sausage was a generous portion of pasta drenched with their hearty, long-simmered tomato sauce. I'm pretty fussy about sausage, and these were as good as they get.
Rigatoncini with meatballs was equally good. The meatballs were definitely homemade with careful use of herbs and spices, just like the sauce.
Chicken Parmesan was good; the chicken was thin and crispy.
Jumbo ricotta-filled ravioli were served perfectly al dente, just like the pasta in the other dishes.
We enjoyed a dessert special crafted from pizza dough into a heavenly version of fried dough. The dough was rolled out, buttered, sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon and raisins, then rolled up, fried and sugar-glazed.
We recommend a trip to Chaumont to experience the Williams family's extraordinary food and hometown hospitality.
