ADVENTURES IN THE FINGER LAKES--PART 1

Every October my hubby and I plan a get-away for our anniversary. Most of the time, we take an extended road trip to enjoy the fall foliage. This year, we decided to take the 4-hour drive north to the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Originally, I was eying an expensive pre-organized culinary excursion, which included a wine tour and a chef-run cooking class, but my hubby wanted nothing to do with cooking, so I nixed the idea for my own protection (I always say that I cook in self defense). Instead, after some online research, I put together our own tour that included several interesting bistros and wine tasting stops. Over the course of four days, we managed to visit nineteen (yes, 19) wineries on three wine trails (Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, and Keuka Lake), and eat some great food. This is the first of a four-part blog sharing our adventures.

On our way, we made a stop in Honesdale, PA (near Scranton) to the Alpine Wurst & Meat Haus. For several years we've been searching for a German butcher who can make a good Weisswurst, a mild combination of veal and pork seasoned with chives and lemon (not the same as bockwurst, as many claim). It's one of our favorites, and our customary breakfast upon every arrival at my brother-in-law's house in Munich, not to mention a staple at our Christmas Eve Dinner. I found this place online and we decided to take a quick detour from our route to check it out. We weren't disappointed. From the moment you pull up to the building, which looks like an Alpine chalet, you feel like you're in Germany. The building is a combination of a butchery, where they make their own wurst, a smokehouse, and a restaurant. The wonderful aroma of curing meat greets you as you walk through the door. The weisswurst was fantastic--lean, firm, and just the right amount of greens. We were also thrilled to see they offered Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake), a hard to find German delicacy of sweet yeast dough smothered in thick Baviarian custard with a baked-on crust of caramelized almonds. Eureka! We'll be back in December to stock up (and maybe for their holiday goose dinner).

Vacancies were scarce in the Finger Lakes Region, so we ended up staying near Rochester. We took the scenic route and were able to stop at two vineyards--Americana on Cuyuga Lake and Shalestone on Seneca Lake. Overall, the wines at Americana were average, but the Chardonnay was quite nice--not too oaky and very buttery. Shalestone, a very small (6.5 acre) family-owned vineyard is only open on Fridays in October, and only produces dry red wines, so I was eager to sample their vintages. Surprisingly, my favorite was the Merlot. I'm not a huge Merlot fan, but the 2011 was full-bodied and quite smooth.

After an hour drive and checking into our hotel, we took a short drive to Pittsford, NY to

have dinner at JoJo Wine Bar and Bistro. The previous weekend, I received a recommendation for this restaurant from a long-time vendor of Wegmans (HQ'd in Rochester). It was an excellent recommendation. We decided to sit at the bar to avoid the hour wait to be seated in the packed dining room. After toasting to the official start to our anniversary weekend with some Prosecco, we got down to perusing the menu, which was a combination of small-plates, wood-fired pizzas, and interesting entrees. We started with the tuna tartare crispy wontons and shared a chorizo wood-fired pizza, which was made in a large oven behind the long, winding bar. As you would expect, JoJo's also has an extensive wine list full of great international selections.

After dinner it was back to the hotel for a good night's rest in preparation for the weekend's busy schedule.

Part 2 of Adventures in the Finger Lakes detailing our Seneca Lake Wine Trail experience will follow shortly.

#germanfood #wine #fingerlakes