central new york tourism (2 of 2)

Good morning beautifuls, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I dressed up as a Jack O'Lantern last night and drank a tad too much celebratory Ithaca beer. I hope you were able to celebrate and enjoy yourself :). Today shall be a productive work day and tonight, I'm going to be the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree, letters and all. But let's not get carried away with plans, I haven't finished telling you about the weekend with my Mom...

Upon leaving Skaneateles we stopped at a liquor store to buy a bottle of local wine and sample a few whites. There were only two open bottles, both exquisite. Still, we made sure to clean our palate's in between with the most wonderful pieces of toast with a goat cheese and eggplant tapenade.

The sky had become cloudy again by this time so we went on our way to dinner. Problem was, we weren't sure where exactly we were going, and instead ended up looking for halloween costumes.

That didn't last long though, there wasn't much selection and I was worried that if we got to the restaurant too late that they wouldn't be able to seat us. I hadn't made a reservation. Problem is, we were still lost, so my Mom and I stopped in this adorable knick-knack store to see if they knew how to get there.

The storekeeper had no idea, so we thanked him and looked around to kill another half an hour. Little did we know that he had gone to the back, looked up our destination on Google, and printed it out for us. Ah, the kindness of strangers. Both of us were so surprised when he brought it out to us.

Once we hit the corn fields we knew we were getting close :) our dinner destination was Elderberry Pond Farm. You may remember the boy and I going last semester?

My mom and I were the first ones to discover it and since then, have told the world. After having a mono-like virus sophomore year for about two weeks she came up to make sure I was alright, and I had my first real meal here. It was and is, absolutely spectacular, an evolving menu with the freshest ingredients.

To begin I had a bowl of the butternut squash soup with crème fraîche and my mom enjoyed the same in a cup. As you can see, it was beautiful, and please believe me when I tell you it was equally as delicious.

Are you my mother? Lucky me :).

For some odd reason my appetite was off and I just ordered an appetizer. I had their signature crab cakes on a bed of fresh greens and homemade roasted red peppers. 'Twas delightful.

My momma, however, was quite hungry so she ordered a full meal. I'll have you know that when our meal was served, she turned to me and literally said, "ha-ha, I got squash." because I had just finished telling her how much I loved it. Too funny. There were also roasted mashed red potatoes and grilled halibut... don't worry I helped her eat it, she let me ;).

To end our wonderful meal we each ordered a small pot of tea, mint for me, and split dessert. My mom and I had one of the dessert specials of the day, an apple pear crumble a la mode. Mmmm.

I don't like the "all in moderation" phrase. I think that there are certain things one shouldn't eat, and I know that there are particular things I don't eat, but I do think that a well-deserved homemade treat is worth it every once and while. The sweet ending, delightful beginning, and lovely company made for one of my favorite meals to date.

As I've said in the past, I highly recommend this restaurant, it never fails to provide a memorable and tasty experience. Now it is back to that to-do list, wow-e. Whatever you do for the rest of your day and night, have a fun, safe, and happy one. Take care!