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Southern Tier Life // ISSUE 003
by Bob Thomas “Life is better at the Lake” or so the saying goes. I prefer dry land, so for me, life is better around the lake. For those of us lucky enough to live in the Southern Tier, we have the Finger Lakes, and life is good. Do yourself a favor and try to take one weekend day per month to visit one of the Finger Lakes. Hike. Bike. Boat. Swim. Just explore. Taste the food, the wine, the craft beer and the cocktails. Before you know it, you will be taking a weekend, then a week. My wife Marisa and I traveled west on I-86 and eight miles north on State Route 54 to Keuka Lake, landing at The Restaurant at the Park Inn for this month’s edition of Chef ’s Best.
www.parkinnflx.com lodging. She assisted with the reservation at the Restaurant and gave great recommendations on places to go along Keuka Lake. “I highly recommend visiting our winery for a tasting prior to dining,” Wright said. And so we did. The Point of the Bluff Vineyards offers wine and cheese as well as wine and chocolate tasting pairings. This is where it pays to have a partner in crime. My wife Marisa chose the
Yes, a restaurant and an inn. Count us in. Dinner turned into a day trip with an overnight at a charming five-room inn right in the center of town. Before visiting I had a great exchange with Katrina Wright, marketing manager for Point of the Bluff Group. The Park Inn is part of their portfolio, along with Point of the Bluff Vineyards, Crooked Lake Ice Cream and the Glenn Scott Farm. Talk about a dream job, wine, ice cream, food and
Photograph by. Lyndsi Stoltzfus Photography
cheese and I took the chocolate. We shared tastings and had the best of both worlds. “A couple of my personal favorite spots are Krooked Tusker Distillery and Keuka Brewing, both of which are just seconds down the road from our tasting room,” Wright said, pointing out a couple of other spots along the way. With exploring behind us we were ready for another “Chef ’s Best” adventure. Once at The Restaurant at the Park
