The best of 2009

It's 2010. Out with the old, in with the new. Well, maybe not so quickly. I enjoy looking back over the restaurant reviews I've done throughout the past year. In 2009, we visited two restaurants that garnered the coveted "five fork" designation, meaning fabulous; two four-forkers, excellent, and three that rated between excellent and fabulous, receiving 41/2 forks.

OK, we're done with the math. Now here's your chance to relive with me the memories of some great dining experiences. Sure, 2009 may be history, but you'll be able to make a New Year's resolution today to visit these fine dining establishments sometime in 2010.

THE INTERLAKEN INN
29 INTERLAKEN AVE.
LAKE PLACID, NY
1 (518) 523-3180
WWW.THEINTERLAKENINN.COM

The Interlaken Inn is an expansive, stately Victorian inn with a dozen guest rooms, a large sitting room, a cozy pub, an impressive wine cellar and an elegant dining room.

Executive chef Richard Brosseau's food complements the elegance, making the Interlaken an extra-special dining destination.

You can get good food almost anywhere in Lake Placid. Richard Brosseau's food is way better than good. It's way over the top. Carrot coriander soup. Fois gras sandwich. Peking duck breast. Phyllo-wrapped crème brulée.

Our visit began with an unexpected treat from the kitchen. An "amuse bouche" was presented, a bite-sized roasted apple slice topped with a touch of tangy goat cheese encircled with a balsamic drizzle.

Carrot coriander soup was the official start to our evening of amazing flavors and interesting pairings. Pureed carrot, crème fraiche and a little fish stock were enhanced with coriander, which has a flavor akin to a combination of lemon, sage and caraway.

Chocolate cannoli for an appetizer? Only Chef Brosseau could pull that one off. It's a crisp cannoli shell filled with goat cheese infused with cocoa powder, set on arugula, drizzled with Meyer lemon honey vinaigrette and topped with candied sweet onions.

Risotto Milanese was bursting with flavor, perfectly slow-cooked with distinctive saffron and finished with Parmesan cheese.

Foie gras sandwich was a triumph. First the plate was painted with Concord grape jam and a spicy peanut butter sauce. A miniature brioche was placed over the sauce, cut horizontally with the seared foie gras placed between the two halves.

The foie gras was tasty and buttery with a slight grilled taste from the searing. The entire sandwich came off as an elegant cross between a slider hamburger and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Pan-roasted Peking duck breast was set on twice-cooked turnip and soufflé drizzled with anise honey butter.

Braised halibut presentation was amazing. Steamed mussels were neatly arranged in a large, rimmed soup bowl. A layer of sliced butterball potatoes followed, then tomatoes, crowned with the flaky, flavorful halibut.

An expert take on chicken cordon blue was provided by the chef's pan-roasted and rolled chicken dish. It was rolled with prosciutto and Fontina cheese, sliced into medallions and set on a fennel white bean ragout with a browned butter sage sauce.

Short ribs were braised with porcini mushrooms, pearl onions and red potatoes. The meat was tender and juicy, the vegetables and the meat drippings combining to make a hearty dish.

Desserts were as amazing as the rest of the meal: double chocolate sourdough bread pudding, crispy roasted pear poached in rum, phyllo-wrapped crème brulée and coconut cream "pie" — a tower of coconut cream with chunks of roasted pineapple served over a bed of crumbled homemade gingersnaps.

Lake Placid may be magical, but chef Richard Brosseau is a magician. His menu changes with the seasons. You'll find the Wine Spectator Honoree wine list to be amazing, too.

TIN PAN GALLEY
110 W. MAIN ST.
SACKETS HARBOR, NY
646-3812
WWW.TINPANGALLEY.COM

One of the north country's favorite dining destinations continues to impress and amaze, be it winter or summer, weekday or weekend.

Tin Pan Galley set the standard in Sackets Harbor several decades ago. Owner Andrew Hanzlian has always had a keen eye for décor, an awareness of all the latest food trends and unequivocal radar when it comes to hiring the most knowledgeable and personable servers.

Last winter, he introduced his "Just A Taste" Thursday night menu, featuring smaller portions with smaller prices, deals on house wines and live entertainment.

The regular menu is also available on Thursdays. Both are innovative and creative.

The night we were there, selections on the winter menu included lobster bisque, five-spice calamari, crab and crawfish cakes, Buffalo chicken fusilli, lobster truffle penne, filet mignon, several steaks, root beer-glazed pork chops and lots of seafood choices.

We went for the "tastes" menu, but began with a cup of spicy corn and clam chowder loaded with bacon, clams, potatoes and corn, exploding with flavor and just the right amount of heat.

We ordered all six "Just A Taste" choices, all excellent.

Ahi tuna tempura consisted of top-grade tuna lightly coated with tempura batter and flash-fried. The resulting crisp-coated tuna slices were presented over mixed greens and accompanied by very interesting seaweed salad, traditional pickled ginger and clever wasabi guacamole.

Pulled pork quesadilla took the ordinary and made it extraordinary. Seasoned pork was sandwiched between two lightly grilled flour tortillas along with black bean and corn salsa plus jack and cheddar cheeses. Sour cream, salsa and guacamole were served on the side.

Spinach, pesto and ricotta-filled ravioli was placed in a saffron-tomato cream sauce and topped with shredded Asiago cheese.

A new twist on an old theme was Tin Pan's scallop cake, scallops and aged provolone dredged in panko bread crumbs, served over mixed greens with homemade tartar sauce on the side.

Crunchy California "roll" took asparagus, red peppers, scallions and cream cheese and rolled them in panko. After a quick swim in the fryer, the roll was sliced and served with kabayaki sauce.

Finally, the seafood duo took tender scallops and snappy shrimp and tossed them in a creamy avocado, roasted tomato and bacon sauce on linguini.

Desserts "tastes" were very special, too: brownie sundae served in a snifter, apple crisp parfait and coconut cream tart.

On most nights, there's live music presented by Andy Taylor, the stage name used by Andrew Hanzlian, which makes for a most enjoyable night out.

SMUGGLER'S RUN
95 IVY LEA ROAD
IVY LEA, ONTARIO
1 (613) 659-4334

Ivy Lea is a tiny village in Canada, a short drive on Interstate 81 over the Thousand Islands Bridge.

We discovered a great seasonal restaurant there called Smugglers Run. It doesn't look like much from the outside (or the inside, for that matter), but the friendly, well-trained staff and the food made us wonder how we hadn't heard about this place before.

From appetizers to salads to entrées to desserts, this was fine dining at its best. Best of all, its casual setting dictates you can show up in your finest casual garb and not be chased out of the place by some snooty maitre d'.

"Crostini" was a killer appetizer, escargot sautéed with garlic and wild mushrooms in a reduction of red wine and cream, finished with Gorgonzola, accompanied with toasted crostini.

Mussels a la Ritz was, literally, a mixing bowl full to the brim with tender mussels steamed in a smooth white wine and cream sauce, aromatized with garlic, al dente leeks and red chilies.

Blackened shrimp was a more modestly sized appetizer, five very tasty Cajun-spiced shrimp served over a bed of equally tasty braised spinach, smoked bacon and herbs.

The "duck two ways" entrée consisted of a Magret breast and a confit leg, both excellently prepared, full of flavor, enhanced by a mysterious hoisin lime demi-glace.

Smoked wild boar bacon-wrapped tenderloin was astounding, a huge portion with an intense hunter's sauce plus the addition of melted Gorgonzola and mixed mushrooms.

Pistachio chicken was another very, very good production number, moist and juicy chicken coated with a pistachio "gremolata" crust and surrounded by an apple cider and cranberry reduction.

Eight sizeable squares of root vegetable-stuffed ravioli were created in-house with a roasted root vegetable stuffing, served over a white wine-lemon butter sauce with braised spinach and sage oil, dusted with Parmesan cheese.

This was a gem of a find, a fabulous food discovery. Unfortunately, it's only open in the summertime. But I'm going to mark my new 2010 calendar right now so I make sure to call for reservations as soon as they open for the season.

COCOA CAFÉ
527 COFFEEN ST.
WATERTOWN, NY
777-4407
WWW.COCOACAFE.BIZ

We experienced a delightful evening at the Cocoa Café in Watertown. It's housed in, well, an old house. The interior is cozy-homey, kind of like going to grandma's house for a special occasion.

While the name Cocoa Café would lead you to believe they serve only desserts and coffee, we were pleasantly surprised to find a dozen fresh, non-dessert selections that were quite special. Perfect for a light dinner, or certainly for lunch any day of the week.

Homemade soups were excellent. Tomato basil was tangy and flavorful, ruby red, simple and elegant. Cream of broccoli was the richest, creamiest cream of broccoli we've had.

Mixed greens salad was top-notch, a very large portion containing spring mix and romaine along with nuts, berries and blue cheese, tossed with their own balsamic vinaigrette.

Cocoa Café's chicken bruschetta is more like a flatbread pizza, a crispy grilled crust covered with roasted red pepper sauce, sliced chicken breast, smoky bacon and melted blue cheese crumbles. Yummy.

Smoked salmon croissants were lovely, a generous amount of just-salty-enough salmon served on a pair of petite croissants with red onion and a smooth cucumber dill spread.

Chicken breast panini was a man-sized sandwich, for sure, chicken breast, roasted red peppers and cheddar cheese pressed between two grilled pieces of panini bread.

As you would expect, desserts were perfectly outstanding.

Homemade "personal" cheesecake was extremely dense with a sweet cookie crust underneath.

Flute limoncello was served in a tall champagne flute, incorporating lemon gelato and lemon liqueur.

Signature chocolate cup was amazing, a delicate white chocolate cup, thin as an eggshell, filled with creamy milk chocolate mousse.

The "bomba" was most decadent of all, a ball of vanilla and chocolate gelato with cherry-cinnamon-almond center, encased in a hard, dark chocolate shell, served in a tall, oversized goblet.

Service was impeccable.

There's plenty of parking behind the building and a rear entrance to the restaurant.

A lighted display case greets you just inside the door, filled with assorted sweets available for takeout, as well as scones, biscotti and cookies made fresh daily.

SAM JAKE'S INN
118 MAIN ST. E.
MERRICKVILLE, ONTARIO
1 (613) 269-3711
WWW.SAMJAKESINN.COM

We're sad to report that a favorite restaurant and inn of ours across the border has closed.

According to an article in the Brockville Recorder and Times, Sam Jakes Inn, long considered a pillar of Merrickville's burgeoning tourist industry, has filed a rezoning application that, if passed, would see the heritage inn reborn as a retirement residence in early 2010.

RYAN'S LOOKOUT
9290 ROUTE 3
HENDERSON, NY
938-5151

Ryan's Lookout is a seasonal restaurant, open from May till early fall. The food is billed as Italian-American, but it's much more than that. It's Italian classic, family favorites and the chef's signature dishes.

There are interesting offerings like Lazy Daze Chicken, a boneless breast grilled and topped with bruschetta, baby spinach and melted provolone; shrimp Mazalan, shrimp sautéed with artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, button mushrooms and scallions tossed in a basil cream sauce over cavatappi pasta; and pasta Ryan, sautéed portobello mushrooms, red peppers, garlic and olive oil, grilled chicken breast and a blend of cheeses over linguini.

For appetizers, we loved the eggplant Napoleon, two disks of crispy fried eggplant surrounded by sautéed mushrooms, spinach and red peppers. Crab bisque was really good, simple and effective: brothy and creamy, small pieces of crabmeat, full-flavored, not thickened at all.

Chicken of the Harbor was quite a creation. A pounded, lightly breaded and seasoned chicken breast was smothered with mushrooms, bacon, scallions and sautéed spinach in a sherry cream sauce.

Olivia's Tilapia was a small filet of tilapia encrusted with a chipotle and lime breading, served with citrus butter.

Ryan's offers flat-iron steak, a recent tender meat "discovery." They charbroil it, slice it and jazz it up with raspberry-habanero Gorgonzola sauce.

The skilled chefs at Ryan's definitely know what they're doing — seasoned veterans who have formulated a menu with something to please everyone, plus nightly specials.

They go the extra mile on desserts, too, with Italian lemon cream cake, a brownie covered with pecan crisp and raspberry cheesecake with nuts on top and a nice graham cracker crust.

CACTUS GRILL & CANTINA 4
11-13 RAYMOND ST.
POTSDAM, NY
265-0245

Cactus Grill & Cantina is housed in a big, boxlike building faced with Potsdam sandstone on a side street in the village. A century ago it was the village's waterworks. Today it's a very popular Mexican restaurant and bar.

There's not a Mexican in sight. But it doesn't matter. They serve up tasty, zesty dishes and slushy Cuervo cocktails and ice-cold Coronas, and everyone's having a good old time.

All the expected Mexican favorites are on the menu: burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas, chimichangas and fajitas, prepared with skill and flair.

The traditional complimentary salsa and chips were very good, made with fresh ingredients. Not too hot, just right. Equally good was the guacamole.

Chiles rellenos was an appetizer that could have passed for an entrée, it was so large. One huge chile filled the plate, stuffed with a tangy four-cheese and cilantro filling, battered and deep-fried, then covered with an unconventional raisin sauce.

The pork and chili Cabo San Lucas soup — sautéed pork simmered with green chiles and tomatillos — was filled with wonderful flavors that kept us scooping up spoonful after spoonful.

Portobello and chicken quesadilla was made with chunks of very tasty mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter, strips of grilled chicken and shredded jack cheese, wrapped in a 12-inch soft tortilla shell folded half-moon style with sour cream and salsa alongside.

We got the shrimp chimichanga they call the "Rosita." There was no skimping on the shrimp, which were sautéed in olive oil with cilantro and lime juice. Lots of melted cheese, too.

The meat and the tri-colored peppers that come with the chicken and shrimp fajita were so tasty, we didn't even wrap them in the soft tortilla provided — just gobbled them down directly from the sizzle platter.

We did manage to share one dessert, fried ice cream — vanilla ice cream rolled in crunchy granola, quickly deep-fried and drizzled with cinnamon and honey sauce.

Despite the fact that at any given time college kids may overrun the restaurant, the Cactus doesn't have the feel of a college-dominated bar and grill.

There were several restaurants that received 31/2 forks, a rating just shy of excellent. Here are some highlights:

HERRINGS INN
35802 ROUTE 3
HERRINGS, NY
493-9829

Once upon a time, the old rambling building in the middle of Herrings that now houses the Herring Inn was a stagecoach stop. And as soon as you open the door, you feel like you've taken a trip back in time.

The décor is country rustic, the atmosphere is genuine friendly, and the food matches the ambiance — country friendly with good variety.

There's liver and onions, pork loin and ham steak; chicken grilled and chicken Alfredo; scallops, haddock and catfish; lasagna, manicotti and stuffed shells.

The 16-ounce boneless rib-eye was a tasty steak, lightly seasoned and nicely charbroiled. Deep-fried catfish had a crunchy coating that locked in the distinct flavor of the fish. Lasagna was excellent, made to order rollatini style. Chicken Marsala added sautéed onions to the mushrooms that traditionally top a Marsala dish.

Desserts are homemade. The night we were there we enjoyed warm apple pie, creamy cheesecake and Toll House pie.

With the combination of local ambiance, friendliness of the staff, the prices and the portion sizes, we think the Herrings Inn is a place you should check out.

KOI EXPRESS JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
612 ROUTE 37
HOGANSBURG, NY
1 (518) 358-2829

Koi Express Japanese Steakhouse opened in May on the Mohawk Reservation in Hogansburg, a few miles down the road from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. The small dining room is charming and comfortable, neat and clean, and tastefully decorated with Japanese art.

The food is not cooked right before your eyes as it is in most big city Japanese steakhouses. A big flattop grill is in the open kitchen, visible from the dining room.

A Native American chef does all the cooking there while sushi rolls are assembled at another station.

The menu offers lots of appetizers and rolls, dinner plates and dinner bowls, salads and vegetarian selections, lunch plates and lunch bowls.

We enjoyed three rolls: tuna (tuna and cucumber), California (crab, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese) and a "sunrise" roll (crab and cucumber topped with spicy tuna).

The tempura was flawless — scallops, salmon, mahi mahi and vegetables — with a crispy, light batter coating. Shrimp noodle bowl was a highlight, totally tasty with noodles, vegetables and shrimp quickly sautéed in a broth of soy and sesame oil. Chicken and filet dinner was expertly cooked, with fresh vegetables bursting with flavor. Equally good was the salmon and mahi plate with a touch of teriyaki.

According to one of my guests, "As far as Asian cuisine goes, this is some of the best I've had in the north country." Another commented, "It's definitely a place I would go back to."

LYRIC COFFEE HOUSE
246 JAMES ST.
CLAYTON, NY
686-4700

There's a classy little coffee house in Clayton in the historic movie theater, now a coffee shop and bistro.

The Lyric serves cappuccino, lattes and espresso, salads and wraps, muffins and scones, cakes and tortes and Italian gelato, all displayed in brightly lit glass-front cases.

The manageable dinner menu has upscale selections that complement the Lyric's setting.

Appetizers we enjoyed included Maryland crabcake made with lots of lump crabmeat, lightly browned and served over field greens. Spring pea risotto was cheesy-good. "Vanilla scallops" were pan-seared, served in vanilla bean beurre blanc. Bruschetta used fresh roma tomatoes chopped with garlic and onion.

Pasta primavera featured nicely sautéed vegetables and linguini in a thick Alfredo sauce. Pork tenderloin was prepared with an apple compote, mashed potatoes and caramelized onion maple bouillon. Tilapia was a lovely presentation, placed on an asparagus and mushroom medley.

Desserts were all good: mini strawberry shortcake parfait, oversized chocolate chip cookies, mini chocolate cheesecake and crème brulée with chopped raspberries and blueberries mixed in.

Beer and wine are available at the Lyric, with the wine selection by the glass way better than average.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.