A Fall Pilgrimage

Last weekend we took a trip to see family in New York State. We took the southern route through the Alleghany Mountains. We eat/drink local when traveling, so our first stop was the winery of Dr. Konstantin Frank. We left Michigan at 7:00 AM and arrived just in time for the last tasting. We picked up a couple of bottles of Dry Riesling – a grape that the area is known for – and two bottles of their Rkatsiteli. This is a Russian grape; their website claims that it is one of the oldest vinifera grape varieties known to man (or woman). The winery is on Keuka Lake, one of the NY Finger Lakes.

We stayed at a charming Victorian B&B in Watkins Glen, NY in the Rose Room – which lived up to its name. Since we were in the area, I HAD to go to the famous Moosewood Restaurant. It was packed with other pilgrims (and locals); we waited an hour for a table. The wait staff said that the restaurant (still) purchases as much of the food locally as possible. From the small menu, I chose soup, salad, and bread and Bob had the burrito. We drank wine, beer, and root beer local to the area.

From there we headed back west to visit our Grandchildren. We celebrated fall by carving a pumpkin, baking the seeds, and making fried green tomatoes fresh from their garden.

Bob also found a regional beer at a local grocery: Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest 10 wet hopped ale. The breweries are located in Boston and Windsor, VT. The ingredients included NY hops and Maine grown pale malted barley.