Rogues Harbor Inn Blog

Wagyu Wellington with mushroom duxell and red wine demi glace Rogues' is a memorable place to ring the new year and the old place has celebrated quite a few. New Year's Eve we usually have a full house of overnight guests in our Bed and Breakfast. Our economical winter rate is $109 on a Monday evening and that alone attracts guests from near and far. We do have many other favorable attributes (historic ambiance, locally sourced globally inspired cuisine, our own craft brews, generous Finger Lakes wine list), but who can resist a bargain? Guests can enjoy dinner, Karaoke and as many drinks as they like without worrying about designating a driver. Walking upstairs when you're ready for bed is a welcome luxury. We do suggest reservations for dinner whether you're staying the night or heading home... Chef Luke has outdone himself this year. Our special offerings for New Year's Eve are: A p p e t I z e r: Tempura lobster lollipop Panko breaded Lobster tai

Roasted Rack of Lamb with cranberry demi glace It's hard to believe another year is nearly over and the holidays are here. We have much to be grateful for: a wonderful staff, the nicest guests on earth, a 182 year old inn (still standing, knock on wood)...Life is good. We'll be grateful for a day or two off too. We will be closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. But, we will be celebrating and spreading good cheer Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve with lots of seasonal specials and live music. Our inn is a memorable place to celebrate the holidays in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Christmas Eve is my favorite. Everyone is on their way to church or a beloved relative's house- smiling, glowing even. We serve lots of contented guests for an early dinner; we close at 8 pm. Then we're off to spend the evening with our families.Chef Luke enjoys preparing holiday offerings. Reservations are suggested (607) 533-3535 and the specials for the evening are: A p p e

We're proud to be joining Ithaca Restaurant Week. It's a privilege to be included with many of Ithaca's top notch restaurants: Bandwagon Brewpub, Ithaca Alehouse, Mira, Simeon's, Agava ....At Rogues' we're pleased to offer a special menu to celebrate the week. As always, we're featuring locally sourced, globally inspired fare. Four courses offered at the economical price of $20 which leaves a few extra dollars to spend on beer. Rogues' Harbor Brewing Co. is pouring 5 draughts to complement the week's special offering: Cayuga Cream Ale, Route 34 Red Ale, East Shore pale Ale, Hell on Wheels Wit and Hipper Malt Liquor. Special happenings during this week are: Monday Trivia 7:30 - 9 pm, Thursday Live Music 8 - 11 pm, and our Sunday Tasting Series continues with Standing Stone Vineyard and Buttonwood Grove Vineyard 5:30- 7 pm... AND....wait for it....We have finally begun wholesaling our beer at a few select locations. Our first is Da Westy on West Sta

All decorated for the Holidays at the Rogues' Harbor Inn We love, love, the the holidays. Fresh greens, twinkly white lights, mulled cider and wine, extra special hearty dark craft brews...we look forward to it all year. It's a bright star in an otherwise way to cold and grey for me winter. We host many holiday cocktail parties and dinners, and we thoroughly enjoy every single one. Guests all cozy by the fire, enjoying a big slice of prime rib or maybe a smoked pork tenderloin with cranberry chutney and a glass of wine or pint in hand. It's all smiles and good cheer and we're thankful for another happy and healthy year. We decorate every fireplace mantle with old fashioned Santas and swags with velvet ribbons. We stuff every planter with fresh pine boughs and white lights. We decorate our tree with cinnamon sticks, birch stars and checked bows. We really channel our inner Martha and the inn looks like an antique post card. We offer a couple special seasonal craft

"Brewscuits" TM from the Rogues' Harbor Inn We generate a lot of spent grain at the Rogues' Harbor Brewing Co. By a lot, we mean about 100 pounds per batch (4 kegs), tiny by most brewery standards. But, still we felt terrible just composting it. So we did a little research and it seems many breweries offer it to local farmers as feed- which we have zero success with offering. A few breweries compost it- which we do already...still didn't seem like the best use. Then, we found that many breweries make dog treats from their left over spent brewing grain. Woof! We love dogs, so we decided to do the same. So, here's the process. Chris and Alex mill about 100 pounds of grain, boil it, transfer the hot liquid which yields 4 kegs of beer post hopping, fermentation and carbonation. We're left with the 100 pounds of wet spent grain which they give some of to Chef Jeff at the inn. He combines the grain with peanut butter, eggs and water then bakes. We never use

We love to offer beer and wine pairing suggestions on our dinner menu. So, I often wander the Finger Lakes Beer Trail and the Cayuga and Seneca Wine Trails to try a few new (and old favorite) local fermented beverages. At a recent stop at the King Ferry Winery Chris in the tasting room gave me a great idea. A  Beer vs. Wine dinner, us against them, Rogues' Harbor Brewing Co. vs. Treleaven Wines in a friendly bout officiated by our brewer and their owners. And so it is...Game on. Bring it. Chef Luke was inspired by the idea and has designed a four course dinner. Each course will be paired with one of our craft brews and one of their world class wines. Each corner, Chris Williams and Pete and Tacie Saltenstall, will be speaking about how their pairings complement each course. They'll be fielding questions as well, and most likely trying to influence your vote...But, in the end the winner will be chosen by our guests at the match. Each round will be an adventure. So bring your t

Whiskey by Finger Lakes Distilling I knew this photo would get your attention...Whiskey, neat. No fuss, no muss. Every Sunday, Rogues' Harbor Inn is proud and excited to welcome a local distiller, wine maker or brewer to pour some samples of their fine work and maybe educate us all while we taste. Finger Lakes Distilling kicks off the Sunday Tasting Series this Sunday, October 28 from 5:30 - 7 pm. Brian McKenzie, owner, will be here to pour four whiskeys and tell us about how barrels and aging affect the color and flavor of the whiskey we're tasting. We'll be pairing some smoked beef with Bier Meck cheese and peppered crostini to go with the four whiskeys: White Pike, Pure Pot Still (Irish) Whiskey, McKenzie Bourbon, and McKenzie Rye. In the spirit of fermentation cooperation, we'll be making a Boilermaker with their McKenzie Rye whiskey and our Cayuga Cream Ale! The schedule for the Sunday Tasting Series is coming together and here are a few of our guests

We have always been inspired by locally sourced ingredients, wine, beer, spirits, art,... It's not a secret. We wear our heart on our sleeve. So when we were invited to participate in Finger Lakes Restaurant Week, we quickly said, "Yes!" The Finger Lakes Restaurant Week is a seven day celebration of local ingredients complemented by local wine (and beer at our inn). Every restaurant joining the event is featuring a three course dinner special which is 100% locally sourced. We feature lots and lots of locally sourced ingredients on our dinner menu, but 100% locally sourced is a challenge we were proud and excited to accept. So we did a little extra homework and found several new farms and purveyors. We discovered some great new ingredients and rediscovered a few old favorites. We've printed the list of local farms and producers along with their location providing our ingredients for the dinner right on the menu itself. We included wine and beer pairing suggestions as

The Rogues' Harbor Inn is almost as old as Oktoberfest. The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810 and was (and still is) a celebration of all things German: beer, schnitzel, strudel, spatzel, lederhosen, beer- oh we already mentioned beer...But, beer is what the world thinks Oktoberfest is about, and we're not disagreeing. Only six breweries are invited to pour at Oktoberfest and they are the six local, Bavarian breweries- no one else. It's loyal, traditional and uber trendy, locally sourced. It's all about being in Bavaria (in October). We're bringing the tradition of Oktoberfest to Rogues' with a sampling of  Bavarian fare complemented by one of THE six Bavarian breweries', Spaten's, Oktoberfest beer. We'll be serving giant pretzels for a starter and sauerbraten a national dish featuring brine marinated, slow cooked meat with wine and spices. It's a melt in your mouth, German style pot roast. It will be complemented by blaukraut an appl

A is for Apple. Apple harvest is upon us and we're anxious to incorporate crisp New York State apples in our fall dinner menu offerings. There are so many good orchards nearby: Bakers' Acres, Cornell Orchards, Little Tree, Indian Creek, Eve's Cidery... It's difficult not to put them in every thing. But one of our favorites is apple sauce. We serve it warm over French toast for our Bed and Breakfast guests' breakfast. We serve it with local, organic, Berkshire pork loins and chops as a dinner special. We even serve it with cinnamon grilled chicken. We think apple sauce is the ultimate Finger Lakes comfort food.  We usually use Cortland or Empire apples and just a few other basics (no scavenger hunt for obscure ingredients necessary).  Just remember, A is for apple. Simple is Good. Rogues' Harbor Inn House Apple Sauce: 3 Lbs  New York State apples - peeled, cored and chopped 2/3 cup water 3/4 cup white  sugar 1/4 cup New York State maple syrup

The ILWR...what? Blue Stockings + SufferJetts = Ithaca League of Women Rollers. We're happy, thrilled even, that they're our new neighbors at the Rogues' Harbor Inn. Actually, we're fascinated. They have taken over next door at 2073 East Shore Drive, Lansing as their practice space and the place is filled with women skating hard with cool names like: Mamadusa, Chairman Meow, Mad ScienceFist, BeeBee Gunn, Killah Watts.... We love them so much we've dedicated one of our signature craft brewed ales to them. We'll be announcing the name on the night it pours (that would be Thursday). It's a Belgian style wheat beer with a light color and a refreshing taste that is perfect with a spicy dish (pun intended). The beer is seasoned with generous helpings of coriander and bitter orange peel. It's an easy drinking, session beer, very food friendly. To celebrate their new home, our new beer, being neighbors...Join Us: Thursday, September 27, from 6 pm - close

It's no secret we love Finger Lakes wine, especially Riesling. Our glacial shores are home sweet home to some of the best Rieslings on earth. Truly. So when we were asked to participate in the 2011 vintage launch of Finger Lakes Rieslings, we raised our glass and said, "Yes." We're offering three Cayuga Rieslings by the glass along with two pairings from our summer dinner menu. Chef Luke will be featuring Riesling inspired specials throughout September as well: Kobe sirloin steak with Gorgonzola and bacon demi glace, Spicy Thai shrimp spring rolls, local organic Berkshire Pork Porterhouses, and even Riesling cheesecake (check twitter and facebook for daily updates). Just follow East Shore Drive up the East side of Cayuga from Ithaca to our door. We'll have a glass waiting for you.

Has the summer heat been getting you down? Feel like you're going to melt in to a puddle and then just evaporate away? Looking for something refreshing to bolster your spirit and get you through the August heat? Well Rogues Harbor has the cure for your sweltering Summer blues: our next Brewer's Choice, Witty Blonde! Witty Blonde began as a home-brew experiment. I always enjoy a good wheat beer during the summer months, but this year I decided I wanted to try something different to have at home. I had seen heather tips on sale at home-brew stores in the past, but I hadn't thought much about them. After reading about their history in the making of beer, and the floral qualities they can lend to a beer it sounded like it might be the perfect compliment for a Belgian styled wit. Since I was unsure of how the beer would turn out I decided to make a batch of a more traditional wit that would derive its bittering from traditional German hops. The beers were made over the cou

I've (E has) been in the restaurant business for 23 years, about 18 of those years in the Ithaca area. Every restaurant on earth (in Ithaca, NY and beyond) has their own slang. Rogues' Harbor Inn is no different. Most meanings carry over from one restaurant to another.  Recently, there have been a number of reality restaurant shows highlighting a behind the scenes look at the restaurant world. But, even these glimpses (some accurate, some not so much) don't seem to offer much insight into the restaurant language which permeates the industry. I think the expressions are an interesting slice of life. They offer a peek at the true personality of the hard working, tough as nails, yet light hearted folks that make it all happen. So, We decided to make a list of definitions for non restaurant folk for educational and/or entertainment purposes.  We had a tough time making the list. These are terms we use all the time without even noticing. I'm sure we've left a few funn

Today (Thursday the 21st) we'll be pouring our next Brewer's Choice beer, an English Bitter. The term bitter is often misleading to American drinkers. While a bitter American beer tends to have intense hop flavors and a bitterness that pushes the malt and yeasts characters to the background, an English Bitter is an exercise in balance between the various flavors. There is a healthy amount of bitterness from hops added early in the boil, but the hop flavor and aromas are only slightly noticeable. There is a firm malt character and some fruity esters contributed by the yeast during fermentation. However none of these flavors play a dominating role in the beer. They compliment each other as a balance is reached. Bitters have a range of color that is acceptable to the style. They can range from the bright golden color to a beer with some amber highlights. Beers with a more amber or red appearance to them are generally brewed with the addition of darker crystal malts. These ma

Every good Inn bakes a signature scone, and the Rogues' Harbor Inn is no exception. We love to bake fresh scones for our bed and breakfast guests. Nothing starts out the day better than a big mug of fresh brewed Gimme coffee (roasted right here in Ithaca, NY) and a homemade scone. We always serve fresh fruit, a hot dish like quiche or French toast, but the scones are by far my favorite. We bake blueberry, raspberry, apple...traditional fruits. However, I think the savory scones are best, especially with fresh herbs. Finger Lakes' cuisine is all about fresh greens and herbs, gardeny fare. So, here's our summer time favorite coming to you from the Heart of the Finger Lakes, Ithaca, NY. Lemon Herb Savory Scone Ingredients: 2½ cups unbleached flour 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or substitute thyme) 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut ½-inch cubes, ro

Chris Williams, Rogues' Harbor Brewing Co.'s Brew Guru It's National Craft Brew Week and we love craft beer here at the Rogues' Harbor Inn. We love it so much we craft brew our own beer. And by we, I mean our brew staff. Chris Williams is our Brew Guru and Alex Schwartz is our Asst. Brew Guru. They plan, weigh, grind, boil, brew, chill, ferment, filter, carbonate and keg it all. Then we pour it right here. That's fresh beer; it's a wonderful thing. We're celebrating National Craft Brew Week and our own craft brews by the Rogues' Harbor Brewing Company. When you stop in this week Monday - Friday, May 14 - 18, and order a Rogues' Craft Brew Flight we'll give you 50% off any appetizer! The flights this week have our: Cayuga Cream Ale, Route 34 Red Ale, East Shore Pale Ale and Brewer's Choice Black IPA. If you find a favorite, we pour pints and large 22 oz mugs, and... we even  fill 2 pint growlers to go. So take a growler home and watch a m

Riesling Grapes on Cayuga Lake Several Finger Lakes' trails lead right to our door. The FLX Beer Trail and the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail are our favorites. Even though we brew our own beer, we're pretty partial to Cayuga Lake wineries (our brew guru is too, shhh...). We wear our favoritism on our sleeve right next to our heart. Our wine list features New York Sate wines exclusively (even our cooking wines are locally sourced), with a focus on the Finger Lakes, especially Cayuga- our home sweet home. The Cayuga Wine Trail is the first organized and longest running wine trail in the U.S. and follows the path of an ancient Native American trail. With 17 members (15 wineries, 1 cidery and 1 meadery) there's a lot to sample. We do love to sample; so Rogues' offers a Cayuga Wine flight with four tastes:  Sheldrake Point Riesling, Treleaven Chardonnay, Swedish Hill Cabernet Franc and Americana Baco Noir. All together, we offer 34 New York State wines on our list and 20 o

Black IPA from the Rogues' Harbor Brewing Co. Last year when we brewed the Black IPA we were nervous about how it would be received. It's a tricky style that for some is nothing but a novelty. It has a lot of traction on the West coast but here in the East it hadn't gained the acknowledgment that other styles had. We wanted to take that challenge though and see if we could bring something new to the local brew scene that would challenge beer drinkers perception of what a dark beer can be. What surprised us was how amazingly well it was received. It was one of our fastest selling Brewer's Choice beers. This year we decided we wanted to make it again. It has been asked for time and time again and we'd hate to dissapoint our fans. Even though it was popular we didn't want to rest on our laurels and we felt that there was some room for improvement. One area where we heard mixed comments was in the area of hopping. Some people felt it was a pretty hoppy beer wh

FLX Cheese Board and a pint of our East Shore Pale Ale Any guest looking over our new spring dinner menu would notice there's a lot of cheese. It's all local. It's all wonderful. But, there is a lot. We love cheese and it shows because we incorporate local cheeses is a number of appetizers, entrees, sandwiches and salads. I truly believe that few dishes could not be improved by adding a cheese component. How do vegans survive? Really. I could live without meat, but for me, life (and by life I mean eating) would be very dull indeed without cheese. Fortunately, I am not alone in my Finger Lakes Cheese obsession. There is even a Finger Lakes Cheese Trail which locates working farm artisan cheese makers large and small, near and far from all over the region. In fact, the Cayuga Lake "Trail" leads right past us. Yet another trail leading happy travelers right to our door. So, if you can't make every stop (there are 15), we're here for you. We carry nine

Finger Lakes Beer Trail leads right to our door at the Rogues' Harbor Inn (#20) So here we are again carrying on about brewing our own craft ales. We love, love, love brewing and appreciating well crafted beer so much that we just can't seem to shut up about it. The Finger Lakes Beer Trail shares our passion along with their 24 brew pub/ microbrewery members. It's a wonderful thing to have a map that will lead you to every brewer in the Finger Lakes area. Beer lovers can find even the most out of the way places...like us. The Ithaca area is quickly developing their own craft brew scene, and it's looking and tasting pretty good. Within just 30 minutes of the Rogues' Harbor Inn, Restaurant and Microbrewery there are six really good places to visit, hoist a pint or two and talk beer, maybe grab a bite, or even stay the night! The first in the area was the Ithaca Beer Company. We pour a few of their brews here at Rogues'. I think their Flower Power is my favorit

Smoked Mussels with Summer Relish Appetizer It's officially spring and it's my favorite time of year. Put away the wool clothes, open the windows and breath it in. Ithaca and the Finger Lakes have emerged from a pretty mild winter to wonderful sunny weather- a bone warming, soul dancing season. It's happiness deep down and all encompassing. To celebrate we're serving our new Spring Dinner Menu. It features a lot of new locally sourced Finger Lakes ingredients complimented by spring sunshine, Finger Lakes wine and our own Rogues' Harbor Brewing Company's craft brewed ales. As always, we will be offering wine and beer pairings for each dinner entree which proved to be an appreciated suggestion on previous menus. Warm weather offerings for me are farm fresh, light and healthful. You can almost feel the nutrients being absorbed with every bite. There are a few new appetizers. Smoked Mussels from Ducktrap River, Maine are being served with a summer relish of min

 For Easter: Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank, served on the bone We started blogging just over a year ago and one of our first posts was for Easter dinner 2011. It's sort of the anniversary celebration of our blog and the inspirational emergence of spring in the Finger Lakes. It's a happy time of year when everything gets a fresh a start. New duvets in the B&B, new breakfast offerings and service in the B&B, new microbrewery Rogues' Harbor Brewing Company, and a new spring dinner menu in the works...It's been a great year, in fact a record year. Sales were up on all fronts, lots of staff still here from last year (and several from the year prior, and even the year before that), and the addition of some wonderful new staff. We even started brewing our own craft ales (you may have heard us mention that once or twice over the past year):  East Shore Pale, Cayuga Cream Ale, and Route 34 Red Ale. Well, it is time to revisit Easter (this Sunday, April 8!) and we'

The Rogues' Harbor Inn been known to grill a burger or two. In fact, one of the foods we're known for is burgers and more recently our own craft brewed beer. We love serving up good, fresh food prepared from locally sourced ingredients. So, when my husband found an article in the paper about the best burger in New York State contest sponsored by the New York State Beef Council, it seemed tailor made for us and we decided to design a new, really big burger just the occasion. I hit Chef Luke with the idea and he loved it too. We decided to go with a one pounder topped with the best Finger Lakes ingredients and maybe some beer in the mix. Go big or go home...I asked Jerry, long time server, manager ,and talented writer, to come up with a name which embraced our roguish heritage and maybe mentioned the beer component. He did not disappoint. E, Chef Luke, Jerry and our brewer, Chris make a  good team. Here's what we came up with: a one pound Angus burger steamed in our Route 3

I don't watch a lot of TV since I work evenings and have a million other things I'd rather be doing. But late at night when I'm too tired to do anything else- Chopped is the best! I'm not even a fan of the food network: Cupcake Wars, Bizarre Foods, Grillin' and Chillin', 30 Minute Meals...I hate them all. I'm more of an Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations type of foodie and yet I find Chopped quite addictive. I am not alone in my Chopped addiction (the best way to be really). Most of the staff at Rogues' loves the show. Chefs and servers, aka the back and front of the house, agree that it's a blast- and they generally don't agree on anything in any restaurant. We all commiserate on the impossible ingredients of market baskets and the brilliant or disasterous way in which they are utilised. And let's be honest, even with double the amount of time allotted to prepare each course, we still would struggle with merely identifying some of the i

It's time to announce our third annual fundraiser for the Tompkins County SPCA. Save the date Thursday, February 23, 6 - 9 pm. We call it Wine and Chocolate for Paws and Claws for obvious reasons. We have 10 local wineries and a chocolatier come and offer tastings right here in the historic ballroom at the Rogues' Harbor Inn. We offer dessert samples from our own kitchen as well. All ticket proceeds ($20/person) are donated to the SPCA and we also offer an extra incentive to stop by. We will donate 10% of our dinner sales from that evening as well. Last year in 2011 we raised over $2,000! That's a lot food and medical supplies for a shelter that prides itself on their "no kill" policy. Every healthy, adoptable pet stays till they are adopted. Makes me tear up just thinking about it. So many dogs and cats waiting...thankfully, they are very well cared for while they wait. Some of the generous participants for the event are: Sheldrake Point, Dill's Run, King Fe

 Rogues' Harbor Brewing Craft Beer Flight, A Beer Rainbow We've always wanted to offer tasting flights at the Rogues' Harbor Inn. Recently, we've received many requests for tastes (instead of a pint or glass) of our own craft brews and of our generous selection of Finger Lakes' wine. So many requests that it inspired us to finally make that happen. FYI a flight is a small serving of a few or several beverages which have something in common, IE: beer, wine, bourbon, style, hoppiness, dryness, color, geography... Since we now have four of our own craft ales on draught, we felt four was just right for a flight. So we serve a 4 oz taste of our Cayuga Cream Ale, Route 34 Ale, East Shore Pale Ale and Brewer's Choice (which changes every few weeks). We serve in mini mugs, nothing unbecoming for a proper brew, set on a labeled place mat for clarity. It's important to know what you're tasting and judging. We decided to offer a Cayuga Lake wine flight as wel