Rogues Harbor Inn Blog

We blog. We tweet. We facebook. It's big fun. However, when the on line writing began, I (that would be E, owner, operator, occasional writer) made a promise to self not to post anything negative, or any personal political or religious views. Writing is personal for me no matter the subject and sometimes this is not any easy promise to keep. Sarcastic thoughts creep in. I could have some fun with a Bourdainesque witty blog or espouse my views on the global economic plague, but no. No bitter rants here. The hardest to resist is writing about people. There's an abundance inappropriate material, yet I manage to keep my word. The very best and the very worst aspect of operating a restaurant, microbrewery and inn is the people. Staff and customers alike are 99.9% wonderful and .01% ...well you know, difficult. Our staff is a tight knit group of hard working team players that generally love one another, but occasionally feel like killing each other, kind of like an a...

The German Oktoberfest may have officially ended October 3rd, but at Rogues we're just gearing up for some Fest spirit of our own. Sometime this week we will begin pouring our next Brewers Choice beer, an Oktoberfest inspired ale! While a traditional German Oktoberfest beer is of the lager variety and spend a good deal of time lagering before being served we're making use of an ale yeast that was more comfortable fermenting in our current climate. We've used much the same malt and hops that you'll find in a German beer, and we think you're going to really like the result. So what exactly is Oktoberfest all about? The festival began as a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen(say that one three times fast.. Or try saying it even just once!). A few years later they moved the date from the middle of October to the beginning of September to have a chance at better weather for the festival. They also incorporated a cel...

Nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, school is back in session & the leaves are beginning to change. It must be time for our fall menu. The end of summer is a bit sad, and I dread taking some summery offerings off the menu. Summer will be back and so will some of those warm weather dinners. Until then, I do love fall, rich savory flavors, hearty stews & comfort foods. I have to admit I've missed my sweaters. It's time to bundle up, wrap your hands around a steaming cup of hot cider and try a few new Finger Lakes offerings at Rogues'. We, E & Chef Luke, have discovered a few more local ingredients recently which inspired us this fall. When we offered food pairings with our last Brewer's Choice, Farmhouse Ale, we tried a free range, organic Cornish game hen from Shannon Brook Farm in Watkins Glen, NY. Chef Luke roasted it with fresh rosemary & sea salt, maybe a touch of butter, too. It was a little gamey, as the name suggests, sort lik...

Rogues' Harbor Inn has always been a devotee of all things local: NY wines, NY craft brews, Cortland apples, Finger Lakes cheeses, Finger Lakes beef, fresh corn, tomatoes, herbs, berries, squash... all from right down the road. We love it all. What's not to love about fresh produce grown nearby by folks in your own community who care about what they're growing & selling to their neighbors. A fresh locally sourced meal complimented by a local beverage is the epitome of just being where you are, and the Finger Lakes is a lush & delicious place to be. Beverages are important here at Rogues', aka the Harbor. We've always been proud of serving only New York State wines, expanding into New York State craft brews, then our own brews, and now we've found a number of local distillers. Jack pot. Finger Lakes Distilling in Watkins Glen distills all their spirits from Finger Lakes grapes. Seneca Drums gin is very junipery & cucumbery, uber refreshing. I al...

The anticipation of crisp mornings and fall colors make me crave cranberries. I love cranberries- cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, cranberry bread, cranberry relish.... The list goes on and apparently the cranberry has been beloved in North America since long before the circa 1830's National Historic Landmark, Rogues' Harbor Inn was even an idea. Native Americans have been using cranberries in cooking and for dyeing fabric since at least the 1550's. Today there are over a million barrels of cranberries harvested each autumn. The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, founded in 1888, is oldest farming association in the U.S. They have a great web site, www.cranberries.org, and the following brief history is theirs. "The cranberry, along with the blueberry and Concord grape, is one of North America's three native fruits that are commercially grown. Cranberries were first used by Native Americans, who discovered the wild berry's versatility as a fo...

Those astute readers who recently noticed our list of upcoming Brewer's Choice beer styles knows that the next one up is a Saison (French for "season"), also known as a Farmhouse Ale. Your first reaction might have been, "Cool!" shortly followed by "What's a saison?" Saison's originated in France and Belgium, and were made popular in the Flemmish region. They were the origianl working class beer - made on farms so that the workers would have beer to drink after long days of toiling in the fields. Every farm brewed it's own and it was made from seasonally available ingredients (hence the name). While saisons were originated in Europe, their popularity there has waned over the years as stronger Abbey style ales have become the popular drink of the region. It's the American craft brewer that has been instrumental in reviving the styles. It's becoming more common, especially on the East Coast, to have a couple of these beers in your lin...

I drove past Purity ice cream not too long ago and their sign read, "Eat dessert first, life is short." I couldn't agree with them more. Many folks, including myself, plan ahead and have half of their dinner boxed to take home in order to save room for dessert. Planning ahead a little is wise, especially here at Rogues' Harbor where the portions are generous and the desserts are made right here. One of the hall marks of Finger Lakes cooking is fresh, local, gardeny ingredients like herbs, greens, berries, apples... We love it all and a couple of our country inn desserts feature wild berries, apples and local ice cream. Our wild berry cobbler is a big summer seller. It has strawberries, black berries & blueberries with a shortbread biscuit. In the fall, our apple crisp takes over as the most popular dessert. It has a touch of maple and a brown sugar crumbled topping. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over the top is too wonderful to resist. Our richer dess...