If you have driven by the intersection of Lake Ave and State Route 14A, you surely have seen signs of life.  Yes, the previous home of the Beverage Baron is now the Eastside Grill and Market ( The Market part will be open soon).  I finally stopped by today between appointments showing homes, partially because I was hungry and because I wanted to introduce the Eastside Grill to my readers. 

They have a nice menu to choose from when it comes to fast foods.  Rochester visitors will like the fact that they have included Red Ossier beef sandwiches to their menu.  Oh my… Kielbasa, and Zweigles add even more local flavor to the menu.

Ken Eveland, the owner was hard at work with  a nice steady lunch-time crowd.  I asked him about a sign and he said ” We have been just so busy,

Looking around the ice cream cooler recently in our local Byrne Dairy store, I came across Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream.  My first thought was  ” Wow ! What took them so long ? “  After all, I live in the middle of the Finger Lakes Wine area, the second largest wine-producing area in the US.

I have had home-made wine flavored sorbet in a restaurant for dessert before, but have never seen mass-produced wine ice cream.  

Of course I had to visit Mercer’s website and found out they have been in business for many years, developing from many other companies and names.  They began a little North from my location and that may be why I had never come across this company in the past.

Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream is available in the following varietals:

• Cherry Merlot
• Chocolate Cabernet
• Peach White Zinfandel
• Port
• Red Raspberry Chardonnay
• Riesling

Everyone on the East side of Keuka Lake and even into farther reaches, knows about Olneys.  They have a huge selection of beer, a great deli with some unique sandwich offerings, home-made cookies and salads, beautiful photos for sale and gift items.  If you go into the deli

I would  like to think that I stay on top of changes in Penn Yan and the Keuka Lake area. Imagine my surprise, to find out that one of my favorite places in Penn Yan has been for sale since October of 2011, and I am a Realtor here.  ( That is what I consider a marketing issue – after this blog, many more will  now know it is for sale  )   It is listed for sale for $829,000 and is a favorite business and Main St staple in Penn Yan.

Lloyds is a great place to stop in and grab a quick pub style meal with a beer or a drink.  ( Lloyds has a HUGE selection for beer lovers.) Bob always has a great selection for meal specials as well.  You just never know what you will find to tempt you besides the usual bar fare.  Grab a booth, bring some friends, order some food and drinks and sit back to enjoy the ambience of the setting with your friends.

Like most home towns, there are always favorite “watering holes” and Lloyds is one of those places where home town visitors tend to congregate when back in town.  After all, what is better than good friends, conversation, drinks and food?

Lloyd’s Limited is located at 3 Main St in Penn Yan, NY.  Whether you are new or old to Keuka Lake, visiting, purchasing lakefront and looking for a place to grab a quick drink and food, or better yet, looking for a great investment to purchase – Lloyd’s is here for you.

For more information about purchasing this establishment contact anyone of us at Wine Trail Properties 315-719-8377.  MLS info supplied by GRAR.

This information brought to you by Mary St. George, Associate Broker, Wine Trail Properties, 315-719-8377

The reviews have been in, and they have all been great.  And I agree completely.

A friend of mine was with me while I went out to take some listing photos.  Hunger hit just as we were going through Hammondsport.  We thought about a burger, a barbecue meal and then noticed the Union Block Italian Bistro was open.  We looked at the menu from outside and decided ” Hey let’s go for a decent meal”,  after all we had missed lunch and I had been waiting to try the meals in this restaurant.  Many of my clients had raved about Union Block, told me all about their delicious meals and I just could not find the time.  So here I was inside ! 

We sat down and began a pleasant conversation with the server Nichole.  She brought me a nice warm and freshly brewed cup of coffee and my friend had a nice glass of  white wine, which I believe was a Pinot Grigio.  Now the menu, It appears simple and small, but….from the appetizers, such as the Antipasto Piatto, to the soups and salads, to  the entrees, we were enthralled.  Then came our server back with what seemed like an unending list of delectable sounding specials.  Oh my !

Our server explained that the Piatto comes with 1 each of 6 items and a salad.  It came made for 1 or 4.  We decided to order the Piatto which I dubbed an “Italian Pu Pu Platter” for two and split an order of the Macaroni and Cheese special, made with 4 cheeses, lobster and shrimp.  Before the meal came out, we received a warm basket of garlic and spice toast that melted in your mouth.  Between the bread and  the Antipasto Piatto platter would were pleasantly full.  Of course when the macaroni came, we had to try it.  It was creamy, the combination of the cheeses made it mouth-watering and the lobster and shrimp mixed in were like “the frosting on the cake”. 

We decided to have the mac packed up for later and decided to try the creme brulee with a fresh cup of coffee. What a pleasant and delectable end to a great meal.  The only downside for th Union Block, is that I am disappointed that I had not been there before.  Here we were in the middle of winter in a very seasonal town and the restaurant had a full house.  A great sign that the food is great.

I will be visiting again very soon and I am already thinking about my next selection !   Stop in and enjoy a great meal !

Seneca Farms Ice Cream, a local landmark in Penn Yan, especially so for the summertime vacationers to Keuka Lake.  Everyone has to visit Seneca Farms at least once.  For many it has become a tradition.

Is it the home-made ice cream in an unending amount of flavors or is it the fresh strawberry sundaes made with fresh picked local strawberries that brings families back year after year. Or maybe it is all of the cute young ladies that serve the ice cream up.  Whatever it is, Seneca Farms has gone through a couple of expansions, including a full fast food menu with some of the best rated chicken and fritters.  (yes, I did say fritters, and yes we are up North )

For me it is a terrible atrocity when they open up for the season.  Why ? Because I only live a stones throw away and the temptation is just too great sometimes to just pass by or in my case walk by.

Since they have closed for the season, the temptations will be gone until March when they open back up and will be advertising their Easter Ice Cream cakes. 

This is a small reminder of how quiet and desolate it feels around the lake once the cold weather comes along.  The lake people have gone, the wineries are having their big weekends and then will be winding down until the early part of next year.  The only increase in vehicles will  be the salt trucks and the snow plows.  The go-cart track is closed until June and the empty parking lot is a reminder of that, with only empty tires outlining the course but no carts to be seen. A walk down to the park on the lake is easily shared with the geese that are not quite sure if they should migrate or not.

So for now, I patiently wait to see the ice cream sign light up, the lines of cars pulling with hungry visitors willing to place their order for a cold ice cream on an even colder day. Because, then I know everything will begin to fall in place right behind them,  Dougs Meaner Wieners and Keuka Karts.   For me that also means the lakefront buyers will be out looking to purchase the perfect waterfront property and I want to be ready for them !  Where do I take my new clients ?   Well Seneca Farms of course !

This information brought to you by your favorite waterfront Realtor, Mary St. George, Associate Broker, Wine Trail Properties, Your Personal Connection to Lakefront Living in the Finger Lakes, 315-719-8377  www.winetrailproperties.com

Lower Lake Rd Cayuga Lake

 Lower Lake Rd located just minutes outside of the Village of Seneca Falls offers the lake lover, the perfect neighborhood.  Two restaurants, one an old staple of the neighborhood, the Deerhead Inn and Wolfies the new up and coming bar restaurant, a convenient store and State Park offer up just the right setting for lakefront living.

This neighborhood is a mixture of new and old, and all of the little things that make a street interesting.  And of course the views are phenomenal !

Cayuga Lake looking East just past Wolfies

As in most areas, there are usually landmarks that just seem to have been there forever.  The same holds true for Keuka Lake  in the Finger Lakes.  There was once a little (and I mean little) store on the East side of Keuka Lake called “Froggys“.  You knew you were there because it had a huge green frog outside of the store. Everyone knew what you were talking about when you said Froggys, and just as important, they knew what area of the lake you were referring to.  The place was sold and the frog became history.  Towards the end of its existence,  the old store had become one of those places that made you question whether it was even open. You know, something you would see in the movies.

Along came a young forward thinking man that decided to tear the old place down, build a new, larger, cleaner and more updated facility, and offer a deli. Since this stretch of road covers around 20 miles from Penn Yan to Hammondsport without any other stores, I see this as a wise decision to rebuild.  The name of the new facility is “The Olney Place” on Keuka, Market and Deli. The best part about it for the owner, is that it is opened seasonally allowing him to pursue other interests during the winter months when most lakefront properties sit empty.

Once Spring arrives, so do the lakefront owners.  I am sure they will all be meeting at Olneys, grabbing a fresh cup of coffee or maybe even the sandwich “Special of the Day”, and then discussing everything they missed during the winter. The area will be bustling.

As someone that has brought clients there for a quick lunch and a nice cold drink between home viewings, I can tell you first hand, they do have great food there.  The selection of sandwiches will make you hungry, even if you thought you were not.  The store is clean and has a great selection of items for your lakeside needs.

So when you are driving around the lake this summer, or you are stopping by your lakefront home, stop into Olneys, pick up something cold to drink, grab a sandwich and then tell Seth that Mary sent you.

Finger Lakes Information brought to you by Mary St George