Forever Young Magazine

April 2006
Back to Table of Contents
Back to Archives Main Page

Section: Food

Spring Dining
By Kevin Carey

It is inevitable that diners will be looking for restaurants with open spaces, gardens on the grounds, and outdoor views in the month of April. We will all be looking for a way to shed the winter blues.

A beautiful view at Old Orchard Inn.
Photo by Jim Bush.

If a beautiful drive in the romantic countryside is to your liking, then the place to go is the Old Orchard Inn at 2095 Blakeley Corners Road in East Aurora. The inn was built in 1901 as a hunting lodge and was converted to a tea room in 1931. Here you can enjoy dining on the patio during the summer months or in front of one of their charming fireplaces on a cold winter evening, both overlooking a duck pond that sits on 25 beautifully cultivated acres. Jim Romanello, owner of the Old Orchard, calls this “country estate casual.” The interiors are decorated with warm wood paneling and tall picture windows overlooking the estate with fireplaces in each room. Here you can enjoy a stroll in the garden and enjoy the beautiful vistas from your dining room table. The food is just as good as the ambience — outstanding. This is a popular spot for gazebo weddings and family celebrations. For more information visit their website at www.oldorchardny.com or call
716-652-4664.

For all the charm of a countryside inn but in a less rural setting, consider Asa Ransom House in Clarence Hollow. The original structure was built in 1852 with dining rooms added in 1975 and a wing overlooking the pond and gardens in 1993. This is a full service inn complete with library, shop, beautifully landscaped grounds and dining rooms and guest rooms all furnished with antiques and period reproductions. There are fireplaces in most rooms and private baths in all. Here you will enjoy a menu of delicious seasonal dishes seasoned with herbs from their own herb gardens — surely the envy of any chef worth his salt. In addition, you are at the heart of a walkable community where boutiques and antique shops abound. Here you may choose to pass just an evening in the restaurant or you might indulge in a romantic weekend that is pure Americana. For the antiques enthusiast, after a day of shopping, you might also consider the traditional afternoon tea complete with traditional finger sandwiches, scones with jam & Devonshire cream and a dessert sampler plate. To learn more about the Asa Ransom House, visit their website at: www.asaransom.com. Call 716-759-2315 for reservations.

back to top

back to table of contents

Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home