Everyone's welcome at Herrings Inn
HERRINGS — If you've driven on Route 3 west of Carthage, you've certainly noticed the big stone building with the wraparound porch as you passed through Herrings, population 129.
Once upon a time, the old rambling building that now houses Herrings Inn was a stagecoach stop. And you know what? As soon as you open the door to the barroom, you feel like you've taken a trip back in time.
The décor is country rustic — an old pool table, darts, vintage beer signs and old license plates on the walls and writing all over the ceiling (Lisa the barkeep invited us to climb up on the bar and add to the scrawlings, and we hadn't even ordered a drink yet.) Good graffiti in the men's bathroom, too.
Everyone's welcome at Lisa's bar. Townies and techies (there was a guy there with a laptop), tourists like us and, in the coming weeks, thirsty hunters on their way to hunting camp.
While it appeared beer was the beverage of choice, Lisa had no problem making mixed drinks in man-sized 12-ounce plastic cups for four city slickers. She didn't even dump on the guy in our group wearing a lavender-colored button down dress shirt.
We meandered our way to the big, open dining room with its high ceilings and original maple hardwood floors. It looks old and feels old, like a dance hall in an old Western saloon. There are lots of tables for four and a couple of large tables that could easily seat 10 or 12, all set and ready to go.
The menu matches the ambiance — country friendly with good variety. Local favorites like liver and onions, pork loin and ham steak. Chicken grilled, blackened Alfredo, Parmesan and Marsala. Shrimp, scallops, haddock and catfish. Lasagna, manicotti and stuffed shells. Five cuts of steak including the "Texas Monster," a 42-ounce sirloin.
Portions are plentiful; prices are in the $10 to $15 range except for the hunk of cow, which is $29.95.
Appetizers, $4.95 on average, are pretty much standard fried stuff, with shrimp cocktail and steamed clams the exception. So we segued right into dinner, beginning with serve-yourself soup from one of those big black soup kettles. You have the choice of soup or salad with your entrée.
Homemade vegetable beef was a hit around the table, a flavorful stock loaded with tender pieces of beef, carrots, green beans and barley. Salad consisted of crisp iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumber and a tomato wedge or two on a chilled plate. Make-your-own oil and vinegar dressing with blue cheese crumbles was perfectly adequate.
Lisa was also our waitress (and sometimes dishwasher and sometimes cook, she told us). We never lacked for attention from this hard-working, seasoned professional.
The 16-ounce boneless rib-eye ($17.95) was a tasty steak, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, charbroiled just as requested (medium on the rare side), checkered with criss-cross grill marks. A side of homemade mac and cheese was totally cheddar cheesy and yummy, baked till crispy-good on top.
Deep-fried catfish ($9.95) was hand-breaded Southern cornmeal style. It was a crunchy coating that locked in the distinct flavor of the fish (a little more pronounced than haddock), also keeping it moist and flaky. Coleslaw was tasty and fresh, homemade we assumed.
My two Italian buddies at the table were skeptical that the restaurant could make lasagna as good as they could, so I was delegated and delighted to try the Herrings Inn lasagna ($9.95).
My friends are gonna hate me for this, but I thought it was excellent. It was made to order (pretty sure) rollatini style with ricotta and mozzarella and ground beef and sausage, covered with a perfectly balanced slow-simmered tomato sauce. I considered licking my plate clean, but decided to use the warm dinner rolls from the basket on the table instead.
Chicken Marsala ($14.95) was a bit nontraditional, adding sautéed onions to the mushrooms that traditionally top a Marsala dish. The chicken was tender and the flavor of the Marsala came through; it was served on a bed of linguini.
A dessert board tempted us with four homemade desserts, so we got to sample one of each, passing each plate around the table for sharing. The ample portions were priced at $2.75 each.
Warm apple pie was perfect on a chilly fall evening, sweet and tart at the same time with a decent flaky crust. Chocolate bundt cake was a chocolate lover's dream, especially with Hershey's chocolate sauce drizzled over it.
The favorite at the table seemed to be Toll House pie — pretty much chocolate chip cookie dough in a pie crust. My favorite was the creamy cheesecake.
Dinner for four came to a reasonable $73 before tip and drinks.
Lisa did an outstanding job, somehow juggling her simultaneous duties as our waitress and bartender in the next room, always right there for us and also the bar patrons.
Owner and chef Jon Murdock emerged from the kitchen to check on us. We joked with him a bit, categorizing his food as "gourmet hunting camp." But it was much more than that. It was a great meal in an unexpected location.
Jon has owned the inn for the past six years, carrying on a longstanding tradition in this tiny town in the foothills of the Adirondacks.
With the combination of local ambiance, friendliness of the staff, the food pricing and the portion sizing, we think the Herrings Inn is a place you should check out. It's a must-do stop if you're on your way to hunting camp, for sure.
You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.
Herrings Inn
35802 Route 3
Herrings, NY
493-9829
www.herringsinn.com
A historic country inn serving food and libation in a rustic setting. Good food, great staff, classic old-time ambiance
HOURS:
Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
Dinner: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Bar open till the wee hours
Try the charbroiled rib-eye, or the lasagna, or the fried catfish.
RATING: 3 and one-half forks
