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Springside Inn, Auburn
September 27, 2002
By Yolanda Wright
Contributing writer The
Post-Standard
Dining at Springside Inn is like
being at a party. The festivities begin when live flute music on the
veranda fills the spacious parking area and lawns outside the
attractive red building that has a history dating from 1851.
Springside began as a boarding school on farm property, evolved
into a private residence and then a summer resort and became a hotel
and restaurant in the 1940s.
In 1999, Sean and Beth Lattimore,
current innkeepers, purchased the property and offer lodgings as
well as fine dining in a setting that mixes a touch of the 19th
century with comforts and flavors of the 21st.
On a recent
Friday evening when we visited, the inn was hosting what could have
been a four-ring circus, with three rehearsal dinners in separate
rooms and full tables in the nonsmoking main dining room.
But an unflappable group of friendly, attentive waitresses served
10 diners celebrating a grandmother's birthday, coped with infants
and fed parties of six and eight as well as twosomes such as us.
Our roomy round table was covered with white linens
and topped with deep blue napkin fans, candlelight, a small vase of
fresh flowers and a tiny pumpkin.
With a tall mock-Tudor ceiling criss-crossed with dark oak beams
and hung with international flags, the carpeted room shows off a
remarkable collection of unmatched turn-of-the-century hanging lamps
and wall sconces with varied patterned globes.
Springside Inn's menu offers soups, salads, five appetizers
($4.50 to $6.95) and 16 entrees ($15.95 to $19.95, including salad).
Food we sampled was first-rate, with surprises such as a cheese
souffle among the starters and duckling flambeed with rum at the
table.
Homemade desserts were outstanding.
We started with a bottle of Cavit pinot grigio ($15.99, from the
low end of the wine list) and a basket of warm rolls that tasted
homemade.
The delicious hot cheese souffle ($4.50), listed as a house
tradition, was a savory individual serving from a larger baked dish
and deserves its permanent place on the menu.
Lobster Newburg ($6.95), from a family recipe, was a tiny sampler
of an entree ($19.95) and had a rich lobster flavor.
But pieces of lobster were scarce in the thick sauce, which the
menu promised would be served in a puff-pastry shell. In reality,
two triangles of pastry rested next to a small dish of sauce.
Salads with homemade dressings, applied with a light
hand, delivered fresh mixed greens, cucumber slice, cherry tomato,
baby carrot, ripe olives, onion rings and good croutons.
Italian dressing with crumbly blue cheese and Parmesan-peppercorn
dressing was especially good.
Generous hot entrees were prize-winners. A perfectly roasted
large Moscovy duck half ($17.95), recommended by our waitress, took
on its rummy blaze of glory after she asked permission to start the
fireworks.
The tender duck had a shiny crisp skin drizzled with orange sauce
and was served on a bed of spicy sage-and-sausage stuffing with a
side of sauteed fresh spinach.
Grilled swordfish ($18.95) was wonderfully moist, and twin
fillets rested on a thick roasted-garlic potato "pancake" that was
apparently made with mashed potatoes and had little flavor.
It would have been a tastier treat if the pancake had been made
with shredded raw potatoes and onions.
Spinach and a side of sweet corn relish flavored with balsamic
vinegar complemented the fish.
Other entree choices included shrimp scampi ($17.95),
grilled beef tenderloin ($19.95), chicken marsala ($18.95),
primavera or risotto with fresh vegetables ($15.95), lamb loin
medallions ($18.95), roasted turkey ($15.95), crab cakes ($17.95)
and prime rib ($15.95 and $17.95, Friday and Saturday).
From a list of homemade and commercial desserts, we went for two
in-house sweets ($4.95) and were delighted.
Kahlua creme brulee's light, creamy custard made a perfect base
for a golden crackling crust.
A warm chocolate souffle-torte (our waitress wasn't sure what to
call it) was a rich and delicious slice by any name and was
garnished with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. Coffee cost $1.25.
As the dining room got busier, the noise level rose, and service
was spread thin.
But the cheerful apologies for delays and warm hospitality from
the ever-present hostess made the easy drive to Auburn one worth
repeating anytime. Yolanda Wright's weekly "Dining Out" review is
based on an anonymous, unannounced visit. An A-to-Z listing of many
of the reviews is available at www.syracuse.com under "Entertainment
- "Dining & Bars."
