Daño's brings European charm to Seneca Lake

A short drive from Ithaca, or a perfect stopping point along Seneca Lake's scenic shoreside winery trail, is Daño's Heuriger on Seneca. This beautifully designed building evokes the feeling of European wineries which would sell mugs of their new wines, along with a small variety of foods to pair with them.

Daño's shifts the focus to freshly prepared food, but offers a broad selection of Finger Lakes and European wines. The food itself is mostly items that can be shared, such as simple charcuterie and a mouth-watering array of spreads along with freshly baked breads.

I'm sure I'm mispronouncing it, but we started our meal by sharing a vegetarian wild mushroom palatchinken, similar to a crepe or blintz, served with butternut squash sauce and a hearty medley of roasted root vegetables. Up next was a charcuterie board featuring homemade Viennese garlic sausage, sliced and slow-cooked pork and duck, a sweet and delicious pork belly chutney, and even a spicy and thick homemade mustard.

Also available are smoked fish, roasted meats, goulash, and salads. The spreads and salads feature fresh vegetables in novel combinations, including artichoke lemon spread and horseradish beet salad. These are best enjoyed a few at a time, with one of Daño's bread baskets.

We finished our meal with big cups of Viennese coffee, thick and creamy and sprinkled with cinnamon, and we shared a slice of Kugelhopf, a kind of cake that's rumoured to have traveled from Austria to France with Marie Antoinette. Whatever its travels, we loved the dense, rich, not-too-sweet cake served with stewed cherries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream.

Plan on spending 15-25 dollars per person for a meal, a bit more if you'd like to relax with a bottle of wine, coffee, and dessert, as we did. Daño's is on Route 414 in the midst of winery country. Visit danosonseneca.com or call them at 607-582-7555 and tell them you heard about them here.