Inspiring lake views and delightful meals at Trumansburg's Taughannock Farms Inn

Join us tonight for a lakeside dinner in Trumansburg, at Taughannock Farms Inn. Built 135 years ago as a private summer home, Taughannock Farms has spent about the last seventy years as a restaurant and inn, adjacent to the state park. Dinner here has an elegant feel, and virtually every table enjoys a nice view of the park and the lake, thanks to a tiered dining room whose walls are mostly window.

I'm a big fan of the old-fashioned dining approach, offering a complete dinner along with each entree, rather than going a la carte, which can add up fast. Dinner at Taughannock Farms includes a choice of appetizer, bread basket, a salad or sorbet, side dishes, and dessert. Drinks aren't included, but the wine list is surprisingly affordable, with a French bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a California Merlot for $37 and $29, respectively. (There are also a few Finger Lakes offerings.)

My smoked sausage and cheese appetizer was a good way to start off the meal, just a few bites of tasty charcuterie and cheese, plus whole-grain mustard and crackers. I've also enjoyed the warmed brie with fruit compote, perfect on a cold evening, and my dining companions picked the tomato-basil soup of the day. Next time, I'll get back to the chilled strawberry soup, which I remember from the Taughannock Farms menu of days gone by. That's a pretty summery appetizer, but it's such a signature dish that we can understand why they'd keep it on the menu into the colder months.

The featured salad for our visit was Boston bibb lettuce with candied walnuts and feta, or a more traditional mixed green salad is always available. I enjoyed the bacon dressing on my salad, reminiscent of the warm Penn Dutch dressing but served cold, and I felt the salad of the day led particularly well into my roast duck breast entree, served with a tangy apricot-ginger glaze alongside a lentil pilaf.

A friend's steak and shrimp dinner featured a beautifully tender strip steak, though the salty and spicy mesquite rub was a bit too salty. The pumpkin ravioli were a perfect fall dish, one of several vegetarian options on the menu, including a portobello mushroom Wellington.

A sweet dessert and a cup of coffee rounded out the evening perfectly. Each course was plentiful without being huge, so we left feeling well fed but not stuffed. We also felt well taken care of; our server was friendly and answered questions as they came up, always available without hovering.

Plan on spending $25-40 on dinner, more with wine or mixed drinks. You can find Taughannock Farms Inn on Route 89 about ten minutes from the Hangar Theatre, just before the entrance to Taughannock Falls State Park. Call 387-7711 or visit t-farms.com and tell them you heard about them here.