Arrwin

I will be there with the Metro PCA for Sat. and Sun. Would be great to meet some fellow Rennlisters. It will be my first at "The Glen". Can't wait!

Do you guys have any recommendations for a nice restaurant around there? My GF will be sacrificing her weekend to sit in the pits and watch me go round and round taking pictures, so would like to take her out to some place nice. We'll be staying at the Falls Motel.

Did a quick search and these resulted:

• Wildflower Cafe (Downtown)
• StoneCat
• Red Newt

I'm assuming these are good bets?

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

TD in DC

This is not intended to be a smart aleck response, but search on this topic. This exact thread has come up two or three times recently.

Arrwin

Come on....I'm no Rookie! I already did...just forgot to put the results in the post. Please see updated.

I guess I mainly posted to see if anyone was going up and if these restaurants are adequate with a SO or more of a track buddy type of place.

TD in DC

All three are good. I think that stone cat has the best food, followed by Red Newt, but the Wildflower Cafe is very good AND it is in town.

Arrwin

I think you were the one that favored Stone Cat. Thanks!

I think we will go there.

TD in DC

The stone cat could be good for your purposes as well. You can sit outside next to a nice willow tree. They also frequently have live music. Have fun. Watkins Glen is one of my favorite places now.

Tim

The last 3 or 4 times I ate at the Wildflower I was NOT at all impressed!!

Ill never eat there again

Jerseybean

Food at the wildflower is typical bar food, nothing special. I like the chinesse place across the road.

TT Surgeon

None of those place are ' nice', the newt is barely ok. I usually stay at the falls and eat at that dumpy diner for lunch and hit the next towm over for dinner, much more selection. Wish I was going, my wife would flip as I just did two days at LRP last weekend. The glen is THE BEST track in the NE, bar none.

Arrwin

Ooh ok. Would Elmira be a better bet? I'm not looking for anything fancy shmancy...just a decent place to eat a good meal. We are at the track afterall.

smokey

Try the brew pub on the main street in Corning.

JCP911S

Restaurants at the Glen are mediocre at best... more "show than go".... just a matter of what you want... but IMHO, if you are doing track to have a "fine dining" experience, get another hobby. For the money, you're probably better off getting pizza, but its up to you.

Stone Cat is probably a "6" but about 10 miles around the other side of the lake.
Wildflowers is about a "5" but right downtown
The place in the old train station at the end of the lake is about a "4.5" but does have nice views
The Seneca Lodage is actually ok..maybe a "5.5" but the menu is "meat" and "not meat" if that's what you want

Some of the wineries also have food but my experience was they were pretty crummy:

Glenora was mediocre to disapointing
Castle Griesch (or however it was spelled) was awful.

I'd say the closer you stick to the basics the better... as the restaurants try to get too fancy, they over-reach and fall on thier face.... for me, the last thing I want to do after a long day at the track is drive 45 minutes each way for dinner.... so I usually just punt, and get soup and salad at the Wildflowers bar... but to each his own...

JCP911S

BTW the rating scale is: Denny's is a "1" Le Bec Fin is a "10" and the scale is somewhat exponential at the upper ends...

JoelG

We like Jerlandos, the Italian place on the main street in town. Even my wife approves. Its not Galileo, but Watkins Glen isn't DC either.

I like the Seneca Lodge too, but I'm a big meat eater. My wife doesn't care for it much though, probably because she's not.

For lunch Mr. Chicken is good. Be early because by 12 there's a line. Seems like its mostly locals. I've run into a lot of the track workers there.

Arrwin

Thanks again for all the recommendations guys. I'm sure we will hit one of the many suggestions. We're not looking for a Zagat rated restaurant or anything like that as we don't normally wine and dine ourselves, just some decent food and a night atmosphere is all.

Just wanted to thank everyone again for their invaluable track tips and everything else in between.

I'm getting off of work a bit earlier to head up there. Can't wait!

Thanks!