White Inn

In celebration of my sister Tara’s 21st birthday I recently made the long drive out to Fredonia in western New York to visit her and drink copious amounts of alcohol. Ah, the joys of reaching legal drinking age! She had been saying for a while that she wanted to have a martini at the White Inn, a nice hotel and restaurant in town, so one night we headed there for delicious food and a perfectly crafted martini.

We decided to sit at the bar, which had a nice rustic feel to it. A fire roared nearby, diners sat and ate at their tables, and the soft sounds of a young man and woman singing and playing guitar filled the room. We started off with martinis—Bombay Sapphire gin, on the dry side, straight up, with olives. To me this is the perfect martini and apparently I’ve schooled my sister well because she ordered the same thing. The bartender made our martinis perfectly. It was just the right combination of gin and vermouth—crisp, clean, cool, and refreshing.

For food we started off with two appetizers, opting for a shrimp and goat cheese crostini and bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin. The crostini was nice and lightly toasted with a smooth, delicate spread of goat cheese, herbs, and minced shrimp layered on top. The cool creaminess of the cheese and crispiness of the crostini balanced well with the other appetizer. The bacon-wrapped tenderloin came with a sweet and spicy hoisin sauce. The bacon was fantastic, of course, and while the tenderloin could have been, well, a little more tender, overall it was a very satisfying and tasty start to the meal.

 

Next we moved on to entrees. I ordered the rack of lamb. The lamb was lightly breaded and cooked medium rare. It was accompanied with wild rice pilaf, carrots, and broccoli. Lamb is one of my favorite meats but I rarely have a chance to eat it, so although other items on the menu, such as duck and scallops, tempted me, I was happy I went for the nice, tender lamb. Tara ordered grilled salmon with a honey Dijon sauce, rice, and vegetables. She adored it. 

 

After we finished our entrees we switched from martinis to White Russians, which are made of vodka, kahula, and cream. Again the bartender crafted the drinks perfectly—they were lusciously creamy and a perfect way to anticipate dessert. 

Even though we were incredibly full from dinner we felt it was appropriate to order dessert since we were celebrating Tara’s birthday. We ordered a decadent cake with layers of coffee and chocolate deliciousness. Mmm, chocolate. How can you go wrong? We sat at the bar, taking bites of cake, sipping on our White Russians, and enjoying each others company.

A nice dinner with superb drinks was the perfect way to elegantly celebrate Tara’s birthday. We were very impressed with the White Inn, and even though it was on the fancy side the prices were very reasonable. If you ever find yourself in the quaint college town of Fredonia and want to indulge a little you should definitely stop by the lovely White Inn.