It’s been a while since we went out for a nice date night dinner, so I decided to make plans and surprise Chelsea with dinner at the Braeloch Inn in Cazenovia. It’s about an hour drive from us but that’s mostly because we like taking back roads everywhere, so we left early enough that we got there shortly after they opened at 4:00.
We decided to eat in the tavern which is tucked away downstairs and honestly feels like sitting in a cozy Scottish cottage instead of a restaurant. Our waitress Lisa was also the bartender for the evening and she was extremely nice and fun to talk to as we asked questions about the menu. Chelsea ordered a basic Amaretto and Ginger Ale while I stuck with water because I’m boring and don’t drink any more. We started with the Loutessa’s Canapés (yes, Lisa, I know it’s pronounced can-uh-pays but can-apes is funnier to me) appetizer, which is toast points with Two Kids goat cheese, Heather honey and sliced filet over field greens with balsamic glaze drizzle. The canapés were absolutely delicious and packed a lot of flavor in such small bites. You could taste every ingredient and the goat cheese brought a nice briney flavor to go with the savory chilled filet.
Chelsea had a hard time deciding between some of the entrée options but finally settled on the Chicken Roulade, a stuffed and rolled chicken breast with brie, apples and slab bacon wrapped in pastry and topped with apple moonshine reduction. The chicken was served with whipped potatoes and veg du jour (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower today) and everything about it was outstanding. The apple moonshine reduction was delectable, the pastry wrap had a gentle crisp and the chicken cooked perfectly. Those whipped potatoes were so smooth it was like eating pudding, not a lump to be found. As someone who has been cooking for 20 years, I know how those potatoes are made and it is a tedious process to rice that many potatoes and then whip them to that consistency, so hats off to the poor chef who has to do that prep every day.
I grew up eating Irish steak pies because my grandmother was born in County Roscommon Ireland, so as soon as I saw that on the menu I was sold. Chunks of prime rib, onion, carrots, celery stewed in Guinness gravy, served over mashed potatoes and topped with homemade pastry crust, the only difference between what I grew up with and this version was my grandmother used Jameson gravy instead of Guinness. And this did not disappoint one bit. It tasted like grandma’s and was piping hot to the point where it was almost difficult to eat, just like grandma used to make. The gravy was delicious and the steak bits were cooked thoroughly but not tough and chewy. The puff pastry was delightful and had a ton of flavor as well, making a lovely topper to an already wonderful dish. In retrospect, I probably should have opted for the tavern portion of the meal Lisa offered which is apparently a little smaller, as I was already feeling full about 3/4ths of the way through.
Being the gluttons for punishment we are, we decided to get dessert as well because dinner date. What’s the point if you don’t splurge a little? We couldn’t decide on one dessert, so we went with the Sticky Toffee Pudding (date cake soaked in toffee sauce with Bailey’s whipped cream) for Chelsea and the Billionaire Tart (shortbread crust with caramel filling topped with chocolate ganache) for myself. The tart was absolutely delicious but also extremely rich, so as great as it was I am not sure I would order it again purely because it was a lot. That sticky toffee pudding, on the other hand, I could eat that by the fistful unashamedly. Chelsea had never had sticky toffee pudding so it was a lovely surprise for her. The date cake was super light and fluffy, the toffee sauce perfectly sweet but not over the top. That was a perfect execution of a Scottish staple.
Overall, this was a wildly successful date night. Our food was fantastic across the board, our waitress Lisa was lovely and knowledgeable, the atmosphere was cozy and reminded me of my grandmother and we had a lovely night out. Total spent was $103 before tip for one drink, one appetizer, two entrées and two desserts, so be prepared for a slightly steeper bill. But I regret nothing and we will absolutely go back, even if it’s just to sit at the bar and have some appetizers, especially because Chelsea is already dreaming of those canapés and she hasn’t even gone to sleep yet.
5 Albany Street Cazenovia, NY 13035
(315) 655-3431