Finger Lakes : Food, Cheese Trail and More Wines

"Finger Lakes is a land of surprises of cuisines and beverages, and it always makes my stomach eat and drink at its heart's most whole. Before visiting this wonderland of deliciousness, I never knew Icecream flights existed. I never knew that Stout Beer with Hebenaro Chocolate tasted so good. I could still reminisce about the different varieties of Cheese in a refurbished old barn as part of the Cheese trail. And oh! How can we forget the award-winning Grape Pies from Naples, NY? Must I tell you, if you aren't a foodie, you still have plenty to do - for example, how about witnessing White deers!

F.L.X Winery, Dundee

Featuring an array of exciting menu items, including Deep Fried Almond Joy and Crunchy Fried Nutella, this casual yet delectable burger joint is one of the best. I love how friendly the ambiance and the staff were. It could easily pass as an old-school reunion joint with a sweet touch of savory and eclectic touch of fun and experimentation. The banner there read "Deliciousness is here - Best burgers in Murcia," which holds to each word.  

 They served us plenty of good food, such as a burger with Chicken patty, Fried eggs, Kimchi, and Miso and Cilantro. Another one had homemade sausage, chipotle meal, fried onion, and cheese crusts.

As our driver drove from F.L.X Winery to Spotted Duck - an ice cream place, he pointed us towards a haunted home in Finger Lake that came in between.

Spotted Duck Creamery, Penn Yan

Located in Penn Yan, which is famous for Buckwheat and local flavors, Spotted Duck Creamery is one of its kind, as it uses original Duck eggs for its frozen custard.  

Churning ice cream is a Hoover family tradition. Daniel and his wife Elizabeth grew up on organic farms, so local and organic ingredients were a must. They started their flocks of ducks, and we can spend some time with them, watching them or feeding them from outside the grills.

They said to us, "Duck eggs make creamier and tastier ice cream. It takes about 15 min to churn. We churn it right on the sidewalk of our store. The churn equipment is an old-style retrofitted Ice and Salt churn. These are three foil, and inside is food-grade antifreeze so that our ice cream canister sets right down to it. "

Of course, it's a must-stop with a flight of gourmet ice-creams. Some of the flavors that stuck to my mind were Super Stout, Dairy-Free Candied Coconut, Elderberry Port Reserve, etc.

Muranda Cheese Company. A little detour from the usual fare, is Muranda Cheese Company. An old establishment in the area, this barn is surrounded by their own farm. They have quick cheese tastings in which they do make you taste different varieties of cheese. I would say, my experience neither was too good nor too bad, but it left me wanting for more. This place would make a perfect venue for a farm style wedding.

Some of the notable variants of Cheese that we tasted were - Red Buddy Cheese(Crunchy Cheese), Bel Celio(to be used in pasta sauce), Gotcha Gouda(that pairs with Cider), Dilli Girl(cheese with dill and garlic), Muranda Blue(to use it as seasoning on salads), etc. 

If you have time, do not forget to visit other places in the area. For example, Seneca Lake State Park has a finger lakes visitor center, and also has an iconic IloveFingerLakes billboard. One can also enjoy a pleasant stroll in and around the state park. The Army Depot White Deer has white deers, so one can visit their tours as well.