Del Lago & Skaneateles

Portico By Fabio Viviani, the restaurant at Del Lago Resort and Casino, has been on my list of restaurants to try since it opened. We’ve been whittling down the list, although we keep adding more (don’t tell my primary physician, since this dining goal seems incompatible with health goals she’s set for me…). We recently had the opportunity for a wine and culinary experience there, and the group also arranged for a good rate at the hotel, so we decided to make a mini-break of it and include a day-trip to Skaneateles.

When I first met Charlie’s family, they kept talking about this lake and town, and a great restaurant called Krebs. Not being Finger-Lakes-educated, I heard “Skinny Atlas,” and thought that was a rather peculiar name. But it was pre-internet, and not only couldn’t I look it up, I had no idea then there was a name for my mishearing – a mondegreen. (Like when a friend of my little brother thought the end of prayers was “Father, Son, and home we go.”)

We did a little morning shopping, then had a delicious lunch at Moro’s Kitchen, a sister restaurant to Moro’s Table in Auburn, which we love. Afterward, we had intended to do a boat tour on the lake, but even if I’d wanted to, the gale force winds had canceled all tours. I was feeling a bit queasy just walking out on the pier and watching the waves crashing against the breakwater! 

Instead, we walked up to The Krebs to have a peek. We will definitely need to return, and perhaps stay a couple of nights at the Mirbeau Inn and Spa, and hope the weather cooperates to get out onto the lake. Part of me wants to take the mailboat tour (I had just seen this video prior to our trip, and it looks like great fun, although I’m not sure how fun it would be in hours 2 and 3…), but the practical part will stick to the 50-minute option. It would be fun to see some of those lake mansions closer up. 

Our room at Del Lago was very comfortable, although even with non-opening windows and the hum of the air conditioner, I could still hear the trucks on the Thruway. We took a spin through the casino, and my only temptation was to take a photo, which Charlie cautioned me against. I don’t understand the entertainment value of casino gambling – none of the people glued to their slot machines looked like they were having fun.

Dinner began with an hour of wine tasting, led by Marti and Tom Macinski, former owners of Standing Stone Vineyards. We tasted 6 wines, all from the Finger Lakes, and all very good, even the Riesling! They shared their knowledge and anecdotes, and at the end, Marti reminded us that she had never tasted several of her wine selections before this event, and that 20 years ago, daring the same would have been unthinkable – the wines might have been undrinkable…

Our family-style salads were wonderful – one of heirloom tomatoes, another of peaches and burrata. One of Portico’s signatures is its mostly locally-sourced ingredients, and the freshness was evident. Our dinners of salmon, chicken, or beef were all excellent, but the truly memorable dish was the side of rigatoni carbonara. The ingredients – pasta, cheese, egg, crispy bacon, and brussels sprouts – are layered in a mason jar and shaken tableside. It was difficult to restrain from making this into the main dish… Dessert was an incredible assortment of cookies, cannoli, macarons, all made in-house, and little cakes, from Leo’s. We retired early and were glad not to have a 40-minute drive home. It would be fun to go back sometime, perhaps before a show at the Vine – I’d love to check out that theatre space!