Exquisite dining pairs well with Finger Lakes wines

"Bob and I always talked about wouldn't it be nice to have a white house near the lake," Suzanne says.

They saw a Prudential sign on the Townsend home in Lodi and looked at it the next day.

"Tears came to my eyes -- I blew it," Suzanne says. "The Realtor knew she had me."

The couple has since lovingly restored the home to its 1903 original grandeur -- and opened it as a restaurant, Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine.

Bob still works weekdays in New Jersey while the couple's youngest daughter, Amanda, a high school junior, works toward her degree.

"I know most gas stations and bumps in the road," said Bob, referring to his weekly five-hour commutes from New Jersey to Lodi. "It's two different lives. I don an apron and get on line," is how Bob describes his routine to help prepare meals on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Although the menu is modest, it offers diners a choice of seafood, poultry, lamb and beef dishes priced from $19 to $25.

Our dinner began with sliced cherry tomatoes stuffed with avocado salsa, followed by beautifully presented fresh asparagus soup.

Two small stalks of asparagus, crossed in the bottom of a bowl, were accompanied by a few halved cherry tomatoes. The soup was gently poured into the bowl at the table. The rich and creamy soup was quite a taste treat, especially with the intermingled solid vegetables.

The entrees were also served in style. Oversized plates afforded ample space to present a rack of lamb that simply looked mouthwatering. It was accompanied by potato gratin, potato slices layered with garlic and goat cheese made by Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken. Green beans provided another splash of color to the dish.

The succulent lamb was cooked perfectly, and accompanied by a red-wine sauce that added another dimension to the dish.

The seared filet mignon was presented with flair as well. The medium-rare steak came with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots Provencal.

The flavorful meat was so tender I thought I could almost cut it with a fork. It was scrumptious.

What about wine? (After all, this is a supposed to be a wine column.) "We did not want to insult local businesses," Bob says. The Stacks concentrated on Finger Lakes wines. Bob spent time with Ithaca wine merchant David Sparrow to develop a wine selection. The Stacks have more than 25 excellent wines representing wineries along Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka lakes.

The Wagner 1999 Cabernet Franc went well with our meal. It has a rich, dark cherry taste with a hint of oak. The Heron Hill 2001 Eclipse was a hit also. It was a full-bodied, smooth wine with lots of cherry flavor.

Dessert was a piece of warm chocolate cake, made with Belgian chocolate that came oozing out. It was presented with fresh red raspberries and blackberries, and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A glass of Fox Run Port was the perfect partner for the rich chocolate.

For Friday or Saturday evening reservations (required), call 607/582-7545.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays