Pleasant Valley Inn

Wow, what a nice place. They took us on a busy night without a reservation. Got a nice table in the corner. Smaller room with 7 tables and it was very quiet in there, even though all tables were full. An older clientele for sure. Our waitress was Amy, who recited the specials board verbatim. Pretty impressive! Hard to decide what to order. The menu has a lot of depth, but we decided on the veal chop special and the filet topped with a big honkin lobster cake. Both plates arrived with perfectly cooked food, not over presented. No herb showers, drizzles and squirts on the plates here. Just wonderful food prepared properly and backed up with impeccable service. This is a good example of how fine dining should be. They pour a good drink, serve great chow, check in on you, then leave you alone to eat it. I don’t know who owns the place, but I’ll bet they work there everyday, and it is very apparent that they care. You’ll be seeing us again!

Looks like I’m the first reviewer since ⁹⁄₂₀₁₄. This place deserves more reviews or maybe I should keep it to myself ’cause it’s an awesome place to dine.
The Pleasant Valley Inn is a huge pink structure located next to the main road between Bath and Hammondsport. Plenty of parking right in front. We arrived about 5 P.M. Saturday and were among the first there other than a few seated at the bar.
Love the interior design, the music, the service, but for now I’m going to focus on the food and beverages. My dining companion ordered an appetizer — «Escargot’ De La Maison Imported escargot sautéed in garlic butter. A house specialty.» ($ 11.95) while I sipped on a red wine from Argentina ($ 7.50/glass). My companion ordered his usual martini and said it was made exactly as he’d requested it. Later he indulged in a glass of the same red wine.
I typically end up ordering poultry or fish when dining out. In this case, I could not resist the sound of «Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon Roasted fresh Atlantic salmon, finished with caper butter.» ($ 23.95) There was a lovely piece of dill stem for a garnish. If I were to guess, I’d say it was 8 – 10 ounces of salmon. Several fresh sage leaves were inserted between the fish and the prosciutto. The salmon was perfectly done and the prosciutto added a tiny bit of saltiness and crispiness. He ordered a special — steak topped with a crab cake — and ate every bite!
Our meals came with bread/​butter, a small salad and mashed potatoes. I forgot to ask for my dressing on the side this time, but unlike most places that drench salads with dressing, The Pleasant Valley Inn uses less not more, just the way I prefer it.
I liked the potatoes because they included some of the peel and were not mashed to death. Should I call them smashed instead? I would have preferred they were hotter rather than lukewarm.
I also should have quit while I was pleasantly satiated. Instead I invited our waitress to tell us what was for dessert, and after being briefly torn between Key Lime Pie and Rhubarb Crumble with vanilla ice cream, I order the rhubarb dessert. Delicious! Sweet and tart exactly the way I like rhubarb.
Oh, someone asked me about the dress code. The place was full by the time we left. Dress ranged from casual to dressy. When I say casual, I mean 5^th Avenue casual, or so it appeared to me.
Okay, I’m ready to go back, right now!

Set in an old mansion, this chef-​owned restaurant offers fine dining to a casually dressed crowd. Some diners were dressed up while others had come from the Lake. All were treated with equal respect.
I had a beef dish while others in my party went with varied items. Everything was prepared perfectly. I may not know fine food, but I can spot that it was carefully prepared.
The server took care of all our needs and the owner instantly handled a minor issue with one of our dishes.
Another dining opportunity around Hammondsport that we can be thankful for.

We were SO impressed with our meal. I cannot wait to go back and eat more of their fabulous food! My first experience with escargot and it was phenomenal! I also got the special which was a tender cut of steak with a delicious, meaty crab cake on top. Portions are large and you get more than what you pay for.
Having gone to a slightly more expensive restaurant over on Seneca lake recently and being overly disappointed, I was soooo pleased with everything at the end of the night. We all had appetizers, mains, dessert and plenty of drinks and the bill was less than $ 100 per person including tax and tip.
The wine list is superb and graced with many high rated wine at low prices. Having lived in South Australia for 4 years, I was surprised and excited to see a couple high rated Penfolds wines on the list for much cheaper than they would cost you at the winery! I’m talking a $ 190 bottle for $ 65 or $ 75 on this list! Needless to say, the markups are more than reasonable and there is certainly something for everyone and to pair with every meal!
I will be back before they close up for the winter — hopefully more than once!!!

This was our 3^rd visit to PVI and clearly the most disappointing. My husband and I both ordered the ‘specials’. His medium rare steak was rare. My Tuscan braised ribs were flavorless. Additionally my salad had so little dressing on it that it was impercptble. The service was pleasant and efficient. The bill for 2 dinners, 1 soup, 1 salad & 1 glass of wine was nearly $ 100.

PVI is one of the VERY FEW good places to eat in this area. If you are from larger metropolitan area and come visit our area, please know that this is a very good place to come and eat. People might say it is old style and «stuffy», but you know what, kitchen puts out very very good food. You will not see SYSCO truck behind their kitchen like 99% of the restaurants in the area. You might have to pay a bit more, but you will actually eat a crab cake that is made from real Crab. Trust me, I don’t work here, I have lived in many larger cities and know food and what good restaurants are made of. If you wish to have a decent meal while visiting Keuka Lake and Hammondsport, this is the place to go. we drive ~40 minutes to come here because it is, again, one of the very few places in the area to get a good meal. Super nice couple own this place and will take care of you.

There are few restaurants that ALWAYS deliver excellent food and excellent service. PVI is our special treat when we want to indulge in «the best there is»!

The Pleasant Valley Inn is without a doubt one of the finest dining experiences in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY. As a former Rochester resident and long time Keuka Lake visitor, I’ve eaten here more times than I can count. Now living out of the area, we look forward to our twice-​yearly meals at the Pleasant Valley Inn, and have never been disappointed. I’ve never had less than excellent service, and the food, prepared by Chef Marianne, is prepared as much as possible with fresh, local ingredients. Her husband, Tom, works the front of the house, and never fails to visit each table to ensure that everything is the way it should be. I’m not sure what type of dining experience the previous reviewer is used to, but I for one am counting down the days until our next dinner in October at the Pleasant Valley.