Stonecat Cafe

This is a lovely lake perched a top the side of Seneca Lake.
My GF and phamily went here when we were on tour this summer for Magnaball.
We went and did the whole wine thing. Sampled and bought some fantastic wine, saw this place — parking lot full. Pulled in here on a lovely summer afternoon, waited a bit, not too bad tough.
Everything on the menu is good.
All of the stuff is super fresh /​local /​all that.
A great lunch spot if you are doing winery tours and /​or you are «on tour».

I was staying nearby with my fiancée for a wine tasting weekend. We came to Stonecat based on the recommendations of some locals and really enjoyed ourselves. We started with the baked brie which was very good and then we shared the pulled pork, described by a waiter as a «viking portion». That was definitely enough for the two of us to split. The pulled pork was delicious as were the black-​and-​black posole. Their coleslaw also was a nice surprise. The dressing was not heaving and featured dill — quite a lovely addition. With our meals we both had beers which were very tasty and local! They also have a good wine selection from the local vineyards, but we were wined-​out by the time dinner came around.

I loved this recent lunch but in hindsight am sad that we waited until the last day of our vacation to Lake Seneca to come here.
It will be first on my list of places to go on any return trip we make to this area of upstate NY.
In addition to Hector being farm and agricultural country, it is one of the towns lucky enough to be home to Lake Seneca.
We were staying at the lovely lakeside vacation home belonging to friends of ours and we spent most of our time enjoying the perfecti location we had and being in and on the lake. We took some time away from the lake to enjoy the many wineries in the area and on our last day we hit up the Stonecat for lunch.
We were seated at a table overlooking the lake which is the place to be in my opinion. The view of the water and the surrounding trees continued to delight us.
We had a lovely waitperson who quickly brought us water and menus. While the lunch menu isn’t terribly extensive I think most diners there find something they would want to eat. Everything on the menu is locally sourced. Much of the beer is crafted from local breweries and the wine comes from many of the wineries right in the neighborhood. It’s a great opportunity to partake of the great agricultural and farming abundance that this area is known for.
We both went with the grass-​fed burgers. I don’t want to go on too much of a rant here but our belief is that if we are going to eat beef we want to be eating beef from cows who have had a good life on a local farm eating what cows are meant to eat. And that food would be grass. Not corn, not grain and most definitely not the dreaded and unhealthy soy and soy by-​products. Cows want grass. They are ruminants with multiple stomachs designed to digest grass. When they are forced to eat things other than grass they don’t do well, aren’t happy or healthy and don’t live as long as they should. Not to mention that the vast majority of corn and soy grown these days is genetically modified. Thank you, Monsanto.
We are always excited when we find restaurants that serve grass-​fed local beef. With this basic understanding generally comes a desire for those of us who eat meat to find this meat from grass-​fed cows. Then we typically see, as we have already, more of a demand for grass-​fed beef as one example, which encourages local farmers to produce in the correct manner and and hopefully moves us away from factory farming.
For those who think it’s better to try to get everyone to stop eating meat, it isn’t going to happen (and I don’t believe it’s healthy to not eat some meat… yes to paleo considerations in this regard) but we can put our money where our mouths are and choose to only eat meat that has been produced with care, understanding of the needs of the animals and even reverence.
And so back to the burgers at hand… they were tasty, flavorful and very, delicious They were cooked as we asked them to be and were accompanied by incredible fries; crisp on the outside, soft and delicious inside.
My husband ordered a locally crafted beer which he enjoyed… he was cheerfully given samples of a number of the local beers from which he made his final selection. I went with the tried and true local Genesee beer.
Each menu item is listed with an accompanying suggestion for a wine or beer pairing.
We are typically not sweets or desserts eaters so we said no (plus we were full) but the menu had some worthy sounding options.
The Stonecat serves American style fare including lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. And although we had but one simple lunch here, I already know this is the kind of thoughtful, local restaurant that I appreciate and want to return for an encore.

We were looking for a nice quiet place for dinner. We were both amazed at the incredible flavors and atmosphere at the Stonecat. We both had the best meals in years. Highly recommended.

I loved this place! From the outside the looks are deceiving. It is quaint inside and rustic. We sat by the window and had a decent view of the sunset. Our waitress was wonderful and made the experience even better. The food was delicious! We both had the NY strip steak with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. It was amazing! Even though we were stuffed after that we still ordered two scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream which was the perfect way to end this meal. I would highly recommend stopping here.

This place was recommended to us since we arrived here in the Finger Lakes. The atmosphere is great, food amazing, and the service was also good. My husband can’t have gluten and there were plenty of options for him! The steak was amazing and I had vegetable curry! We will definitely be back here the next time we visit!

I had the halibut, my wife had the braised duck from local farm in Obid. Excellently prepared. Service was great. The view was great, check out the patio. We stretched the $$ signs, but we had alcohol and desserts. Will go back. Make reservations!

First of all, the location’s view wasn’t that great according to me (contrary to the other reviews) that or we weren’t seated at a great location — though the music played was lovely. The place is very crowded almost on all days — highly recommend calling in and booking rather than just dropping by.
The menu — diverse but royal. I had the Catfish and Scrambled Eggs with local greens and cheese — simply delicious ! The had the local soup served (don’t remember the name) — totally recommend having that. Other than that, my friends had all kinds of salads and for some weird reason though, they didn’t apparently like (that, or probably due to taste difference). No amount of seasoning helped — it simply worsened the taste.
Speaking of the wines, all are great. Totally recommend following the ‘suggested pairing’ in case not much clue of wine. And for non-​alcoholics, the lemonade/​soda works well.
Do recommend dropping by into Seneca lake post the brunch/​lunch/​pre-​dinner — the scenery is awesome! :D

Had brunch here today (Sunday of Labor Day weekend). Made a reservation far in advance for 4 and was glad we did! They were packed, and our res got us a table on the back porch/​deck which was very lovely. On Sunday’s they have live jazz, so there was music, a breeze and their delicious food!
Two of us got the scrambled eggs with local greens and herbed cream cheese, served with roasted herb potatoes — delicious. One had the Scooter Hash — it was served with two poached eggs. Though our friend described it as ‘alright’ is was literally devoured before our eyes in about 5 min! The other person had the special of fried chicken served with corn bread and dill cole slaw — really well cooked, not at all greasy, and nicely balanced.
We decided to share 2 desserts as well — had the peach olive oil cake with apricot-​almond ice cream and fresh whipped cream — scrumptious! And the blueberry ricotta cake — super moist with lots of real blueberries.
Only two things that were irksome: there is only one bathroom here and the line was always really long because they were so busy; also service was slow: took 10 min before a server came to take our drink order; another 20 before she took our main order; another 10 til our drinks were served (so, 40 min before we received a coke and lemonades) and we hit the hour mark before our meals came out. With dessert we were there 2 full hours. We had the time and it was really lovely sitting there listening to music, but take note — this is not ‘in and out’ in an hour!

On Friday, 8÷28÷2015, I stopped by the Stonecat Café for lunch. I was impressed with the menu, service, food, and the view from the outside seating area. A must place to stop off and have lunch while in the area.

I would be a weekly regular at this place. We walked in on a Sunday afternoon and this place was packed! We were seated immediately, though, how lucky! Food was great, beverages were great. Our waiter was very nice.
I want to try everything on the menu!
Hopefully we will be back!

After a long day of traveling from Philadelphia to Watkins Glen, or pay off four ventured out to taste some wines and beers. We ended up at Two Goats where we met Doug and Dawn who recommended Stonecat.
We called ahead and got a reservation for about the same time it took to drive from two goats to Stonecat!
We had a very nice waiter who was attentive and have us great insight and information on his favorite selections. We choose the poutine for an appetizer which was excellent! Each of us choose different entrees — steak, asian chicken with purple coconut rice, scallops with a barley mixture, and catfish with a pozzolw. We were all pleased and thought each of our dishes were the best.

We had the roasted garlic appetizer which was buttery and delicious, served with two different kinds of bread. We each had the soup off the specials menu — beef barley and mushroom. It needed some salt and pepper but was very good. My husband had the strip steak and was very happy with it. It was cooked exactly to his specification. I had the catfish. The breading was cooked perfectly and the fish was sweet and tender.
Great service. Would definitely come back!

Finally made it to stonecat café. It was a bit pricey for the area but it was delicious. I needed up having the Mac and cheese topped with bbq pulled pork. The portion size was good because it wasn’t too big. I also had a side of garlic Rosemary mashed potatoes. My meal was carb overload but delicious. Their menu has unique items and everything looked fabulous. They serve local wines and beers as well. Service was very good. Beautiful view of Seneca lake. Highly recommended

There is nothing bad here! Have only been once and am hugely impressed. Beautiful location; great, knowledgeable, and friendly service; great (local) wines and cocktails; and amazing food! The depth of flavors in their dishes is incredible, complementary, and well balanced. It’s a must if you are in the southern finger lakes. Go here!

There is not a lot to say about this place that has not already been said, but I’ll add in my two cents anyway!
Stonecat is seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but the location is actually perfect to garner all kinds of business. The only restaurant around amidst dozens of wineries, there is always a huge crowd for lunch and dinner. Be prepared to hunt for parking spots and potentially just drive away frustrated. If you can get in, however, you are in for a treat.
The space is beautiful. Unassumingly simple on the outside, when you walk in you can immediately tell how much work and thought went into planning the look and atmosphere. There are tasteful chalkboards, low lighting, rustic wooden flooring and a back view that can make you melt.
The amazingness does not stop there, however. The food is beautiful; clearly fresh, locally sourced and a spectacular treat for the taste buds. The falafel salad, in particular, stands out as a tasty, refreshing meal that does not over-​stuff but also doesn’t leave you hungry. The risotto is also an interesting and filling choice, though a bit pricier. One of my favorite treats is the side order of cornbread with honey butter; move over dessert, this provides just the right amount of sweetness to balance out a savory meal.
The service here is always courteous and friendly. When we’ve sat outside, it got a bit windy, which our server noticed immediately and lowered a shade to make us more comfortable. More generally, however, everyone is very attentive without being overbearing.
This is definitely not an everyday treat, as the prices here are a bit steeper than the general fare in the area, but it is so worth it for that once in a while night out.

We were in the area for a friend’s wedding in September. The restaurant also catered the wedding, and we were staying across the road, so I made a dinner reservation.
Unfortunately, we were seated inside, not on the sunset side, so we missed the view. The main problem is that our waiter was AWOL. The place was packed, but there were plenty of servers handling the other tables and we waited a very long time to order and between courses. Maybe it was the time of night, but it made for an overly long dinner.
Our newlywed friends told us about the $ 6 «tip the kitchen» gag, that if you add money to the bill they would send you some bites from the kitchen. We paid the ransom, but no bites arrived (dinner barely arrived, actually). The other tables looked on pace, so we were the jerks in the corner waiting for service.
The food was good, I guess, but lacking in service and all I remember was the experience, which was rather sad. We skipped dessert because the dinner took longer than expected and we had to join the wedding party at another location for drinks.
All that said, we enjoyed the restaurant’s catering at the wedding the next day. Very wholesome, hearty, and fresh (could have used more flavor, but fresh).

While I may not have eaten here, their coffee and cocktails have me yearning for more. They take a break between lunch and dinner to prep in the kitchen and we showed up just at that moment. Not to worry, ’tis a great time to have a drink on top of all the wine we just tasted. It was actually a refreshing break to sit and relax at the bar. I tried the Thomas Tea, which was a subtle refreshing tea-​based cocktail with mint and gin. Everything on their menu rotates based on the season so they’re highlighting a lot of great local and regional items.
The view of Seneca Lake is gorgeous. I plan to revisit after they close for the winter season. Based on our experience I recommend calling ahead to make a reservation to ensure a spot for a fabulous dinner.

A diamond in the rough!
Good comfort southern style food made well with freshest organic ingredients and served with best of the best of local wines. Pick almost anything from the menu and you’ll be hard pressed to be disappointed

What a great place. I got the smoked tofu salad which was pretty amazing: the rich smokiness of the tofu really stuck out as did the slightly spicy, sweet papaya-​carrot miso dressing. I got one of the gin cocktails– not the corpse reviver– and it was well-​mixed. I also had the corn and scallion crêpe and by god that was good. Creamy, rich mouthfuls of ricotta (and Goulda although that was less apparent) with bits of corn and scallion embedded in the thin, tasty crêpe. Delicious.
My husband got the steak which he said was ok– good flavor but too much fat. The rosemary mashed was pretty incredible– rich and just a tad chunky, sprinkled with Rosemary and heavy on butter. Braised curly kale accompanied his meal.
Fantastic service and a great atmosphere inside the interesting, warm interior rounded out the experience.