Dinner for Two: Romantic Dining Options in CNY
Looking for ideas for Valentine’s Day and beyond? We spoke with two people who suggest where you should dine
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Looking for a few dining options for a romantic date with your sweetheart? A local guidebook author and speed dating coordinator offer a few ideas.
Linda Lowen, local author of “100 Things to Do in Syracuse Before You Die” (Reedy Press 2022) and “Secret Syracuse: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Absurd” (Reedy Press 2023), likes Phoebe’s Restaurant and Coffee Lounge in Syracuse (https://phoebessyracuse.com).
Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, Phoebe’s “dining spaces combine traditional elegance and a carved-wood bar with an open atrium and their coffee lounge is smaller and intimate.”
She added that many overlook the eatery for newer, “buzzier” restaurants, but she likes the consistently good meals at Phoebe’s, from the soup first course (French onion gratinee is popular) to dessert (try the crème brulee).
Fayetteville’s Craftsman Wood Grille & Tap House (https://craftsmanwoodgrilletaphouse.com) draws Lowen, as its lodge-style ambience, soaring ceilings, wood beams, open kitchen and booth and table seating lend a warm atmosphere, “just where you want to be on a cold winter or chilly spring night and they also have covered outdoor dining with gas-lit firepits.”
Check the website for special events.
In Baldwinsville, check out Persimmons (https://persimmonstb.com), a restaurant in the Timber Banks golf and marina complex along the Seneca River.
“While it’s on the ground level of an event space-wedding venue, Persimmons is a standalone upscale dining venue that not enough Central New Yorkers seem to know about,” Lowen said. “It offers table and booth seating overlooking green lawns and the golf course and comfortable couches and club chairs near a large fireplace.”
The restaurant also provides live jazz Thursday evenings.
Lowen also likes Sherwood Inn, located in Skaneateles. The historic inn provides a classic menu and an ambiance “that attracts couples and families celebrating special events. Between its location across from Skaneateles Lake, its interior decor and exterior New England-style charm and its menu, it could stand in as the perfect inn in a rom-com film or Hallmark movie,” Lowen said.
Another restaurant with lakeside views, the Brewster Inn in Cazenovia (www.thebrewsterinn.com) offers the opportunity to dine in a Gilded Age mansion built by Benjamin Brewster, the great-grandson of Mayflower Pilgrim William Brewster.
“Benjamin, who married into the extended family of the Rockefellers, became a partner in with Standard Oil,” Lowen added. “Dinners at the Brewster are always special and their famous Sunday brunch deserves its reputation. While it’s not within strolling distance of Cazenovia’s village downtown as the Sherwood Inn is in Skaneateles, it is more intimate. And its sunsets are magnificent in any season.”
Tina Selig, matchmaker and singles events host for Pre-dating Speed Dating, organizes dating events in the CNY region.
One of her favorite places for romantic dining is Rosalie’s Cucina (www.rosaliescucina.com) in Skaneateles.
“It’s a beautiful restaurant that would be great for Valentine’s Day,” Selig said. “I come from a large Italian family so I love Italian.”
The Tuscan-style restaurant has been featured on national television’s “Dining Around.”
In Fayetteville, try Avicolli’s Coal Fire (www.avicolliscoalfire.com/). Selig likes that the atmosphere “is quaint and it has really good food as well,” she said.
Enjoy coal-fired pizza and other homemade Italian offerings.
Selig also likes Scotch ‘N Sirloin (www.scotchnsirloin.com) in DeWitt for its cozy firepit. The menu accommodates any dining preferences as it includes pasta, fish, chicken, salads, specialty entrees and of course, a wide variety of grassfed steaks.
Lasca’s Restaurant (www.lascas.com) in Auburn also makes Selig’s list.
“I think they have a great menu,” she added.
Upscale items like grilled beef tenderloin with lobster and fried fresh calamari make dining at Lasca’s feel luxurious.