If
you’re planning on heading out for a day of winery touring on Seneca Lake, you’d
be well advised to fuel up at Berta’s Café in the little village of Burdett,
population 340. A relative newcomer on the Finger Lakes dining scene, it is quickly
becoming a meeting place for early risers, those who appreciate a hearty
breakfast, and folks looking to recharge around the noon hour.
On a recent Sunday, the parking lot was full, the
dining room alive with a friendly crowd of after-church celebrants, weekend
warriors on vintage Harleys heading for the wineries, local senior citizens,
bicyclists “doing” the lakes, and young lovers; as the day warmed, diners headed
outdoors to relax in the patio’s mild breezes, enjoying the luxuriant plantings
of black-eyed susans and blood-red day lilies. Nearby, halved whisky barrels
sent forth abundant sweet potato vines. The pleasure of outdoor dining was
underscored by the sounds of Logan Creek, which powered the building’s mill in
days of yore.
We were
surprised and delighted to find gifted chef Jonah McKeough, formerly
co-owner/chef at Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg holding forth at the stove. We
knew we’d be in good hands.
At
Berta’s, things are informal: you give your order at the counter, help yourself
to coffee, or to water from a clear-glass jug, and seat yourself; in short
order a pleasant counter-person will bring you your food.
A
recent Sunday morning special included a fresh and fluffy spinach omelet,
packed with spinach, mushrooms, and cheese, and served with a heaping side of crisp
home fries, along with what was called a “butter roll,” tasting like a cross
between an English muffin and a brioche.
Buttermilk
biscuits and country sausage gravy featured the lightest biscuit ever, topped with
sausage gravy that was silky enough to be readily absorbed into the biscuit. It
was delicious.
For lunch, substantial homemade corn tortillas,
thicker and sweeter than the store-bought kind, wrapped themselves around
pulled pork (black bean was the other option) topped with pico de gallo,
sliced avocado, and lettuces of the season. A side salad offered the usual
lettuce-tomato-cucumber-onion mix topped with sprouted mung beans, adzuki
beans, and chickpeas. Who knew you could sprout chickpeas?
We
watched enviously as a parade of fluffy-looking blueberry pancakes emerged from
the kitchen, and comforted ourselves with a tender, chocolate-y brownie
nestling under a walnut crust.
The new owner, a retired physician, has created a
bright and airy series of dining areas with lovely woodwork, touches of country
décor (our table was one of those red-and-white enameled metal-top jobbies
that reminded us of mid-century grannyware), and historic photos of Burdett,
including one of what was then the world’s largest earthen railroad viaduct, and
a few of the building as a creek-powered mill.
Berta’s
is easy to find: coming in from the east on Route 79, take a left onto Main St.
at the village’s blinking light and it’s the second property on your right. You’ll
know it by its green-umbrella’d patio and charming turn of the (last) century
Victorian architecture.
Mill Street behind Berta’s, to Factory Street,
and on to Middle Road is a little-traveled path with spectacular Seneca Lake
views, which leads to Route 414 on Seneca’s eastern shore. Take a right and
you’re at some of the finest Finger Lakes wineries. Take a left, and you’re in
bustling Watkins Glen (where, if you’re still hungry, you can stop for a
cannoli at Scuteri’s).
Local Autumn
Harvest Farm supplies many of the provisions, and, according to the café’s
menu, produce and dairy are sourced from local farms when possible.
Berta’s
is open Wednesday through Sunday, serving hearty breakfasts from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
and lunch from 11 to 2. It’s a welcome addition to the Village of Burdett,
which for many serves only as a through road from Trumansburg and Ithaca to the
wineries on Seneca Lake and the Watkins Glen racetrack.
Slow
down—it’s definitely worth a stop.
