“It has been remarked by some that Pennsylvania Yankees’ only real passion is for food”
– an anonymous damn genius
If you have a free morning, day, or weekend, you might decide to take the high road south into Ontario County and towards That Which Lies Beyond.
Taking a few twists and turns (sometimes known as the “go-south-when-you-can, go-east-when-you-can” algorithm), you’ll eventually come out of the beauteous and bountiful farm land and will enter the Village of Penn Yan. At the village’s incorporation, half of the populace was from Pennsylvania, and half from New England (i.e., Jankes, or “yankees”). Thus, the village devoted half of its name to the Penns, and half of its name to the Yans.
Through the main traffic light and you’ll go down a slight hill.
Just downhill from the old Masonic hall is a little rail car that has been converted into an eatery. The Penn Yan Diner. NewYorkUpstate.com rated it the best diner in Upstate New York in 2017. Some who come here are regulars. Some who come here are one-timers, or at least they think of themselves as such. But their “one” meal at this quaint, lovely, friendly, and homey (not to mention delicious) establishment will continue to play itself again and again in their minds, making them regulars a la nostalgia.
The interior of the diner is comfortable and Hobbit-esque.
Some nifty ceramic mugs are for sale at the counter. We were immediately seated and handed menus (the wait staff place orders on nifty-looking iPad-like devices).
Dave was tempted by the special: loaded tater tots. “Tell me about the loaded tater tots,” he said to our waitress. “I think you’ll like them,” she replied enthusiastically. Dave was sold.
Bo ordered pancakes with real maple syrup. He received sweet cream pancakes, which the waitress compared to birthday cake, but he was also given a Birkett Mills Buckwheat pancake in light of his ambivalence when ordering.
The food arrived.
The sweet cream pancakes were aptly named! Not too sure about the birthday cake analogy, but they sure were sweet. They were almost as sweet, and as delicious, as the “best pancakes [Dave has] ever had” from the B’Ville Diner. The buckwheat pancakes were also delicious, and incredibly heavy (one of them split in half under the force of its own weight when Bo tried to put it in a to-go container (there was a lot of it!)); Bo remarked that eating the buckwheat pancakes was “like eating a piece of Penn Yan!” But, it is clear why the sweet cream pancakes are more popular.
The loaded tater tots had eggs, cheese, and bacon atop and amongst. It was super savory – it was a man’s man’s breakfast – it was, in other words, a Dave breakfast. The thick and rich yolk was the perfect addition to the salted and dense (read: not from your 3rd grade cafeteria) tots. The bacon bits/pieces gave a playful hint of salt and butter and spice. The cheese was mandatory. Bo snuck in a quick bite while Dave’s arms churned into the meal like a paddle wheel powers through the Mississippi on a fully-laden casino boat, calm river, moon overhead, guy plucking a banjo at his shack off on the shore. After mere moments, Dave’s plate was clean.
There was also a piece of toast with vanilla icing on top; we ordered it to share. We are glad to have experimented (and I can’t believe I’m about to type this), but it was almost too sweet. Nevertheless, try it!
The meal was reasonable. You order at the table but you pay at the counter.
And of course, we went on a little stroll through the four corners and down main street afterwards, just to check out the picturesque row buildings.
The Penn Yan Diner must not be missed. Add it to your Finger Lakes itinerary!
Don’t Miss: The pancakes with real maple syrup (either variety). But really, just don’t miss this diner!
Pro Tip: There is real syrup, but you might want to augment it with your own! (from your Xonuts-brand Syrup Holster™, of course).
