Lakeview House, Newburgh, NY

One of the fun things about  travelling to visit the grandchildren is that we  discover some interesting places and have some great food. Sometimes we don't have to travel far to find a treasure,  like the Lakeview House on Orange Lake in Newburgh, just a few miles from our back door.

We've been meaning to stop for quite a while and I've heard rave reviews of the duck, but we just never got around to it. That all changed when were there with a few friends to celebrate the retirement of one of them and the meal was the gift of her financial consultant. A free meal with old friends (we've known them for over thirty years) at a nice restaurant that I've wanted to try? Perfect.

The inside has a warm sort of 1940's feel to it with plenty of wood, tin ceilings, and windows overlooking the lake. There is a patio as well for warm weather dining. I recommend the Lake Room if you are there at sunset. They do have a large beer and wine selection, but most of the beers are lagers or German beers (sadly no IPA, stouts other than Guinness or porters). The waitress kept bringing me samples of a few beers to get me to find one I liked, but I stuck with water. I do like the fact that she tried though. In fact the whole restaurant was accommodating as one of our party has food allergies and they prepared his dish exactly as he asked. Another asked for her dish done a bit different for dietary reasons and they did so.

I started with the escargot au Provence. Sorry, no picture since I forgot I had the camera with me. The snails were cooked in butter, garlic, parsley, parmesan and some type of wine or vermouth that added a delightful flavor note. That was followed by a small salad with gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette. For the entree I had the Long Island duck shown above. It was a half duck with a crispy crust and juicy meat. The sauce changes daily and that day they had an apple sauce which was quite good. I must say that the duck lived up to its reputation. I also ordered desert, something I rarely do but since most of the table got something I followed suit by ordering the chocolate creme brûlée. Quite delicious, but very rich. 

Everyone else had a great meal. Teresa had the red snapper, a few people had stuffed flounder and one had a pasta dish. The overall consensus was very positive. Nice atmosphere, good view, excellent service, very good food at moderate prices (average entree $20 to $25). We will be back again soon, and probably often. They have a website for more information.

Caprice Bistro, Wilmington, NC

We were in Wilmington on Bastille Day this year and we'd already eaten at another place when we looked at the menu at the Caprice Bistro and said, "Darn, we should have eaten here." Well this time when we were walking downtown we stopped by and looked at the menu. After about thirty seconds I saw what I wanted and asked Teresa if she saw anything. She said there were a few things that interested her so in we went.

Caprice Bistro is small and looks like every bit like a French bistro. We were seated right away, they weren't that busy, and our waiter Jay appeared. He was very pleasant, personable and helpful. I knew what I wanted, the escargots gris (shown above) and the duck confit (shown below). Teresa decided to get out of her comfort zone and she ordered the pork tenderloin (bottom photo) instead of a chicken dish.

Jay brought us fresh bread and soon the escargot arrived. The smell was delightful and the taste even better. The snails were perfect and were swimming in a garlic sauce that I sopped up with the bread. A small bowl of heaven for eight bucks. Normally I prefer my escargots Burgundy style, but this was amazing and I could have eaten a soup bowl of it. Next up were the entrees. Between the two dishes the table smelled wonderful. My duck was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and tender meat that fell off the bone. It came with grilled potatoes and a small salad with the house dressing and each component blended in sweet harmony with the others. More than eating, it was a sensual experience of French comfort food done right.

The pork was equally good with an amazing sauce and fresh mashed potatoes and carrots. We passed a few things back and forth to try and at one point I wound up with some food in my water glass. No problem, Jay immediately replaced the glass for me.

The total bill was $44.51 plus tip for a gourmet meal. We looked at the deserts and while a creme brulee and coffee would have been the perfect finish, we were full. Next time though. Maybe next time I'll go on a Wednesday when they have rabbit.

So the bottom line. Service, impeccable. Food, perfect. Ambiance, very good. Prices, reasonable. Stop in sometime and enjoy a classic French meal. It will fill your belly and warm your heart. They have a website for more information.

Update 04/13/12- We went back for another meal and it was simply amazing. I got the mussels Bruxelles and Teresa got the Coq au Vin. My mussels were the best I've ever had. They were cooked in beer, garlic (lot's of garlic), mustard and cream.