3 Best Restaurants in The Finger Lakes, New York

Well appointed but not overdone, the Aurora Inn is the spot for fine dining in town. The food is mostly classic American and the seasonal menu uses many fresh, local ingredients. Dinner could be veal Oscar (with crab cakes and béarnaise sauce), pan-seared scallops, or rack of lamb. The pastry chef whips up decadent desserts. You can eat inside or out: the formal dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows opens out onto a spacious patio overlooking Cayuga Lake. Breakfast is served daily.

The chrome-trimmed diner, run by the Caratozzolo family, serves nothing except tasty comfort food. Eggplant Parmesan, linguine with clam sauce, and liver and onions are popular dishes. The lasagna is made from an old family recipe. The homemade pies—especially the coconut cream and raspberry—are glorious. Connie's is 3 mile west of Seneca Falls.

A wraparound porch overlooks the gorge and a waterfall at this restaurant within Letchworth State Park. American and European fare on the seasonal menu might include entrées such as chicken breast over spinach fettuccine in a garlic-cream sauce, salmon with a barbecue maple glaze cooked on a cedar plank, and slow-roasted prime rib with fresh horseradish. The dining room is in keeping with the Victorian style of inn; large windows take in the park setting.