The Feisty Foodie

Opinionated Food Critic

  • Around NYC
    • Brooklyn
      • Bay Ridge
    • Bronx
    • Downtown Lunch
    • Long Island Eats
    • Manhattan
      • Chelsea
      • Chinatown
      • East Village
      • Financial District
      • Flatiron District
      • Gramercy
      • Greenwich Village
      • Hell’s Kitchen
      • Lower East Side
      • Midtown
      • Murray Hill
      • SoHo
      • Tribeca
      • Upper East Side
      • Upper West Side
      • West Village
    • Queens
      • Astoria
      • Bayside
      • Corona
      • Elmhurst
      • Flushing
      • Elmhurst
      • Flushing
      • Forest Hills
      • Howard Beach
      • Jackson Heights
      • Kew Gardens
  • Cuisine
    • Africa
      • Moroccan
    • Americas
      • American
      • Argentinian
      • Brazilian
      • Cajun
      • Canadian
      • Creole
      • Cuban
      • Hawaiian
      • Mexican
      • New American
      • Southwestern
    • Asia
      • Cambodian
      • Chinese
      • Filipino
      • Indian
      • Indonesian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Malaysian
      • Russian
      • Thai
      • Ukrainian
      • Vietnamese
    • Europe
      • Austrian
      • Belgian
      • French
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Lebanese
      • Mediterranean
      • Spanish
      • Turkish
    • Other
      • Fast Food
      • Fusion
      • Tapas
      • Vegetarian
  • Feisty Fun
    • Articles
      • Feisty Bento
    • Baseball
    • BlindBakerNYC
    • Events
      • FF Giveaways
    • Fiction
    • Food Memories
    • Food Services
      • CSA
      • Fresh Direct
      • Ready to Cook
    • Jenn of NEB
    • Product Reviews
    • Project 365
    • Recipe Fridays
    • Serial Thursdays
    • The Beer Boor
    • Tuesdays with TT
  • Recipes
    • Baked Goods
    • BBQ
    • Beef
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Brunch
    • Chicken
    • Desserts
    • Duck
    • Lamb
    • One Pot Meals
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Ramen
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Steak
  • Restaurants
    • Bakeries
    • BBQ
    • Bistro
    • Breakfast
    • Burgers
    • Cheese
    • Deli
    • Desserts
      • Ice cream
    • Pizza
    • Seafood
    • Shabu shabu
    • Steakhouse
      • The Great Steakhouse Tour of NYC
    • Tea
    • Trucks/Carts
    • Wine Bar
  • Stadium Eats
    • Citi Field
    • Citizens Bank Park
    • Nationals Park
    • PNC Park
    • Shea Stadium (Closed)
    • Yankee Stadium
  • Travels
    • Asia
      • Hong Kong
    • Europe
      • England
        • London
      • France
        • Paris
      • Greece
        • Athens
      • Spain
        • Barcelona
      • Turkey
        • Istanbul
    • North America
      • Canada
        • Montreal
      • United States
        • Arizona
          • Phoenix
        • California
          • Los Angeles
          • San Diego
          • San Francisco
        • Connecticut
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
          • Maui
        • Illinois
          • Chicago
        • Louisiana
          • Baton Rouge
          • New Orleans
        • Maryland
          • Baltimore
        • Massachusetts
          • Boston
        • Nevada
          • Las Vegas
        • New Jersey
        • North Carolina
          • Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
        • Pennsylvania
          • Philadelphia
          • Pittsburgh
        • Texas
          • Austin
        • Washington
          • Seattle
        • Washington DC
    • South America
      • Argentina
        • Buenos Aires
        • Iguazu Falls
      • Peru

Seneca Farms

May 12, 2011 by Feisty Foodie 14 Comments

IMG_2106

One of the greatest things about traveling with food-obsessed friends is that they’ll do the research to find places to eat.  And so it was that on this trip, StB made one simple request: that we visit Seneca Farms.  Coincidentally, it turned out to be so close to our rental house that we could have walked, and passed it many times during our trips in and out of the area for whatever reason… but it was too rainy to comfortably walk the scant half mile.  It took me a while to figure out why the place looked so familiar, but it finally dawned on me: FeistySis (who is older than me by nearly 8 years) had a toy of sorts when I was a kid that involved Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The restaurant looked like this: a white square topped with a red roof.  I think that’s what Kentucky Fried Chickens used to look like – well, a quick Google turns up this image.  So maybe not exactly the same, but I have this impression…

IMG_2104

Anyway, StB told us that this place made its own ice creams and was supposed to have great fried chicken.  I love fried chicken, so I was pretty excited.  This sign made me cringe and laugh at the same time – if someone from Seneca Farms reads this, please fix the ‘of’ to read ‘have’ because it’s grammatically wrong the way it is.  And I really dislike improper grammar. 

IMG_2109

But walking into the place, I was immediately struck by how adorable it is inside.  This looks like something straight out of a TV set for ‘back in the day’ doesn’t it?  Even cuter…

IMG_2110

Most of the tables had these teeny tiny picnic tables with holes drilled out to hold hot sauce, pepper, salt, and I think the last hole was for ketchup.  So cute!!!  I wanted one to take home, but had no use for one… or maybe… nah 😉

IMG_2112

The walls were decorated with all sorts of old school nicknacks and memorabilia.  The Easter egg coloring pages were just up temporarily (we were there mid-April), but added a lot of color. 

IMG_2113

The menu was simple and posted on the wall.  This item called my name – the pig’s plate; hey, I don’t get to be the Feisty Foodie for shying away from 1200 calorie dishes! (that’s a guess).  The Pig’s Plate with macaroni salad, baked beans, french fries, your choice of a hot dog or cheeseburger, all smothered with chili, ketchup and mustard.  Hot damn! 

IMG_2117

But my friends wisely decided we should get “the Hungry Bunch” fried chicken meal: 16 pieces of fried chicken (mixed white & dark) with fries or mashed potatoes, 15 corn fritters, two pints of ‘salad’.  All this for $36.19; if you wanted just white meat, it was $43.99.  And now that I’m looking at the menu, I realize we could have gotten all dark meat – no extra charge!  (I don’t think anyone ate the white meat really, I know I wound up shredding one chicken breast for this dog that kept coming around the house… it was really sad, but I did my part to try to find his owner! – I typed that literally just as my own dog started batting her food bowl to demand some kibble, so I got up and fed her. Ha)

IMG_2119

Though there were heating trays, they freshly made our chicken, because we had to wait. 

IMG_2121

Cute tip ‘jars’

IMG_2124

While we waited, we all trooped around to the other side of the restaurant to look at their ice cream. 

IMG_2126

I liked how they separated the restaurant into an ice cream parlor in the front, restaurant in the back.  It means that never shall the place be super packed with ice cream eaters and people who want dinner angrily shuffling their feet back and forth, waiting for a table, nor vice versa.  The little things: I appreciate them.  I also appreciate that the woman working in the back heard us say we were going to get ice cream, so she went through the kitchen to the ice cream area and had someone give us our food up front, instead of having us come back around to pick it up. 

IMG_2128

Though the ice cream menu wasn’t particularly unique, I have a soft spot for ice cream places that do things the right way and make everything themselves.  I also appreciated that taking ice cream cups to go for after our dinner wasn’t so unusual; they had clear plastic cups with lids that snapped right over the ice cream so we could put them in the freezer when we got back to the house and not worry about the ice cream melting or taking on other flavors in the freezer if they weren’t covered.  Very smart.  Again, the little things. 

IMG_2130

Another little nicknack I wanted to swipe.  How cute is that?  I have a huge soft spot for bunnies. 

IMG_2133

We made our way back to the house and laid out the food on our huge dining table.  I really liked that house; I’ll probably rent it again.  In any case, the fried chicken was topped with the corn fritters. 

IMG_2136

 A peek at the mashed potatoes, without gravy. 

IMG_2138

Macaroni salad.

IMG_2141

Curly fries; we didn’t ask for cheese, but we already had a jar of Tostitos queso so we used that to dip these in, hehe. 

IMG_2143

Glorious gravy.

IMG_2147

Baked beans, which were listed under the ‘salad’ section of the menu.

IMG_2148

And here is my first plate.  Funny enough, do you see in the back left of the picture a small clear-ish container?  I was unpacking the food and was pleased to find these included without us having asked.  A few of my friends (not naming names, mostly because I don’t remember who) asked me what it was.  Uhh, syrup guys!  And someone said why is there syrup?  For the fried chicken, guys!  And a few of them were like, “WHAT?!  Who puts syrup on their fried chicken?!” like they never heard of it before.  No, we didn’t have waffles, but still!  I thought it was funny, anyway. 

Never doubt the fat girl why she’s got syrup in her bag 😉

IMG_2151

But onto what’s important.  I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about fried chicken.  I eat it a LOT.  I’ve thusfar concluded that in NYC, you can find some very good fried chicken, but none of it has surpassed that what my dear friend the Beer Boor makes at home.  Fried properly, with a lot of flavor in the crust and in the meat, juicy, moist, perfect.  (Ok, I’m sure not every batch of his comes out perfectly, but it’s good.)  I usually find fried chicken at restaurants lacking in salt.  Not enough salt in the crust or in the meat; one or the other.  It’s like you have to eat each bite with a bit of skin, a bit of meat… and sometimes I get excited and don’t do that.  Well, in this case, though the chicken was the slightest bit soggy by the time we started eating – probably from sitting there – the flavor in the crust was excellent, and the meat was moist, juicy, tender, awesome.  I was in heaven chowing down on the dark meat.  SO GOOD.  I won’t say this is better than Beer Boor’s – afterall, it was soft (through no fault of the restaurant’s), and clearly, I can’t just go to Penn Yan any time I want, so that’s a huge negative… but it was really effing good. 

IMG_2153

The baked beans were slightly mashed, which caused HB to comment that she loved beans and these reminded her (in a good way) of beans she’d had in school cafeterias as a young’n.  We discussed how a lot of times now, beans are very liquid-y, and clearly defined, where these were almost like someone blended half of them before adding in more whole ones.  They were good, though I won’t say I loved these as much as other items. 

IMG_2154

 The mashed potatoes with a bit of gravy were perfect.  The best foil to the salty fried chicken.  Yum.

IMG_2156

I also rather enjoyed the macaroni salad – not gloppy or over-mayo’d, a bit of celery scattered throughout, it was really good. 

IMG_2157

As for the corn fritters; I was hoping and expecting something more like the corn nuggets I get at Roll-n-Roaster.  Deep fried creamed corn, essentially.  I was surprised they were so big, and a bit pleased to see bits of corn on the outside. 

IMG_2159

But then I bit into one and found it to be like a hush puppy.  Moist on the inside, but by and large, very bready with not much corn flavor to it or much taste at all, just plain bread.  Not sweet, not salty.  Just… there.  Perhaps if its name didn’t give me an inaccurate impression, if I hadn’t had any expectations, I might like it better… but as it was, I was soundly disappointed.  No one else seemed to like it much, either, except for Dr.Y who said she enjoyed them.  We let her take the bulk of them, though there were quite a lot! 

After we’d stuffed our faces silly, we had some leftovers that I insisted on putting in the fridge – I hate wasting food, and as it turned out, I was able to give the chicken to a starving doggie.  Then we went to watch Morning Glory & How to Train Your Dragon, and couldn’t eat our ice cream…

IMG_2173

But we were leaving the next morning!  So we did what any normal, responsible adults would do.  We ate our ice cream for breakfast, which actually worked out well because we were able to make it to a few hours away for lunch without starving ourselves or eating too much for breakfast and not being hungry for lunch.  I ordered the flavor of the week, butter almond crunch.  The above is a small for $2.90. 

A moment to tease my friend (I don’t even remember which friend it is now! damn): she asked to sample one of the nut flavors (chocolate almond? maple walnut? butter pecan? not sure).  As she took a small nibble from the sample spoon, she suddenly said to me, “Oh! there’s actual [name of nut] in here!”  I just started laughing hysterically like – yeah, that’s why it’s that flavor?!  What did you think would be in there???  Hehe.  She thought it would just be flavoring, not actual pieces… maybe you had to be there, but it was funny!  

But back to my ice cream: it was very creamy, smooth… but the best part was the butter almond crunch!  There were chunks of almonds that may have been coated with something, they were extra crunchy, and I found myself happily nomming away on the whole cup quickly and easily, though it was a bit cool that Sunday morning.  So good.  I would totally love it if I lived near an excellent ice cream shop that made all its own flavors.  Oh, wait… yeah, I know why I’m fat 😉

Yvo says: I really enjoyed Seneca Farms and foresee return trips when I go back up for more wine touring.  Oh, I’ll be back.  I will be back… there’s no question about that.  And Seneca Farms is definitely going to see me again.  Oh, they will see me again… sooner than later, I think.  If I were to rent that house for a whole week, say, I’d probably have dinner there 4 or 5 times in a week… and dessert too… that would be a vacation I come home weighing a lil bit more than I started it.  😉 
highly recommended

Seneca Farms on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: American, Americas, By Name, Cheap Eats, Cuisine, Desserts, Ice cream, Restaurants, Travels, United States Tagged With: fried chicken, Ice cream, Upstate NY

« Village Tavern Inn – Hammondsport
Maria’s Mont Blanc »

Comments

  1. TT says

    May 12, 2011 at 9:29 am

    ah another uppity new yorker with their proper grammar. 😉

    i am disappointed you didn’t get the pig’s plate as an appetizer. that is one FBM demerit.

    chicken sounds great. glad it was seasoned properly.

    this trip sounds like a great time. i think i will have to do one in the future.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      May 12, 2011 at 1:49 pm

      I was the only FBMer there. No one would have agreed to me ordering it – we had way too much food as it was – so. Can’t always be FBM with other people 😛

      And yes, this trip was awesome, I highly recommend the area and definitely want to go again, rent the same house, maybe for a week.

      Reply
  2. ailin says

    May 12, 2011 at 11:41 am

    i am so. so. hungry. esp bc im not eating much carbs this week. and bc i adore fried chicken. you will have to tell me where in nyc you believe has the best fried chkn!

    Reply
  3. BeerBoor says

    May 12, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    You should of corrected them on the spot.

    Flattering words, jefe, but I’ll concede that Pies N Thighs outdoes me regularly on the fried chicken front. Still, I’ve a lot to live up to the next time I fry a batch.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      May 12, 2011 at 1:51 pm

      The solo time I had Pies & Thighs at the restaurant, it was a little disappointing. Also, my flattery is designed so you’ll go fry me some chicken. 🙂

      Reply
      • Hungry says

        May 12, 2011 at 2:42 pm

        Me too. Chicken for me please.

        Reply
  4. T.C. says

    May 12, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Man, I want fried chicken!
    And to see what their pig’s plate looks like. With hot dogs and with cheesburger.

    Syrup? Nice! I would imagine it be for biscuits….or corn fritters.
    “I’m gonna be the syrup, she can be my waffle…”

    Reply
  5. Hungry says

    May 12, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    This place looks awesome! It’s the old school places that really hit the spot on vacations.

    Are you a syrup over honey on fried chicken type of person?

    Reply
    • ELAINE KENNEY says

      September 24, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      The syrup was for the “corn fritters”

      Reply
  6. skippymom says

    May 13, 2011 at 8:19 pm

    I am so glad you pointed out the “of” – I am usually not a grammar nazi, but that one “would of” as opposed to “would have/would’ve” drives me batty.

    I can’t remember if I said this before and I know you are a fiend for salt, but I use paprika, garlic, oregano and pepper in the seasoning on my chicken and so far no one has complained about the lack of salt. I get requests for it all the time – not that leaving out the salt makes that much of a difference [healthwise] but it is too strong for me anymore and the other spices are so tasty. I think I could serve it to you with no complaints.

    I can’t wait to read more about your vacation. This place was too cute for words. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jen says

    June 5, 2011 at 8:55 pm

    I am a local and I can tell you that the syrup is meant for the fritters.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      June 6, 2011 at 12:25 am

      Thanks for solving the mystery Jen! I enjoyed dipping my fried chicken in it, though it definitely didn’t need it.

      Reply
  8. Meredith says

    April 12, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    If you get up that way again, be sure to check out Penn Yan Diner in town for breakfast or lunch. It’s about 80 years old, and is actually two old dining cars from that era. The food is pretty good too, upgraded diner fare.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      April 13, 2015 at 10:46 am

      I just Googled it and it looks AMAZING!!! I’m looking into planning another trip just to go there (and revisit some fried chicken!). Thanks for the tip!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Holiday Gift Guide 2020
  • Easy Ways to Ease into Becoming an Eco-Friendly Household
  • It’s been a while!
  • Top 5 Luxury Hotels in New York City
  • New York Baby Show 2019 – TICKET GIVEAWAY!
  • Taste of Citi Field: A Guide to Game Day Eats 2019

Recent Comments

  • Stephanie on Easy Ways to Ease into Becoming an Eco-Friendly Household
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2020 — The Feisty Foodie on Holiday Gift Ideas
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2020 — The Feisty Foodie on Nesting Like a Mother – Slow Cookin’ Up a Storm (Mostly)
  • Lisa on It’s been a while!
  • zizi on Banh Mi Cart
  • Feisty Foodie on It’s been a while!
  • Xerlic on It’s been a while!
  • Daniel on Hop Kee

Tags

365 Bakeries banh mi BBQ Beef beer Blackboard Eats Breakfast Brunch Burgers Chicken Chinese cocktails contest dessert Desserts DLS drinks dumplings Feisty Bento feisty family fried chicken fries giveaway Ice cream noodles One Pot Meals Pasta Pizza Pork press event Ramen Recipe Fridays salad salmon sandwiches Sauces Seafood Steak Sushi tacos trucks/carts TT Vegetarian wings

Copyright © 2021 · by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress