Adirondack Alps' cuisine served with family pride at Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge
By Walter E. Siebel of the Watertown Daily Times - Sunday, January 28, 2007

LAKE CLEAR - There's a gem of a place tucked away in the woods between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid.

It's Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge, the family home of Ernest and Cathy Hohmeyer and their three children. The original building was built in 1886 by Cathy's family. Ernest's family bought it in 1965 and turned it into a restaurant the following year.

It's cozy as can be, from the fireplace warming the reception area to the hand-hewn wooden beams and vintage wooden tables throughout the vintage dining room. Wonderful aromas were filling this old-world Adirondack lodge. There's only one seating each evening, limited to approximately 50 guests. Relax and take your time. Savor the moment, the surroundings and the food. That's what we did.

Cathy does the cooking, and came from the kitchen to greet us. She invited us to put our coats on one of the couches and head downstairs to the rathskeller where her husband would prepare drinks and explain the evening's menu.

A huge stone fireplace warmed this basement-level room. Ernest was at his post behind the bar, explaining his selection of beers and wines to the party ahead of us. He's got more than 100 hard-to-find old-world beers and 125 boutique wines that he personally selected and purchased for the lodge. His recently constructed "wein and bier keller" is truly amazing. Ernest was proud to give us a tour of this subterranean cave. The beers and wines were attractively displayed, chilled to 51-degree "cave temperature." We selected a fruity Belgian beer and, with Ernest's recommendation, a German wheat beer. Hey, with a name like Hohmeyer, he ought to know his German beers, right? He also made a nice white-wine recommendation, a semi-dry German Riesling. We were getting pretty relaxed in the plush couches, and had some time to look over the appetizer menu - good, hearty choices that combine old-world recipes with traditional Adirondack preparations. The Hohmeyers call it Adirondack Alps fusion cuisine.

And the dinner menu was equally enticing.

Ernest came from behind the bar to enumerate the evening's choices: Adirondack hunter's stroganoff, crisp roast duckling ("Dad's recipe"), lightly smoked Cornish game hen "from our smoker out back," roast pork loin ("bone in - Cathy hand-cuts all the meats"), hand-pounded chicken schnitzel and, of course, sauerbraten ("Cathy marinates bottom round beef with vegetables, herbs and spices for 72 hours. It's her 'Adirondack Alps' version of this classic old-world dish").

And there was "fish rosti," fresh haddock encrusted with grated potato, herbs and spices and sautéed until brown.

And then there was the homemade cucumber salad and the homemade soup - "an old Hohmeyer family recipe, with poultry, vegetables and barley - very tasty."

It's the same spiel Ernest delivered when we were here 20 years ago, given from the heart with the same genuine enthusiasm. But back then it was "Dad's pork loin" and "Mom's homemade soup."

He's got a great way with words and with people, contributing to his success at his "day job," 22 years as executive director of the Adirondack Economic Development Corp.

Ernest took our order down on a small pad, and we made our way to the dining room upstairs. We're not sure how our order got to the kitchen, but we did see a young Hohmeyer boy running up the stairs ahead of us. Dinner is prix fixe (a set price no matter what you choose) and includes soup and salad. Appetizers, desserts, cocktails and coffee are additional. Our lovely young teenage waitress, Gretchen, seated us and brought a basket of warm bread to our table. We asked if she was related to the gentleman downstairs who took our order. "That's my Dad," she said proudly.

We ordered three appetizers. The sampler of sausages was a given. Three different ones - two German brats and a spicy Andouille - were grilled and sliced and served on a bed of greens. A tangy mustard sauce accompanied. Something you rarely see on a menu is handmade potato pierogies. They're the Polish version of ravioli, half-moon shaped and filled with a mixture of potato, bacon and seasonings.

Herring in wine sauce, or pickled herring as it's sometimes called, was a real special. The herring is "cooked" in a Riesling wine and served chilled over fresh greens - another great old-world treat, served with Carrs crackers.

Next came the chef's soup (that would be Mom's soup, according to Gretchen), a marvelous mixture of what appeared to be shredded chicken, finely chopped vegetables and barley in a brownish stock. Ernest/Dad told us the stock is made from duck and other poultry bones. This was a great warmer-upper on a cold winter night in the Adirondacks.

Cathy's Adirondack garden salad consisted of a nice assortment of fresh greens with lots of Mandarin orange segments and sliced almonds, doused with a light citrus vinaigrette.

Her marinated cucumber salad was very interesting. It was quite puckery, no doubt made with vinegar and perhaps fresh lemon. We also thought we tasted ginger. We tried to squeeze the recipe out of Gretchen, but she wasn't exactly sure. Dad came to the rescue: "No ginger, but I think you're tasting lemon essential oil." Look that one up on the Internet.

Our entrées arrived at the table along with a bowl of homemade red cabbage that we could smell from across the table. The traditional German preparation of red cabbage calls for slaw-like red cabbage, apples and onions cooked with cider vinegar, sugar and aromatic spices like allspice and clove, served warm.

Sauerbraten was excellent. After marinating for days in red wine and vinegar along with celery, onions, peppercorns and usually gingersnaps, the beef is then slow roasted in the oven until tender. The red cabbage complemented it perfectly, as did tasty homemade potato pancakes.

Hunter's stroganoff was very enjoyable. Chunks of pork and grass-fed beef from Kilcoyne Farms in St. Lawrence County are sautéed in a light sauce with sweet red and green peppers, broccoli florets and kernels of corn. It had an unexpected slightly hot spiciness to it.

I loved the bone-in pork roast, carved in the kitchen to yield one generous, succulent chop, topped with a wonderful pan gravy. Green beans and potato pancakes accompanied, and pass the red cabbage, please.

Most spectacular was the chicken schnitzel, and about as authentic as it gets. We could hear Cathy pounding the chicken breast in the kitchen. It's then covered with seasoned bread crumbs and lightly fried until golden brown. It was delightfully light and crunchy-crisp with no trace of greasiness.

Coffee and desserts completed a relaxing evening in the Adirondacks. How could you not order the chocolate canoe filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with raspberries - complete with a white chocolate paddle? Or the classic homemade apple strudel, served warm with vanilla ice cream? Or freshly sautéed peaches with vanilla yogurt on top?

The prix-fixe dinners cost $35 each. Appetizers averaged $8.50; desserts were around $7. Total tab for four was $200 before tax, tip and alcoholic beverages.

Prices for imported beer by the bottle and wine by the glass averaged $7.50. Right about now, we wished we had booked a room upstairs in the main lodge. But it was time to leave Hohmeyer's and reflect on this great evening on the ride home.

It could have been a corny, commercial experience. But it wasn't. Ernest was sincere in every way - obviously proud of his heritage. Cathy would emerge from the kitchen whenever she had a free moment to visit with guests. Her food is second to none. Gretchen is a remarkable young lady and as good a waitress as we've had anywhere recently.

The newest generation of Hohmeyers is now keeping the torch burning in this special place in the Adirondacks.

You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge, 6319 Route 30, Lake Clear, NY. 1 (518) 891 1489 or 1 (877) 6-ADK ALPS www.lodgeonlakeclear.com.

HOURS: Currently serving dinner on weekends only. Days of operation will expand in February.

A true old-world experience in the heart of the Adirondacks. Fine food and gracious hospitality in a century-old lodge. Appetizer picks: Selection of sausages; homemade pierogies.

Entrée picks:Sauerbraten, roast loin of pork, chicken schnitzel, pork and beef stroganoff - they were all great.

Desserts: Cathy's apple strudel, chocolate "canoe" filled with vanilla ice cream, sautéed peaches with vanilla yogurt.

Rating: 5 forks.

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6319 State Route 30  ·  Lake Clear, New York 12945
518-891-1489 or (877)6 ADK ALPS
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