Every now in then you find a restaurant that is not too popular but somehow just seems to suit you just fine. I discovered the Castel Grisch Winery and Restaurant (click here) about 20 years ago during a Deck the Hall wine tasting event around Seneca Lake. And I have not forgotten as I love the German food that they serve. On a warm summer evening you can have your dinner on their deck which overlooks the vineyards and Seneca Lake in the valley below.
I just like to sit there and try to imagine how a creeping finger of ice perhaps a mile thick could have had the strength to carve out the bed of what is now Seneca Lake. Mother Nature did one of her most masterful jobs right here in the Finger Lakes! The sleepy little town of Watkins Glen sits at the southern end of Seneca Lake and is a great tourist destination in itself, but we chose to stay off the beaten path and do our yearly visit to the Castel Grisch restaurant.
We met a family from Chicago who were visiting Watkins Glen over the Labor Day weekend and I asked them how they had found the Castle Grisch restaurant. She said the she “Googled for a restaurant near Watkins Glen which had a view of the Lake”. Well, I tried that when we returned home and Castle Grisch didn’t come up on the first page, but I guess it worked for her.
Jeanette had the Schweinschnitzel and my choice was the Spatzle. No complaints here. This is definitely not “grill food” and worth the few extra minutes that you have to take to drive up the hill from Watkins Glen.
