“A quiet culinary revolution is happening just a four-hour drive upstate in the Finger Lakes Region,” exclaims the James Beard House newsletter. The details that follow this common local sentiment include information about a special dinner that will be held Saturday at the Beard House in New York City.

It will be an exciting day indeed for three hard-working, creative and forward-looking Finger Lakes restaurateurs who have partnered to perform in the big city. Deb Whiting of Red Newt Cellars Winery & Bistro, along with Scott Signori of Stone Cat Café, both in Hector, and Dano Hutnik of Dano's Heuriger in Lodi, all local treasures found along Route 414 on the east side of Seneca Lake, will prepare a feast featuring the flavors of the Finger Lakes. We're lucky we don't have to travel far to experience their talents.

The word “restaurant” literally translates from the French present participle of “restaurer,” meaning to restore. In 1765, small establishments began appearing in Paris called restaurants that served light “restoring” dishes. France's ancient guild (union) of restaurateurs was originally “restorative soup makers.”

Keeping true to the French roots of the word, Deb, Scott and Dano, along with other dedicated members of an organization titled Finger Lakes Bounty, have professionally dedicated themselves to restoring or featuring local wines, local farm produce, dairy products and artisan cheese. We wish them well and will thank them with visits to their restaurants upon their return.

Finger Lakes ingredients seen through a French prism can be happily consumed at another restaurant at 9013 Route 414 in Lodi, Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine. Suzanne Stack, owner/chef with her husband, Robert, purchased a large farmhouse facing Seneca Lake on a spot called Townsend's curve, after the original 1903 Townsend family homestead. Vacationing here from New Jersey, they saw the for-sale sign on the many-acre property and immediately had a country restaurant vision.

In April and May, dinners are served Fridays and Saturdays. In June, summer hours begin with dinners served Thursdays through Sundays. Call ahead for reservations, 607/582-7545. Enjoy a glass of wine on the front porch while enjoying the view and wonderful lake breezes. Check out the library with its wall of 300 well-used cookbooks or Suzanne's collection of Provencal pottery.

Service is excellent, and the menu changes often to reflect local available ingredients. The Roasted Free Range Chicken in a Riesling Wine Sauce is a winner. Fresh herb garnishes are picked from the backyard garden. Also, leave room for dessert. If ice cream is on the menu, it's homemade.

Still hungry and ready for another adventure? Visit MadderLake Café, 5286 West Lake Road (Route 14), Geneva (the Watkins Glen side of Geneva). Open for dinners Sunday through Saturday with the exception of Tuesdays, MadderLake Café is a casual Finger Lakes bistro serving regional foods with a California flair, reflecting the owners' recent past.

Chef/owner Scott Snyder and manager/sommelier/owner Laura Kudla have created an oasis of color on the interior and exterior walls of this former Italian restaurant. Interior walls are further colored with glass sculptures by Christian Thirion, owner of GlassArt Inc. in Watkins Glen.

Just as it does at Suzanne, the MadderLake menu changes frequently. Let's hope that Scott will never take the Seared Dayboat Scallops “North Beach” off the menu — one of the best, if not the best scallop opener I have ever eaten. Set on a bed of tomato ragout flavored with red wine and herbs, perfectly done scallops are served surrounding an accurately described Crispy Polenta. That, along with MadderLake Caesar Salad, will leave you room for the palate-cleansing, lemony-good Lemon Tart. If fresh Alaskan Halibut is still on the menu, it's also first-rate, served with risotto topped with snap peas, golden beet and chopped tomatoes. Yummy! Call 315/781-2424 for reservations.

Incidentally, MadderLake refers not to a lake at all, but to a deep, rich red color obtained from the madder plant, which is used for dying textiles, and for the MadderLake logo, reflecting Scott and Laura's art backgrounds.

Pat Ernst Dugan is a private chef, educator and food/recipe writer. E-mail her at foodlyyours@aol.com or send comments and questions to be forwarded to: Foodly Yours, Star-Gazette, Attn: Features Department, 201 Baldwin St., P.O. Box 285, Elmira, NY 14902.