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Enjoy an Exquisite Meal at Ye Olde Landmark Tavern

posted by Teresa Farrell at 2022-03-23 13:52:00

There are plenty of places to have a meal, but not as many offer a real experience. For a true taste of some of the best food Upstate New York has to offer, visit Ye Olde Landmark Tavern in Bouckville (south of Utica). This historic spot has been, as its name suggests, an iconic local landmark for more than 150 years—and several decades have been spent building a history of excellent food.

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern has earned its name as a Central New York landmark. The building itself was built in 1850 by James Coolidge, who gave the structure its unique shape by altering the original plans for an octagonal building, which would not fit on the available land, to include four sides facing the two roads that bordered the corner lot and two more forming a point in the back.

He topped this structure with a six-sided cupola (one side for each of his five wives, plus a sixth for a bride-to-be who died before the wedding), completing the unique picture we see today. The building has enjoyed a long history: it served as a hardware store, flour merchant’s shop, grocery store, dressmaker’s shop, and dry goods emporium, antique shop and personal residence before being purchased and turned into a restaurant by the Hengst family in 1970.

Today, the Hengsts still own and operate Ye Olde Landmark Tavern with the dedication and expertise that comes with generations of family ownership. Chef Andrew Hengst, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, to serve up a menu of culinary masterpieces in the historic dining rooms, where guests can enjoy a first-class meal with friends and family in the same warm and inviting atmosphere that the place has become locally famous for.

The menu includes a solid base of crowd-pleasing favorites, plus a rotating cast of seasonal specialties and the occasional brand-new dish that showcases Andrew’s CIA skills. The wine and beer list is enviable and extensive, featuring a wide selection of well-known worldwide favorites as well as local wines and craft beers on tap. But the local influence doesn’t stop there: much of the menu is prepared with the freshest of local ingredients from this agriculturally rich region, including fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses whenever they’re available.

The cozy, intimate, elegant atmosphere doesn’t stop at the dining room door. After dinner, head upstairs and make yourself at home for an overnight or a weeklong stay in one of the Landmark’s five top-notch guest rooms. Gorgeous antique décor, hand-stenciled walls, plush canopied beds and spacious sitting areas complete a living picture of the past with all the modern amenities, and provide space to relax after a day of local exploring, antiquing, or a delicious dinner.

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the influences of its past may run deeper than that. Keep an eye out when the lights go out: there’s a local legend that the place is haunted, and while some visitors claim to feel “a presence” as soon as they walk through the door, others have never experienced any such thing. If you’re feeling adventurous, and believe in such things, come stay for the weekend and see if you can solve the mystery yourself!

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern closes from New Year’s Day until mid-March, but will be open again for the year soon—so plan ahead for a visit and check their Facebook Page, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, for an opening date!

 

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