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Plainville's Nature's Fare
You just can’t miss the big red sign on route 11 in Cicero that has Plainville’s Nature’s Fare on it. And after you turn into the restaurant you definitely can’t miss the turkey dressed in cowboy gear riding a bucking bronco! There is no shortage of parking around the large white building with cranberry shutters. And you won’t have trouble finding a seat, either - the restaurant accommodates more than 300 customers, so waiting is almost never an issue. As you walk up to the entrance you notice a sign that states Plainville’s Natures Fare is now serving breakfast on Sundays – and the first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the amazing aroma from the made-from-scratch breads, cookies, cakes, and pies. The daily specials are listed on a board, and a full-size grandma manikin holds out some of her freshly baked breads and goodies for you to purchase. Also prominent in the restaurant is a gift shop filled with interesting and fun novelties and gifts and cards for any occasion. And perhaps somewhat surprising the gift shop is the largest seller of Webkinz in Central New York. Plainville’s commitment to providing excellent, wholesome food at affordable prices is apparent in all they have to offer. Since opening their doors over 35 years ago, offering home-style food and a memorable dining experience has made Plainville a travel destination for thousands of tourists, businessmen and women, as well as local friends and families. We were seated in the main dinning room where there are comfortable booths and tables. Chandlers hang over the entire dinning room, along with two working fireplaces. Dark warm wood lends a homey atmosphere, and a full wall mural display’s the restaurant’s location a la 1846: a horse pulls a wagon over an old plank road surrounded by farm land. We were greeted with a friendly smile and a warm piece of applesauce raisin bread. This treat comes served with every meal. I’m sure you will ask for seconds! After looking the widely varied menu, my guest and I decided to go for the Thanksgiving buffet. It includes a salad bar, the world’s best turkey soup, hand-carved turkey, all-natural ham, a variety of vegetables (including Hubbard squash and real mashed potatoes), stuffing, and homemade gravy. The desserts that come with the buffet were either a piece of freshly made pumpkin or apple pie. All of this for the great price of $13.99! Some other choices for dinner include: Cranberry Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin for $11.49, Beef Pot Roast for $10.49, or a fried or broiled Haddock dinner for $10.29. I noticed some of the daily specials included “All you can eat Roast Beef Buffet” for $13.99 on Thursdays, or on Fridays you can indulge in an “All you can eat baked Haddock Buffet” for $13.99. Delicious natural and wholesome food at affordable prices: it’s a hard combination to beat! Plainville also has a Breakfast Buffet on Sundays, which is only $9.99. My guest and I started over to the salad bar to get a bowl of hot soup. I chose the corn chowder and my guest went for the “World’s best turkey noodle soup.” We found more applesauce raisin bread on the salad bar, along with garden-fresh greens, fresh produce, homemade croutons, grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds, raisins, Jell-o, potato salad, macaroni salad and much more. The corn chowder was rich and creamy with just a few pieces of potatoes and lots of corn - just the way I prefer it. After finishing with the salad we made our way over to the main buffet. I started with a little cranberry sauce, Hubbard squash, steamed broccoli and carrots, home style stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes, oven roasted sweet potato, white meat turkey and topped it off with some turkey gravy. I was thinking they should offer a place to take a nap because I think I’m going to need one after this meal! Not only was this meal all natural - it was delicious! The turkey was moist and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and the mashed potatoes were creamy. We had to go back for one more bowl of turkey noodle soup before we finished our meal off with a piece of homemade pumpkin pie. Just when we thought we were done, our server suggested a glass of Montezuma Winery’s Cranberry Bog wine. This wine starts sweet but quickly balances out and leaves you this distinctive tartness that is the signature of the cranberry. This was the best way to complete one of the best meals I have ever had. The next time you are looking to dine out, give Plainville the opportunity to provide a healthy, filling, affordable, and memorable meal – just the way nature intended.
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