The Accomac Inn

Nothing says hospitality and comfort to me like the smell of wood smoke in the winter. The host took our coats and seated us immediately in a simple room with a lively fire. My barrel-aged Manhattan was strong and cold. My date's coffee came with an insulated French press and steamed milk. A variety of dinner rolls arrived piping hot. Each ingredient in the pearl barley, kale and beet risotto (smoked mushrooms, snails) tasted like itself and delicious in combination. “Risotto” was even in quotes on the menu!

When the little things are done right, expectations run high for the main event.

My date ordered the most homely-sounding thing on the menu—meatloaf with ketchup—but it came out looking like a rock star with a crispy bacon mohawk. The mild venison loaf contained a mushroom surprise, and the cranberry ketchup was a striking complement. Comfort food with a wink and a laugh.

I threw caution to the wind and ordered seafood. Squid ink risotto and saffron sauce tangled on a long plate. The humble cod was flaky and flavorful. Almonds were little nutty explosions that made the scallops taste even more buttery. It was not overdressed or overly salty. I began to wonder whether shrimp can be harvested from the Susquehanna River.

The Accomac Inn has been around since 1775. It sits on the west bank of the Susquehanna, just above Wrightsville. In the summer it serves brunch on a long screened deck overlooking the river. In the winter it hosts jazz and firelit dinners. Most of its food is grown on site or comes from local farms.

My date and I came to the Accomac on impulse after hiking Kelly's Run (near the Pinnacle in Lancaster County). We were hot and tired and wearing sneakers. Anne pulled a shawl over her Race against Racism workout shirt; I put on a sweater and tried to look hipster.

It didn't matter; no one at the Accomac blinked. We were given friendly, attentive service by a young woman who later confessed she was new. We confessed we were impostors. We stayed for dessert.

http://www.accomacinn.com/restaurant/