POTSDAM — There’s a new restaurant in town that specializes in gourmet burgers and upscale beers and bills itself as a sports bar.

Between the Buns opened in early April in the building on Elm Street that formerly housed La Casbah, a Moroccan restaurant that closed last year. It’s the brainchild of Marc Morley and Megan Martin, who also own the Hot Tamale restaurants in Potsdam and Canton.

It has been redecorated. The tin ceilings throughout have been painted a rich bronze, as have the age-old pipes that hang from the ceiling. Many of the walls are accented with brick — brick wallpaper, as it turns out (we had to get up and touch it to find out). The dining room floor sports impressive new tile; the barroom floor is original wood that has been sanded and polished.

It feels more like a restaurant than a sports bar. There are numerous TVs hanging on the walls in the bar area, but they were so unobtrusive that we hardly noticed them. We were there for lunch, so maybe they don’t crank them up until later in the day.

The full bar offers a modest selection of craft brews on tap and plenty of bottled beers. Kevin, the bartender, is friendly, competent and unflappable.

The menu is simple: a good number of house-made appetizers, a dozen creative burgers, gussied-up hot dog choices and a handful of unusual sandwiches.

There’s plenty of seating at new tables and chairs, although the tables were rather plain — no placemats or silverware or condiments of any kind. Not even salt and pepper shakers.

Our server, Will, handed us menus along with forks and knives wrapped in paper napkins. He was quite well-versed with the menu, able to answer our questions and even offer some astute advice.

After placing our order, he started us out with complimentary bread and butter pickles, made in-house and cleverly served in a small mason jar. Since there were no plates to put the pickles on, we merely passed the jar around the table and ate right from the jar with our forks.

They were quite good — on the sweet side, as they should be, very crisp and certainly a different and fun way to begin the meal. If you want more pickles, as well as house-cured carrots and marinated olives, they’re on the menu, priced at $5 a jar.

The mac and cheese appetizer ($5), while touted as “creamy,” was a little on the dry side. While it may have been made with four cheeses, it was surprisingly not very cheesy. The panko breadcrumb crust added a nice texture, but the rosemary tomato sauce on top didn’t seem to go with it.

We couldn’t figure out why it was served cold. Was that intentional or an oversight?

I like boneless chicken wings ($10/dozen) because they’re actually made with breast meat and your fingers don’t get all sticky because you can eat them with a fork. Here they’re coated in a buttermilk/panko batter, then fried. They were moist and tasty.

The usual sauces are available, but we tried the “BTB signature sauce,” a non-offensive combination of hot and sweet. Some at the table thought it was a little dull, but for others who would rather taste chicken than a burn-your-face-off hot sauce, it was quite enjoyable.

Steamed clams ($12), attractively served in a tall cone-shaped metal pail, were tasty, good-sized littlenecks steamed in white wine, garlic and fresh parsley. They were good quality domestic clams from Rhode Island, according to the menu, served with a side of clarified butter and lemon.

How could we not try a burger named “the Hangover” ($12). As with all Between the Bun’s burgers, it’s an 8-ounce patty made with “a custom beef blend from Philadelphia.”

The Hangover is topped with a sunny-side up egg, cheddar cheese and perfectly cooked, flavorful applewood-smoked bacon. It came on a nicely toasted bakery-made brioche bun that was richer than a standard bun because it was made with eggs.

They have a color coding system for the doneness of their burgers: red = rare, pink = medium, brown = well. We ordered the burger “red,” but the order was entered as “pink.” Unfortunately, the “pink” burger came out as “brown.”

Regardless, there was enough fat content in the meat to still make it relatively juicy and a really tasty burger, especially with all the good fixin’s on top.

Turkey burgers can be pretty bland, but not the one at Buns, a pretty good value for $9. The ground turkey had a pleasing blend of seasonings, with sage taking center stage. It was served with a pile of perfectly grilled sweet red onion, melted smoked provolone and a delightful basil aioli that brightened every bite.

Both burgers came with a pile of good-tasting french fries that could have been a little crisper and coleslaw that was sweet, creamy and crunchy. Will placed a small bottle of Heinz ketchup on the table as he delivered the burgers.

A Reuben hot dog ($6) was a Glazier dog from Malone with house-made sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Islands dressing tucked into a nice brioche roll. The kraut had great vinegar overtones. The combination of ingredients worked well together on the fancy roll.

When we ordered their fish sandwich ($11), Will was quick to make sure we knew what we were getting. “It’s not a fish sandwich like you’re used to,” he said. “It’s ahi tuna that we grind and shape like a burger.”

The menu indicates that the fish/burger is sesame seed-encrusted and comes with pickled ginger, cilantro slaw and wasabi vinaigrette. Thin slices of pickled ginger were there and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. But the slaw was identical to the side of coleslaw that came with the other burgers. And where was the wasabi vinaigrette?

Bottom line: The tuna was dry and lacked flavor. And we couldn’t figure why would you’d want to grind up nice Ahi tuna, either.

Here’s where we all agreed there should be a selection of condiments on the table. Salt and pepper, for starters. Frank’s hot sauce. Sriracha chili sauce. Worcestershire. A-1. Mayo. Mustard. Maybe even some wasabi.

The Cuban sandwich ($10) was disappointing. It was just wrong.

A Cuban is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich. It’s a pressed sandwich that calls for ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard.

Very little about the sandwich was classic Cuban, from the untoasted bread to the dry and tough pork, the bacon instead of ham, sweet pickles rather than dill pickles, whole-grain mustard rather than tangy yellow mustard.

It probably wouldn’t have been bad if they hadn’t called it a Cuban, but it certainly wasn’t a great ambassador for this wonderful sandwich introduced to our country by early Cuban immigrants.

We ordered a Southwest burger (haystack onions, smoked bacon, battered and fried jalapenos, provolone, barbecue sauce) to go. Rather than showing up when the bill did, it arrived in its Styrofoam container along with the other burgers and sandwiches and sat next to us for the remainder of lunch.

By the time it reached its destination, the haystack onions were soggy, as were the fries. There was a lack of sauce that would have helped moisten the burger and add a blast of flavor. For $12, and considering the tangy ingredients, it seemed rather ordinary.

Will should have put the “to go” order in later than he did.

Desserts were disappointing commercial products.

Five chocolate chip cookies ($6) came straight from the microwave, all mushy and gooey, but chocolate has a way of saving most anything, especially with the plate and the cookies painted with additional chocolate syrup.

The apple tart, more like a galette, really should be avoided. Another microwave special, the dough was soft and flavorless, as were the apples. It was tough paying $9 for this misguided confection.

Food for five eating lunch at the restaurant cost $99.51 before tip. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner, served from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Our waiter was friendly and accommodating. He did a good job of keeping our water glasses full, but missed out on making sure we had replacement silverware and extra napkins.

We were happy to hear him say they were still working out the kinks, because they certainly were.

It was well over an hour-and-a-half lunch from start to finish. Granted, they were busy, but nothing on the menu is really that complicated.

The management should be aware that, in the middle of the day, there were no paper towels in the men’s room (or electric dryers). And we’re told there was absolutely no paper in the ladies room — no toilet paper, no towels.

The owners have created a great concept with Between the Buns. Running a restaurant takes a good deal of know-how. There are some glitches here; hopefully it will come together in time.

Between the Buns is a welcome addition to the eclectic and flourishing restaurant scene in Potsdam. We certainly want to see it succeed.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Between the Buns

6 Elm St.

Potsdam, N.Y.

265-8888

A new restaurant in town that specializes in gourmet burgers and upscale beers and bills itself as a sports bar.

HOURS: Food is available from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., bar stays open later.

OUR PICKS: Bread and butter pickles, boneless wings, steamers, Hangover burger, turkey burger, Reuben hot dog

RATING: 3 forks

LOWVILLE — After hearing all good things about Sunday brunch buffet at Tug Hill Vineyards just outside Lowville, I finally got to experience it two weeks ago.

On a clear day, there are few vistas in the north country as fine as the view from the Tug Hill Vineyards. You can see for miles across the farmland to the Black River Valley and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance.

Situated at the top of a hill with grapevines spread out below, the building, with its huge stone fireplace, hewn beams and wraparound screened porch, is three floors of rustic charm. Owners Mike and Sue Maring have applied their previous talents in the landscaping business to the building’s surroundings, which are lavishly landscaped.

The day we were there, the inviting porch offering stunning views of the valley was not yet open for the season. But we could still appreciate the view from our table in the light and bright dining room, which is charming with its light wood floors, big rustic beams holding up high wood ceilings and windows all around.

The tables are attractively set and well spaced. The sprawling buffet is set up in the same room, featuring both breakfast and lunch specialties and decadent desserts. All of the food is attractively arranged and well tended. It’s all made in the kitchen on the premises, much of it displayed in classy roll-top chafing dishes.

There are more than two dozen items on the buffet. The selections showed an attention to detail that fit the specialness of the surroundings.

Among the four of us, we tried most everything. Here’s our report:

■ Asparagus quiche: Generally flavorful. The crust was a little soggy.

■ Eddie’s breakfast sausage: A local smoked sausage (from Eddie’s Meat Market in Croghan) with a subtle flavor — not your average extremely salty Jimmy Dean-type breakfast link.

■ Herbed scrambled eggs: You could see it was loaded with fresh basil, but the flavor wasn’t overly intense.

■ Poached eggs: How do you poach eggs for a crowd? A couple of dozen poached eggs were bobbing in just a bit of water in one of the chafing dishes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get one that’s nice and runny inside. If you’re late to the party, you’ll get one that has set up to hard-boiled consistency.

The hollandaise that accompanied was a nice change of pace, with a fresh and lively flavor — made from scratch, we thought, not the pasty Knorr mix so often found on buffets.

■ Seasoned home fries: Nothing special, about what you’d expect with any breakfast. They were tasty, if a bit limp.

■ Strawberry-banana stuffed french toast: We were excited when we saw this on the menu. It sure looked great — thick slices of beautifully browned bread.

But what was that glop in the middle? The fresh strawberries and bananas we were expecting turned out to be some kind of off-putting fake-flavored paste.

■ Honey Dijon deviled eggs: These didn’t work for me. I’ll take the Dijon in the eggs, no problem, but the honey just seemed to mess it up. Sweet where it didn’t need to be.

■ Chicken and wild rice soup: This was good, really good. It compared favorably to some of the best homemade chicken soup I’ve had, with its huge chunks of meat and great broth.

■ Roast pork and stuffing: Finally, pork that’s not overcooked — moist meat atop savory stuffing with a subtle sweetness that paired well with the tasty brown gravy on top.

■ Glazed ham: Tender and sweet and not overly salty.

■ Green beans with bacon: Uhhh … I don’t think so. While most items on the steam table fared OK, this one didn’t.

We could tell just by looking that these weren’t going to be good. They were soggy and overcooked, dotted with little chunks of greasy bacon.

■ Shrimp and scallops in garlic cream sauce: Do they make security cameras for buffet tables?

People shouldn’t be allowed to pick the seafood out of the dish and leave the pasta behind. The garlic cream sauce was lovely, infused with tasty fish stock. But most of the seafood had been snatched up by patrons ahead of us in the line.

Punishment should have been a bowl of those nasty green beans.

■ Lemon tart with meringue “kisses”: Sweeter than we expected but still delish. A perfect meringue kiss — a small cookie — added a nice touch to each slice.

■ Fruit salad. The fresh fruit tray was beautiful to look at, rows of assorted cubed fruit with a barely Kahlua-flavored topping available on the side.

■ Cinnamon buns: These were thoughtfully cut into pieces and quite good.

■ Black Forest angel trifle: Here’s a dessert that probably looked gorgeous, if you were the first one in line. But by the time we got there, the glass bowl painstakingly filled with layers of angel cake, whipped cream and berries was more like a bowl that had been attacked with an immersion blender.

■ White chocolate raspberry cheesecake: Very nice flavor and consistency. Extremely small wedges difficult to negotiate onto your plate, resulting in upside-down cheesecake.

■ Orange cranberry bread pudding: Bread pudding is easy to make. Really easy. So we couldn’t understand why it was noticeably dry, lacking the typical custard constancy we expect in a bread pudding. Serving it cold didn’t help matters, either.

Brunches are tricky, and a good brunch is no small accomplishment for a restaurant. For a patron, a good Sunday brunch is an elusive but simple pleasure, and Tug Hill Vineyards did an admirable job.

The service was OK, but of course, there wasn’t much “service” to give. A crew of young ladies in classy black server aprons emblazoned with the vineyard’s distinctive logo continuously removed used dishes and filled water glasses.

Our server inquired if there were any military personnel or senior citizens (awkward!) at our table, and left the bill for four adults at $19 each for a total of $81.89 before tip. Then there was a more-than-reasonable wait for her to return to cash us out.

Brunch is $17.50 for military and seniors, $10 for children under 12 and free for kids under 5. But they’re only allowed to have the green beans. Kidding.

Alcoholic beverages including wine, bloody Marys and mimosas are available for an additional charge.

The management has taken care to create a somewhat upscale menu to match the impressive building and breathtaking setting. On its own, perhaps, the food wouldn’t blow you away, but as part of the whole package it’s worth changing out of the jammies and bunny slippers, leaving the house and heading for Tug Hill Vineyards’ Sunday brunch.

Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday. Reservations are recommended.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Tug Hill Vineyards

4051 Yancey Road

Lowville, N.Y.

376-4336

www.tughillvineyards.com

A somewhat upscale Sunday brunch with a free extra: an impressive building with a spectacular view of the Black River Valley and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance.

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday

OUR FAVORTIES: Poached eggs (if you get the runny ones) with hollandaise, Eddie’s smoked sausage, chicken and wild rice soup, roast pork with stuffing and gravy, lemon tart with meringue “kisses.”

RATING: 3-1/2 forks

LOWVILLE — On the outskirts of town toward the Adirondacks on the Number Four Road, there’s a rustic restaurant called Memories.

Memories has been around for well over a decade, but the 100-year-old building that houses it has been home to several restaurants over the years.

Its current owner is local restaurateur Paul Virkler, who also owns the Steak ’n Brew in nearby Turin. Depending on current owner and current chef, the dining experience at Memories could range from dreadful to fantastic, according to my local foodie friends who joined me on the review.

About a year and a half ago, a new chef, Patrick Ryan, took over the kitchen. Since then, the food has received significant praise. Patrick is a local young man who graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. He has worked in several restaurants around the country, including one in New Orleans, before returning to his roots in Northern New York.

The interior of the restaurant is cozy and comfortable. It wasn’t very busy the weekday night we were there, so the hostess (who doubled as the bartender and the dining room manager) greeted us promptly and professionally and told us to “sit wherever you’d like.”

She left menus for us to look over — one page printed on plain paper, compact yet containing plenty of good choices. Four appetizers, a few salads, five pasta dishes and eight main courses. No freezer-to-fryer stuff here. Most everything is made from scratch, it appeared to us.

Our young server may have been new on the job. For some reason, she began waiting on a table that was seated after us without even acknowledging us. When she finally made it to our table, she seemed fairly knowledgeable about the dishes on the menu, though.

The orders entered, it took forever before any food arrived. My reviewmates told me about complimentary salsa and chips they had enjoyed the last time they were there. No sign of that. No bread and butter to keep us occupied either.

The bartender came from across the room to see if we were interested in drinks. Seems like that should be the server’s job — it wasn’t like she was getting overly busy by any means.

Finally, our appetizers arrived. But we had to ask for the salsa and chips. And the bread and butter.

A healthy pile of garlic-steamed mussels ($9.95) were perfectly cooked. The blue mussels were not shy on garlic — or heat. Lots of minced garlic was visible on the shells. A ramekin on the plate contained what looked like innocent melted butter for dipping, but there was some cayenne pepper in there that make it surprisingly hot.

We quickly learned that the chef is heavy-handed with the garlic, a theme that would recur throughout the meal. We also wondered if the kitchen was filled with basil plants, because basil was used liberally in many of his dishes. Even the salsa was made with basil rather than cilantro.

Grilled flatbread pizza ($6.95) was very good, a homemade, hand-formed crust topped with vine-ripened tomatoes, a nice homemade red sauce and fresh mozzarella. And lots of basil on top.

We all thought the crispy fried calamari ($9.95) was outstanding. Our server knew that the calamari rings were breaded in-house (she even outlined the shape of a small squid body by putting her fingers together), which clinched our decision to order it.

The crispy rings were then coated with a sweet chili glaze that reminded us of orange marmalade with a kick. The chef then adds a twist by tossing the tangy calamari with fresh baby greens. This one’s a must-have.

Salads were standard, a nice mix of greens and veggies. Most dressings were bottled, but you did get to “make your own” balsamic vinaigrette from two little cruets delivered to the table. Generous amounts of blue cheese crumbles topped the salads.

Soup is an option in lieu of a salad. We found the French onion stock appropriately salty, the onions well caramelized and the Swiss cheese nicely browned. An enjoyable product.

However, it was delivered without a spoon, despite our request for additional spoons so we could all sample the soup.

After reminding her, she quickly returned with four spoons, left them with the person who ordered the soup and ran off.

That’s not right. This is a fine dining restaurant, not a diner. She should have put a spoon at each place setting.

The pan-roasted salmon ($21.95) preparation was a prelude to summer nights ahead. The filet was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper (don’t let the “pepper encrusted” in the menu description dissuade you) and served over mixed greens with diced cucumber and tomatoes tossed in a lemon vinaigrette. A side of real mashed potatoes completed the plate.

The 8-ounce filet mignon was a bargain at $24.95. It was an impressive dish, a huge hunk of beef tenderloin (it might have even been closer to 10 ounces) topped with melted Gorgonzola and served with homemade gnocchi and pencil-thin asparagus sautéed in garlic butter.

The gnocchi were interesting — not the usual potato dumplings, but more akin to “tater tots”seemingly rolled in grated Parmesan cheese and flash-fried.

The steak was cooked more than our request of medium-rare (it was a solid medium), but that had no adverse affect on its texture. It was tender and delicious as well as beautiful to look at.

From the pasta portion of the menu, we sampled the garlic chicken ($16.95). Chunks of boneless chicken breast were sautéed with roasted red peppers and fresh basil and finished with a garlic cream sauce, served over penne.

The sauce really made this dish, silky smooth and velvety. And garlicky. It was wonderful. Goes to show you what you can do with cream and butter — if you know what you’re doing.

Haddock is available beer-battered and fried or broiled with fresh thyme and lemon. We chose the latter ($16.95).

We found the fish a bit mushy — perhaps frozen, not fresh? There was plenty of thyme on the haddock, but we weren’t entirely convinced that it was fresh, either.

And visually, it needed some help.

Can you tell this wasn’t our favorite entrée?

We shared two desserts. One was a crème de menthe sundae, a real throwback to the ’50s, and the other was a plate with two large cannolis.

Our server told us the cannolis were homemade, but after we asked a few questions, she clarified that the filling was homemade but the shells came from a supplier. Nonetheless, it was a very good dessert, a crispy, cinnamon-y shell with a traditional ricotta cheese filling. Nicely plated and decorated, too.

Four entrees, three appetizers and two desserts cost $131.30 before tip. And it took forever between the time we finished our desserts and when the check was presented — without first clearing the table of dishes, I might add.

All in all, the quality of the food at Memories is excellent. Chef Ryan is doing an admirable job in the kitchen. His food is flavorful and imaginative; his presentations reflect his attention to detail.

But there are issues in the front of the house that need attention. This poor gal had no right serving tables. And it’s not entirely her fault. Someone needs to train the wait staff — an owner, a dining room manager, a consultant if need be.

We’d return in an instant for the food but hope for a wait staff that knows what they’re supposed to do.

TIDBITS

Here’s some news from three of my favorite north country restaurants:

■ Café Mira in Adams is now offering Mexican cuisine on Thursday nights in addition to the regular menu.

Chef/owner Lori Wells is preparing specialties like shrimp and chorizo quesadillas, pulled pork chimichangas with salsa verde and tortilla-crusted tilapia tacos with crisp slaw and chipotle aioli — all prepared with that great Café Mira flair that we know and love so well.

Margaritas are $4 on Thursdays, and there’s live music Wednesdays through Saturdays.

■ 1844 House in Potsdam will be celebrating its seventh anniversary this month with the opening of a new sun porch. Guests can enjoy scenic al fresco dining for Mother’s Day or any day they’re open throughout the summer. It can also be booked for private parties or weddings.

Chef/owner Brian Walker has introduced “bayou shrimp” — shrimp, jumbo lump crabmeat and locally made andouille sausage in a creamy Cajun sauce served over rice pilaf and topped with a Low Country corn cake.

He has also brought back a spring favorite, in-house hickory-smoked pork shank with his signature honey barbecue sauce served over homemade mashed potatoes and crowned with a colossal buttermilk-fried onion ring.

Check out 1844’s Facebook page for photos of these menu items and nightly culinary features.

■ At Pete’s Trattoria on Breen Avenue in Watertown, chef/owner Geoff Puccia is introducing a new spring menu, adding some lighter items that will feature products from local growers and suppliers. Puccia Olive Oil is being sold by the bottle, made exclusively for Geoff by an organic grower in California.

A new tap system has been installed at the bar, offering New York state-produced craft beers. The selection will rotate seasonally.

One of my favorite entrees at Pete’s is the Sicilian cod, broiled and topped with an anchovy, basil and rosemary crust, served over lemon butter risotto. A hot seller on the menu is the 16-ounce grilled Delmonico steak served with Utica greens (escarole, prosciutto, cherry peppers and pecorino) encrusted with panko breadcrumbs and baked.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Memories

6218 Number Four Road

Lowville, N.Y.

376-6650

Fine dining in a cozy and comfortable rural setting

HOURS: 5 p.m. till closing Tuesday through Saturday

APPETIZER PICKS: Crispy calamari with a sweet chili glaze, grilled flatbread pizza

ENTRÉE PICKS: Filet mignon with warm Gorgonzola, garlic chicken over penne with a velvety cream sauce

DESSERT PICK: Cannoli

RATING: 31/2 forks

HERRINGS — Like me, you may not have noticed that the Herrings Inn quietly became Little Sisters Inn last July.

You can’t miss the big stone building with its stately wraparound porch in the little Jefferson County hamlet of Herrings — population 129.

Once upon a time, the old rambling structure that now houses Little Sisters Inn was a stagecoach stop. As soon as you open the door to the barroom, you feel like you’ve taken a trip back in time.

We were enthusiastically greeted by Angie from behind the old-time bar. She was cordial and friendly.

It was just after 6, and we’d just missed happy hour, when domestic beers are $2 and a glass of house wine is $3. So we decided to go for the high test.

The pour on a Glenfiddich scotch was a little stingy, and it disappeared quickly. So we ordered a second one and asked for a double. The second drink looked like the first one should have for a whisky on the rocks. But to our surprise, it cost $12. Big city prices in little ol’ Herrings!

There must have been a shift change, because Angie disappeared and Jeremy took over. He seemed to be new at the game and served a Sam Adams Boston Lager without taking the top off of the non-twist-top bottle. We made light of it and he removed the top. A lot of conversation from both sides of the bar made us feel welcomed.

Off to the dining room, a large area with high ceilings and old barnboard on the walls. Like the exterior, the interior hasn’t changed much since the transition, if at all.

Kim Stiles, one of the sisters, started as our server. After taking drink and appetizer orders, she began waiting on other tables. Benjamin then appeared on the scene, our new waiter.

Benjamin is Kim’s nephew, the son of the other sister, Shelly Stevens. Benjamin usually does some of the cooking, he told us, but is occasionally called in to help wait tables.

Then, after taking our entrée orders, he disappeared and Shelly took over. Among the three of them, we learned a lot about their food service background and the hard work they’re putting into the place to make it succeed.

Finally, our appetizers arrived. It took longer than expected, we thought, considering there were only three or four tables occupied while we were there.

Beef skewers ($8) sounded interesting: “Seared, marinated beef over Asian greens with crispy wontons and spicy Thai chili dressing.”

They arrived without the Asian greens and crispy wontons. The cubes of beef, for being marinated, were a little tough. They were also overcooked for our liking, which probably contributed to the generally chewy texture. The Thai dressing was tasty and not overly hot.

Bruschetta ($7) was very close to its description of diced tomatoes and red onion along with fresh basil. Additional chopped basil garnished the dish, fresh from basil plants growing in small pots on the window sills. We could smell the basil even before the plate hit the table.

Unfortunately, the “baguette crostini” specified on the menu turned out to be some kind of untoasted white bread that became soggy from the tomato mixture on top.

Steamed clams ($9) were a little disappointing. They were the small Asian type that restaurants can buy frozen. The sauce of garlic, white wine, lemon, butter and herbs was nothing special — could have used more zing. The sauce would have been acceptable had they used real domestic littlenecks, but the meat in the foreign clams was so minuscule, you hardly knew you were eating a clam.

Salads come with the dinners, and they were all the same (including the Caesar) — a mix of iceberg and romaine along with shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, halved grape tomatoes and homemade croutons.

We enjoyed the homemade dressings: Thousand Islands, Asian-ginger and lemon-thyme. The lemon-thyme dressing was definitely different, very refreshing and very upfront with the flavor of thyme.

There was a 22-ounce “cowboy” steak available as a special for $35, but we stuck with the regular menu and ordered the ‘Sisters steak’ ($18), a grilled Delmonico topped with Maytag blue cheese, served with a baked potato and seasonal vegetables.

Maytag blue is a highly touted, prestige cheese that we were familiar with. Several of us thought it was produced somewhere in Europe, but a quick smartphone Google search told us that it’s made right here in the U.S. of A. — since 1941, in Newton, Iowa, former home of the Maytag appliance company.

We always like to see how informed our servers are, so after placing our order for the steak we asked, “Where does the Maytag blue come from?” Young Benjamin promptly responded, “From Maines, one of our restaurant suppliers.”

Back to the steak. We were disappointed with the final product. We were hoping for a juicy ribeye grilled to a perfect medium-rare, but the steak was smothered in way too much blue cheese — so much that we had to scrape much of it off to get to the meat, which was more like medium-well than medium-rare.

Grilled chicken Marsala ($15) was a bit of a letdown. The Marsala cream sauce had a pasty taste to it, not vibrant with Marsala wine like we were expecting. It was served over angel hair pasta. The chicken was a bit overcooked for our liking.

When we ordered the Portobello Napoleon ($14) we were expecting a stack (which is what a Napoleon is) of mushrooms layered with spinach, tomato, roasted red pepper and mozzarella. It came from the kitchen as two mushroom caps topped with the other components, surrounded with a daub of tasty basil cream sauce and a blob of nothing-special marinara.

Uncle Gary’s lobster pasta ($16) was pretty good, a plateful of perfectly cooked penne tossed in a bland Alfredo sauce with a decent amount of lobster knuckle meat. Fresh broccoli spears were attractively piled in the center of the dish.

The white sauce would have benefitted from a touch of clam base or fish stock to make it a veloute and better complement the lobster.

Time for dessert, and Shelly nailed it. She’s proud of her desserts and deservedly so.

The “ooey gooey” was just that — a personal-sized cinnamon bundt cake and vanilla ice cream with a wonderful warm caramel topping.

Strawberry cheesecake was everything a cheesecake should be, creamy and lush.

Coconut cream pie was perhaps our favorite. Shelly warned us that is wasn’t very pretty, since the filling hadn’t quite set yet, but the flaky pastry crust was overflowing with a tasty coconut custard and finished with a creamy topping.

Dinner for four consisting of three appetizers, four entrees and three desserts cost $110.99 before tip. Prices are right; portions are plentiful.

The entire staff was very friendly and accommodating. We got the feeling that the sisters, Kim and Shelly, are putting their hearts and souls on the line here to make the inn a successful venture.

While some of the service could best be described as “organized chaos,” it was genuine and sincere. Add a solid measure of finesse to the food and they may just have something special going on here.

TIDBITS

I’ve been doing a bit of traveling around the East Coast over the last few months, discovering some great restaurants that I think you should know about.

■ Jack’s Oyster House, Albany: Celebrating 100 years in business, Jack’s is the second-oldest continuously owned restaurant in the U.S. Freshly shucked oysters and clams on the half shell were served ice cold, as was an array of craft beers on tap. Their clam chowder is first-rate, and the day we were there, the lamb and barley soup was excellent.

www.jacksoysterhouse.com

■ Essex Inn, Essex: This 200-year-old inn was elegantly restored in 2011, offering casual fine dining and elegant overnight accommodations. Chef Josh Archer’s food is creative and accessible. His veal d’Archer with artichokes and mushrooms in a lemon-white wine cream sauce is outstanding, as is his calves liver and onions with applewood-smoked bacon. An overnight stay in one of the beautifully appointed rooms is a must. www.essexinnessex.com

■ Violino Ristorante Italiano, Winchester, Va.: Just off Interstate 81 in northern Virginia, this charming downtown area with its outdoor mall is home to a very fine family-owned Italian restaurant. The veal saltimbocca is superb, as is the veal piccata. Just down the street, the accommodations at the George Washington Grand Hotel were exceptional. www.violinorestaurant.com

■ S.N.O.B., Charleston, S.C.: Downtown Charleston is a shooting gallery full of fine restaurants. Luckily we stumbled upon S.N.O.B. (which stands for Slightly North of Broad). I’d go back in an instant for the tuna tartare with cucumber-tomato relish, the sautéed Carolina squab breast or the grilled Scottish salmon mushroom and spinach crepe. www.mavericksouthernkitchen.com

■ Pisces Rising, Mount Dora, Fla.: We enjoyed al fresco dining on the patio as the sun set over quaint Mount Dora, just off I-4 north of Orlando and a bit west of Daytona. Fresh Florida seafood is their specialty, combining the flavors of New Orleans and the Caribbean. The catch of the day, black grouper, was wonderful, but their shrimp and grits with bell peppers, onions and andouille sausage in a fantastic cream sauce was the best I have ever had. www.piscesrisingdining.com

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Little Sisters Inn

35802 Route 3

Herrings, N.Y.

519-1280

An old-time country inn serving food and libation in a rustic setting.

Hours: Lunch and dinner 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday

Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday

Bar open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Closed Sunday

RATING: 2 1/2 forks

ADAMS — Gram’s Diner has been a fixture in the heart of downtown Adams for many years.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It doesn’t look like much from the inside, either.

Plain and simple, Gram’s Diner is old and dated. The handmade sign out front has been there since the ’60s. The carpet and tile on the floor are overdue for updating. The naugahyde booth seats are worn. The dark brown ’70s paneling is clean and shiny … but old and dated.

We got there just before the lunch hour got into full swing. Hangers-on from breakfast were still there, clutching their empty coffee cups.

By noon, the place was quickly filling up. Seniors. Families. Workers on their lunch break. Teens out of school on spring break. Customers going table to table, chit-chatting with their friends and neighbors.

And us. Like three people who just dropped in from outer space.

But we got the same smiling attention from our server, Monica, that the locals did. “Do you need menus?” she asked, as though we were regulars and had our favorites in mind.

It’s a relatively simple menu with all the diner necessities: classic sandwiches like hot beef or turkey, grilled ham and cheese, egg salad and tuna salad. Salads and homemade soups. Deep-fried favorites. Burgers five ways. Potatoes five ways.

You can even get sides like spaghetti with sauce, vegetable of the day and, on Fridays, mac and cheese.

We got a bowl of the soup of the day, vegetable beef. The stock wasn’t as beefy-hearty as we would have liked, but there were plenty of vegetables including carrots, green beans, celery, potatoes and zucchini, and a smattering of beef cubes.

Homemade beef barbecue was delicious. It came on a large bun, the meat and sauce and coleslaw flowing onto the plate. The red barbecue sauce was slightly sweet and very tasty — reminded us of Dinosaur Barbecue’s Sensuous Slathering Sauce that we like very much.

A side of freshly made potato salad contained lots of green pepper, celery, egg and onion but very little seasoning, so we felt it was generally bland.

Bacon cheeseburger consisted of a 6-ounce char-grilled patty with three strips of crispy bacon sandwiched between two pieces of American cheese. It comes standard with “the works” — lettuce, tomato, mayo, onions and pickles — and potato chips.

As is the case with most diners, we were not asked our preference of doneness of the meat. While we might have liked it cooked less than medium-well, it was still a juicy and nicely seasoned hamburger.

Tuna melt consisted of flavorful tuna salad and yellow American cheese between two pieces of deli bread that had been uniformly grilled with lots of butter. Excellent! A side of homemade coleslaw was equally good.

Portions were more than adequate. A smart eater would have asked for the check right about now. But in the interest of fair and accurate and complete reporting, we ordered dessert.

Nutella mousse pie had a homemade-looking chocolate crumble crust filled with Nutella (hazelnut chocolate spread) whipped into a mousse-like filling — not exactly light and fluffy like one would expect from a mousse, but nonetheless very good.

Monica talked up the homemade brownie and offered it three ways: plain, with vanilla ice cream or as a sundae with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

We ordered it plain with chocolate sauce on the side. It was a very good brownie, large-sized with a bonus — chocolate chips in the mix. For a chocolate lover, a delightful dessert.

Carrot cake was also a large rectangular hunk, about an inch thick, that appeared to be cut from a sheet tray. The super-sweet classic cream cheese icing was half as thick as the slab of cake — causing us to scrape some of it off to be able to enjoy the moist, yummy cake underneath it.

Most of our desserts wound up in to-go boxes and were enjoyed equally well at home the next day.

Lunch for three came to $42.97 before tip.

Overall, the place was clean and homey. New owners, previous employees, took over Gram’s the first of the year and have plans to update the dining room and the bathrooms (sorely needed) as time and money permit.

Monica was a gem, congenial and welcoming. She has worked there for quite a while — before and after the transition of ownership — and knew everything about the menu.

The dated appearance of the restaurant aside, the food was solid. They also serve breakfast (eggs, pancakes, french toast, omelets) and a dozen dinner selections that include steaks, Italian specialties, chicken and seafood dishes.

Breakfast begins at 7 a.m. and is served until noon. Lunch begins at 10:30 a.m. Dinner selections are available from noon until closing, around 8 p.m.

New ownership doesn’t always mean changes for the good. But the near standing-room-only lunch crowd indicates that they’re doing something right — Gram’s was the village meeting place before and it continues to be now.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Gram’s Diner

13 Main St.

Adams, N.Y.

232-4881

A classic diner with solid food and a folksy atmosphere.

HOURS: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday

7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Closed Sunday (for now…)

OUR PICKS: Beef barbecue sandwich, tuna melt, carrot cake

RATING: 3 forks