Staff Picks
Our Best Bets for Local Dining

Sunflower Café, Adaline Ice Cream

Larissa Ryan
Business Manager
Sunflower Café

I took a drive out to Springfield Center this weekend and stopped in at a cozy little café there. It’s a homey spot with indoor and outdoor seating and a sunflower theme in the decorations and the food.
They serve locally sourced breakfast and lunch, or brunch, which is what I had. I ordered the Windy Hill Scramble, which was two scrambled eggs with goat cheese on top (locally made) and sunflower sprouts. It was served with my choice of toast (I got the rye bread but they had options for wheat or marbled as well), and a side salad with the house vinaigrette dressing.
The eggs were very light and fluffy and the cheese on top worked well with the savory flavor. The toast and salad combination were balanced with tart flavors.
I quite enjoyed it.

Sunflower Café
7629A NY-80,
Cooperstown
315-985-8096

Greg Klein
Editor
Fly Creek General Store

With my family taking our first vacation in more than 18 months, I am reminded of a great place to grab some sandwiches for the road, the Fly Creek General Store.
On Route 28, at the “five way” in the hamlet of Fly Creek, the general store has been around for decades. Most visitors probably stop there for gas or for gas station purchases, but locals know they have a great deli and hot food counter, too.
Lunchtime specials are always good. I like when the pulled pork sandwich is on the menu and although she isn’t living nearby the FCGS anymore, I can hear my mom ask for a tuna fish sandwich.
Still, we probably get breakfast from the FCGS most often. The family in general prefers breakfast bagels with bacon, but my sneaker pick is the French toast sandwich, which has bacon and eggs on a sandwich of … you guessed it, French toast. Covered in syrup and served hot, you really can’t beat it for a tasty breakfast.

The Fly Creek General Store
6216 State Route 28
Fly Creek
607-547-7274

Kevin Limiti
Reporter
Adaline Ice Cream

Ice cream is a wonderful and scary thing which makes Adaline Ice Cream of Oneonta something of a delightful horror house for me.
Made fresh on site, this shop boasts tasty and amazing ice cream cones and exquisite sundaes.
I had an Adaline Sundae which had peanut butter and hot fudge, a perfect combination which unleashed a poltergeist on my taste buds.
There are two special flavors every day. In addition, they also sell ice cream sandwiches, milk shakes and cakes, some of which is available online.

Adaline Ice Cream
478 Main Street
Oneonta
607-267-4970

Kathleen Peters
Graphic Designer
The Rose and Kettle

They are only open Thursday through Saturday, but The Rose and Kettle is always worth the wait. In all the times we’ve eaten there, we have never had a so-so meal, much less a bad one.
In this quaint little restaurant in Cherry Valley you will find a creative menu with many local ingredients. On Thursday evenings they jazz it up with local musicians.
Since they just recently opened for the season, we couldn’t get a last-minute reservation, but a quick look on the website shows they still have a creative menu.
I would have been happy with any one of the appetizers (crab cake, Thai shrimp and pork, mussels, tuna, lamb tenderloin, samosas) and a salad.
The entrées are equally interesting with two pastas, standards like meatloaf, roasted chicken, and fish and chips, and some less standard offerings like a lemon sage risotto that sounds really interesting.
There’s also a dessert menu with fresh seasonal ingredients, coffee drinks, drink specials, and a fully stocked bar.
This is Upstate New York dining at its finest.

The Rose and Kettle
4 Lancaster Street
Cherry Valley
theroseandkettle.com
607-264-3078