Food and Wine Weekend

Eagles Mere Inn hosts a culinary journey around the world.

Every fall and spring, the 19-room Eagles Mere Inn, established in 1886, hosts a bi-annual Food and Wine Weekend. Themed and popular as evidenced by the many returning regulars, the two-day fete amounts to two decadent dinners—which are worked off by day during hikes via the Loyalsock Trail, through one of the area’s picturesque state parks (Ricketts Glen and World’s End), or enjoying the gorgeous view at nearby Canyon Vista.

It’s a collaborative effort between Innkeeper and Chef Toby Diltz and wine expert Ken Phillips, who began outlining the blueprints three months ahead of time. The theme “Tradition v. Innovation,” explored the different yet complementing flavors of classic French cuisine and wines versus innovative preparations and techniques much like California-inspired fare paired with California wines.

The first night’s buffet-style dinner in the downstairs pub was casual yet utterly delicious by way of rich and buttery Beef Bourgignon with morel mushrooms; decadent lobster bisque flecked with sweet chunks of the crustacean; classic green beans amandine; a sensational truffled potato dauphinoise with goat cheese.

Saturday night’s seated three-course dinner in the dining room showcased proteins cooked in two ways –with carefully chosen wines for each variation. Tradition Lobster Newburg was juxtaposed by an innovative take on Lobster “Benedict,” which was a lobster crab cake sitting beneath a “quail egg” made of coconut and gelatin and a mango-papaya “yolk.” Followed by two more protein courses—house-made venison sausage offset by Sous-vide venison tenderloin and wilted greens Diltz picked himself that morning; and a duck confit versus a shaving of foie gras.

Diltz, a Hetlerville, PA native, runs the small, yet efficient kitchen that churns out homemade crackers, jams and muffins, scratch-made desserts as well as in-house butchering, smoking and everything else under the son. It’s all local, which you could say is Diltz’s favorite word evidenced by his daily visits to farms for fresh meat, dairy and produce.