Founded in 1977, The Horned Dorset Inn is a veteran and historic figure in its industry.

The restaurant will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by treating its customers to a throwback menu. Based in Leonardsville in central New York, the inn will offer the featured menu through mid-November. Dishes are $65 per plate.

“We reimagined some of our most popular plates and menu items and put some new imaginings together,” said owner and chef Aaron Wratten. “I sat down with some former chefs and we made some great items.”

The Horned Dorset Inn began as a classical French restaurant, and throughout the years, the restaurant has become representative of its new owners while paying respect to classic French food.

“We’ve changed and we haven’t changed,” Wratten said. “My wife and I took over six years ago, and we’ve worked on taking out the ‘starch’ of a classic French restaurant, both literally and figuratively.”

Wratten and his wife, Maddalena Molli, have changed The Horned Dorset Inn to a more modern take on French cuisine by creating lighter dishes and giving a more contemporary feel to the service.

Courtesy of The Horned Dorset Inn

“I try to keep the menu fresh. I change it seasonally and make a new menu each year. Nothing can be repeated, except for the French onion soup,” Wratten said, “People would riot in the streets if we ever left off the soup.”

The restaurant’s menu features appetizers, such as the onion soup, roasted beet salad and local cheeses; main dishes such as salmon, veal and rack of lamb; and desserts including chocolate mousse and meringue.

The Horned Dorset Inn also changes its menu based on the seasons. Wratten gathers most produce from the restaurant’s own organic garden and purchases meats and cheeses locally.

“We are basically a farm-to-table restaurant, and we really always have been,” Wratten said. “We’ve always had a huge garden and shape our menu according to what it can give.”

Along with the food, Wratten said he and his wife try incorporating other twists into the fine dining experience. They play classical music in the dining room, and on Friday nights the restaurant plays jazz, which Wratten said is a new practice but works with the restaurant’s modern French aesthetic.

Besides the music, Wratten noted the restaurant’s beautifully decorated interior and its charming yet non-intimidating setting that many fine dining restaurants possess. This difference is something Wratten attributes to the restaurant’s success.

“It’s not just food. We are not in the business of serving people; we are in the business of entertainment,” Wratten said. “It’s about making people happy and making something as simple as dinner a fine dining experience. We want you to walk away satisfied, not just in your stomach and your pallet but in your soul.”

Published on October 29, 2017 at 8:36 pm

Contact Leah: ltoney@syr.edu