Chautauqua Lake Bass, Catfish and Blackened Shrimp

Which of the above don’t belong in the title?  

If you guessed Blackened Shrimp you’d be dead wrong!

You’d also be wrong if you guessed Bass or Catfish. 

The key is where to find these “tre amici” (three friends in Italian).  

Fortunately – I was lucky enough to find all three at Chautauqua Lake.

 

My daughter Meghan was home from NYC for the Independence Day weekend.  It was the first time for a long time that her schedule and the schedule of her sister Kristin and that of my wife and me allowed us to take a family road trip.

One of the areas we've never been to is Chautauqua Lake.  Hard to believe since it’s one of the traditional top fishing destinations in the state.   My wife, Joyce, heard that the Chautauqua Institution was a place that needs to be on everyone’s bucket list.  I knew little about Chautauqua Institution except that it was an international community for art, theater and intellectual endeavors – so, I devised a plan to go fishing while the family got some culture!

I thought I’d bring my inflatable kayak, fly rod and a couple hundred flies and try my luck!

Guess how long this will decorate my family room?

After coming to my senses, I realized that every time I tried to combine fishing with a family trip it was a disaster.   Family trips are great – family fishing trips are great – but never the twain shall meet!

So now, I’m waiting to see how long Joyce will let me leave the kayak in the family room – anyone want in on the pool?

But I digress – We got a late start – typical for us – made a wrong turn at Tim Hortons, and finally got to Chautauqua Institution about 1:30 pm.  Since we were late, we didn't stop at M&T for cash – we had $10 combined – but ATM’s are everywhere - right?  However, the one at Chautauqua Institution was out of service. 

We looked around the visitor center and collected about a ton of brochures for places to visit in the area.  Then we noticed that to get into the Chautauqua Institution, it would cost $8 to park and $13 per person just to walk through the gate!  

I’m not a math major, but for a family of four, that looks like a $60 bill to walk around a place just to see what it looks like. 

Among the brochures was one for Bemus Point – just on the other side of the lake – lots of quaint shops, art galleries, food, drink and ice cream – and no parking or cover charges! 

We hit the road and zipped over the Route 86 bridge and were soon in the picturesque village of Bemus Point.  We followed Main Street to the water’s edge where we were greeted by the Italian Fisherman.   

Fine Casual Dining!

By this time it was about 2:30 pm and after taking a look at a couple of shops, we were all ready for lunch.  The Italian Fisherman Restaurant was right there inviting us in.  The first decision was which level for lunch?  Upstairs, downstairs at the water’s edge or out on the water at the Italian Fisherman’s Water Grill – a floating restaurant!  

On the Water at the Italian Fisherman

We picked the middle ground and settled in on the deck for a fabulous lunch.  

We're in the right place to be Hungry!

Meghan opted for the Bourbon Walnut salad and grilled chicken, Joyce and Kristin went for the gourmet burgers and white truffle parmesan fries, and I went for the Blackened Shrimp with NY Cheddar grits. 

http://www.italianfisherman.com

I love shrimp – I love blackened seasoning – learned from many meals in the Big Easy, and grits – well, two out of three ain’t bad!   But, I soon learned that the Italian Fisherman knew their grits!  Absolutely fantastic! I've been converted!  The Blackened Shrimp were the best I've ever tasted!

BEST EVER Blackened Shrimp and NY Cheddar Grits!

And the fries – their white truffle parmesan fries are the only fries EVER that I did NOT need an application of ketchup!  Honest!  And, the burger was also delicious – Joyce never finishes a meal so I typically get at least 1 and a half.

The atmosphere was outstanding, the food was to die for, the service and staff was incredible – but don’t take my word for it – go there and see/taste for yourself – one of the best restaurant experiences we – as a family and individually have ever had!  www.italianfisherman.com

And – on the way out, I met the manager, Jade, and told her of our wonderful time, while whining about not being able to go fishing.  She promptly told me that her 10 year old son, Simeon, loves to fish and showed me a couple photos of his very first fishing trip.  

Simeon and Bass - Crank Bait and ultra lite rod

Simeon and catfish - First trip - this kid's a Natural!

He’s way ahead of me – at his age all I’d ever caught was a tiny blue gill! I hope I can talk him into telling me where to fish if I can get back down to Chautauqua Lake.  But, until then, Simeon will keep the fish nervous and I’ll plan my next trip – fishing and eating – to Chautauqua Lake and the Italian Fisherman!

Fishing and food just go together – anyone out there have a story and photos to share?

Good fishing and eating!

Dave