Great news: Ryan's is open for the season

HENDERSON — Most people looking for a special dining experience on the outskirts of Watertown will head out on Route 3 to Sackets Harbor.

Go just a little farther down the open road toward Henderson and you'll see Ryan's Lookout on your left. It's a long, low building that's been there for quite some time. The addition of a sizable banquet room a few years back gives it the appearance of being bigger than it really is.

We slid into a very comfortable, slightly dated dining room — kind of like putting on that old pair of boat shoes or slipping that well-worn wallet into your back pocket. Every seat in the dining room and on the narrow porch that follows the front of the restaurant has a nice view of the harbor and several distant islands in Lake Ontario.

It's a seasonal restaurant, open from May till early fall, and has a loyal following. The night we were there, summer residents were back for the season, greeting the owners and the staff by first names and vice versa. The friendliness was infectious, adding to the ambiance.

The food is billed as Italian-American, but it's much more than that. It's Italian classics, family favorites and the chef's signature dishes.

There's chicken Parmesan, eggplant Parmesan or veal Parmesan; chicken Marsala or veal Marsala. There's haddock, shrimp or scallops. Ham steak or strip steak. Pasta with tomato sauce, pesto sauce or clam sauce.

Then there's Lazy Daze Chicken, a boneless breast grilled and topped with bruschetta, baby spinach and melted provolone. Shrimp Mazalan, shrimp sautéed with artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, button mushrooms and scallions tossed in a basil cream sauce over cavatappi pasta. Or Pasta Ryan, sautéed portobello mushrooms, red peppers, garlic and olive oil, grilled chicken breast and a blend of cheeses over linguini.

Nathan, our efficient and businesslike veteran waiter, got things under way with a basket containing a warm, crusty boule, a round loaf of bread with the instructions "Rip it apart and enjoy."

There was a glass cruet of make-your-own balsamic and olive oil for dipping, and a small plate containing enhancements of minced garlic, red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan.

Although there's a tempting list of creative appetizers — "appeteazers" they call them — we went light, noticing hearty entrée portions at other tables around the room.

We picked a winner, eggplant Napoleon ($8.93). Two disks of crispy fried eggplant surrounded sautéed mushrooms, spinach and red peppers, the wonderful flavors enhanced by a drizzle of a balsamic reduction. It wasn't a huge portion, but you wouldn't have wanted anything larger. It was a rich, savory starter.

Another prelude of things to come was a cup of crab bisque ($4.93), billed as "the real thing." It was really good, simple and effective: brothy and creamy, small pieces of crabmeat, full-flavored, not thickened at all.

Then there was the family-style salad that preceded the entrées; a big, chilled bowl full of crisp iceberg and a little spring mix, bits of shredded carrot and purple cabbage, some thinly sliced red onion and grape tomatoes, dressed with a simple oil and vinegar mixture, topped with freshly grated Parm right there at the table courtesy of Nathan.

We assumed he would have served the salad, but it was a serve-yourself deal, using spoon and fork "scissors" provided.

Entrées were next, all very impressive and exceptionally well prepared.

Chicken of The Harbor ($17.93) was quite a creation. A uniformly pounded, lightly breaded and seasoned chicken breast was smothered with mushrooms, bacon, scallions and sautéed spinach in a sherry cream sauce. Very tasty.

Tilapia is a mild, white flaky fish, usually farm-raised, that has gained popularity in recent years. Ryan's calls its preparation Olivia's Tilapia ($15.93). It's a small filet encrusted with a chipotle and lime breading and served with citrus butter.

The fish was cooked to perfection, moist on the inside with a crisp, flavorful crust.

Slender, fresh green beans, true haricots verts,completed the dish.

A recent meat "discovery" is the flat-iron steak, a flavorful and relatively tender cut of beef from the shoulder of the cow. It's a cut that lends itself well to grilling.

Ryan's charbroils its flat iron ($17.93), slices it thin as you would London broil, and jazzes it up with raspberry-habanero Gorgonzola sauce, our choice, or you could choose compound garlic butter. It was served medium-rare, per our call.

Lookout Pasta ($17.93) was delightful, a boneless chicken breast sautéed with Roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers, baby spinach and salty, briny feta cheese, all held together in a roasted garlic cream sauce and served over linguini.

The skilled chefs in the kitchen at Ryan's definitely know what they're doing — seasoned veterans who have formulated a menu with something to please everyone, plus offering nightly specials. While we didn't partake, the specials that night included appetizers like panko-crusted goat cheese or "Sushimi" tuna; entrées like swordfish Florentine or chicken Frangellico.

They go the extra mile on desserts, too. Rather than taking the easy way out and purchasing them frozen from a restaurant supplier, they import them from Syracuse's Little Italy and a bakery in Buffalo.

Nathan brought a dessert tray to our table, tantalizing us with at least eight great-looking sweets.

Italian lemon cream cake consisted of two moist layers of lemon cake with a luscious layer of lemon filling in between. Delicious.

A brownie covered with pecan crisp was excellent. But have you ever had a brownie you didn't like?

Raspberry cheesecake was lovely, thick and dense and rich, the raspberry swirled right into the filling, nuts on top and a very nice graham cracker crust.

Dinner for four came to $120, which included two appetizers, four entrées and three desserts. Two mixed drinks and two glasses of wine added $25 to our total. There are several better-than-average wine choices that you will enjoy by the glass, a Kendall Jackson Meritage being one of them.

This was a great dining experience. We'll be back again soon ... off the clock.

TIDBITS

■ A sign on the front door of Sackets Cantina, Main Street, Sackets Harbor, indicates they will be open by the time this article is printed. They did not open at all last summer. A new menu is planned.

■ Sackets Harbor Brewing Co., located in the old train station just behind the Cantina, has some exciting things on the menu this season: appetizers like smoked trout, seafood crêpe and steak bruschetta; meat-heavy entrée choices with five steaks, rack of lamb, French-cut pork chop and a veal dish. Salmon and snapper are also available.

■ Tin Pan Galley's beautiful tree-covered stone patio is open for the season. We stopped by recently for lunch and enjoyed chicken tortilla soup, fried green tomato salad, ahi tuna salad and chicken salad served in a pineapple half.

■ Word has reached us that one of our favorite restaurants, The Carleton in Cape Vincent, will not be opening this summer. A call to the restaurant revealed that the phone number is not in service.

You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Ryan's Lookout

9290 Route 3

Henderson

938-5151

A seasonal restaurant on the main highway that serves tasty, well-prepared dishes with a view of the harbor and the St. Lawrence River.

HOURS: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday

5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday

5 to 10 p.m. Saturday

5 to 9 p.m. Sunday

APPETIZER PICKS: Eggplant Napoleon, crab bisque

ENTRÉE PICKS: Chicken of the Harbor (chicken, mushrooms, bacon, scallions, sherry cream sauce), Olivia's Tilapia (chipotle lime breading), Lookout Pasta (chicken, Roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers, baby spinach, Feta, roasted garlic cream sauce)

DESSERT PICKS: Pecan-covered brownie, raspberry cheesecake, Italian lemon cream cake

RATING: 4 forks