FOODIE

Making Memories At Milleridge
By Danny & Betty / foodie@longislandernews.com

When it comes to eating at Milleridge Inn in Jericho, it’s not just about a hearty meal – it’s an evening, tucked away from Jericho Turnpike, in a different time, and they’ve been doing it just that way since they became the Milleridge in 1946.

Robert Williams, whose cousin Roger founded Providence, Rhode Island, bought 12,000 acres of land from the Matinecock Native Americans for 50 pounds of tea, 20 knives, six hatchets, six hoes, six kettles, 30 awl blades and clothing. Doubt us? A copy of the treaty, circa 1653, hangs in the vestibule of the restaurant.

After the American Revolution, Elias Hicks, who married into the Willets family, opened the house, which was built in 1672, to travelers heading east in an effort to stop bars and grog houses from coming up. As devout Quakers, they would refuse payment for the stew, fish, meat and bread they’d serve and lodging they’d provide by the hearth, but guests would leave coins behind in gratitude for their Quaker hospitality. George Washington popped in, too – he ate oysters and porridge, owner Bruce Murphy said.

Today, Milleridge Inn and Village carries on that tradition of hearty food, Colonial hospitality and old-world charm through its restaurant, village and catering services – 1,600 seats in all, as it turns out. It can be all things to all people, Murphy noted – a host to romantic dinners and proposals, a venue for a business luncheon, a place to celebrate birthdays, and most importantly, a place to make memories with your family.

“A restaurant’s not just supposed to be an eating place. It’s supposed to restore you in body and spirit,” he explained, as we chatted in a cozy room, complete with a horsehair plaster lathe.

Dining at Milleridge is a full-course affair: every meal comes with an appetizer, salad, entrée, vegetable and dessert. Most appetizers, like their rich French onion soup, come with the meal. Others, like the fresh, savory Normandy Style Baked Clams ($5.95) and Iced Gulf Shrimp Cocktail ($9.95), with tangy cocktail sauce seasoned by zesty horseradish, come at a premium.

Waiters, armed with baskets full of piping-hot, buttery and flaky popovers, make the rounds at Milleridge, and happily replenish your plate as needed; courtesy of the bakery, tables also receive loaves of plain, cinnamon swirl and/or raisin bread. It really doesn’t matter which one you get because they’re all fresh, unique and delicious. If you make it in early, check out their early dinner special – a full-course menu for $17.76 – “a real Yankee Doodle Dandy,” as Murphy puts it.

German food aficionados should seek out the Sauerbraten ($24.95), served with potato dumplings, red cabbage and ginger snap gravy. Keep an eye out for Milleridge’s annual Oktoberfest specials, featuring specialty beers and wines – the superb beef goulash over egg noodles is a personal favorite.

For a restaurant that serves nearly 3,000 meals on Thanksgiving Day, their turkey better be good, and it delivers. The menu boasts an “olde Mount Vernon recipe” a la Martha Washington, and prepared with stuffing, giblet gravy and cranberry sauce, the hearty helping will send you home satisfied and scheming to snag Martha’s recipes for holidays to come.

Seafood lovers have a choice of Newfoundland Scrod a la Casserole, Trout in Sweet Butter and Breadcrumbs, sautéed tilapia and Nova Scotia Salmon, ranging from $19.95 to $22.95. The salmon in particular is a treat, complete with a mustard zing, complements a pommery mustard sauce that adorns the tender filet.

If you’ve got any room left at dessert time, you’ve got a half dozen ice creams to choose from. The peppermint candy offering, complete with small bits of peppermint in a vanilla ice cream base, is unique, hard to find and a great treat. Chocolate cream pies, apple strudel, custard pies, mousse cakes, brownies, apple pie and cobbler are all at your disposal, and you can make it a la mode for $2.50.

All of the baked treats come from Milleridge Village’s bakery, which is certainly a place to visit if you want to pick up a pie or a few loaves of bread for home. A stroll around the village, most of which was completed in a 10-year stretch from 1969 through 1979, will help work off a bit of the meal and the charming shops offer the opportunity for unique gifts you can’t get anywhere else. Fitting, indeed, for the Milleridge Inn.

Milleridge Inn
585 North Broadway, Jericho
516-931-2201
www.milleridge.com

Atmosphere: Rustic, cozy colonial
dining with sumptuous flair

Cuisine: Traditional American

Price Range: Moderate to Expensive

Hours: Mon – Sat, lunch served
11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. followed by
dinner seating. Sunday brunch,
11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., dinner served
all day until close.

Main Menu