The Cottage at Mirror Lake Inn

Lake Placid, NY

In 2014, Don and I stayed at The Mirror Lake Inn. I remember eating breakfast on a screened porch, with a lovely view of the lake. 
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The Cottage
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I also remember looking down at the little cottage at the bottom of the hill and wondering about it.
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Adirondack Flapjacks?

I don't remember exactly what I ate, sitting on that lovely screen porch. My old  photo tells me that I didn't eat any flapjacks. Back then, I didn't know that Mirror Lake Inn was once known for their flapjacks. 

The Cookbook and Mirror Lake Inn

Since that time, I've spotted the old hotel in our vintage cookbook. "We'll have to go back and try those pancakes." I told myself after seeing the recipe.

Last July, Don and I were back in upstate New York. This time, I packed the 1950 Ford Treasury Cookbook. We planned to stop for a meal at the inn, while passing through town. I was eager to surprise the staff with page 45, featuring the Inn's Adirondack Flapjacks recipe! Well maybe. Sometimes the cookbook doesn't excite people.

​The Cottage 
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But The Inn's restaurant was not open for lunch. So we headed down the hill to have lunch in The Cottage. The Cottage is part of Mirror Lake Inn, but this was really going to stretch it a bit, with my cookbook adventure. 

Cute Place

It was pretty delightful heading into a restaurant that looked like a little storybook house, with shutters and window boxes. Coming from Texas, it was a thrill to see open windows!

Old Door
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We entered the old door, which looked at least 100 years old. I hoped we'd have a server who was also aged and could fill us in, with lots of history. I wanted to know how old the cottage was. I wanted to know who once lived here, before it was a restaurant.

​I wondered if the cottage residents (or guests) sometimes wandered up the hill, to dine at the Mirror Lake Inn. Maybe The Cottage housed athletes or elite guests, during the Winter Olympics, in 1932 or 1980.

Casual Dining

I expected to find a restaurant crowded with tourists on a weekend in July. This was the perfect place for a meal, overlooking the lake!

But the dining area was empty and we were invited to pick any table. We of course chose a spot at the window. 

Locals
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The dining area was empty, but the nearby bar wasn't. The drinking crowd didn't seem to care about the gorgeous view, they were missing. They were too busy socializing and enjoying the music, which didn't match the peaceful view from the window. 

Danko, from Serbia
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Our waiter wasn't a bit "aged", but he was polite and friendly. We chatted a bit and learned that he was from Serbia. I didn't bother asking all the questions about the restaurant history, but I did pull out the old cookbook. I knew well, that there was a mighty good chance Danko would not "get it" at all.  Most young servers don't fully enjoy the odd nostalgia of old recipes from restaurants and hotels that are mostly long gone. If you add a little added language twist, things get trickier.  

But Danko seemed curious when I showed him the illustration of the inn, up the hill. He studied the recipe for a minute. He didn't laugh or gasp, like some do when I hand over the cookbook. But he seemed politely interested and best of all he offered to pose with the book. Yay for that! I believe Danko is about the 30th cookbook poser we've had!

Lunch!
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I was ready to eat after our cookbook encounter. I took one peek at the menu and knew I had to have the Beer Soup. It was July, but the skies were overcast and the air felt damp and chilly. (To this Texan) I practically drank down that soup. The tangy flavor had me smacking my lips after each spoonful!

Apricot Chicken Salad 
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Don's sandwich with pieces of white meat, dried apricots, sliced almonds and sesame ginger was yummy. The greens & tomato salad was an extra treat. Our light lunch was just what was needed. 

The View
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Even with gray skies, the view was ideal. We watched a few kayaks go by and we thought about the very same lake, when we visited in 1980, during the winter Olympics. We were a lot colder then and the lake was frozen!

Cozy Dining Adventure in Lake Placid
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Our dining adventure wasn't a huge feast, but it gave us a few memories. We dined in a cozy cottage with a sweet view. We had some tasty food, served by a friendly server. We got to add to our list of cookbook adventures, even if the cookbook wasn't a huge hit.

Best of all, we ate our meal and reminisced, about visiting Lake Placid as newlyweds, almost 40 years ago!