Broome For More: Dining @ The Plantation House

Here's something I've noticed: Most eateries in the Southern Tier bank everything on the entree. It's as if they're playing a weak hand of poker, betting the farm all along, and manage to catch a straight on the river. Yeah, they win the pot, but for any player with a hint of experience, you can't help but cock an eyebrow at the final result and say, "Alright, fine. But, REALLY?"

The atmosphere at The Plantation House in Vestal is homey enough, burgundy tablecloths with cloth napkins, appropriate extraneous silverware and a southern, wannabe New Orleans vibe. John Besh would cringe, but Emeril would feel completely comfortable.

And yet, when the server has no specials to present, no water to pour, and no suggestions as to what's good and what's not, I'm immediately suspicious. Apparently, The Plantation House is Louisiana post-Katrina. There's an attitude of "You get what you get. We're too close to Endicott to care."

The dozen steamed clams as an appetizer were barely sufficient, rubberband-y around the edges, with a creative and unusual addition of lemon and butter. (/snark) My lobster bisque was perfectly mediocre, a la Campbell's canned soup.

On a genuine note, my companion Erika's filet Renaissance was perfectly cooked, although the crab was less lump and more mush, and the asparagus atop it was upstaged by the side dish of... asparagus. You'd think a chef who cared two fluffs about his craft might look at the plate and think, "Hey, there's two instances of asparagus here. I ought to switch out the side!" Apparently, they've spent too much time in a formulaic Applebee's kitchen, or watched too many Iron Chef episodes. Asparagus is NOT the secret ingredient here, bro.

My blackened duck, while a bit closer to medium than medium-rare, was marvelously tender. Such fatty rendering was just shy of perfect, although the char taste overwhelmed, well, everything. There was almost no game left in the bird, but the texture was sublime.

Wine list is sparse but nicely chosen, everything in an affordable range (bottles between $21 and $48) and across the map. The cocktails are also expertly mixed.

Summary? Service: shoddy at best. (We had to ask for water. C'mon, water?) - Wine: decent. - Appetizers: skip 'em. - Entrees: attention has been paid, but perhaps not enough.

Final verdict? Not worth the $20+ per entree based on the rest of my experience. If you want to eat in a house that's pretending to be an upscale restaurant, go to the Copper Cricket. Then, at least, you'll get your money's worth.

Rating: Two rockstars, out of five.