Take Me Away

The Settlers Inn is the next best thing to an escapist vacation

Alicia Grega-Pikul

It's difficult not to daydream about vacations this time of year. If the typical week at the beach or extended camping trip has escaped you, you may want to consider the region's abundance of historic, picturesque towns to satiate your need for a restorative get away. Even if you don't book a room at The Settlers Inn in Hawley, one meal at the bed and breakfast is all it takes to take you away.



The chef-owned, farm-to-table restaurant offers fine casual dining and creative regional Pennsylvania cuisine you won't soon forget. It boasts fresh-baked on premises artisan breads and a wine list lauded by national authorities.



"We believe our use of local products helps to continue the tradition of small farming in our community," innkeepers Grant and Jeanne Genzlinger propose. The restaurant's new summer menu was designed to highlight the quality products of local farmers and producers such as Liberty Gardens, Mountain Dell Farm and Gorzynski's Ornery Farm.



Chefs themselves, the Genzlingers acquired the former Tudor Manor in 1980 and began its impressive restorations into a 20-room Mission-style bed and breakfast. Originally constructed as a hotel to serve the Lake Wallenpaupack region in 1927, it also served as a boy's school, nightclub, and elderly housing before the Genzlinger's picked it up.



A consistent winner in this publication's annual readers' polls, The Settlers Inn is a cornerstone of the small Victorian town of Hawley, and the first thing you see when you arrive driving east on Route 6.



We arrived last Thursday evening with just enough time to browse the inn's lush garden of herbs, vegetables and flowers before taking our seats. The dining room's thick, dark wooden pillars and solid, matching furniture on deep green carpet echoed the woods surrounding the property. The smell of lilies permeated the air and we quickly lost all sense of time and place, literally jarred at one point to see modern vehicles parked out one window.



A mouthwatering rosemary foccacia and a couple of dense, warm rolls studded with birdseed were served immediately with a fragrant oil. After a few sips of the restaurant's excellent house California Chardonnay ($9) we ordered the local arugula and fresh strawberry salad with Tait Farms raspberry vinaigrette ($7.75) and a couple of items off the "beginnings" menu. So discernable was the difference between the arugula and the store-bought greens we're accustomed to, we wondered for a moment if it had just been picked from the backyard. The housemade chicken liver and white truffle mousse with red onion confit ($8.50) was served with four light grain toasts and two of the tiniest little pickles we'd ever seen. The smooth mousse blended its ingredients seamlessly, and its light texture led the indulgence to evaporate on our tongues under the tangy onion. The won-ton shrimp stuffed with julienne vegetables ($11) was served in a thick pomegranate-hoisin sauce that proved an inspired combination of flavors and not too strong for the delicate shellfish.



The entrees were no less intoxicating. My friend opted for the Forks Farm pasture-raised chicken breast with bacon and risotto and fire-roasted banana sauce, roasted bell pepper and apricots ($24) while I took the suggestion of our most efficient waitress and supped on the sauteed diver scallops with sweet corn sauce served with lemon couscous and chiseled snow peas ($27). Concerned that corn might interfere with the anticipation of buttery scallops, I had been leaning toward the trout, netted in nearby Blooming Grove. But I trusted the chef's innovation and was not disappointed. Far from the canned creamed corn of your nightmares, this sauce sang with that quintessential summer treasure of sweet corn just off the cob. We marveled at the pan searing that left the five plump scallops just cooked on the inside yet crisped on the edges as if they had been kissed with fire.



Though the idea of dessert was tempting, we couldn't help but eat every bite of our entrees. We made a note of the restaurant's specialty, an English toffee pudding with warm caramel sauce, and assured our disappointed waitress that we would return.