Dining review: Spend a little or splurge at Hotel Saxonburg

There are times when the search for a good meal takes you to faraway places -- that is, if a 45-minute drive even qualifies as far away.

The 170-year-old Hotel Saxonburg in Butler County is one of those places that qualifies as a destination restaurant. It's a restaurant known both for its consistently good food and for its charming surroundings.

Housed in a handsomely kept building filled with antiques, Hotel Saxonburg is on a choice piece of real estate -- a shopping district lined with antique and specialty shops that recently was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hotel Saxonburg has been owned by the Gentile family since 1958. Just recently, it's been in the hands of Carolyn Gentile, whose late husband's parents built the kitchen and fed the German immigrants living in town. In those days, there was nothing but a bar, but the Gentiles installed a grill and fryer, and sold homemade soups, sandwiches and spaghetti.

"Some of the Germans had never had spaghetti," says Carolyn Gentile.

Today's menu is a far cry from those spaghetti days, showcasing everything from hand-cut steaks to crab cakes. There's also an extensive lunch menu available at dinner time, and we spotted some diners having burgers and Reubens late one evening.

At Hotel Saxonburg, you can spend a lot or a little, and more often than not you'll leave satisfied. It also means you can bring the kids, but we'd recommend getting a sitter and enjoying the restaurant's relaxed ambience.

The establishment has a bed-and-breakfast atmosphere, and you can appreciate the building's original woodwork. As the name suggests, this also is a hotel, with six rooms starting at $75 a night. An upstairs dining room seats up to 14 people and has its own bathroom.

Appetizers alone could make a light meal, and we especially recommend the Blackened Crawfish on Tortilla Points ($6.95). We found it a pretty audacious offering, mostly because it's not what you'd expect in this rural setting. There was plenty of crawfish, heavily spiced, presented in a big bowl next to oversized wedges of what appeared to be fried pie crust. It was a clever way to ignite our palates.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Fried Asparagus ($6.95). Like other commonly fried vegetables, such as mushrooms or green peppers, these long pieces of asparagus were breaded, lightly browned and just plain good. They were a great conversation-starter.

The Stuffed Banana Peppers ($6.95) were a good nibble to pair with cocktails. They were doused in a tomato-based sauce and hotter than the fired-up crawfish. Good thing there was plenty of bread on the table.

There are several soups on the menu, including a Lobster Bisque ($5.25) billed as one of Hotel Saxonburg's specialties. The bisque disappointed because it was served lukewarm, not piping hot as soups should be served. The emphasis is on sherry and cream flavors, and the generous chunks were tough at best.

By contrast, the French Onion Soup ($4.95) was served hot. It had a rich taste, not just onion broth, and plenty of provolone cheese on top.

There is a wide selection of entrees at Hotel Saxonburg, including an Imported Spaghetti Platter ($11.50) that pays homage to the restaurant's early days and several vegetarian selections, including a Vegetable Lasagna ($10.95), Pasta Primavera ($13.95) and Eggplant Parmigiana ($10.95).

There are several daily specials, all served with choice of salad or soup. On one visit, we tried the Sole Florentine ($17.95). It's an item not found on the regular menu, but one of us liked it because it's supposed to be prepared with spinach. Alas, this sole had no spinach. No matter. The fish was fresh, flaky and topped with a pleasing wine sauce.

The Veal Gorgonzola ($18.95) was a good choice, but it also suffered from a temperature problem. The tender pieces of veal were served with pasta and drenched with a tasty sauce made with sauteed shallots, white wine and Gorgonzola. One of us used the sauce to spice up the accompanying carrots, which were inexplicably bland.

The Cedar Plank Salmon ($17.95) proved a good choice, although the accompanying vegetables once again were in need of some seasoning. As the name suggests, the fish was served on a small cedar plank, which gave it a nice smoky flavor.

The Veal and Blackened Lobster ($25.95) was a standout. We enjoyed the pairing of the veal with a blackened piece of lobster. The flavor of the meat was enhanced by a spicy sauce of cognac and Creole mustard, onions, peppers and celery.

The selection of desserts include several that are homemade; although, we couldn't tell which ones fell in that category. We tried the Key Lime Pie ($3.95) and came away with the feeling it may have been previously frozen. The crust on the Apple Dumpling ($4.25) was mushy, but it was an overall good selection. The Molten Lava Cake ($5.95), on the other hand, was a chocolate lover's dream and highly recommended. Additional Information:

Hotel Saxonburg

Cuisine: American

Hours: Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; Dinner 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. Sandwich and salad menu available all day

Entree price range: $5.95-$28.95

Notes: Wine list and bar. Private room for up to 30 people. Major credit cards accepted. Reservations encouraged. Smoking in bar area only, all dining room areas are smoke-free

Location: 220 Main St., Saxonburg

Details: 724-352-4200