The Kitchen

I am pleased to be able to write a good review about the restaurant, since I did NOT enjoy my stay at the hotel.

The ambiance of this place is, admittedly, not my favorite. The space lacks windows or skylights to properly give the loft-like impression they are going for. I think the division between the restaurant and the hotel lobby is adequate, and I didn't mind being cut off from the rather noisy bar. However, the space just feels unfinished. I don't know what to suggest to them, but it definitely felt incomplete.

That said, that is pretty much the only negative. The overabundant staff was friendly and helpful, without being intrusive. I wish the wines by the glass had offered more local selections, most were only available by the bottle, but the global selections were inclusive enough, I enjoyed a very nice Argentinian red that was suggested by our server.

We had a $50 credit to the restaurant as part of the getaway package we had purchased. The total meal came to about $75, which was very reasonable for a meal you would pay between 100-125 for in NYC or even northern NJ.

We had a late dinner on a Saturday night, with the space a little over half full. We noticed none of the problems with entree options being unavailable. We started with the Clarence Calamari, which was excellent, and the Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna, which was good and very fresh, but not amazing.

For pre-dinner drinks I had the St. Germain Royal, which was not my favorite, however it was a departure for me, so I am not sure if it just wasn't my thing. My fiance enjoyed his Vesper Martini.

My fiance had the pork loin, which he said was very good. I am not a pork fan, but the taste I had of his was moist and flavorful. I had the lamb which was wonderful. I don't usually order lamb, but I was influenced by the previous poster, and I am so glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Along with our meals, the salads were uninspired but fine, though I really don't understand paying more for cheese crumbles, but whatever. The bread did not taste homemade, but was good nevertheless. My roast red potatoes and veggies were amazing. I never thought I would like a brussel sprout, and the thin slices of fennel infused the veggies with a warm spiciness that was simple and refreshing.  I enjoyed them so much I have tried several times to duplicate the seemingly simple dish at home. My fiance liked his apple-pear compote, (not my thing) and we both thought his mashed potatoes were quite good.

For desert have the Chardonnay Ice. We had to get a bottle after tasting it here.

Argh.

I really wanted to like this place. But it was so disappointing.

The atmosphere is the first issue. The restaurant is on the first floor of the Hotel Clarence. Oddly there is no door to the place, instead it's wide open right into the lobby of the hotel. I found that to be a little strange and casual for the level the place seems to be striving for. Also there is an odd wall between the bar and the restaurant. Why not just open up the space and connect the two?

The space is also strange. It seems confused on what it wants to be. The walls are too bare, the furniture doesn't seem to jive either.

The food was extremely inconsistent. They had run out of at least four entree options when we got there at 7pm on a Saturday...perplexing since it wasn't crowded at all during the day (we stayed at the hotel it's connected to).

I got the "last" roast chicken and man do I wish it would have run out before I got there. It was awful, probably the worst roast chicken I've ever had. It was dry and had this odd, overly-smoked flavor that tended towards a bacon taste. ICK. I stuck to the cooked carrots and garlic mashed potatoes to fill me up.

My boyfriend got the lamb and that was the one good thing about the meal. It was cooked well and tasted good (and I'm not a huge lamb fan).

I got a St. Germain and champagne cocktail that had way too much strawberry syrup in it.

I was bummed because we were hoping to have a really good meal here.

They've got a lot of work to do.

I saw one review that said this restaurant left quite a bit to be desired.  I could not DISAGREE more.  I've been all around this Finger Lakes region and have yet to find a restaurant that serves a cuisine that expands beyond hot sandwiches, pasta, and pizza.  Low and behold, Divine and its right in my hotel to boot.  Not since being in New York city have I seen a menu like this with a chef that is willing to take chances with their cuisine.  The menu is experimental but also incorporates local flavors and ingredients from around the region.  This folks, means the food is FRESH.  I've had breakfast there that was nothing short of delicious with thick wheat toast, thick cut bacon, fresh eggs, and a spin on hash browns.  All very good.  Later that evening I figured I would give dinner a try and that was equally as good.  I had the salmon over local veggies with a squash mash.  The salmon was slightly over-cooked, the seasoning a little short but other than that the flavors were great and the composition was all there.  I'll be going back and looking forward to my next meal there.