THE AMERICAN HOTEL MAIN STREET SHARON SPRINGS

By Frances Ingraham Heins

Pleasant surprises don't always come in small packages. Sometimes they come in large ones.
Lunch at the restored and renovated American Hotel, built in the mid-1800s in Sharon Springs, Schoharie County, is one of them. Here the ambience is that of a resort destination instead of a small town in upstate New York, and for good reason.
From the late 1840s to the mid-1940s, Sharon Springs was a magnet for the rich and famous who came to take in its healing mineral waters. But when soaking in the spa fell out of favor, the town went into decline.
When Garth Roberts and Douglas Plummer purchased the American in 1996, it was near collapse. But the two have worked diligently to restore and renovate the structure and in 2003 it won a state Historic Preservation Award.
My husband, Arthur, and I wandered past the charming black walnut bar, into the 50-seat dining room. The bar was hewed from trees removed from the property to make room for the current driveway and parking lot.
The patio, which is open when the weather's warm, was built with slate recovered from the old sidewalks in nearby Herkimer, Herkimer County.
After perusing the menu, I chose the Pavilion Gobbler ($5.75), a smoked turkey sandwich with apple, bacon, lettuce and honey-cinnamon mayonnaise on whole wheat bread. The sandwich was piled as high as a triple-decker club.
Arthur, who is usually finicky about his Reuben sandwiches, savored the one he'd ordered. His sandwich was packed with tender and delicately flavored corned beef.
A lunch date unfortunately doesn't give you a chance to sample the bulk of a menu, but chef Lee Woolver's practice is to update traditional American comfort foods using fresh, local ingredients whenever possible.
So impressed with the sandwiches, we decided to have dessert, too.
Arthur chose the chocolate whipped cream cake ($5) and I ordered the
creme brulee ($6). Both were so good we insisted on sharing -- but, because I eat faster than my husband, I was able to eat more than my share.
Lunch, including two cups of the soup of the day (velvety pumpkin-squash, $2.50; I wish I had ordered a full bowl) coffee and a glass of pino grigio came to $40 including tax and gratuity.
Big hit: The Pavilion Gobbler, a refreshing new take on the turkey sandwich.
Needs work: Nothing on this visit.
Details: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; brunch 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; dinner starting at 5 p.m.
Info: 284-2105 or http://www.americanhotelny.com
Directions: Sharon Springs is a pleasant 45-minute drive from Albany heading west on Route 20.
© 2006 The American Hotel, Sharon Springs, NY