Few sights can rival a Lake Ontario sunset, but the culinary artistry at Rainbow Shores Restaurant brings some serious competition to the table.

Head chef Rebekah Alford and sous chef Timothy McQuinn — who met in the kitchen at Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn — are making waves with their polished execution and imaginative new menu.

Rainbow Shores is about an hour’s drive from Syracuse, but weary travelers are quickly revived by a breathtaking view. Our recent visit felt like dining on the rocks, thanks to the flower-framed deck that extends from the shoreline to the white clapboard restaurant, built in the 1920s as a country-club centerpiece.

Legend has it that bootleggers came ashore here during Prohibition. We kicked off the evening with a toast to their bravado and a frosty tequila-spiked lemonade ($5) garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme. A basket of just-baked breads, tucked in a white linen napkin included a signature cream cheese spread with still-crisp flecks of scallion and carrot.

We were off to a swell start, and with each course the bar inched higher.

The Gorgonzola fondue ($7), served with toast spears hot from the grill, showcased the sweetheart of the world-class blue cheeses. Gorgonzola blends more seamlessly than Stilton or Roquefort. Its blue veins disappeared into the creamy fondue yet its tangy bite lingered on the tongue.

In contrast to the fondue’s subtle white-on-white presentation, the grilled shrimp appetizer ($7) arrived blazing like a campfire, with six juicy shrimp on a bed of orange and red peppers sauteed until soft and sweet.

Salads, included with entrees, were fresh, cold and composed with an artful eye. A classic Caesar was garnished with shaved Parmesan and a peppery arugula sported blueberries, pea shoots and an orange blossom vinaigrette.

A dramatic seafood platter ($35) illustrated Chef Rebekah’s goal in cooking: to create a feast for the eyes and a party for the mouth.

Its petite grilled lobster tail — rich, sweet and charred at its edges — was first to be devoured followed by a gutsy calamari stuffed with sausage, artichokes, sundried tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Sauteed calamari rings, grilled shrimp and a tuna steak completed the all-star array. A spirited red pepper sauce (with homemade lobster stock) and crisp gremolada (herb dressing) breadcrumbs sent the dish over the moon.

From the turf side of the menu, a prime grilled tenderloin steak ($27) was mouthwatering and more than generous in size, though its wild mushroom cognac sauce added little to the experience.

It was no surprise to learn that desserts were made in-house.

The fallen chocolate souffle ($6) with swirls of raspberry and butterscotch sauces had settled into a rich wedge of dense, high-quality chocolate. A clever variation on key lime pie ($6) featured scoops of tart filling — texture-wise, close to cheesecake — on individual tiles of graham-cracker crust. Homemade coconut ice cream made it a bona fide tropical delight.

Like Lake Ontario on a sunny day, Rainbow Shores sparkles.

Weekend’s Dining Out reviews are based on an unannounced, anonymous visit. Aimee Koval shares reviewing duties with Denise Owen Harrigan. Recent reviews are available at syracuse.com/dining.

THE DETAILS

THE RESTAURANT: Rainbow Shores Hotel and Restaurant, 186 Rainbow Shores Road, Pulaski; 298-5110.

CREDIT CARDS? Yes.

ACCESS TO DISABLED? Yes.

HOURS: Summer hours: Dinner, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Sunday; lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday; breakfast, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is open late April to late October. Hours may vary early and late in season.

COST: Dinner for two including appetizers, entrees, desserts, cocktail and soda: $122.60, including tax and a 20 percent tip.

This article is reprinted from The Post-Standard, July 21, 2011 Weekend Edition

Monster catch had no luck as a record salmon

Published: Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 9:35 AM     Updated: Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 10:23 AM

Tony Buffa, a veteran Lake Ontario charter boat captain who operates out of Oswego Marina, was understandably excited Sunday. He thought he might have a world record on his hands.

It was 7 a.m. Sunday and one of his clients, Johnnie Rudisil, 30, of Bethel, Conn., had just reeled in a 35-pound, 1-ounce coho salmon. Rudisil was fishing on Buffa's boat with his grandfather, Tony Mallozzi, also of Connecticut.

The world-record coho weighed 33 pounds, 7 ounces and was caught by Stephen Sheets Jr. on Lake Ontario, fishing out of Oswego County, on July 13, 1998.

Buffa was not taking any chances. He had the fish weighed on a scale used for tournaments at Larry’s Salmon Shop in Oswego. The fish was put on ice overnight and Rudisil drove it to the regional DEC office in Cortland on Monday for analysis.

The DEC’s conclusion?

“Potentially, he (Buffa) was right,” said Dan Bishop, regional supervisor for natural resources at the Cortland office. “But we checked it out, and it does not appear to be the case.”

The reason, Bishop said, was that the fish was actually a hybrid — a cross between a coho and its larger cousin, a chinook (king) salmon. That was determined, Bishop said, by cutting a small slice in the fish’s belly and pulling out its pyloric caeca — finger-shaped pouches located where the intestine and the stomach meet.

Bishop said the number of pyloric caeca ranges from 53 to 80 in cohos and 124 to 209 in chinooks. The fish Rudisil brought to the DEC office had a pyloric caeca count in the 94-100 range.

“We counted it three times,” Bishop said. “It’s clearly right in between a coho and a chinook.”

In addition, the fish's caudal fin had typical characteristics of a chinook and an anal fin typical of a coho, said David Lemon, the DEC's Regional fisheries manager.

"Clearly, no doubt about it being a hybrid," he said.

Bishop said crossbred salmon are unusual but do pop up in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, such as the Salmon River, from time to time.

“It could have occurred naturally, or accidentally at the DEC hatchery,” he said.

The world record for a coho-chinook hybrid is 35 pounds, 8 ounces, pulled out of the Salmon River on Oct. 21, 2001, by Brooks Gerli, according to a spokesman from the International Game Fish Association.

“We got knocked out of the box, both ways,” Buffa said. “Either way, it was an exciting adventure and a beautiful fish.

“By the way, it was caught on an A-TOM-MIK fly — a Green Krinkle.”

David Figura can be reached at 470-6066 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Every month the Pulaski Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce will be highlighting a member business with our Business Showcase. August 17, 2011, we will be at Donna Gilson's Sashes and Lace & One Horse Open Sleigh Gifts and Antiques Shop in Pulaski. The event will begin at 9:00 am and run for just one hour. Come on down for some coffee and a doughnut, and tour Donna's new facility. Donna and her husband Ed have been rehabbing a carriage house on their property that is sure to make you smile. Reminiscent of the horse and buggy days, the newly refurbished building houses 6x8 foot horse stall-like spaces for rent to dealers that have something special to offer, craftsmen, not crafters.