Whether or not you’ve been to the Accomac Inn, if you’re from the area, you’ve heard of it—the Accomac is the fine dining restaurant, and its reputation is not for naught. Perched on the shores of the Susquehanna River in York County, the white cloth establishment has been wowing guests with its classic, expertly prepared fare and award-winning wine list for 45 years. “The Accomac is known as the special occasions destination, the anniversary dinner, the place you bring out-of-town guests to impress,” says general manager Zach Seitz.
The downside of that, though, is the accompanying perception that fine dining equals a stuffy, uncomfortable and expensive experience. The Accomac is working hard to change that. “For so long, special occasions were the main focus of advertising and marketing, but we have so much more to offer. We wanted to reach a vaster audience. That was something we really wanted to tackle,” says Seitz. How does that translate into reality?
For one, return guests will notice a refreshed décor—at once refined and welcoming, not fussy. Before the renovations, Seitz recalls guests saying, “I haven’t been here in 10 or 15 years; it looks exactly the same.” “I’m not sure that was a good thing; it was kind of dull, dated, not a lot of color.” Now, diners will find refurbished and new wood floors throughout the bar and dining rooms, as well as modern white upholstered leather chairs—much more comfortable than their old wooden chairs. Decorative artwork on the walls and fresh flowers on the tables add an additional pop of color. “We want people to be lively, to have fun, to not feel like they have to whisper when they walk through the door,” Seitz adds.
The menu continues to focus on using the freshest, most sustainable products possible. Executive chef Jordan Crews, a Lancaster County native, prides himself on traveling to Lancaster Central Market and other local farms every week to stock his kitchen. The pasture-raised pork is from Mirror Image Farms in Washington Boro (be sure to ask about the “pork of the day” special). The pheasant and duck, all fowl with the exception of chicken, are from Keiser’s Pheasantry in Glen Rock. Chef Crews and staff also maintain an herb and vegetable garden on site.
As Seitz points out, “beyond wanting to know where our products are coming from, a big thing for us is education. We use a lot of younger employees, through culinary schools, externships—we teach them more than just knife skills and plating techniques. The gardening, the caring and passion to grow it yourself, rotating the crops through the boxes, learning sustainable practices—the whole process, getting out there and digging in the dirt—it keeps it exciting for all of us.”
The main staples that adorned the Accomac menu for so long—French onion soup, steak Diane (beef tenderloin flambéed tableside with a brandied mushroom-Madeira pan sauce) and bananas Foster (also flambéed, in view of guests, with rum and brown sugar)—remain. Now, diners will find more seasonal soups and salads, and the lighter fare portion of the menu has been expanded. The Accomac Burger, previously a lunch favorite, is now available day or night. “Wings are huge in this area, so we added that to our menu,” says Seitz. “Of course, we’re smoking them for eight hours and then frying them up to get a nice crispy outside and serving them with our homemade sauce.” In addition to the “pork of the day,” there’s also a “steak of the day” special. The attention to detail continues to the last bites, with the Accomac pastry chefs taking advantage of what’s in the area and showcasing seasonal fruit in tarts, pies, crème brulee, and homemade ice creams and sorbets—be sure to look for their pawpaw ice cream in the late summer and early fall.
The cocktail scene has seen a resurgence over the past few years, and here the Accomac excels too. Signature libations include their homemade sangria, the house-infused jalapeño vodka used in the pomegranate Cosmo, and their barrel-aged bourbon Manhattan. If you want to see fire with every course, opt for the Irish coffee complete with a flambéed sugar-rimmed glass.
The Accomac also has a variety of seasonal events, including weekly Friday Firelight Nights (in the main dining room with the wood-burning fireplace providing warmth and tables adorned with candles), a grand Farm to Table dinner, and their summertime “chill and grill” complete with a wood-fired grill set up in the front lot. They’ve done family style dinners with guests seated at two or three long tables, passing around big bowls of food and meeting and talking to their neighbors. They’ve even done a Game of Thrones theme dinner with turkey legs, meat pies and other recipes based off the cookbooks inspired by the show. Weddings and off-site catering are also a large part of their business.
For any thriving business, continued success depends on being able to stay ahead of the trends, to adjust and change as the times demand. The Accomac has found a way to shed the pretense while staying true to its exceptional standards. “You can still come here for that special anniversary dinner, but if you want to come down on a Tuesday night for a beer and a burger, you can do that, too,” says Seitz, adding, “for someone like myself, to see the evolution of the business—what we used to do and where we are now—it’s exciting.”
The Accomac Inn 6330 South River Dr., York, PA accomacinn.com 717-252-1521
