Redwood Restaurant

6 Cohocton Street, Naples

Visited Aug. 7, 2010

Written by Tyler

There isn’t much commercial civilization to speak of on the back-road trek from Watkins Glen to Prattsburg, let alone places to eat, but we had to eat somewhere on our way to Chad’s camp from a day of NASCAR action at the Glen.

We decided to bypass both potential restaurants in Hammondsport and Prattsburg, and extend our trip a few miles north to Naples. Chad had previously suggested Redwood, telling us it was a family-diner-type place, which we always enjoy.

The place looks kind of like a red barn on the outside, but is just like a typical family diner on the inside, with a dining room and sit-down bar, plus a relatively upscale larger dining room as well. According to Chad, the ‘fancy’ dining room’s menu charges $1 more for everything. The menu featured standard diner fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I went with my usual grilled chicken sandwich, plus a side of home fries. The chicken and its marinade (which wasn’t too strong) were decent, though it could have used a little dipping sauce, and the roll was a little different than usual, in that it was powdered on top. In all it was pretty good; slightly above average.

The home fries were also decent, but not quite as crispy as they appeared. In fact, they were somewhat soggy and greasy. They didn’t meet Hilton Family Restaurant’s (HFR’s) standard for home fries, but they were still good enough for me to scarf them down without hesitation.

Drew also went the chicken route, opting for a (fried) chicken fillet sandwich, or in cafeteria terms, a chicken patty. He said it wasn’t anything different from comparable restaurants, but still good because it was moist. He also had a chocolate milkshake, which did the trick in refreshing him after a hot day at the track.

Chad was also pleased with his meal; a simple bacon burger with fries.

The service was very welcoming and friendly. Not particularly quick, but nothing to complain about either. The booths were a little tight, and this wasn’t one of the cleanest places we have been to either – especially the sketchy bathroom – but nothing that severely hindered our experience.

I ordered cornbread as well, but it was unavailable because the person who usually makes it was out of town. I was disappointed I couldn’t try it – because I figured if they have a designated cornbread maker, it must be good – but they had a legitimate excuse. If I’m ever at Redwood again I’ll definitely try it.

As for our overall experience at Redwood, Chad put it best, saying, “The food is decent; there

are better and there are worse (places). The lack of competition makes them better.”

Like we said there aren’t many places to choose from in this area, but Redwood appears to fill its niche as a family diner in Naples.

“It’s very good, but not HFR level,” Chad said, to which we agreed.

If we’re at Chad’s camp, we know there’s a satisfying hometown diner available. Although Naples is nowhere close to the west side, it’s not a place you hear about in the news often, so we made an exception. We figured we were there, it was decent, it’s similar to other places we’ve reviewed, so we might as well give the Redwood its due.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: The service was generally pretty good, and the restaurant had a classic small-town, family-diner feel.

Food: Nothing that blows you away, though not quite generic.

Value: The prices were good and we left with full bellies after sitting in the sun all day at the track.

Overall: Another pleasing family diner. There’s not much competition around, so there’s a good chance we’ll be back next time we head to Chad’s camp.

Grade: C+