How it All Began . . .

Alan and Marta Figel opened this rustic contemporary restaurant and winebar in 1981, and built a  loyal and enthusiastic clientele for their always interesting twists on American and international dishes. The Figels have travelled extensively in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia. The flavors of these cuisines can be found in dishes on the menu and in the daily specials.

Alan and Marta's son, Andrew, the Executive Chef, has now taken over the reins of the restaurant. He shares his parents' passion for chile peppers and travel. Andrew, after travelling to Hong Kong and the Far East, has infused the menu with Asian flavors.

Andrew, like his father before him, is particularly interested in chile peppers, which appear in many dishes, as well as in his hot sauce collection, which now numbers 1200. Many of the hot sauces are displayed on a wall of the dining room, and are available for use by customers. The restaurant was featured in a recent article of Chile Pepper magazine, with some of Andrew's favorite recipes that use chiles: Pecan-Ancho Chile Crusted Lamb Chops, Double-cut Pork Chops with Chipotle Chile Onion Relish and Cornmeal Crusted Redfish with Jalapeņo Cream

The building, which was originally built in 1937, has a colorful history including use as a speakeasy. Alan and Marta completely redecorated the interior, and now guests love to linger on the verandah enjoying the lake view, and later at the Dugout Bar over one of the more than 200 American wines, ports, and champagnes available by the bottle and glass or our selection of premium liquors and beer. Each year since 1987, the wine list has been awarded The Wine Spectator's prestigious Award of Excellence.  In 2005 and again in 2007, we were honored with Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Restaurant Awards, "Award of Distinction".

 

In addition to a 29 year legacy of fine cuisine and noted wine list, a hallmark of . . . on the Verandah is Alan's hot sauce collection. Over five hundred bottles of some 1,200 from his collection fill a wall at the restaurant. Guests are welcome to try any of the sauces with their dishes.