Wow! All you can eat buckwheat pancakes!
With the first of many maple syrup and pancake getaways in New York State, I’m at the famous Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn.
It’s a short season for a tall stack of those light, fluffy flapjacks. The Maple tree Inn, located in Angelica, New York in Allegany County is only open from February to April, but boy do they pack them in when they’re open.
Even though the Maple Tree Inn is out in the middle of nowhere, even the hungry from far away find a way to find it.
“Actually, on Sunday I had customers from Long Island, as well as New Jersey. So that was neat,” said server Melissa Cartwright.
And the other thing here that’s neat…
“All you can eat!”
They tap the trees and make their own pure maple syrup right down stairs below the restaurant. A labor of love since 1963! And it’s all in the family.
“My daughter, she’s been turning the pancakes for, I don’t know how many years now. She thinks it’s time she retired because she’s turned more than I ever did she says. I don’t believe her,” said owner Virginia Cartwright.
Looking for some homemade maple syrup and some pancakes to go with them? Getaway Guy Mike O’Brian knows just the place.
Virginia Cartwright, the matriarch of the business, is always here and has been from the start. Her secret of success may be because of very little change here at the Maple Tree Inn.
“It’s the way it was when we started,” Virginia said. “And I’ll never change that. And those stools are from when we started. They came from Sears and Robuck.”
And the four words always heard here at the Maple Tree Inn haven’t change either.
“All you can eat!”
This is the place where grown adults can go a little crazy for those all you can eat buckwheat pancakes.
Look for the signs off of Route 20 in Allegany County and follow the aroma of maple syrup and pancakes.
Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn is open until April 13th.