The Settlers Inn at Bingham Park

Thursday, December 10, 1987 was the first Victorian Christmas Celebration at The Settlers Inn. The event was conceived when Jeanne Genzlinger and Marcia Dunsmore were on a walk in Bingham Park and got to talking about our holiday traditions, childhood memories,  and fantasies about Christmas.

Colorful ornaments enhance the Victorian Christmas celebration.

Shortly thereafter Grant and Jeanne invited Marcia to join us to create a holiday celebration honoring the traditions of the Victorian Era. Our first invitation was mailed to our guests and members of the community. We invited you “to turn back the hands of time and return to an era of style and grace”. We were obsessively authentic creating the menu and found the White House cookbook to be a wealth of information.

We had consommé, bisque, Chincoteague oysters, French hens, pickled pears, mince tarts and plum pudding. The sugared plums were truly a vision.

Our focus at the time was to create a holiday event that encompassed all that we felt Christmas could be. Antiques from the turn of the century were borrowed from Peggy Murphy and Curt Reed as well as our grandmother’s attics. We polished silver, tea stained lace, decked the halls, trimmed the trees, hired the horseman, baked the gingerbread house, engaged the choir, dressed the staff in period attire, lit the candles and… magic was created!

Our fondest memories of the first years of Victorian Christmas were the involvement of our families. The children were young and all wanted to be a part of this scenario. Emily Dunsmore, age 5 along with her Grandmother, Wendy Reafler and Grant’s Mother, Muriel Genzlinger passed the hors d’oeuvres. Stuart Dunsmore, age 8, was the doorman and Justin Genzlinger, age 11, managed the coat room. Our daughters, Carrie and Janna, age 14 and 16 assisted the dining room servers. Uncle John’s doll house was brought out of the attic and Aunt Mary Lou became the official photographer.

The guests loved the event. Peter Rodgers said, “This is like a community Christmas party!

And so it continues for the twenty fifth year… We thank you, Dear Friends, for joining us for this special Settlers Inn tradition. Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year too!

The Settlers Inn and Grant and Jeanne in particular are delighted to welcome Carol Stoudt founder and brewmaster of Stoudt’s Brewing Company in Adamstown, Pa.

Brewery co-founder Carol Stoudt - “Queen of the Hops,”

Grant and Carol’s relationship goes back more than twenty years. Grant developed an interest in the history of brewing in Pennsylvania and traveled the state to find small independent brewers to be represented on the Settler Inn’s newly formed beer menu.

Some of the breweries he located had an amazing tradition like Yuengling in Pottsville, and Rolling Rock, Stegmaier, and Pennsylvania Pilsner but the hands down favorite for Grant was discovering the new microbrews like Dock Street Brewing Co. in Philadelphia and especially Stoudt’s in Adamstown.

Stoudt’s was (and still is) gathering many gold and silver medals for beer making on the national level. We were thrilled to offer these award winning beers and ales at The Settlers Inn and thus began the long tradition of tasting the likes of Scarlet Lady, American Pale Ale, Double Honey Maiboch, and Oatmeal Stout  Today Carol is known as the “Queen of Hops” and we are exited for you to meet her at our Octoberfest dinner on October 14.

The brewery's Octoberfest beer label

Carol has selected Fat Dog Oatmeal Stout, Stoudt’s Fest, American Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB, and Triple Belgian Abbey Ale,that complement  Grant and Chef Ben’s four course special menu which includes pasture raised chicken, venison, a selection of house made charcuteries  that reflects the Pennsylvania October tradition and pairs beautifully with these beers.

The American Pale was just honored with the highest star rating and one of the top three in the United States by The New York Times tasting panel.  Join us for the Carol and Grant reunion and learn more about the brewing process from brewmaster icon Carol Stoudt. The gathering time is 6:30 and cost is $65.

We’re sprucing up our restaurant, giving it a fresh coat of paint and getting it ready for Spring. As a result, it will be closed from March 7-17, reopening on Friday, March 18. Breakfast will be served at our coffee cafe, Cocoon Coffee House. We’re also offering a lodging special during this time — Stay 2 nights, get the second night free! Check availability here or call 800-833-8527 (or locally)  570-226-2993 for details.

Jeanne and Grant are thrilled to receive this AAA four diamond award again for 2010. We are very proud of our staff and their accomplishments that enable this to happen for the second year in a row. In a press statement, Michael Petrone,

Receiving the lodging award.

AAA National Director of Tourism Information Development said: “AAA Four Diamond Award winners consistently deliver superior hospitality marked by personal service and extensive

Receiving the dining award.

amenities in high-quality, comfortable surroundings…to achieve and maintain this level of service is a commendable accomplishment and AAA is pleased to honor The Settlers Inn.”

The farm-to-table cuisine served at The Settlers Inn is always a tantalizing treat for one’s senses. Combined with fine wine, smooth jazz and your special someone, it has been known to cause a frisson of delight. Fair warning to those indulging in a Valentine’s Day dining experience at The Inn.

The Settlers will offer two venues of live entertainment and handcrafted menus on Saturday, February 14.

Main Dining Room

Wes Tudor’s Classical Trio will entertain guests from 5 to 9 PM in the Main Dining Room. Highlights of the romantic menu include blue point oysters on the half shell; red onion and goat cheese torte with crumbled pecans and red wine drizzle; organic greens and local baby mache salad; Liedy’s cider glazed pork chop with warm fruit compote, mashed potatoes and green and yellow beans; and lover’s Jamison Farm lamb two ways, minted red wine sauce, grilled rack and braised leg, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, roasted chanterelles, and broccolini.

The Undercroft

House pianist Frank Williams will be joined by a traditional jazz trio in the Undercroft Room. Seatings are at 6 and 8:30 PM. Menu highlights include duck, chanterelle and parmesan risotto with white truffle oil; handmade lobster ravioli hearts; Fork’s Farm pan roast chicken breast, citrus fennel compote with wild rice pilaf and baby bok choy; and vegetarian mushroom and walnut pate with sociable garlic cream, sautéed spinach and parmesan crisp. Cost is $55 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Email settler@thesettlersinn.com or call 800-833-8527 for information or reservations.

What better way to bid farewell to 2008 than with friends and family at The Settlers Inn New Year’s Eve jazz extravaganza? Music and handcrafted menus will be featured in the Main Dining Room and the Undercroft.

The atmosphere in the Undercroft will set guests on course for smooth sailing in 2009 with the creative combination of a delicious dinner and the jazz stylings of renowned vocalist

Thos Shipley. Equally at home in the most intimate New York and international clubs, Shipley’s jazz and R&B vocal pyrotechnics have put him in a category that is singularly his own.

Shipley garnered the 1996 MAC Jazz Vocalist Award, which was presented by the legendary Al Jarreau. “This was thrilling because Al is one of my favorite jazz artists,” says Shipley, whose musical journey began when Tony Award- and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Leslie Uggams discovered him singing in Atlanta. Uggams beckoned him north and introduced him in a solo show to a celebrity-packed room at the Claridge in Atlantic City.

Shipley will entertain Settlers Inn guests during two seatings on Wednesday, December 31 at 6:30 and 9 PM. Highlights of the three-course Undercroft menu include spinach oyster bisque; poached shrimp with avocado and pineapple salsa; macadamia grouper with honey lemon thyme buerre blanc and brown basmati rice, passion fruit and baby bok choy; or a trio of seasonal raviolis in sherry brown butter and sage sauce with wilted spinach and parmesan. Cost for the three-course dinner is $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

In addition to Shipley’s New Year’s Eve performance in the Undercroft, Dining Room guests will enjoy entertainment by pianist Ben Murray and an a la carte menu featuring a fine selection of dishes prepared with the freshest local ingredients.

To make your New Year’s Eve reservations email

settler@thesettlersinn.com or call 800-833-8527.

The Settlers Inn is renowned for our festive holiday celebrations and authentic décor. This year, we’ll continue the tradition. Each weekend in December will offer fun events, fine food and our award-winning handcrafted approach to hospitality.

The Inn’s annual Old Fashioned Christmas will be held Friday and Saturday, December 5 and 6, from 5 to 9 PM. Reservations are filling up quickly for this simple and elegant three-course holiday dinner. Call 800-833-8527 to reserve your table. Please have your credit card ready when you call.

Guests will warm up with mulled cider and sleigh ride or fireplace punch during the gathering time, and choose from appetizer stations of Gordon’s Gardens lamb pâté, Pennsylvania wild mushroom and walnut spread with garlic toasts, and an Amish cheddar and apple butter board. Passed hors d’œuvres will include lobster and tarragon sausage, smoked Blooming Grove trout mousse on cucumber chips, and Fallsdale chevre on crisp winter squash with chives. For starters, guests will feast on spinach oyster bisque, organic greens salad, fresh pears and endive in honey pear vinaigrette, citrus poached jumbo shrimp with pineapple-avocado salsa, and prosciutto crisps with apple-ginger chutney, squash and arugula. Entrée highlights include citrus and cardamom marinated Forks Farm chicken breast with apple cranberry relish; almond crusted grouper with pear-pomegranate reduction; seared diver scallops with sautéed chanterelle mushrooms; Liedy’s Farm pork 3 ways with cider roasted loin; or fillet of beef napped with caramel red wine sauce.

In addition to fine cuisine prepared with locally grown meats and fresh organic vegetables, guests will enjoy live music by the St. John’s Choir along with The Inn’s festive holiday décor inspired by the Victorian Era Arts and Crafts Movement. Cost for our Old Fashioned Christmas Dinner is $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Call today! 800-833-8527.

Other festive December events include:

Sweets of the Season Brunch
Featuring cellist Wes Tudor with piano accompaniment
Sunday, December 7
Serving 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
$28 per person, plus tax and gratuity

Holiday Shopping at The Potting Shed
Saturday, December 13
15% off all purchases
Complimentary mulled wine

Winterfest Brunch
Featuring harpist Diane O’Malley
Sunday, December 14
Serving 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
$28 per person, plus tax and gratuity

A Sparkling Affair Wine Dinner
with sommelier Claude Briere
Friday, December 19
Gathering 7 PM; Dinner 7:30 PM
$125 per person, plus tax and gratuities
Reservations suggested

Gather with us this holiday season to create memories that will last a lifetime!

Eat, Drink and Be Scary…

Pumpkin King Jack Skellington may have ruled Halloween Town in Tim Burton’s classic The Nightmare Before Christmas but at The Settlers Inn our carvers extraordinaire Grant Genzlinger and David Dunsmore are also rattling some bones on their annual quest for the perfect pumpkins.

Grant’s and David’s finished masterpieces will grace The Inn’s patch of intricately hand-carved creations that become the backdrop to our annual Storytelling & Harvest Dinner on Friday, October 31.

Guests will experience a fantastical evening of fantasy and science fiction featuring folklorist Josepha Sherman. The feast begins with cauliflower and parsnip soup with dried currants or pine nuts; Mountain Dell Farm lettuce, apple and cashew salad with buttermilk dressing; butternut squash flan; and crisp squash and roasted chippolini onion salad. Main dishes include pumpkin ricotta and sage raviolis with sherry brown butter sauce; lemon-thyme roast cornish game hen with brown basmati rice or broccolini; hazelnut crusted salmon with fig and honey compote and brown basmati rice or green beans; and marinated flank steak with red wine bordelaise and sweet potato mash or green beans. Dessert, of course, is devil’s food cake!

Gathering time for The Inn’s Storytelling & Harvest Dinner is 6:30 PM; dinner begins at 7. Cost is $55 per person, plus tax and gratuities. For reservations email settler@thesettlersinn.com or call 800-833-8527.

The Halloween season conjures more than spooky ghouls and goblins here at The Inn. Join us this Friday, October 3, for some spirits of the hoppy kind as we welcome Sly Fox Brewery for an Oktoberfest Beer Dinner. Gathering time is 6 PM; dinner begins at 6:30.

Guests will enjoy German October charcuterie with preserved and pickled foods paired with growlers of draft Sly Fox Octoberfest followed by a hearty feast of seasonal dishes like:

– Krienerwurst and beer soup with lemon potato dumplings
– Wiesswurst and venison-cherry sausage with sweet and sour cabbage and carrots
– Pan seared sage rubbed veal on whipped sweat potatoes with fall spiced apples and fennel
– Stout and molasses marinated sirloin roast with figs and pistachios

Each course will be appropriately matched with comparison selections of new and traditional brews such as:

– Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner vs. Jever Pilsner
– Sly Fox Helle vs. Weihenstephen Lager
– Sly Fox Saison vs. St. Bernardus Ale
– Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout vs. Guinness

Cost for the Oktoberfest Beer Dinner is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuities. Make your reservation today! Email settler@thesettlersinn.com.

Tales from the Yummy Side…

Don’t miss The Inn’s Storytelling & Harvest Dinner featuring folklorist Josepha Sherman on Friday, October 31. Guests will shiver with delight at Sherman’s fantastic tales of fantasy and science fiction. Gathering time is 7 PM; dinner begins at 7:30. Cost for the Storytelling & Harvest Dinner is $55 per person, plus tax and gratuities. Reservations are filling up. Email settler@thesettlersinn.com.

“It should be a great night of food and wine,” says Chef Dick Barrows (right) of his upcoming visit to The Settlers Inn for our “Burgundy Region” wine dinner on Friday, September 19. Gathering time is 7 PM; dinner begins at 7:30.

Foodies and wine enthusiasts will enjoy Barrow’s expertise as he collaborates with Settlers Executive Chef Grant Genzlinger, Chef de Cuisine Ben Sutter and Sommelier Claude Briere to guide guests through a sensory experience of the cuisine and viticulture of France’s Burgundy Region.

“I look forward to cooking with Ben and Grant and hope to wow The Inn’s guests,” adds Barrows. “Many of my friends and family are coming up for the occasion.”

Barrows owns and operates Starfish Brasserie in Bethlehem, PA, with his wife Sue. The couple met while working at Frog in Philadelphia, one of the first establishments in the city’s restaurant renaissance. They soon bought The Forager House in New Hope, operating it for 16 years to fine reviews in national press such as The New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer.

Seeking a quieter life for their daughter Leslie, Barrows moved his family to Easton, PA, and has established Starfish Brasserie as one of the finest and most popular spots in the Lehigh Valley. Starfish has won a Best of the Valley award from Lehigh Valley Magazine in each year of its existence.

“Starfish is not a run-of-the-mill place,” says Barrows, who has been selected for the honor of cooking at the James Beard House in New York on three occasions. The Starfish bar exudes an industrial feel, with its stained concrete floor, copper countertop and overhead lighting. In the dining room, a French bistro theme prevails with paper covers over the tablecloths emphasizing the informal nature of the restaurant.

Barrows strives to keep his wine list on a par with the food and décor. In 2005 Wine Spectator magazine recognized Starfish with an Award of Excellence, making it a perfect partner for The Settlers Inn, which for the seventh consecutive year has received a Wine Spectator magazine Award of Excellence.

The September 19 “Burgundy Region” dinner is part of The Settlers Inn 2008 Wine and Food Pairing Series. Cost for the event is $100 plus tax and gratuities.

Make your reservation today! Email settler@thesettlersinn.com.