This is going to be one of those “we don’t know how lucky we have it” editorials.

I have the good fortune to have spent the last couple of weeks visiting with Livonia Inn owner Ralph Parker and his new chef Adam Greenwald.

With almost three decades under his belt, Ralph is one of the county’s most established restaurant owners and has a reputation among other eateries of  being willing to help out in a pinch. Yes, restaurants,like neighbors, need to borrow a cup of sugar from time to time.

Adam is a young guy, but someone who started early in the business. He’s got nearly 20 years of experience. I’ve been working in journalism since I was 19, so I identified with him immediately. Together, they’re working hard to reinvigorate the Livonia Inn, much to the delight of local residents and dinner “commuters.” Livonia has, for some reason, been a hotbed of restaurant start-ups over the years, which is probably why I chose to live there. I love being able to find a great meal in my hometown.

It’s something many others in the U.S. will tell you is a rare thing. There are sizeable communities where the common complaint is that there’s nothing good to eat.

The national restaurant chains try to fill the void with taste-tested menus and multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. People are used to hoofing it out to the city for a “blooming onion” and a giant margarita.  But here in Livingston County, we can forego the drive and get almost anything we crave right here — with a selection ranging from buffalo wing pizza to hand-carved beef at prices that make the big guys pale in comparison.

Ralph Parker’s place is a welcoming, homelike establishment — one of many in Livingston County. When my relatives come to visit, I take them there — but I also like to show off similar small-town restaurants. Every village in the county has an especially good place to eat. Even tiny Piffard and Cuylerville are well-appointed.

What makes Livingston County such a good “foodie” destination? It may be that we're far enough away from the bustle of suburbia and still small enough that suburbia has yet to come to us. We're also an untapped tourist area with enough of a customer base to support excellent restaurants but not enough to encourage cutthroat competition. Independently-owned restaurants have the room here to thrive and grow.

It could be that there's a new generation of chefs and diners inspired by national role models in print and television. We're a more educated population, demanding quality within reach of our middle-class budgets.

It could be the variety of local foods available to us — vegetables, dairy products, meats, wine and beer. Western New York is an incredibly fertile place which has yielded amazing family cooks. When we go out to eat, our palates have been honed by excellent cooking at home.

Whatever the reason, the public reaps the reward.

The best thing about eating out is that, no matter how full you are at the end of a meal, you're hungry the next day — and there's always another restaurant to try.

Tagged as: editorial, Livonia-Conesus