The Key To The Stony Hill Inn’s Long Success:

Good Food, Good Value

The Stony Hill Inn on Route 6 in Bethel has long been a popular destination, and it is celebrating its 61st anniversary this year.

The Stony Hill Inn has been serving the community since Anthony Rubino purchased a small inn on ten acres in 1945. Through the years the property and facility have remained in the family and have been expanded and renovated. Today’s establishment includes a Best Western Inn with a pool, a golf driving range, as well as a restaurant and conference center. The parklike property also includes a pond with a fountain, gardens, and a gazebo.

The facility is currently owned by Anthony’s sons, John and Gene; day-to-day operations are headed by his grandsons, Anthony II and his brother John.

The Americana-themed restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 to 2; dinner, 5 to 9 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 5:30 to 9:30 Friday and Saturday, and for Sunday brunch, 10:30 to 2. Diners can eat in the 60-seat chestnut wood-paneled lounge, which features a bar, fireplace, and large-screen TV, or the similarly sized dining room, with its unique collection of plates with a wall of windows overlooking the pond. The adjoining pond room also seats 60.

The Stony Hill Inn is known for its buffets and all of the rooms frequently fill up.

For 19 years, Ed Lasky has been playing the piano from 6 to 10 in the dining room on Fridays and in the lounge on Saturdays. Diners frequently get up and dance.

Friday is surf and turf buffet night at Stony Hill Inn. Priced at $21.95 per person, $11.95 for children ages 6–12, no charge for children 5 and under. The buffet is comprised of the catch of the day, prime rib, smoked salmon, peel and eat shrimp, a pasta station, clam chowder, salad bar, and dessert table. It also features a choice of chef’s specialties, including an additional selection of fish, beef, pork, chicken, and vegetable entrees. Reservations are recommended for this popular event.

The regular dinner menu offers seven appetizers, priced from $7 to $9.50 and including buffalo wings, fried calamari, and crab cakes, and a variety of Italian, seafood, and beef entrees, ranging from pasta and meatballs at $14.95 to New York sirloin for $24.95. Other selections include broiled sea scallops, stuffed jumbo shrimp, chicken and broccoli, eggplant parmigiana, and chicken piccata.

Those who prefer lighter fare can choose a cheeseburger or chicken Caesar salad. A Caesar or garden salad is included with all entrees; a choice of potato or rice comes with the beef and most seafood entrees.

Lunch at Stony Hill Inn includes a variety of sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and Italian specialties. Sandwiches range from $7 for a BLT to $8 for barbecue chicken. Other options include an open face meatball grinder and French dip. Among the specialties offered are fish and chips, chicken marsala, and an open steak sandwich. There is also a children’s menu offering grilled cheese sandwich or ziti with meatball for $6.95, $7.95 for chicken tenders.

Sunday brunch is $18.95 per person, $9.95 for children ages 6–12, no charge for children 5 and under. There is something for every appetite at this spread: a carving station with roast turkey and Virginia ham, smoked salmon, omelets made to order, Belgian waffles, freshly baked bagels and croissants, a variety of chef’s specialties including pasta, beef, chicken, and vegetable entrees, salad bar, and Venetian dessert table. Reservations are recommended.

A selection of wines and full bar service is also available to diners.

Stony Hill Inn offers onsite catering for the full range of special events, from small special occasions such as a birthday or anniversary party to full-blown events such as weddings, corporate parties, and fundraisers. The two banquet rooms can be combined to accommodate up to 225 for a wedding, 275 for a buffet.

Stony Hill Inn, restaurant, and conference center, 46 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel, 743-5533, member of Best Western International. Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 to 2; dinner, 5 to 9 Tuesday through Thursday; 5:30 to 9:30 Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch, 10:30 to 2. Restaurant discounts not applicable to Friday night buffet or Sunday brunch.