Eat First

Syracuse-area restaurants: A list of local favorites

In a recent post on Syracuse.com, Don Cazentre, food and beverage editor at The Post-Standard, points out how subjective, random and arbitrary restaurant ratings can be on crowd-sourced sites like TripAdvisor.com, and asks readers to weigh in with their own local Top 10.

He’s right. The Top 10 restaurants for Syracuse on TripAdvisor include several that aren’t restaurants, exactly --  like Wegmans, Gannons Isle and Columbus Baking Co.

Inspired by fellow CNY food blogger Jared Paventi, whose blog, Al Dente, focuses on food, cooking and eating (click here for Jared’s list), I decided to come up with my own list of local favorites. 

My list leans toward restaurants that emphasize seasonal, locally grown and locally sourced food, but is not limited to them. The list was compiled and is presented in no particular order. 

What are your favorite local restaurants? New discoveries and places that have long held a place in your heart -- and your food memory? Leave a comment below. 

bc: bc is TN: Top notch. The new owners have added community tables, artisan pizza and other menu items for grazing and sharing, but fine dining in a casual, upscale atmosphere is still the hallmark. How about a pork chop brined with Middle Ages IPA, with spicy sweet potato puree on the side? 

Empire Brewing Co.: “Eat Where You Live’’ is the mantra at this subterranean brewery and farm-to-table restaurant in Armory Square. In season, about 85 percent of the produce used at the restaurant comes from Empire’s garden, Polo Ridge Potager, in Cazenovia. Empire’s commitment to local sourcing is impressive, and the food is really good, too. Order a craft beer and a Tumbleweed Burger. Your belly will be happy. 

Riley's: What’s not to love about a warm and inviting neighborhood tavern with a pub menu, specials that change daily, Brian’s killer desserts (pies, cakes, cheesecakes -- outstanding!) and an owner that plays the upright piano in the dining room? Riley’s is a gem. The restaurant does not have a website. It’s at 312 Park St., Syracuse, NY 13203. Info: 315-471-7111. 

China Road: Some of the most authentic Chinese food in the area can be found at Chef Simon Teng’s unassuming storefront on Route 11 in Mattydale. The daily menu board in both English and Chinese and the diverse array of diners tell you this place is the real deal. Looking for a place to take vegetarians? I recommend the scallion pancake and the sauteed green beans. 

Asti: This is Syracuse. No list would be complete without Italian, right? Asti’s Utica-Style Greens are some of the best in Central New York. You can’t go wrong with Italian comfort food, like lasagna and eggplant Parmesan, or with seafood and steaks cooked on the restaurant’s wood-fired grill. Buon Appetito! 

Joelle's French Bistro: Beet and avocado salad? Mussels with frites (French fries)? Yes, please! Chef-owner Joelle Mollinger was born in France and raised in Morocco. Her plates are a work of art. I can’t think of anywhere else in Central New York where you can order a tagine – meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot -- and served with couscous. 

The Restaurant at Elderberry Pond: The restaurant is at the center of a 100-acre, certified-organic farm in the Finger Lakes, near Skaneateles and Auburn. Food doesn’t get more fresh and up-to-the minute. Be sure to try the Lego family’s own pasture-raised pork. Note: The restaurant is open mid-March to December. 

The c. 1820 House: Come for the sunset, linger on the deck, stay for the food. Chef and co-owner Rich Schreiner is a creative spirit who has traveled all over the world. He grows his own produce and herbs in season and likes to experiment with ingredients, spices and nightly specials. There’s also a tavern menu with everything from soups and burgers to seasonal gourmet fare. 

The Mission: The interior of this downtown landmark (the former Syracuse Wesleyan Methodist Church) transports you to somewhere in Latin America – and so does the food. Order Margaritas and a selection of appetizers for the table to share or an elegant entree like shrimp, scallops, clams and crab claws cooked in a smoked chile broth with grilled bread for dipping. 

Circa: Alicyn Hart’s restaurant and market in the village of Cazenovia is at the forefront of the eat local movement. Her motto: Food that’s seasonal and local tastes better. Need convincing? Taste the roast chicken, raised at a nearby farm, or the Circa Burger, made with your choice of local beef, lamb, elk, turkey or veggies. Even in winter, the menu is local, local, local and changes weekly. 

And the No. 1 restaurant in CNY I want to visit but haven't yet is: Moro's Table, Auburn. And The Tailor and the Cook, Utica. And…  

Experimentation pays off: ‘Your chai keeps getting better’

I’ve been experimenting with chai since first writing about it three years ago. Not because I don’t have anything better to do – but because it somehow seemed a little flat.

Especially after I had chai at Rose DeNeve’s house some time back. Rose is an author, avid bird watcher and traveler who has been to India many times. Her chai is some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping -- and it stuck in my food memory.

Besides the usual loose-leaf black tea, milk and spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and black pepper, Rose said she likes to add anise to her spice mix. Anise is very aromatic, and takes chai in a different direction, adding slight licorice flavor.

So naturally, I started adding anise to my chai – both anise seed and star anise. I’ve also been throwing in some extra black peppercorns and whole allspice to the mix and not holding back on the fresh ginger. I’ve been going light on the sugar, however, because you can’t take it out once it’s in there.

Better safe than sorry.

“Your chai keeps getting better,’’ Robert said this morning, after I heated up a cup and filled the kitchen with its wonderful, spicy aroma.

Who doesn’t like hearing a compliment like that?

Next time I make chai, I’m going to add some freshly grated nutmeg and see what that brings to the party. Maybe that will make the chai better yet. Or maybe it won’t. You don’t know until you try.

Chai: Updated Version

2 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks, broken up

6 whole cloves

6 whole allspice berries

12 black peppercorns

2 whole star anise, broken up

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon anise seed

14 green cardamom pods, slit open with paring knife

2-inch knuckle fresh ginger, skin removed, sliced then "bruised" with knife

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons loose black tea (I like Red Label; available at Indian specialty stores)

3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or honey)

2 cups milk (1/2 cup half and half and 1.5 cups 2 percent milk works nicely)

Place the cloves, allspice and black pepper in a mortar and pestle and crack slightly. Place all the spices in a saucepan. Cover with 2 cups cold water and bring to gentle boil. Remove from heat, cover and let spices steep for an hour or more.

Re-heat water and spices over medium-medium-high heat. When hot, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add milk and continue heating, being careful not to scald it (you don't want “skin” on milk). Add black tea, stir gently and let steep for 4 minutes.

Strain chai through fine mesh colander into a bowl (or a 4-cup Pyrex glass measure, if you have one). If serving immediately, return to pan and keep over very low heat. If not, let the chai cool and transfer to a 1-quart Mason jar for storage. If you store the chai, shake it up a bit before you serve/drink.

Tip: Rinse off a couple of the ginger pieces and some broken up cinnamon and place in bottom of Mason jar for added flavor.

A beer-soaked Saturday on the Finger Lakes Beer Trail

Woman does not live on coffee and wine alone. Sometimes, she craves craft beer. 

It’s fortunate, then, that the Finger Lakes Beer Trail is close at hand.  The trail, founded in 2011 to celebrate and promote craft breweries in the Finger Lakes Region, stretches from Rochester to Syracuse and includes nearly three dozen breweries (including several still in development). 

In Syracuse, you can hop on board the hoppy trail by stopping at Middle Ages Brewing Company, Empire Brewing or Syracuse Suds Factory. On a recent Saturday, we decided to venture a little further out. 

First stop was Cortland Beer Company in Cortland, about 35 miles south of Syracuse. The tasting room is clean, modern and bright – and was uncrowded on a winter Saturday. 

Our 10-sample tasting flight began with a pour of Naked Lap Lager, which is light in color and body and goes down super-easy. Next up was Fire House Pale Ale, named for the 1914 Cortland firehouse across the street from the brewery. It was heavier in body, crisp, malty and smooth. We liked it enough to take home a growler of it for later enjoyment. 

The beers got darker and heavier (and higher in alcohol, by volume) as our tasting continued. After years of avoiding them, I was surprised to discover that I DO like stouts and porters – in small doses, at least. 

CBC’s Seven Valley Stout, for example, was earthy, roasty and malty – with a slight sweetness and hints of caramel.  Sunrise Coffee Stout is made with locally roasted coffee beans. Our tasting room server described it as tasting like a cold espresso – and he was right on the money. I wouldn’t recommend it for breakfast, however! 

The Black Widow Stout had a richness to it and hinted of chocolate. A small pour of it on a cold night, in front of a roaring fire, would make a lovely nightcap. A seasonal barley wine – was a lovely deep amber in color with notes of toffee and nutmeg. Barley wines are beers that are as strong as wine – 9 to 12 percent alcohol by volume, hence their name. 

We hadn’t planned a second brewery stop, initially, but decided to continue 10 miles further south to Dryden on learning about Bacchus Brewing Company.

The brewhouse, tucked back in an office park off Route 13, brewed its first beers in February 2012. The enthusiastic young women manning the taps said Bacchus brews six beers at present – Blonde Ale, Irish Red, an IPA, Pale Ale, Spiced Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

We especially liked the Blonde Ale, clean and crisp with hints of citrus, and the strong, slightly bitter IPA. Once again, a stout (Oatmeal Stout) was a pleasant surprise to my taste buds. Chocolate notes. Slight nuttiness. What’s not to like – every once in a while?

We ended our excursion along the Finger Lakes Beer Trail with a stop at the Dryden Hotel. With Cortland Beer’s Firehouse Pale Ale on tap and Syracuse University vs. Louisville on TV, we weren’t in a big hurry to head home.

Cortland Beer Company is at 16 Court St., in downtown Cortland. The tasting room is open Monday to Saturday. Info: 607-662-4389.

Bacchus Brewing Company is at 15 Ellis Drive, Dryden. The tasting room is open Thursday to Saturday. Info: 607-844-8474.