Eat First

Stepping out: Sampling Syracuse Food Tours

Courtesy of Sampling Syracue Food Tours

 

At the start of the July 19 Sampling Syracuse Food Tour, Kate Gillen said she had three goals: Keep the group entertained. Immerse us in downtown Syracuse history. Moderately fill our bellies.

 

She succeeded on all three counts.

 

Kate launched Sampling Syracuse Food Tours in October 2012.  By the end of last year, she had taken hundreds of visitors, representing 21 states and 14 countries, on walk-able, eat-able tours of downtown Syracuse. That's impressive!

 

Full disclosure: Kate invited me take a tour, which normally costs $40, and I accepted. 

 

The tour starts at Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub and Restaurant in Armory Square, and if you arrive early enough, you can enjoy a Bloody Mary or Guinness before tour time. Our first sample featured a small plate of Irish bacon and cabbage with horseradish cream sauce atop a potato pancake. A small wedge of Kitty Hoynes' house favorite soda bread garnished the plate and a sample-size pour of Smithwick's Irish red ale came on the side.

 

The tour then took us on a stroll along the Onondaga Creekwalk to Franklin Square, for a pick-me-up at Freedom of Espresso. The coffee shop offering changes each week and depending on the season, Gillen said. We enjoyed a coconut-almond iced cafe au lait and continued through the square, stopping for a look at Franklin Square landmarks like the Mission Landing apartments and the old New Process Gear water tower.

 

Next stop: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, for a pulled pork slider and side of macaroni and cheese. Want to avoid a long wait at the Dinosaur? Take the tour! A picnic table was waiting for us outside, in the beer garden area, "reserved" sign on top.

 

From there, we headed over  to Clinton Square and the Jerry Rescue Monument, then to Perseverance Park on South Salina Street, to take in the "Flowscape" public art project. From a nice, shady spot, Kate pointed out the recently completed Pike Block project, which she has toured, and described its variety of living spaces.

 

Next stop: Pastabilities, for two of its signatures, stretch bread and spicy hot tomato oil. Pastabilities moved to Armory Square in 1985, Gillen noted, and in so doing sparked the neighborhood's revitalization.

 

We strolled past the former Jefferson Street Armory (now home to the MOST -- the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology), the Jefferson Clinton Hotel, a historic gem that was the tallest building in Syracuse when it was built in 1927 and the Landmark Theatre on the way to our final stop: Gannons Ice Cream.

 

At Gannons, we enjoyed a "flight" of three homemade, hard-pack ice creams: caramel cashew, almond pistachio and orange pineapple.

 

That concluded our tour on a sweet note, indeed.

 

By weekday, Kate is a speech pathologist at a local middle school. She is an outgoing, engaging tour guide, and her love for downtown Syracuse -- its food, its history and its ongoing evolution -- shows.

 

The July 19 tour included a mix of locals and visitors: a couple from Cazenovia, two sisters (one who recently moved back to her hometown from Providence, RI, the other a graduate student at SUNY Binghamton); a Syracuse native who has been living in Spain and is in the process of moving back to New York State, and her brother, who lives in South Carolina.

 

Sampling Syracuse Food Tours are offered at noon Saturdays, rain or shine, through fall. Private tours can also be arranged with advance planning. For more information, CLICK HERE or email [email protected].

 

Tips:

 

• Don't dismiss the downtown food tour because you're a local. Tours are designed to appeal to visitors and locals alike, and you're sure to learn things you didn't know before.

 

• Bring a portable umbrella if the forecast looks gloomy. Tours are held rain or shine.

 

• Wear comfortable shoes -- tours cover about two miles (and last about three hours).

 

• Bring some spending money. You might want to pick up some Spicy Hot Tomato Oil or some Dinosaur barbecue sauce.

 

• Looking for a unique gift for someone? Consider a gift certificate for a Sampling Syracuse Food Tour. Visit the website for details. 

 

Salad days in Central New York

A lovely take on antipasto salad, at Pascale's Italian Bistro (800 Nottingham Road, Syracuse; at Drumlins Country Club). The only thing missing was olives.

When the weather gets hot, things like soups and stews lose their appeal -- and things cool, green and crunchy gain appeal.

We grow salad greens in our garden box at home and love stepping out the kitchen door to snip lettuces and arugula -- the ultimate in fresh salads. At restaurants, the first menu items we turn to, usually, are the salads.

Here are a few excellent salads we've known and loved in our dining adventures in Central New York.  Keep reading for a copycat version (with recipe) of Alto Cinco's popular Berry Salad.


What: Turkey Quinoa Salad
Where: Mello Velo Cafe (and Bicycle Shop), 550-556 Westcott St., second floor, Syracuse
Why it's special: This relatively new menu item at Mello Velo starts with a bed of baby spinach. It's topped with curry-roasted turkey, quinoa, sliced pear, crumbled blue cheese, almonds, golden raisins and scallions, and served with scallion vinaigrette on the side.

Can you say healthy? 


The Turkey Quinoa Salad joins the Couscous Salad (Israeli toasted couscous, almonds, dried cranberries and chickpeas, tossed with lemon and spices and served atop fresh field greens with feta and seasonal vinaigrette) as a Mello Velo menu favorite. Some day soon, I'll have to try the Quinoa "Cobb" Salad.
For more information on Mello Velo, including menu, CLICK HERE.  


What: Berry Salad
Where: Alto Cinco, 526 Westcott St., Syracuse
Why it's special: Sliced avocado, sliced strawberries, blueberries and goat cheese take this salad, on a bed of mixed greens, to a whole other dimension in salads. It's an excellent combination of tastes and textures, all dressed lightly with balsamic vinaigrette. Add a side of jalapeno cornbread and I'm in heaven. Next time, I might have to splurge on the Jerk Chicken or Shrimp Salad.
For more information on Alto Cinco, including menu, CLICK HERE. 


What: Apple Walnut Salad (and others)
Where: Cafe at 407, 407 Tulip St., Liverpool
Why it's special: I order this salad almost every time I go for a pour-over coffee and WiFi and end up staying for lunch at Cafe at 407. It features mixed greens and so many good things: apples, walnuts, beets, blue cheese and dried cranberries, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. For $2 more, add chicken. 

This salad is a standing menu item at Cafe at 407. The photo shows a salad special that featured mixed

greens with local beets, mandarin orange, toasted walnuts, chickpeas and dill-Dijon vinaigrette. It was delicious. Also, the Cafe's Root Veggie Picnic Salad is calling my name...

For more information on Cafe at 407, including menu, CLICK HERE. 

More salads to check out:

Mambo Salad, The Mission, Syracuse: If I had a dollar for every time I've ordered the Mambo Salad, I'd ... buy you a Mambo Salad for lunch. It's a crispy flour tortilla bowl  with romaine, black beans, avocado, oranges, pico de gallo and cotija, a Mexican grating cheese, tossed with a delicious pineapple-cilantro vinaigrette. 

Signature Baby Bleu Salad, Diamond Catering Roadside Cafe, Onondaga: The Baby Bleu Salad combines field greens, fried pancetta, dried cranberries, fresh strawberries and blueberries, crumbled Maytag bleu cheese and deep fried croutons. Chef Dan Seeley and his wife, Teresa, make the sweet onion and blueberry dressing in house. They sell it in Mason jars and plan to have it professionally bottled soon.

Trail Mix Salad, Sparky Town, Syracuse: Mixed greens with raisins, dried cranberries, almonds, pecans and shredded cheddar cheese. It's sweet, slightly salty and crunchy. 

Tableside Caesar salad for two, Joey's Classic Italian Restaurant, Syracuse. You can order a Caesar salad off the menu just about anywhere. A Caesar salad for two prepared tableside is an art - and a treat.  

Spinach salad, Phoebe's, Syracuse: Phoebe's has had some form of spinach salad on the menu for as long as I can remember. Chef Dan Hudson's current menu features a spinach salad with baby spinach, chopped hard-boiled egg, bacon, red onion, feta cheese and red wine vinaigrette.

What's your favorite salad at CNY restaurant? Leave a note in the Comments section, below.

 

Berry Salad for Two (inspired by Alto Cinco)

Local strawberries are in season now and blueberries will be in season soon, so there's no better time for this salad.

You will need:

6 cups mixed salad greens

1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced

2/3 cup sliced strawberries

2/3 cup blueberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (see recipe, below)

For garnish: 2 Kids Goat Farm Peppercorn Goat Cheese (or other goat cheese)

Place salad greens in a bowl. Toss greens with dressing and divide between two salad plates.

Spoon strawberries and blueberries on top of salad, giving each its own space. Add sliced avocado. Garnish with goat cheese and freshly ground pepper. Makes 2 servings.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing: Combine 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a jar. Shake well. Taste. Add a little honey for a touch of sweetness, if desired. Shake again; serve.