Eat First

Free advice: 10 tips to take to the farmers market

1. Arrive early. Or arrive late. At the CNY Regional Market in Syracuse, this means up and at 'em bright and early on Saturdays for a 7 a.m. shopping spree. This is when the fish monger has his best and brightest selections available. And you'll appreciate the emptier aisles. On the flip side, there are advantages to shopping later, too. The selection might not be the best, but some vendors discount their goods as closing time approaches so they don't have to cart everything away.

2. Case the entire market before making purchases. This might not be feasible at the Regional Market during the spring and summer crush, but is do-able at smaller markets. Make selections based on what looks the most fresh, vibrant and appealing to your eyes.

3. Bring a re-usable shopping bag and a cooler filled with ice or ice packs. On warm summer days, this allows worry-free purchases of items like yogurt, cheese and fish/seafood.

 

4. Carry smaller bills. Farmers will love you for "exact change,'' and you'll keep lines moving smoothly.

 

5. Don't haggle - this is not an auction or yard sale. Farmers work hard to grow the food we eat -- and make a living wage. A quart of strawberries for $4 and three zucchini for $1 is already a good deal. Pony up and pay the price on the sign!

 

6. Don't thump the melons, don't squeeze the tomatoes and peaches and don't peel back the husk on every ear of corn. Want a melon that's ready to eat today -- or one that will be ready on the weekend? Ask the farmer/vendor. They know their produce well.

 

7. Purchase things other than produce, if your budget allows. Markets in Central New York cast a wide net for local producers and vendors with a wide range of items. You'll find eggs, cheeses, yogurt, breads, bagels, baklava, cookies, coffee, shortbread and other baked goods, pasta, granola, hummus, honey, meat, maple syrup, jams, jellies, spices, sauces, salsa, chocolate, peanut brittle -- I'm getting hungry! The list goes on and on and on. 

 

8. Keep your eyes open for new offerings from "old favorite" vendors. At the Fayetteville Farmers Market, for example, the owners of Lune Chocolat are offering homemade gourmet fruit and ultimate chocolate popsicles in addition to their signature artisan chocolates. And Tina Conte McPherson, creator of Primo and Mary's salsa, is offering fresh basil-garlic pesto and fresh bruschetta at the Fayetteville Farmers Market and the Farmers Market at Cottage Lawn at the Madison County Historical Society (Oneida) each week. She started growing hydroponic basil this winter and plans to incorporate fresh produce from both markets as the growing season progresses.

 

9. Mix up your market day and markets on occasion! Every market has its own vibe and local flavor. Feel like a drive on a Saturday? Grab your market bag and head out to the Cazenovia Farmers Market or the Skaneateles Farmers Market. Can't make it to the Saturday Regional Market? Don't forget there's also a Thursday version through November. On Erie Boulevard on a Wednesday afternoon? Check out the Farmshed Harvest Food Hub Farmers Market at Natur-Tyme in DeWitt.

 

10. Know your farmer, know your food … and try something NEW! Never had kale? Kohlrabi? Garlic scapes? Spaghetti squash? Bison meat? Be adventurous! Ask the grower or vendor for advice on how to store, prepare and cook what they're selling. 

 

 

The Ridge Tavern, Chittenango: a hidden gem

The Ridge Tavern is a restaurant that's off-the-beaten path. You could easily drive by it on Salt Springs Road in Chittenango -- we almost did. The sign doesn't scream at you and the tavern itself is about a third of a mile off the road, through the woods and overlooking the Robert Trent Jones-designed Ridge golf course.

We don't play golf, but we do have a handful of friends who live near Chittenango, and three of them were at the restaurant the Friday we visited. We took that as a good sign. With its interesting menus, well-executed food and friendly, professional service, it didn't take us long to conclude what people in the know already know: The Ridge Tavern is a hidden gem. It's also a community treasure. The restaurant was created to support next-door neighbor Clear Path for Veterans, a non-profit whose mission is to help those who serve.

THE VIBE: Planters flanking the main door are brimming with fresh herbs, a cue that the kitchen takes food seriously. Inside, the vibe is casual and relaxed but not so laid back you're left to seat yourself. A hostess greeted us at the door and offered us our choice of seating on one of three levels. It was raining for about the fourth time that day, otherwise we might have chosen to eat outside on the multi-level decks. The tavern room is small and lodge-like, with a fireplace and tables that seat roughly 30 people. The bar was busy but not overly raucous, so a highboy table a few feet from the bar worked fine. A band was setting up for the night as we finished our meal.

LIQUID ASSETS: A short list of local and regional craft beers changes weekly and the extensive bourbon list will have bourbon lovers salivating. While sipping a pint of amber ale by Erie Canal Brewing (Canastota) and a Captain Morgan's on the rocks, we studied the menus -- a tavern menu and more elaborate dinner menu, with entrees like New York strip steak with garlic mashed potatoes ($25) and chile-braised short ribs served with cheesy polenta ($23).


CHOWING DOWN: In order to sample a variety of items from the menu, we ordered… an excessive amount of food. Robert's celery soup ($6) was pale green and subtle in flavor, just like you would expect from a soup made with a vegetable usually featured in a supporting role. The basket of bacon ($9) was one of the most decadent appetizers we've ever ordered -- who, after all, really needs a basket of bacon before dinner?! A paper-lined basket holds about nine strips of The Ridge's crispy, applewood smoked, peppery bacon -- yum.

 

The red, white and blue salad with chicken ($12) featured a deep bowl of greens tossed with berries, grapes, almonds and gorgonzola and topped with grilled chicken. Robert ordered the burger of the day, cooked to medium and topped with a bourbon glaze and caramelized onions. The burger came with housemade kettle chips but we had to try the Ridge's sweet potato fries ($8) -- actually sweet potato wedges (some slightly undercooked) drizzled with a sweet-mildly spicy glaze and served with sour cream on the side.

SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT? Yes. Desserts are made in-house and the menu changes often. Selections included strawberry-rhubarb crisp, carrot cake, a pecan caramel brownie, homemade ice cream and bread pudding, among others. The bread pudding of the day was dense and gooey, studded with banana chunks and chocolate chips and served warm with whipped cream. We couldn't finish it.
 
WHAT'S A VEGETARIAN GOING TO FIND? There's a Mediterranean plate with hummus, tzatziki, olives, feta, peppers and grilled pita and several vegetarian grilled flatbread pizzas, including one with pesto, New York cheddar, roasted red peppers, caramelized onion and mozzarella. There's also several salads, including a classic Caesar.

DAMAGES: Dinner for two, with one beer, one mixed drink, one burger, one salad, too many appetizers and one dessert came to almost $70. You can dine well on less and for considerably less. 

WOULD WE GO BACK? We can't wait to go back! The Ridge is open year-round. We want to eat outside on the deck while it's warm before contemplating cozy evenings by the fire. 

NEXT TIME: We'll try the catfish tacos with cilantro-lime crema, "fried golf balls" (fresh mozzarella dusted with Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese) and maybe the Chicken "Ridgies" -- The Ridge's version of regional specialty Chicken Riggies.

The Ridge Tavern is at 1281 Salt Springs Road, Chittenango. Summer hours are noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Information: 315-687-6900, website.

 

 

Syracuse Food Truck Rodeos: Get on board!

From deep-friend peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to udon noodle Asian stir-fry to Filipino-style eggrolls filled with seasoned beef and pork to artisan wood-fired pizza to tater tots smothered in spicy sauce -- there's a food truck offering to suit every taste.

It took some time for them to catch on in Syracuse and it took some time for them to find a regular home, but if you have an adventurous appetite and an appreciation for "street eats,'' get yourself over to the weekly Food Truck Rodeos, held from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each Wednesday, in the parking lot of the Cosmopolitan Building, 1153 W. Fayette St., Syracuse.

Everything and anything that can be prepared in a cramped kitchen and plated and served out the window of a truck or trailer (or from a cart) can be found at these events.

We visited the Food Truck Rodeo at suppertime on May 6, after the official hours of the food truck rodeo and before the first "Flicks al Fresco'' outdoor movie offering of the season, which, appropriately, was "Chef,'' a sweet movie about a fine-dining chef who rediscovers his creative promise as a food truck operator.

The food truck rodeos, an offering of the newly formed Syracuse Food Truck Association, got underway in April and were originally scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and continue through 6 p.m. each week. But the vendors were running out of food earlier than anticipated and hours have been reduced, according to Michael John Heagerty, of NOExcuses Tours, who is helping to promote the events and is hosting the "Flicks al Fresco" film series with Nomad Cinema. The rodeos now run until 3:30 p.m., give or take, and several trucks stay on hand or come in later in the afternoon to feed the "Flicks al Fresco'' crowd. 

The week we visited, about a half-dozen trucks were there before the movie (which is shown on a huge outdoor screen), including PB&J's Lunch Box, Shattuck's Paddy Wagon, Sarita's Mmmpanadas, Oompa Loompyas, Mami's Kitchen and Toss 'n' Fire Wood-Fired Pizza.

We sampled as much as we could.

Sarita Ruiz's empanadas (hand-formed, deep-fried Spanish-style pastries) went down easy. We shared an order of three ($6): beef and cheese, chicken, cilantro and lime and chicken and cheese -- kind of redundant, but she was running low on offerings. The chicken cilantro lime had nice, subtle flavor, while the beef and cheese packed more punch and a bit of heat. It's hard to resist deep fried dough with meat and cheese inside. I'd order both of these again, no problem.

George Shattuck's sriracha tots (with a sriracha cheese sauce; $4.50) were deep-fried and crispy good -- and reacquainted us with a childhood favorite food we haven't had since about the age of 12.

Last stop was Toss 'n' Fire Wood-Fired Pizza for a basic Margherita pizza (basil, mozzarella and tomato; $9). These are personal-sized pizzas cooked in a mobile, wood-fired oven. We would have liked the crust a little more brown and a little less dough-y, but these guys are just getting started. We'll be back to try a Fig and Pig (fig preserves, mozzarella, gorgonzola and prosciutto) and 'Cuse Salt Potato pizza (caramelized onions, cheddar, mozzarella, bacon and thinly sliced salt potatoes). 

I went back  to the Food Truck Rodeo at lunchtime on a subsequent Wednesday and found the vendors doing a brisk business. A couple tables were set-up, and people were chowing down outside, even on a chilly, overcast day. The Korean chicken tacos from The Chicken Bandit ($3.25 each) were worth the drive across town, a delicious medley of tastes, textures and seasonings, with a little heat.

Can't make it to the Food Truck Rodeo on Wednesdays? Good news: A second Food Truck Rodeo is now being held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at Missio Church, 620 W. Genesee St., Syracuse. Bring your appetite, your friends and your co-workers and check out what's cookin' from these culinary entrepreneurs who take to the streets of Syracuse and Central New York.