It's easy to fall into a pattern of frequenting the same restaurants or types of restaurants all the time. I'm on a mission in 2019 to try new places, new-to-me places, places that might be off our collective radar in Central New York.
First stop: La Patria Cafe, in Syracuse's Hawley-Green neighborhood. It opened in mid-October in an old house on Green Street, a few doors from Thanos Imports and across the street from Laci's Tapas Bar. You might remember it as the home of Laci's Lunchbox and 83 & Company. Aren't the lizard door handles cool?
My server, Clara's daughter, described the empanadas and said she herself is a fan of the shrimp empaneda and oftentimes enjoys one during her shift or takes one home with her. That was enough to sell me. The empanada was fried to a golden brown and cut in half, to show off its filling of shrimp, onions, red pepper and I'm not sure what else. It was delicious.
I could have easily eaten two empanadas but decided to try the avocado salad, which looked and tasted so refreshing on a gloomy January day. The salad is built on a bed of crispy shredded fennel and red onion, tossed lightly with a lime dressing that didn't overpower it. A perfectly ripe avocado was sliced on top.
La Patria is comfortable and homey. If I hadn't been on my way to an appointment, I would have lingered with a "cafecito,'' or cup of coffee. And on a visit when I'm not dining solo, I might share a salad and sandwich, or an order of plantain chips and a plate of the day.
The restaurant is at 115 Green St., Syracuse. It's open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. On Saturday, January 26, La Patria will be open for a special four-course lunch. Some seats are still available and reservations are REQUIRED. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 315-299-8011.
Owner Clara Cadena describes the food she serves as Latin Caribbean and Latin American, reminiscent of the dishes from the Dominican Republic that she grew up on, but also focused on other cuisines, flavors, spices and styles of cooking.
For now, the restaurant serves lunch only. The menu features about five varieties of empanadas -- deep-fried dough pockets filled with shrimp and vegetables, steak and cheese, vegetable curry and even spinach and ricotta cheese. Plantain chips are served with a savory garlic dip. Also featured are a trio of salads and pressed sandwiches, including a Cuban sandwich (a meaty treat, with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise). A soup is offered each day and on Tuesdays and Fridays the restaurant offers a "plate of the day.'' On the Tuesday I visited, the plate was three-bean chili with pork sausage, plantain chips and white rice.
My server, Clara's daughter, described the empanadas and said she herself is a fan of the shrimp empaneda and oftentimes enjoys one during her shift or takes one home with her. That was enough to sell me. The empanada was fried to a golden brown and cut in half, to show off its filling of shrimp, onions, red pepper and I'm not sure what else. It was delicious.
I could have easily eaten two empanadas but decided to try the avocado salad, which looked and tasted so refreshing on a gloomy January day. The salad is built on a bed of crispy shredded fennel and red onion, tossed lightly with a lime dressing that didn't overpower it. A perfectly ripe avocado was sliced on top.
La Patria is comfortable and homey. If I hadn't been on my way to an appointment, I would have lingered with a "cafecito,'' or cup of coffee. And on a visit when I'm not dining solo, I might share a salad and sandwich, or an order of plantain chips and a plate of the day.
I don't want to tell you too much about La Patria because I also plan to write about it as part of my local food coverage for the Syracuse New Times.
The restaurant is at 115 Green St., Syracuse. It's open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. On Saturday, January 26, La Patria will be open for a special four-course lunch. Some seats are still available and reservations are REQUIRED. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 315-299-8011.
