Only one thing is going to get me out of my warm abode on a frigid winter night, and that’s dinner at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time – one where just about everything on the menu is cooked over a wood fire. That restaurant is Eden, in Hanover Square in downtown Syracuse.
Eden is a 30-seat upscale-yet-casual restaurant with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and wood-fired cooking. It opened in 2019 with chef and partner Rich Strub at the helm. It’s intimate and unpretentious, with a menu that changes seasonally.
Here are some other things to know:
• The menu at Eden is limited to four small plates and four large plates, plus a “choose your cut” beef option with choices noted above the hearth (priced per ounce). Robert loved his New York strip steak, served on a bed of creme fraiche and smashed potatoes and topped with a chimichurri sauce. (Chimichurri is a condiment made from finely minced flat-leaf parsley, olive oil and seasonings.) As a vegetarian I had several options, including a beet salad served warm from the hearth, made with red and golden beets from Grindstone Farm, Pulaski, plus orange segments, garnished with fluffy goat cheese from Two Kids Goat Farm, Cuyler (shown above). Goat cheese also was used to fill the house-made cappelletti (below) tossed with brown butter and bread crumbs I ordered as an entree.
• The commitment to local/regional sourcing extends to the restaurant’s award-winning wine list. From a long list of New York State selections, we chose a 2020 Blaufrankisch, a red wine from Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger Lakes. It paired well with both of our meals.
• Dessert is limited to a trio of treats: chocolate mousse, panna cotta and a lemon tart. The panna cotta (above) arrived in a small mason jar, and the milky pudding was topped with a blueberry compote that tasted like summer on a winter night. It was served with a shortbread cookie.
• Its price point makes Eden a special occasion restaurant for us. Our special occasion was a date night courtesy of the generous Eden gift my partner gave me for my 65th birthday. “As luck would have it,’’ he said, “you invited me to join you.’’ No luck involved there. I wouldn't have invited anyone else. Small plates run $15 to $18 and large plates range from $32 to $46 or more. Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, two small plates, two large plates, one dessert, tax and tip came to $220.
• A veteran Central New York restaurant owner I’ve written about in the past was seated at a table across the room. As he and his party were leaving, he stopped over to say hello. "Your first time here?," he said. "I think it's the best restaurant in Syracuse.'' He's not alone in that opinion, and we agree. It's going to be hard to top this top-tier date night. We look forward to returning in summer, when an abundance of local produce is in season, to experience the creativity of chef Rich and his team.
Eden is at 118 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, in Hanover Square. Dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Reservations are recommended.
All photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated
