Lazy Susan's Profile
How would you describe the Syracuse scene?
I agree the negative comments are overblown. There are a number of great restos on the CNY area, thought I wouldn't call it a great dining "scene". My rec's in Onondaga County would be:
Riley's (northside)
Asti Cafe (northside)
Juanita's (northside)
Biscotti's- dessert (northside)
Mai Lan- vietnamese (northside)
Georgios (east)
Casa di Copani (east)
Tokyo Seoul (east)
Erawan Thai
Little House of Thai - for lunch (east)
Ambrosia (Armory Sq.)
bc (Armory Sq.)
The Mission (Armory Sq.)
Bistro Elephant (Armory Sq.)
Empire Brewing Co (Armory Sq.)
Pastabilities, with fresh bread across street at Daily Bread (Armory Sq.)
Alto Cinco (Univ area)
King David's (Univ area)
Phoebe's (Univ area)
AppeThaizing (Univ area)
Faegan's (Univ area)
Funk n Waffles (Univ area)
Munjed's (Univ area)
Eva's- Polish (west)
Colemans- decent food, fun place to see (west)
Burbs and further:
Retreat- Liverpool
Bangkok Thai- Liverpool
Sahota Palace (indian)- Liverpool
Waterfront- food decent, views are great (brewerton)
Circa- fresh, mostly locally grown ingredients (Caz)
a few others in Skaneateles
I do agree that there are also great resto's in the finger lakes region, particulary Ithaca. As far as the downtown area being dangerous- My parents (age 60+) just moved to a refurbished downtown condo (from Fayetteville) and they love it. Westcott is also a neat area to live (especially for SU employees).
Good Restaurant near Hyatt Regency
Great recs. I am staying at the Holiday Inn on Wacker also. Thanks!
Dinosaur BBQ - a tourist's review
You can order any of the ribs, brisket, pulled pork at the Dino BBQ "wet" and they will sauce it up for you before serving it.
Also- try the baked beans side. Heavenly.
And I totally agree on your Key lime pie opinion. The best ever.
Buffalo, Rochester + Syracuse...best eats in or around sports arenas?
No offense to Vint1955, but IMO Tully's not a destination type of place- good, but sort of chain-y. I'd recommend Empire Grill or Clarks for micro brews and great food, though Clark's only has 1 menu item (an incredilbly great roast beef sandwich), they are both downtown, open late and not too far from the stadium. You may also want to check out Freedom of Espresso for great coffee (a must have for the road trip!)
Great NYS Fair- recs, faves, etc.?
We are planning to hit the NYS fair this week. Any good recs? We are looking for something other than the usual fair fare.
We normally do Dino BBQ, Gianelli sausage and the great pitas from Athenos (I think that's the name). What else should we try? Calorie content not a huge concern, but I'm not after deep fried Snickers either. Thanks.
Indpls. Hound Visiting Syracuse end of July
Zebb's is fine, they have a "burger bar" for toppings. They have some decent Tex-Mex there, but I would stay away from the ribs. But definitely get some Choc. chip cookies on your way out.
Top Chef Aug 22nd. [Spoilers]
I liked that Dale (?) referred to themselves as the "Bad news Bears"... and they really did pull it all together.
Top Chef Aug 22nd. [Spoilers]
I was really disappointed to see Tre go. Not sure the crappy salmon should have been enough to send him packing, considering the lackluster performance from the rest of his team. Remember the Gorgonzola and watermelon mess Sam tried to pass off from season 2 at the restaurant challenge?... And he didn't go, Michael did! I think Brian or CJ probably should have gone, or maybe they should have sent someone else with Tre. I know the judges have mentioned this, but it does seem like the cheftestants are just doing enough to get by and not come in last.
TC 3 Episode 5 - Dame Chocolate (Spoiler Alert!)
My bad- it IS ep.5- this season is going so fast! TY 4 the catch.
TC 3 Episode 5 - Dame Chocolate (Spoiler Alert!)
Wow- Howie and Joey are doing well and lovin' each other, what a turnaround. I was suprised they didn't send Casey home, but Lia's polenta and trout?? are you kidding me?!?. I LOVE seeing Hung squirm... I think his insolence is going to catch up with him. Both Sara's seem to need to step it up a notch.
A good show tonight, I was happy they weren't on product placement overload. But it kills me that they give them such a small budget... I would think they would want them to really be able to show their talent with top shelf ingredients. It was interesting to hear the cast from Dame Chocolate's comments on everyone's food. Gave me some ideas for my own cooking. I am still rooting for Brian and Tre- - they both seem to be turning out good dishes, but just aren't getting it right yet.
Top Chef Miami-Ep: 2
Not sure if it has already been posted, but in this age of TIVO and DVR many people don't watch "regular" commercials anymore, so I don't blame the sponsors for paying for product placement. I do find it a bit aggressive though, and annoying, especially when they linger on a logo (like the RAV4) too long and it interrupts the rhythm of the show. JMO.
Top Chef Season 3
I am glad Howie stayed (personality goes a long way), but not sure that it was fair, since he didn't complete the challege. I wouldn't want to keep someone whose food is "inedilble" (Clay), but I guess I would have been pissed if I got the boot when someone else didn't even get thier food on the plate. I knew Clay was going as soon as they showed him talking about his dad- not exactly subtle foreshadowing...
I am excited about these chef-testants: looks like they are pretty serious about the food.
Lobstah Roll Call/Cape Cod
Mac's seafood near the pier in Wellfleet is very good. I second Friendly fisherman.
top chef-- season 3!
Grudge match: I'm happy Sam will get another chance to showcase his "stuff" and comes to the table (no pun intended) a little more aggressively. I'm also excited to see Ted as a judge.
I know there's a major concentration of chefs in in big cities like NYC, but it would have been nice to see some from other areas, maybe Saratoga, Denver, CC, Hamptons, Napa, etc. Everyone seems to be from NYC, Miami, CA or TX.
What else can I make with eggplant?
Anyone ever eaten eggplant and gotten an itchy mouth/lips reaction? I grilled my eggplants a while ago and DH and I both felt itchy and stopped eating it. We normally roast it or cook on soup for a long time. Someone told me it was b/c the eggplant was underdone. What gives?
Syracuse, new york
Looks like the other posters have covered most of the good ones, but left off Riley's which is on Park Street; and Clarks Ale house which is downtown, near the Landmark, for the best roast beef sandwiches and great micro- and foreign-brews. Oh- and there is a new Sushi bar in Armory that is a REAL sushi bar with a conveyor belt.
Best Sugar Free Brownie Mix???
You might be better off making them homeade, using whole wheat flour and splenda. The prepared s/f ones still have lots of carbs due to the flour. Here's one I use. I also use one that uses cocoa instead of unsweetened chocolate.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup Splenda
4 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In 3-quart saucepan over very low heat, melt butter or margarine and chocolate, stirring the mixture constantly. Remove from heat, and stir the Splenda into the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the walnuts. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in oven 30 to 35 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted into center come out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
What to do with leftover hard-boiled eggs?
Pickle them!! (just throw them in a jar with enough vinegar to cover and maybe some garlic or other spices). If pickled they will last a long time, and they are one of those perfect midnight snacks with a little salt and pepper.
Regional "food quirks"
I think it's an east coast thing. I live in central NY and lots of people around here do it.
Adding salt to the water you cook spaghetti in: does it really make any difference?
It was Alton- it was pretty interesting.
Late-night eats in Syracuse?
Places up by SU tend to stay open late, around Marshall Square. Faegan's (pub) is good, you might just want to walk around and see what's open. There are some pretty good ethnic places too- greek, thai, idina, etc. There are also quite a few places downtown in Armory Square.
Help with name of show
Did anyone ever see that show where a group of people (they may have been friends) competed to see who was the best dinner host? I think it was either on A&E or TLC. Each show showed one person preparing and serving what they thought was the ultimate in hosting a dinner (at their home, normally). Can't seem to think of the name of the show, haven't seen it in a while and was wondering if and where it was still on.
Weekend in Niagara Falls
I agree, cafe tu tu tango is great!!! Good ambiance also, we actually bought some of their art.
Irish Soda Bread Recipe- anyone have a good one?
I agree, always stales quickly. And is very heavy, I prefer the Rye/Onion yeast bread (I use the "How to cook everything" cookbook for the recipe) and it's a wonderful accompaniment to an Irish boiled dinner. I can't do raisins in a dinner bread either.
Shamrock Shake Sightings?
I think they have gotten too sweet. I get a child size one, because that's about all I can handle.
where can I find a great Chicken Adobo in Westchester or lower CT?
I am thinking also that it may be the vinegar and soy sauce- I use the kind my MIL gets me in the Philippines, they make a sweeter soy sauce. and no onion. But mine is still not as good as hers.
Do Newspaper Food Critics Matter Anymore?
What I always like about food critics is that they give you an overall decent idea of the menu, prices, portion size and theme of the restaurant. You will also read how clean it is, how the service is, etc. I may disagree on some food points, but they tend to be very inclusive of the whole experience.
