Walkable Eastwood » restaurants

A last-century response to a current problem

Lonnie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:02:35 +0000

Sean Kirst recently wrote an article, The Dinosaur: More success by design, citing one of his previous articles, The Dinosaur, by design, that reinforces that idea that we have a prime example in our town of a business that works, despite all the ways people think it should not work. And that’s the Dinosaur, now the #1 barbecue in the country. And it’s working by design.

Sean said in 2005:

Sitting in the car Thursday, watching as men and women flowed in and out of the Dinosaur, it struck me that people go there because it offers something unique – and because it embraces, rather than fears, authentic city ambiance. The funny thing is, if the Dinosaur went by the Walgreens rules (referring to Walgreens “need” for suburban, big-box style development – ed.) , a true Syracuse phenomenon would probably dry up and close its doors.

Sean reminds us that many of our pre-conceived notions of what makes a business work just fall apart in the face of this reality: a restaurant putting out top-notch food that caters to a serious diversity of people can be a destination. It doesn’t need to demolish a building to be successful. It doesn’t need acres of blacktop in front of it. It doesn’t need to alter the streetscape. It fits right in with the city and people come from all over to be there. And they aren’t afraid, and they don’t complain about having to walk a few blocks from their parking spot to get there. (They gotta do something to burn off the calories they’re about to eat!) This is what a real city is about.

But, sadly, Mayor Driscoll is singing the old last-century tune that has ruined much of Syracuse (and the fabric of countless cities across the country): demolish, demolish, demolish. Pave paradise, put up another drug store, and… you won’t know what city you’re in any more. And you certainly won’t have economic development, because your money will be siphoned off to the coffers of a big corporation in another state.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again:

Mayor Driscoll has been talking out of both sides of his mouth.
There IS a developer who can take the existing Wittigs Ice Cream / Steak & Sundae building and turn it into something great.
And the Dinosaur Barbecue is just the type of destination we can have in Eastwood if we’ll just stick to our standards.

How difficult is that?

Keep up the good work Sean! We need you!

Huffstir’s part deux

Lonnie — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:00:38 +0000

Hubby Dave and I went over to Huffstir’s tonight to grab a meal. Though the patio looked awfully tempting, the temperature isn’t quite up to comfort level yet. We got to chat with some neighbors while waiting for our Chicken Saltimbuca and Chicken Riggies. After they left, I parked myself where I could watch Chef Huffstir and his crew work magic at the range. Bottles of sherry, Madeira and vodka were a good sign that these sauces were going to be a cut above average. Boy, was I wrong… they were way above average!

Dave’s riggies were plentiful and on the spicy side, exactly to his liking. The sauce, made with sherry, was fresh and delicious, with none of the tell-tale sweetness that bottled sauces have. The pasta was done just right, too. The saltimbuca (usually spelled saltimbocca – jumps-in-the-mouth) lived up to its name. “Chicken and prosciutto sautéed with baby bellas topped with provolone finished in a white wine lemon butter sauce over greens” … was all that and more. Garlic, for one thing, and some herbs I couldn’t place. Chef isn’t skimping on anything in this dish. It was magnificent, and flavorful to the extreme. I couldn’t believe I was eating food that exciting while sitting in my own living room. You’d easily pay twice as much, too, for a dinner like this in any other restaurant.

The menu is amazingly complete with starters, homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and subs, a la carte pasta dishes and sides. But to do this place any justice, you have to give this a try sometime:

Before you leave to pick up your dinner, set the table, get the candles ready, set out the wine, turn on the soft music, and stick the good china in a warm oven. Order one of the stellar dinners – maybe a N.Y. strip steak or a shrimp scampi – rush them home and and serve those babies on the hot plates. You’ll think a little piece of heaven dropped into your dining room.

Huffstir’s opens in Eastwood

Lonnie — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:34:08 +0000

A website reader has sent me this email:

Huffstir’s just opened on Tuesday, 3/13, at 2700 James Street, corner of Hillsdale. The owner/chef is Dave Huff (formerly with the popular New York Roast). Phone number: 431-HUFF

It’s open Mon – Sat, 10 AM to 9 PM. Delivery is free. But it’s in the heart of walkable Eastwood – you can stroll on over for a relaxing meal on the patio.

The menu is amazing and features great salads (including Gyro and Taco), appetizers, grilled or cold sandwiches/wraps (such as hot pastrami, reubens, and big burgers), pasta, seafood, sauteed dishes with sauce, and grilled steaks, pork and chicken.

I tried the Chicken Parm dinner for $9.95 (a standard by which I initially judge diners) and the cheesecake. Everything was great, the sauce was superb, and the portions are generous. Prices and service are exceptional, too.

Huffstir’s is take-out at this point, but as soon as the weather is reliably good, we’ll be able to dine al fresco on their patio. What a delightful way to support a business in our neighborhood!

Ponchito’s opens in Eastwood

Lonnie — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:00:23 +0000

Ponchito’s is not a Mexican restaurant. But it serves food you may think of as Mexican. Call it “roadside Latin American,” call it “that taco joint,” call it Mexican if you want, but whatever you call it, you’ll think of it as fresh, delicious food reasonably priced.

We’ve been waiting for great, simple Mexican food to make the scene in Syracuse, well, just about forever. Some places have come close. But we think Ponchito’s has hit the nail on the head. How can you tell the difference? Walk into any Mexican restaurant and just stand there and sniff. Can you… mmm!… smell the food? Does the smell make your mouth water? If it does, then you have a shot at getting real food, not something that came in a plastic package that was opened, thrown on a plate and microwaved. Well, it smells great at Ponchito’s.

This is not fine dining, folks, so forget looking for one of those 25-ingredient mole sauces. It’s down-home, classic roadside food made the way they make it in Latin America: with chicken that comes directly from a chicken, beef that’s stewed up in the shop, and a fresh salsa you can tell was chopped up just a few hours ago. Sit at the right table and you can watch Ponchito stir the simmering meat pot or fry up some corn tortillas.

Ponchito’s is primarily a take-out joint, with counter service only, but there are enough tables to handle a small crowd. We topped off our meal of two tacos and a huge super burrito with a couple of delicious Goya sodas. We were too full to try the home-made potato chips (papas fritas). Maybe next time. Total bill: under $14.00.

My test of a Mexican restaurant is its guacamole. Did they cheat with added ingredients like low-fat sour cream or, worse, mayonnaise? Was it made in a factory in New Jersey? No way! This is a fresh guac made the way it’s supposed to be made – mostly with avocados. Ponchito is catering to gringo tastes, so it’s not spicy-hot. No matter – you could ask for some extra jalapeños to be chopped up and mixed in.

To top it all off, they’re open until late during the week (11:00 pm) and really late on the weekends – 3:00 in the morning! At last! Somewhere we can get nourishing, tasty food after the dancing is done. This place is not difficult to find, and once you’ve found it, you’ll find yourself wanting to return again and again.

Dave Chu’s Alternative Dining review (scroll down)