I enjoyed The Bronx, which was a breakfast burrito with eggs, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and cheese.  Another intriguing selection is Anna’s Central Park, two eggs grilled into the center of Italian bread, meat and homefries on the side.

It’s quite clean, and the staff is friendly.  It can be a little crowded on weekends, like any diner.  We know the chef, Mike, and we’ve more or less followed him around from Friend’s Diner in Eastwood, to the Jamesville Diner, and now here.  He’s a great guy, and Mike, I dare you to actually go online and read this.  Why?  I’m not sure, exactly.

New York Style Diner
535 E. Brighton Av
Syracuse, NY
(315) 214-3303

We went in and inquired about dessert.  They seated us in their newly remodeled bar area at a table.  The four of us ordered three Blueberry Ice Creams and one Cheesecake for a total of four servings.  The ice cream consisted of 2 scoops, and we found it to be creamy and tasty.  The cheesecake, though quite small and not as excellent as what you’d get at Ambrosia, was good.  But then we got the bill – $27.  Ouch. 

At a nice restaurant, we’re prepared to fork over 4 or 5 bucks for a really fancy dessert.  Our son is a pastry chef, and has worked in top New York restaurants, so we’re aware of fine dining desserts.  But Baldwinsville, whatever its merits, is not a city, is not in an area of top-tier real estate, and is not surrounded by a thriving scene.  So we felt that an average of $6.75 per dessert was uncalled for.   Again, compare this to Ambrosia, which is in the thriving Armory Square area, amongst nightlife, in downtown Syracuse, next to the MOST theatre, and has its own nightclub.  Paying real money for dessert makes a lot more sense at a place like this.

The owner had actually spoken at length with us earlier, having been acquainted with one member of our party.  We inquired with the waiter, who went to speak with the owner.  He came back, saying something about having pressed the wrong button.  The new check was reduced by a whopping 3 dollars, and though just 20 feet away, suddenly the owner had no interest in speaking with us anymore.  Maybe that’s what the max discount is if you complain and the owner knows you?  We paid, and left a decent tip for the waiter; it certainly wasn’t his fault.

Hey, it’s a free country, and maybe the owner wants to recoup some of that remodeling cost.  But we’ll be thinking long and hard before going back again.  And based on his behavior, I would guess that it doesn’t matter to him one bit.

We explained this to the server, who was the same person who had waited on us the first night. Her reaction was quite surprising – she did a theatrical gasp when we only ordered one wine and no appetizers, and though she added a joke or two, we felt that she was quite noticably cooler in her manner through the rest of the meal than she had been the previous night. It really took the wind out of our sails, though the food was still very good. I should add that everyone else we dealt with in the restaurant did treat us just as well as before, including the manager.

Certainly anyone likes to make as much money as possible, and is more excited when they make a big sale. And some people truly do rate people by how much they spend. But we still dropped over 50 bucks the second night, and we don’t skimp on tipping, either, so it seemed to me that this extra dose of attitude was pretty uncalled-for. The restaurant was very busy, so nobody was going to go broke that night. I don’t always sympathize with big-city food critics, who may have too much power over restaurants’ success or failure at times, but on this night I could imagine what Ruth Reichl used to feel like when she would go to a restaurant in disguise, and get substandard service.

I’m pleased to report that this restaurant was not in Syracuse.  Has this happened to any of you?

After returning home, I emailed the restaurant, Twist in Hyde Park, NY.  The manager wrote back, quite concerned about what had happened, and promised to speak with the staff.  She intimated that she new which server it was by my description, and who knows, maybe that waitress was reamed out the next day.  The manager said to be sure to pay her (the manager) a visit next time we came by, which seemed to imply that we’d get some kind of recompense, but nothing was explicit.  But unfortunately our trips to Hyde Park are not common, so we’re basically left with a mixed memory of our meals there.

We originally went there at the behest of our friend Owen, who is a food and coffee connoisseur, and had made a special trip to eat there. We were very glad we went, and have already been there a second time! Their emphasis is to have dishes from different regions of India, and someone with expertise in all these regions could comment on this much better than I. But having said that, wow, wow, wow, we were dazzled by every single dish!

Two particular dishes stood out, both fish dishes: Fish in Banana Leaf: marinated fish of the day wrapped in banana leaves with South Indian Spices, and Meen Molee: coconut crusted fish of the day cooked with curry leaves, mustard, tomato and spices. We also had mouth-watering appetizers both times. Despite mentioning two fish dishes, the menu is quite varied, and includes items that you won’t find in every Indian eatery. Even an impressive selection of vegan and vegetarian items, something that Indian cuisine does better than almost anyone. I don’t order Tandoori items as often, but the ones they have here are extremely tempting.

The restaurant is located in a small shopping strip mall, yet it has very nice decor and a very pleasant atmosphere. We made reservations for Saturday night, and this did matter, because the place was pretty well mobbed. This allowed us to waltz in ahead of a pretty long line. Service was skilled and friendly without being intrusive. The lively clientele was professional and fairly upscale, including many Indians. Having said that, Indian food, even at this level, is an excellent value.

Over the years I’ve asked my Indian acquaintances about many good Indian restaurants, and almost without exception, their answer is, my mother makes far better food than this. I don’t know if it’s simply that the first thing you experience becomes the standard, or if Indian mothers are truly the best cooks on the planet, but it’s something that’s in the back of my mind when I eat Indian cuisine. Eating at Karavalli marks the first time that I’ve ever been impressed enough to consider that it may actually be better than mom’s, or at least as good. I’ve never had better, and I say that after having eaten great Indian food at fine restaurants in Toronto, New York, and Boston. No doubt others will have found incredible places, and I hope they’ll fill us in.

When you’re in the capitol district, I urge you to try Karavalli if you love Indian food, as we do! If you can find food better than this, I want to meet your mom!!!

Karavalli
9B Johnson Road
Latham, NY 12110
Telephone: 518-785-7600

PS: I hear they’ve just opened in Saratoga as well!

As such, we don’t get to that area very often. But we happened to be near there the other night, and decided to check out Pronto Joey’s for a late-ish meal. As it happens, they were just closing, and they suggested we try Joey’s, the fancier part of their restaurant. We almost balked, as we weren’t looking for a fancy meal. We took a look at the menu, which looked enticing, and hunger won out.

We were pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff and the food, which is pretty traditional red sauce Italian. Being somewhat of a snob, and having eaten red sauce South Italian all my life, I’m not always gung-ho about this type of restaurant. But when it’s done right, it’s wonderful. We had eggplant parmigiana as well as fettucine alfredo with pesto, which proved to be a tasty hybrid. The atmosphere is quite nice too, and would be good for a romantic meal.

I’ve lived here for 237 years (or is it 169?), and this was my first time eating there even though they’ve purportedly been in operation for decades. And I’m glad I went; maybe I’ll keep this area in mind for other food expeditions. The waitress called Joey’s the best-kept secret in town, and maybe that’s hyperbole, but they do make a good case for it.

I should add that Justin’s Grill, also in that area, has some very nice food, and on the rare occasions when I crave steak, this is a really good place for it.

Joey’s
6594 Thompson Rd, Syracuse
(315) 432-0315