Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Ideas for your Weekend

So let's say you're up trying to figure out what do this beautiful weekend and you haven't yet begun to fight the crowds at the Regional Market.  Maybe you're sitting down to your first cup of locally-roasted coffee and know there's a lot to do but want to figure out how to squeeze in some foodie fun before Monday. 

Too often I find, the "problem" with living here in Syracuse is that there are too many possibilities.  There are way more than I can keep track of.  Over the last two weeks or so, I've bopped around a few of my favorite haunts in the Finger Lakes and so I offer a bit of inspiration for making the most of your weekend.

Go to Geneva, NY and check out Normal Bread..

These beautiful loaves are the new darlings of the Finger Lakes.  Pick up several loaves--they freeze well.  Normal Bread will be closed for vacation beginning June 3 so this is the perfect weekend to visit.  Heads up--they take cash and checks only--its a small, artisanal, one-man shop and worth the drive from the 'Cuse.

Drive a few minutes down the West side of Seneca Lake and check out Billsboro Winery...

Go to find out what winemaker Vinny Aliperti menas by "extreme winemaking" and then taste some.  I couldn't leave with out a bottle of their Pinot Noir and their Apres Vidal Blanc ice wine.

Feeling peckish?  Skirt over to Cayuga Lake and get lunch and a wine tasting at Simply Red Bistro.

Nestled among the Sheldrake Point vineyards, treat yourself to Samantha Izzo's creative menu using the best the Finger Lakes has to offer.  Taste some Sheldrake Point wines on the way out and get some of their delicious Riesling Reserve.

You're so close--you can't pass by Cayuga Lake Creamery...

Cayuga Lake Creamery has the most incredilbe selection of hard pack ice cream and that's what I went for.  But if you have kids in tow--or are a kid at heart, like my husband--you can't go wrong with their soft serve cones.

From this point, it is so easy to keep cruising down Route 89 towards Ithaca.  So swing right around the end of the lake and as you come back north towards Syracuse, you can make a brief stop in the cute town of Aurora and run into Bet the Farm.

This is your chance to pick up wine, cheeses, crackers and other food stuffs from around the Finger Lakes, because let's face it:  even if you wanted to, there's no time to stop at every one in one weekend.  You need a good couple of weeks to get that job done.  So Nancy at Bet the Farm has wine that you can't often find at the larger wine shops here in Syracuse--plus she's making her own wine too.  Her Bet the Farm Traminette is my latest pick for a good, easy, summer white.

From Aurora you can saunter up to Auburn and and take Route 5 on home.  If you leave for your day trip now, you might make it back in time to hit the Riesling tasting at the Savvy Wine Cellar in Camillus--that ends at 5pm when they run out or close, whichever comes first--so you need to get going!  Have a great day!

Food is Landscape Exhibit--Check it Out

Exhibit at the Rochester Regional Community Design Center
Now through June 26
Gallery Hours 9-5, Monday - Friday and by appt.

This looks fascinating and I hope to get there next week.  The promotional materials describe the exhibit as follows:

Eating is consequential. It not only incorporates food into the body, but the process of growing, distributing, processing, marketing and disposing of food also shapes landscapes. However, the consequences of eating from the contemporary industrial food system are obscured by distance and complexity. This installation reveals the connection between the food we eat and the landscape we make. It identifies critical issues in the Central New York food system and offers a series of design proposals aimed at making a more sustainable and socially just food system.

The installation is the work of Landscape Architecture students at the SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. The projects are organized around two tables: one made of milk and salt representing the food history of Syracuse as well as the primary agricultural product of the region, and a table growing fresh greens with a display of design proposals for remaking the system. The designs present a range of strategies for producing food through urban agriculture, using food to activate public space, transforming food deserts, restoring regional infrastructure of processing and distribution and integrating supermarkets into urban neighborhoods.

Four Years of Cookin' in the 'Cuse...

...and I've loved every yummy minute!

It would not be an overstatement to say that this blog has helped me to create a life here in Syracuse and Central New York.  It has led me to four rich and full years of cooking, gardening, exploring food sources, exploring food politics, incredible meals both locally and around the world, and most of all--making new friends. 

Thank you, dear readers, for stopping by, commenting, sticking with me when the posts were lean, and for helping to create a community that has played its own small role in igniting an important conversation about good food in our region and the people who help make it happen.  I'm looking forward to the years to come!

The Savvy Wine Cellar--Guess Where?

There are wine shops that I love to frequent.  They are staffed with knowledgeable and passionate salespeople, the vibe is like a party with your newest best friends, and the aesthetics are both welcoming and sophisticated.  Usually, getting to these favorite shops entails a drive down to Soho, Greenwich Village or a flight to Berkeley. 

This shop, however, is just 15 minutes from downtown...in Camillus.  Don't let the suburban location fool you--The Savvy Wine Cellar is smart and urbane.  How like Central New York, to put a wine shop like this in a location you'd least expect.  But after only about seven weeks of business, their twice-weekly wine tastings have drawn repeat customers who are welcomed by name.  Good luck finding a spot at the tasting counter--you might have to browse the shelves for a few minutes waiting your turn--as if that were a bad thing.

I was only there for a brief visit today--long enough to taste some intriguing new (to me) wines and snap some photos.  I'll have to return to take a better look at what's on hand.  But here are a few things to note:

• Love the dedicated row of New York wines--a nice selection they hope to expand. 
• The atmosphere is festive and open.  This isn't the place to go to be intimidated and overwhelmed.
• Wine Tastings take place Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 PM and Saturdays from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.
• Check out their website for specials as Riesling Month draws to a close.
• Staffer Neil Miller blogs on Finger Lakes wines at Stressing the Vine.

The Savvy Wine Cellar
5316 W. Genesee Street, Camillus NY 13031 (just past Dunkin Donuts when coming from Syracuse)
Phone: (315) 399-5133

More of that Cheese, Please

In the realm of things I can't really get enough of there is Muranda Cheese.  The British Cheddar and Colby specifically.  Oh, the other flavors are stellar too--Red Buddy and the Garlic Cheddar--but I am bereft if I open the cheese drawer in the fridge and find that I'm out of the cheddar.  It is an impressive cheese for its age--they're just coming up on a year.  Waiting to see how these incredible cheeses will age over time feels like anticipating Christmas.

You can read more about Muranda Cheese Company in the latest issue of Edible Finger Lakes (my story on local cheeses is part of what I meant when I said that eating local is also eating decandantly in Central NY.)  But don't just take my word for it, check it out yourself--Muranda Cheese can be found in the "F" tent of the CNY Regional Market from 7am-2pm on Saturdays. 

The most recent issue of Edible Finger Lakes can be found around Syracuse including the Regional Market beginning this Saturday.  I think its the best issue yet.

Welcome Green CNY Readers

A special note of welcome to those who have come to Cookin' in the 'Cuse via the latest issue of Green Central New York--so glad you're here!

I loved talking to the Post-Standard about being a locavore in Central New York.  As spring moves into summer I'm hoping more and more folks will truly take advantage of the great farmers and producers our area has to offer.  And did you see Meg from Wake Robin Farm in the magazine--great job Meg!

Last week I ran down to Manhattan for a 24 hour get-away (I'll be posting on the great restaurant food later).  Usually on these trips. I make the obligatory visit to Whole Foods Market at Union Square--but this time, the only thing I came back with was face cream (can't get the brand I like here, sigh.)  But my point is, I didn't bring back any food.  Truly, with the exception of rare and hard to find foodstuffs--I can get everything I need and want right here.  That 40 Below "It's all Here" is for real.

What local foods are you loving right now?

A picture is worth...

I must confess to feeling short on words lately.  Not that there isn't lots to write about--I've been lucky to enjoy some wonderful meals lately--Fresco Tortillas notwithstanding.  (And yes, a visit to Ponchito's is definitely on the agenda--thanks for all the comments!) 

I've been taking long walks lately and have been delighted by the surprises I've found in my new neighborhood here on the west end of downtown.  I'm enjoying getting to know my new 'hood--it's a never ending reminder of how wonderfully diverse the streetscape of Syracuse actually is.

I love the idea of commissaries in Syracuse--anyone remember what a Waldorf lunch was?

This is just the other side of the building.  CL Evers is here--too bad they don't actually sell real groceries anymore.

I love the Art-Deco majesty of the Niagara-Mohawk building. 

I love this sign on the Syracuse Cold Storage building on Erie Boulevard.

Living across the street from Middle Ages Brewery is a perk of the neighborhood--no designated driver needed, right?  I just gotta get in there for a tasting.

Getting Fresco on Cinco de Mayo?

Well, not so much.

If there is any day when a new tortilla place might want to pull out the stops it would be today.  I thought this might be a fine day to try out the new quickie  Mexican place I spied in Armory Square a couple of weeks ago.  Fresco Tortilla Grill, on Walton Street (where Movino Pizza used to be) was to be my ticket--I needed lunch, I hadn't much time, and I wanted to try something new.

Call me naive--I thought this was going to be like the Cali-Mex burrito places I used to frequent in California.  They can turn out the freshest, flavorful burritos with all the fixin's like nobody's business.  I'm afraid Fresco Tortillas Grill disappointed me.  Even though it was a chain (most of it's storefronts are in NYC) I thought I'd give it a chance. 

Let me say this--the food wasn't bad.  It just wasn't great.  Friends of mine compared the chicken to the same recipe used at some of the establishments serving chicken in the food court at Carousel Mall.  I ordered a chicken burrito but it didn't have me celebrating.  The tortilla was stuffed with chicken, white rice, black beans, and large shreds of iceberg lettuce.  There was a hint of cheese of some type.  It came with a spicy salsa that added a necessary kick.  These basic ingredients aren't bad in and of themselves, indeed, in the right hands, they are all you need for an outstanding burrito.  This rendition, however, was just pedestrian.  I had hoped that the dining room would have put me in a Cinco de Mayo mood but it was eerily quiet and when I asked about Cinco de Mayo at the counter, the staff didn't know what I talking about.

Que lastima--It is too bad because I think this end of downtown could really use a good taqueria.  To add insult to injury, a friend told me later this evening how rocking Boom Boom Mex Mex was.  I must get there soon--my craving for good Mexican food is stronger than ever.

Fresco Tortillas Grill, 214 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202 (315) 472-8226

Springing back to life...

When a friend walks into the house with a platter full of deliciousness such as these beauties, I know that spring--and all the fresh food that comes with it--is in full effect.  It isn't just the edible flowers (Pansies can make anything look happy) it is the mixture of locally foraged pheasant's back mushrooms underneath, resting on puff pastry.  Yum--thanks Maggie!