Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Slow Food CNY Meeting and Potluck Sunday

Our local Slow Food convivium chapter will meet tomorrow over a pot luck feast.  Check out the details below and plan to attend if you can.

What: Slow Food CNY Community Meeting and Potluck

When: Sunday, January 17th, 4pm

Where: Westcott Community Center, 826 Euclid Ave, Syracuse, NY

Who: Anyone who wants to come! Bring a dish to pass. Any food that you love to make will be welcome. SFCNY will provide cards so every dish can be identified. Please bring your own utensils and plate.

 Click here for the food safety guidelines for bringing a dish to pass.

I'll never get tired...

of seeing delicious Central New York-made foods in gourmet stores in New York City.

Located in Park Slope, BKLYN Larder is a beautiful, Slow Food-approved market filled with cheeses, charcuterie, meats (can you say, heritage Berkshire pork belly!) spices, chocolates, dairy products, and prepared foods.  Amidst all of this deliciousness I found yogurt and milled flours bearing the 315 or 607 area codes.  Love that.

This small shop is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Brooklyn.  Until then, let's rejoice that we can get some of these great foodstuffs in our own backyard--with perhaps more options on the way.

Hitting the Mother Lode at Turning Stone

So first off--this is not about gambling.  And I don't want to get into First Nations politics.  This is about my first visit to Turning Stone Casino for a dinner out with my Bahamian in-laws.   We all went to Pino Bianco for Italian food--it seemed like the best choice for our mix of palates.  I can't say that the meal was particularly memorable save for one thing.  For this foodie, it was like hitting the jackpot.  Check it out after the jump.

Gettin' Gimme!

My latest obsession of trying to learn how to make good espresso has led me back to one of my oldest obsessions since moving to Syracuse--getting Gimme! Coffee.  Some of my first posts on this blog back in 2005 were about the brief venture Gimme! made by setting up a booth at the CNY Regional Market and my emails to CEO Kevin Cuddeback to open up a cafe here in the 'Cuse have gone unanswered.  But that's okay now.

Sugar Pearl over in Hawley-Green and Second Story Cafe on Westcott Street both serve Gimme! Coffee and they also sell their freshly roasted beans.  This is good news to me and to anyone who likes the option of enjoying their brewed goodness in the comfort of their pajamas.  I love hanging out in our local cafes but sometimes, you know, there are days.  

And why is this such a big deal to me--especially with beans being roasted and brewed right here in Syracuse and Fayetteville?  Well, when one of the most heralded coffee roasters in the United States is regionally roasted (Trumansburg) and locally available we ought to be celebrating that left, right and center.  Check out the winter issue of Edible Finger Lakes to read about John Gant--the roaster who helped make Gimme! great. 

Truly, if you are into excellent, micro-roasted coffee, the 'Cuse is the place to be.

Note:  The espresso machine in the photo is NOT what I'm trying to pull shots on--this beauty sits in the cupping room at the Gimme! headquarters.

Cafe at 407 in Liverpool

I've made no secret of my desire to have a cafe of my own one day and never mind the fact that I've spent the last week trying to learn how to pull a good shot of espresso (more on that adventure later).  The fact is, I absolutely love it when others are pulling the shots and have set up a beautiful space to hand out and enjoy my latte.

So after hearing word about Cafe at 407 from blog readers and good friends, I had to check it out.  Cafe at 407 is a truly a cafe with a purpose.  It is a place that instantly radiates welcome and the furniture, decor, and people all seem to quietly beckon, "come in and stay awhile".  Located in the village of Liverpool, this warm, comforting spot is worth checking out.

This is a cafe with a purpose--it supports Ophelia's Place, a program that assists people with disordered eating and body issues.  While you'll find lots of resources on these topics on display in one section of the cafe and otherwise casually stewn among other reading material, and lots of uplifting messages written on the walls, make no mistake, this is a place to get some really good food and a decent latte. 

  On the day I met my sister friends for lunch I enjoyed a delicious chicken salad sandwich/black bean soup combo.  Other menu items such as their salads and the veggie sandwich (garlic hummus, spinach, and provolone) made choosing difficult.  And of course I loved the complementary biscotti.  The food was nicely done and on that chilly afternoon, I could have easily hung out there for hours--sitting in the comfy chairs, chatting up Mary Ellen, the owner, and doing some writing.

Check out more information about Cafe at 407 and then go, get some good food, and stay awhile.

Cafe at 407, 407 Tulip Street, Liverpool, NY.  Closed Sunday and Monday.

A Fresh Start

 
The first day of a new year is so much like the first day of seed-sowing:  you know, all that about fresh starts and new possibilities, hopes and dreams.  Well, I actually put a lot of stock in that--eternal optimist that I am. 

I'm actually quite happy that 2009 is over.  Though there were some wonderful things about the past year--meaningful work, renewed connections with high school friends (gotta love Facebook!), the joys of settling into a new home and neighborhood, and the continuing growth of the Syracuse locavore community, there is much I'm glad to be leaving behind--including some personal griefs and a few dozen pounds.

While I don't often speak of personal things in this space, that last bit bears mention, if only because it has meant a change in the way I eat.  Which has meant a change in the way I blog.  And I'm still figuring that out.  You may have already noticed that there were fewer recipes in 2009 than previous years.  No worries, Cookin' in the 'Cuse will not become a diet blog but I do hope to continue posting recipes that reflect fresh, seasonal, local food.

If all goes well, there may be some other changes that impact my blogging life--I'll need to leave it at that, though, until I have more clarity.  But trust me, I expect the impact will be positive!

As we begin a new decade please accept my thanks and gratitude for sticking with me and making this food blog and the journey that it is, so delicously wonderful.  Here's to 2010!  May it be glorious for us all.