Top 5 Places to Stay Warm During The Winter

For a city that averages 120 inches of snow every year, and has won the Golden Snowball award for 5 consecutive years in a row now, we Syracusans sometimes need to find comfort indoors during the cold months. And what better way than embracing the winter with good food. The following are the top 5 places to stay warm and watch the snowfall during the always snowy Syracuse winters.

Jambalaya & lobster BLT from The Blue Tusk.

1) Freedom of Espresso: 115 Solar St, Ste 101, Syracuse, NY
It's hard to imagine a more picturesque spot during the wintertime than at Freedom of Espresso in Franklin Square. Situated on the corner of Plum and Solar Streets, settle on a comfy couch with a great cup of coffee or hot chocolate, use some free wi-fi, all while overlooking beautiful Franklin Square Park. You may come to find all the troubles outside melting away. (And their location on Pearl Street should not go unnoticed either). [link] [map]

2) Eva's European Sweets: 1305 Milton Ave, Syracuse, NY
Stay warm here in this cozy restaurant with excellent, home style comfort food. Indulge in large portions of dessert and Polish delicasies like golabkies, pierogies, and hunters stew with a view of a snowy Milton Ave. [link] [map]

3) L'adour: 110 Montgomery St, Syracuse, NY
Located in the Courier building near City Hall right outside of Hanover Square, L'adour is casual and elegant inside, and it's an excellent place for a romantic dinner on a winter evening. Brunch should not unnoticed either with offerings such as crepes, Belgian Waffles, French cheeses, smoked salmon, and Quiche. [link] [map]

4) Saratoga Steaks and Seafood: 200 Waring Rd, Syracuse, NY
Located south east of the SU campus at Tecumseh Golf Club, Saratoga Steaks and Seafood provides a cozy, ski lodge-esque ambiance. Sip some wine, enjoy crab cakes, splurge on lobster tail, or get arguably some of the best steak in town near their comfortable, wood burning fireplace. [link] [map]

5) Alto Cinco: 526 Westcott St, Syracuse, NY
Alto Cinco can get cramped when school is in session with or without the snow on Westcott Street, but huddle up and stay warm next to people in this small and yet lively Mexican restaurant with veggie-style burritos, spicy jalapeno cornbread, and fresh salsa and chips. Did I mention jalapeno cornbread? [link] [map]

Honorable Mention
The Blue Tusk: 165 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY
With 69 beers on tap and creative bar food such as a lobster BLT, portabella and goat cheese quesadilla, and cherry peppers stuffed with proscuitto and provolone cheese, Blue Tusk is an upbeat spot to sit down and relax with good beer, food, and music. Inside you'll get a nice view of the snowfall too with large and expansive windows that overlook Walton Street in Armory Square. [link] [map]

Review: Lao Village Laotian & Thai Restaurant

Name: Lao Village Laotian & Thai Restaurant
Address: 208 W Genesee St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 435-8151
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.yelp.com/biz/lao-village-syracuse
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Laotian, Thai
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 AM to 3 PM, Monday-Saturday 4:30 PM to 9 PM, Sunday 11:30 AM to 9 PM
Parking: On Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: No

On what would most likely be one of the last warm nights of the year, I ventured Downtown to take some pictures of local architecture, stop into Sound Garden for music, and to check out Lao Village for some spicy Thai food. And boy was it spicy...

Lao Village is situated right at the northwestern corner of Clinton Square. It's an unassuming little spot - tucked away in the corner of a row of buildings along the West Genesee streetscape. Inside, the the atmosphere is bright, casual, and comfortable. Tasteful artwork hangs on the wall and although seating is small, it's cohesive with stainless steel tables that seat roughly 15 people total and with a small, counter area by the front window that overlooks Clinton Square. In the back you'll find the main counter, ordering area, and the huge chalk board against the wall displaying the appetizers, entrees, and daily specials. For some reason it reminds me of a little take-out place you'd find in Manhattan: trendy, clean, simple, and to the point.

As with most small places in Downtown Syracuse, the focus here is understandably on lunch and take-out, so in those cases sometimes the sit-down aspect can go to the wayside. But dining in at Lao Village should not go underestimated. It's definitely more casual and informal than officially dining out, but the inside is clean, cozy, and depending on where you're sitting, you can get a pretty nice view of Clinton Square. An all too rare view in this town. And with the chilly days upon us, it seems like a decent place to stay warm with a spicy meal on cold, winter afternoon.

On this visit, I was the only one in here for dinner (seriously, can't just a couple hundred more people move Downtown?). I suppose that's one of the crazy things about Syracuse - you have a decent establishment that you can't find anywhere else in Upstate New York and yet neighborhood clientele dies down to about zero after the work force leaves Downtown. I've never been in here for lunch, but have heard they draw well and much better during that time. Hopefully that's true.

The menu features appetizers like spring and summer rolls, salads, soups, and traditional Thai and Lao dishes like Pad Prik Pow, Panang, Curries, Drunken Noodles, and Pad Thai. It's a nice range of choices with noodle dishes and rice dishes each with tofu, beef, chicken, shrimp, or fish. My only complaint is that there were extremely limited drink options available on the menu. I opted with water.

If you're unfamiliar with Laotian cuisine like I am, it's a bit like Vietnamese with a focus on sticky rice, grilled and steamed meats, limes, fresh vegetables, herbs and chilis. Similar to Thai I suppose but without the coconut milk and a bit more clean (for lack of a better word). At any rate...

The order...

Curry Puffs: $1.75
Chicken with Chili Thai Basil: $7.99
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $13

Pictured above are the Curry Puffs with sweet chili sauce garnished with orange slices.

These were awesome. Crunchy texture - almost like baked bread - and filled with yellow curry, potatoes, garlic, and onions. And the chili sauce was great - sweet and tangy with peanuts, cilantro, and scallions. Really enjoyable and I loved these. My only complaint? I wanted more. Next time, two orders.

Chicken with Chili Thai Basil: Stir fried chicken tenders in sour black soy sauce with garlic, onions, bell peppers, spring beans, sweet Thai basil and chili pepper.

This was good. The vegetables were all fresh and crispy, chicken was tender, and the sauce was light and tangy, but It's crazy how spicy this dish was. My lips were puckering and my eyes were watering towards the end of the meal. I mean, I could eat it, but I downed my water in a matter of minutes. And 12 hours later as of this writing, my taste buds are still tingling. So be warned: if you ask for spicy, YOU. WILL. DIE. No, but I'd recommend getting medium and then kicking it up on your next visit if you feel the need.

A few other things of note...

- It's cash only

- The water is bottled water

My mouth remained on fire, but overall, it was a really colorful and tasty meal with quick, affordable food and friendly service. The presentation was good too. And I think that says a lot considering that the formal dining-in aspect doesn't seem to be the main priority here. It's a take-out place but it's refreshing that they gave some thought to the interior as well. Personally, I think the bottled water and paper towel napkins thing has to go, but that's just me. I'll be going back. And I'd consider them for a casual dine-in again, but I'd make the priority for lunch and take-out.

My rating of Lao Village Laotian & Thai Restaurant: