Review: Byblos Mediterranean Cafe

Name: Byblos Mediterranean Cafe
Address: 233 N Clinton St Syracuse, NY
Phone: 315-378-3333
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.byblossyr.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean
Restaurant Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10 AM - 3 PM, 4:30 PM - 9 PM, Saturday 11:30 AM - 9 PM
Parking: On-street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Take-Out: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes (for dine-in)
Outdoor Seating: Yes (weather permitting)
Delivery: Yes ($2 delivery charge, $25 minimum)

Welcome to Byblos Mediterranean Cafe, Syracuse's 1st Lebanese restaurant. A fairly new addition to Downtown's growing and diverse dining scene, Byblos is a family owned and operated business that proudly serves authentic and homemade Lebanese and Mediterranean specialties.

Since opening in the Spring of 2010, Byblos unique-to-the-region food has been a popular spot for take-out with the Downtown lunch crowd and has been featured at the Taste of Syracuse as well as 9 WSYR's program, Bridge Street.

The restaurant sits along North Clinton Street next to Darwin and across the street from the Post Standard building. The owners have done a wonderful job in refurbishing the building (before and after pics) and it's spruced up the stretch of buildings and quaintness of the street quite a bit.

What's inside? A clean and tiny little cafe where you can find a large variety of homemade and authentic delicacies like baba ghanuj, hummus, falafel, spanakopita, kibbeh, kabobs, and fattoush, as well as Turkish coffee, herbal teas, and yogurt drinks. There's also some lesser traditional but just as delectable offerings on the menu like Mediterranean-style pizzas, soups, salads, and pita wraps.

Beyond that, they do made-to-order food here too (kibbeh nayyeh, for example), so if you are familiar with Lebanese cuisine and don't see it on the menu, Byblos may still have what you're looking for.

Mind you, it's tiny inside. Maybe 3 small tables consisting of about 8 seats total, so it's best to call if you have a large or even medium sized group. If you're one of a few people there, as I was on this occasion, it's fairly cozy and homey, but I could imagine it being a different story if the room was busy or even half full. Take-out is a little more common, but dine-in is also an option (there's table service if you go that route). Bottom line: plan ahead if you go during typical dinning hours. If the weather is warm (which if this past "Winter" was any indication, should be quite often), a few tables are available outside along the street too.

The order...

Gyro entree w/ grape leaves, tabbouleh, and baklava: $16.99
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $20

Their dining week menu roped me in.

Clockwise from the bottom: Kronos gyro meat served over rice pilaf with a side of tzatziki sauce, grape leaves, tabbouleh, baklava, and pita triangles.

Not necessarily a traditional gyro (which is on the menu - I've had that here before and it was awesome), the gyro entree is more of a build-your-own style gyro. I loved it. Especially the customization. Layering thin strips of juicy meat with extra-soft rice on top of pita pieces and topping it all off with creamy tzatziki sauce was an excellent and even fun entree. Hidden in the picture, but not to go unnoticed was their rice pilaf which was outstanding: buttery, fluffy, and contained tiny bits of peach colored vermicelli noodles. Delicious even on its own.

Homemade grape leaves were a new try for me. I opted for the "meatless" over the ground lamb. It had a nice flavor and spiciness with rice and chopped herbs snugly rolled inside warm, steamed grape leaves. For anyone who's been following this blog, you know that I can be overly picky sometimes. That being said, I suppose I couldn't get around the texture of these. A little too wet and leafy for me. Good flavor, but I don't know if they're my thing. Several reviewers online have raved about them, so take my first impression with a tiny grain of salt.

Their tabbouleh was outstanding and really brightened up the meal - both visually and flavor-wise. It's a minced salad of sorts containing parsley, cracked wheat, tomatoes, onions, and mint in an extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice dressing. I thought it may have been a tad overly lemony for my liking, but none the less, it was incredibly fresh, very delicious, and a great side salad for the meal.

Lastly, if that wasn't enough, the baklava stole the show. Easily one of the best desserts I've had in a while. Flaky layers of phyllo dough stuffed with crunchy walnuts and drizzled with a sweet honey-based syrup. It was phenomenal. Dare I say, despite everything else in the order being very good, I could just go back for their baklava over and over again and be totally happy.

Additional notes...

- Free Wi-Fi

- Their current special, Shawarma, a Levantine Arab mean preparation, is available in wraps and as an entree. More info here.

- The restaurant gets a lot of ingredients from Samir's Imported Foods on E Genesee St as well as from family gardens during the summer.

- For catering details, click here.

- I did spy a hookah, but if you're curious about it, you may want to inquire within.

For a tiny sliver of Downtown that contains Darwin, Lao Village, Dinosaur, and Byblos, you get an outstanding range of cuisines with great food all within a few feet from one another. It's definitely an area that Syracusans should be proud of and Byblos only enriches that.

Everything tasted fresh, homemade, and most importantly: healthy. Your taste buds will notice it within the first bite. There's plenty of the menu to enjoy if you new or are experienced with Lebanese cuisine. And if you're a vegetarian, I'd rank it fairly high as one of the better vegetarian-friendly places in Syracuse.

Again, it may be a small place, but who's going to worry when you have such fresh, authentic, and delicious food in front of you.

My rating of Byblos Mediterranean Cafe:

Cafe Kubal opens in Downtown

Cafe Kubal has opened its newest location at the former Deys department store building on the corner of Salina and Jefferson Streets (kitty-corner to the Landmark).

I haven't had a chance to stop over, but judging from the pictures, it looks fantastic. Hopefully it's a sign of good things to come for South Salina Street.

For more information check out their website at cafekubal.com and a wonderfully written article by Sean Kirst in the Post Standard.

Review: Big Slim's Grill

Name: Big Slim's Grill
Address: 214 Walton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: 315-314-7766
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Slims-Grill/125634480864605
Menu: n/a
Cuisine: Sandwiches, wraps, burgers, wings, salads, fried foods
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Wednesday 11AM - 9PM, Thursday to Saturday 11AM - 3AM, Sunday 11AM - 9PM
Parking: On-street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Take-Out: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Delivery: Yes (see additional notes)

Open since the summer of 2011, Big Slim's Grill offers up two sides of the equation for any lunchtime and late-night restaurant goer: "big" for the heavy eater in you and "slim" if you're leaning towards the lighter fare.

The interior has a fairly sleek vibe to it with a consistent seating and color scheme (even a lage flat screen TV in one corner). I thought the space could be filled in bit more with some tables, but overall I found it to be a huge improvement over the previous establishment and extremely clean. There's also a couple tables for outdoor seating adjacent to the handicap ramp in front.

The menu has a good range of healthy and not-so-healthy choices: The BSG Bacon Burger (angus burger with bacon, cheddar cheese, and the fixings), Basil Bomber (grilled chicken, mozzarella, spinach, roasted red peppers, and pesto on a ciabata roll), The 76er (Philly steak, onion rings, cheese whiz, grilled pepper and mushrooms on a toasted sub roll), The Balboa (ground hamburger, mozzarella sticks, marinara sauce, and Parmesan cheese on a toasted sub roll), and The Buffalo Biff (grilled chicken, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, Buffalo sauce in a wheat wrap.

There's also a create-your-own section with various main options like chicken tenders, Philly steak, turkey, steak tips, or roast beef; those can be with rolls, wraps, panini or as a salad; and those can be accompanied with toppings and sides like lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumber, almonds, fruit, roasted red peppers, onion rings, eggs, dressings, hot sauces, sweet 'n sour sauce, and BBQ sauce. That's really only a portion of what there is. The list is kind of huge. The menu looks small at first glance, but there's literally tons of combinations that you can make.

Aside from create-your-own, there's also Dumpster Plates, the Rochester equivalent of a Garbage Plate as well as other sides like mac salad, baked beans, home fries, French fries, mozzarella sticks, and chicken wings.

It was Midnight on a Saturday night and I had to do it.

The order...

Combination Dumpster Plate: $8.99
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $12

A brief history of the Garbage Plate: In what would best be described as a Rochester delicacy, a Garbage Plate is essentially a gigantic, made-to-order pile of greasy food usually consisting of either hamburger, cheeseburger, Italian sausages, steak, chicken, white or red hots, a grilled cheese sandwich, fried fish, or eggs; and served on top of one or two of the following: home fries, french fries, beans, and mac salad. The plate is then topped with optional mustard, chopped onions, and a spicy ground beef sauce and served with a side of bread. Basically, it's a drunkard's heaven.

Nick Tahou's main location at 320 W Main St in Rochester, is home to the original Garbage Plate. It also owns its trademark name - hence while you'll see different names for the same dish across much of Upstate New York (J Ryan's has the Bubba Plate, here at Big Slim's you'll find the Dumpster Plate, etc...). There's plenty of places in Rochester that have their own take on it and many Rochesterians(?) each have their own place where they prefer it from.

Despite having lived in The Roc for roughly a year, I didn't test out a lot of garbage plates during my stay aside from the original at Nick Tahou's, which I kind of use as the basis for judging them. Coincidentally, in attendance with me at the time of my visit to Big Slim's was a buddy of mine who went to RIT and is somewhat of a garbage plate connoisseur (his favorite is from Schaller's). So between the two of us, we had somewhat of a good impression as to what constitutes a good plate and a bad one.

The Dumpster Plate here Big Slim's is fairly classic and comes with a selected combination of hot dogs, cheeseburger, hamburger, chicken tenders, or Philly cheese steak and two sides of either macaroni salad, french fries, home fries, or baked beans. On top of that is their signature ground beef sauce and on the side is a slice of white bread.

Again, I was with a group of guys entering in around Midnight or so on a Saturday night. All 6 of us ordered different plates, some of which came with home fries, eggs, chicken tenders, etc... so despite the different orders and time of operation, we all received them pretty quickly, which was fairly impressive and kind of key when you're out late and looking for a quick meal of food before heading home. I ordered mac salad and french fries for mine. It's only a buck for the additional meat, so I decided to upgrade and go with both hamburger and hot dogs. Big spender!

If you've never eaten one before, all you do is cut it up and swish some of it around and then dive in - it's easy enough for a drunk person to figure out and I suppose not unlike how you'd approach eating bibimbap at a Korean restaurant. Ketchup and hot sauce were both available at the table too which are always essential.

First impressions were how good both the fries and mac salad were. The fries were really good. Crunchy and fried to golden perfection. And in general, I love mac salad in garbage plates. It's such an odd addition that works really well for some reason. Big Slim's mac salad was very good and came with chopped carrots, celery, and onions and had a good pasta and creamy mayo consistency. I'd definitely order either one again, with or without being in an actual garbage plate. The signature meat sauce was complete with juicy ground beef that was fairly high on the heat scale. And, in keeping with the classic theme, the added grease drippings were easily mopped up with a slice of white bread (not pictured).

I've previously written about my thoughts on a much needed Syracuse version of this monstrosity. Turns out Big Slim's uses Hofmann hot dogs (I asked), which was a refreshing sight. You can't really see it in the picture, but I do appreciate how the dogs were split and fried, which stays true to an original garbage plate. However, I wasn't overly crazy about the style of hot dogs used as they didn't have the casing that I was anticipating. These probably were indeed Hofmann's, but they were not the "snappy" style. Hofmann does have several different styles of franks, so these may have been the skinless German style brand. Still, an excellent grilled and tasty addition and great to see some hometown representation. I just think that additional "snap" would've set it over the edge. The only thing really lacking with any of it was the hamburger meat, which although was a huge helping, tasted fairly dry and somewhat charred.

Overall though, it was a great rendition. And my RIT buddy confirmed. It more than filled an empty stomach and satisfied a perfect late-night urge for greasy delicious food. Big Slim's should be proud as it clearly puts the Garbage Plate on the map here in 'cuse.

Additional notes...

- They do deliver with a $20 minimum and within a 3 mile radius. Best to call for details.

- While not necessarily related to this restaurant, how cool would it be to see coneys and/or Tater Tots as options in Garbage Plates?

I'd go out on a limb and say that Big Slim's hit a home run, or at least a triple, with their concept of healthy food and greasy late night offerings both existing in the same place within the confines of Armory Square. This way both sides of the spectrum can enjoy what they have to offer: the Downtown lunch goer on an afternoon weekday and the 20-something roué on a weekend night. (First and last time I'll ever use that word. Thank you, thesaurus).

I'll have to head over for lunch one of these days. Also, the wings were a nice surprise to see on the menu, so I'll have to give those a try too. For late night and definitely for a garbage plate, I'd say give it a shot. I found it to be very a clean place with tasty food and quick and friendly service.

My rating of Big Slim's Grill:

Review: Darwin

Name: Darwin
Address: 211 N Clinton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 373-0484
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.darwinonclinton.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Deli
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Friday 9 AM - 3 PM
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes (with a $40 minimum to businesses)

A rare, early nice day in the year called for a trip to Darwin for lunch, the little deli tucked away on Clinton Street just north of Clinton Square. I went there once last year after they had just opened, but figured they were about due for another trial. Walking in was like night and day compared to a year ago. While it's still a really small place, what was once a slightly awkward and cramped setup is much more streamlined and open-air feeling. The cooking and prep areas take up a large portion of the interior, but they've managed to make enough room for stacks of soda and chips for the customers to grab on their way to the pay station, display cases for drinks and deserts, separate ordering and pick-up stations (on the right and left, respectively), and a quaint counter by the window for seating, eating, and people watching. The counter is a really nice touch and is about a 7 foot long clean chopping block-style counter top with about 5 stools underneath. Overall, a much more cohesive and functioning interior for both the customers and workers.

Displayed overhead is a large chalk board with the daily happenings. Their menu changes weekly and typically borrows flavors from New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Texas, Boston, and California, just to name a few. On this particular visit, some of the main selections featured were The Big Easy muffaletta (with thin layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, and provolone, covered in a homemade marinated olive spread), the Bikini Bottom Crabby Patty (fried Maryland-style crab cake on a Harrison roll with homemade tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, and red onions), Pork Cubano (shredded pork with Virginia baked ham, melted Swiss, dill pickle spears, spicy brown mustard on a French loaf), Darwin's Rock Shrimp Po' Boy, Two Ships Passing in The Night, for the vegetarians (mozzerela, marinated portabello mushrooms, red onions, parmesean crusted tomato, fresh spinach and basil on stretch bread with homemade creamy balsamic dressing), and their best seller, Darwin's Midnight Train to Georgia (prime rib roast on Pasta's stretch loaf topped with Swiss cheese, frizzled red onions, and horseradish mayo). Darwin also features homemade soups and salads, homemade sides like sesame noodles, coleslaw, and mac-n-cheese, and chocolate chip and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. For Fridays, they offer a fish fry with breaded Fish Cove haddock and on weekday mornings, they offer Paul deLima coffee, fresh squeezed OJ, breakfast pizza, and blueberry and cranberry lemon scones.

They tend to keep many of the sandwiches and sides on the menu for a few weeks or so, but there's usually something new on the menu every week. A good suggestion is to view it online before stopping in.

The order...

NYC Lobster Roll: $11
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque: $3
Chocolate Chip Cookie: $2
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $17.28

Clockwise from upper left is the Roasted Red Pepper Bisque, a piece of stretch bread from Pasta's, the NYC Lobster Roll, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie from Yum Yum Bakery. After I was handed my order, the cashier said, "Enjoy your lobster rolls!", I said something like, "Oh, I will!" but in my head I'm thinking "Rolls? As in plural? Are these going to be like the sad display of twin lobster rolls I received on a recent Red Lobster visit?" (For what it's worth, they were not good: salty, expensive, small, burnt, and filled with tasteless, shredded claw meat, which is half the reason why I needed to order them again at Darwin three days later). These mopped the floor with them. Actually, Darwin's lobster rolls were just about the best I've had anywhere here or in New England. First of all, it's a huge portion size of not just lobster meat, but of a roll in general. This is closer to a lobster sub. It was filled with extremely tender and fresh, whole pieces of lobster claw meat practically falling out at all points, thinly dressed in a light Hellman's mayo with pieces of chopped celery and scallions, fitted on a bed of fresh Romaine lettuce, and stuffed in a DiLaruo's sub roll that was lightly toasted with butter and a hint of garlic. TO DIE FOR. If you're craving a lobster roll in Syracuse, you may as well look nowhere else. This is about as good as you'll find anywhere around here. And $11 really isn't all that bad when you consider that this could easily be $20 in Boston or New York. But the highlight for me was really the great taste of lobster meat, how it wasn't ripped apart so much to look like scraps, and how it wasn't overly dressed with mayo and fillers. Just a great tasting lobster roll all around. If it's any consolation, I'm a little guy and consumed the entire thing in about 8 minutes.

The Roasted Red Pepper Bisque was really tasty: a somewhat thick tomato based puree with bits of onions, scallions, garlic, and roasted red peppers that overall was zesty, garlicy, and full of flavor. I'm not normally a soup person, but I would definitely order this again. I probably could've just gotten a bowl of this bisque for lunch and would've been content. And you really can't complain about getting Pasta's stretch bread as a garnish, which was perfect for dipping. Plus, it's always great seeing one local business supporting another.

On a whim, I picked up a delicious Yum Yum Bakery chocolate chip cookie on display on top of the counter. It was very good: chewy, not at all dried out, and had a perfect amount of sugar. Though, I'm a chocolate fiend and would've liked to have seen a little more chips in the cookie. A quick google search of the bakery suggests that it may have been gluten free.

Other notes...

- I would LOVE to see them open on Saturdays, but understand that there may not be a demand during the weekends like there is during the week.

- They do offer delivery, but specifically for Downtown and local business and a minimum of $40. Faxing can be made by signing up for their fax list every Monday morning. More details here.

- Darwin is an off-shoot of Riley's Restaurant, located at 312 Park St in the Northside.

If you're in the vicinity for lunch during the week, give them a shot. Now that the weather's getting nicer, Clinton Square makes a decent eating spot when the fountain is running as do the few tables right outside the restaurant when the warmth permits. Overall, it was a superb lunch. The chefs are really doing some cool things at Darwin with fresh ingredients, thoughtful and flavorful recipes, a menu full of weekly surprises, ideas that are perfectly executed, and best of all, they're all in good spirits and very friendly. With all of those things happening, it makes you want to go over there more often. This particular visit was definitely worthy of 5 stars, but I've only been there twice and really would like to try a few more things before placing them in the 5 star category. 4 for now and I'll definitely be back soon. I can't wait to try out their po' boy and fish fry Fridays.

My rating of Darwin:

Review: La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill

Name: La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill
Address: 409 S Clinton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 422-8811
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.lataqueriagrill.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Mexican
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10:30 AM - 10 PM, Thursday to Friday 10:30 AM - 3AM, Saturday 11 AM - 3 AM
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Catering: Yes

I hesitated stopping in here for dinner as I walked by it on my way up Clinton St (I was heading towards Lao Village and in dire need of some red curry). After arriving at my destination only to find it was closed for the day for no apparent reason, I walked back to Armory Square and decided to give La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill a try.

In what was the former Cafe Gyro Basha (a mediocre gyro place that used bagged lettuce with carrots as filling. Blel!), and the former Slices (a decent pizza substitute for Armory Square late nighters whenever Nick's was too crowded) is now home to La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill - a Mexican-style off-shoot of Dolce Vita World Bistro on E Genesee St. Since opening earlier this year, the place began its mark with a complete interior and exterior makeover that brought in a cafeteria-style ordering station, foundation restructuring and expansion, separate dining areas, and was completed with a tasteful, Hacienda-style look on the outside. It was a huge overhaul and a major improvement from the shoddiness and badly lit interior that existed there just a couple of years prior. The inside also features clean and cohesive looking tables and chairs, a huge flat screen TV over a fireplace, and stools up near the window overlooking Clinton Street. It's a very warm and relaxing atmosphere (at least on this occasion - I can't necessarily vouch for the lunch crowd rush).

Again, ordering is cafeteria-style with a few members of the staff hosting different stations and handling each aspect of the food. While they specialize in mostly burritos, tacos, and quesadillas here, there's a few other surprises on the menu like potato salad (with red potatoes, avocado, and jalapenos), stuffed peppers (baked green peppers stuffed with beef and rice and topped with cheese), and the grande nachos (with with about every topping choice available). The tacos and burritos come with your standard choice of fillings as well as choices like tequila-lime marinated tofu, chicken marinated in chipotle habanero sauce, homemade salsas, and fresh jalapenos and cilantro. It's nice not to be charged for each individual ingredient for the burritos, but opt for sour cream and guacamole and it will run your meal a little higher. Bottled drinks and fountain drinks are available and are mostly Coca-Cola products. And I did spy me some Jarritos.

The order...

Carnitas Burrito: $6.50
Soda with Chips & Salsa combo: $2.00
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $10

Chips and salsa? Meh. Not terrible. The mild salsa was kind of bland, had scallions in it, and had a ton of cilantro (which is one of my favorite herbs, but it was a bit overbearing). Chips were a tad on the stale side. In the small paper cup, that's a free sample of the habanero pepper salsa. Unfortunately, I don't really remember anything else about it.

Also pictured (in foil) is the Carnitas Burrito with Mexican pulled pork, cilantro lime rice, black beans, mild salsa, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, and red onions.

Honestly, I wasn't too keen on the burrito. The cilantro lime rice sounded good in theory, but didn't really have any noticeable cilantro presence or lime taste, the red onions were really strong and over-whelming, and the floor tortilla was a really strange texture - it's hard to explain, but it was really, really dry, pulled apart easily, and one of the oddest flour tortillas I can remember having. As for the large portion of pulled pork inside, it was relatively dry (despite being dredged in the traditional meat liquid before serving) and was really off-putting. For lack of a better description, it tasted like powdered beef jerky and was a taste that I really couldn't get past, especially because there was so much of it. Beef jerky isn't so bad on its own, but I'd rather not have it in burrito form. It kind of through off the entire experience for me.

I'm not really sure if this was a bad meal or if I just wasn't in the mood for it. I'd rather not give a bad review based on being unmotivated before even walking into a place. But at the same time, nothing really excited me. It caters towards the lunch and late night crowds, but it's also not a bad stop for a sit-down meal and a quick dinner. Points for fast and friendly service (a great spot for food on-the-go), a nice menu, and a comfortable, fresh, and clean interior. I'd give the food a low rating for this particular experience, but I wouldn't rule out going back again. The menu has some other enticing options that I'd be willing to give a try for next time.

My rating of La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill:

Review: J Ryan's Pub

Name: J Ryan's Pub
Address: 253 E Water St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 399-5533
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.facebook.com/pages/Syracuse-NY/J-Ryans-Pub-in-Syracuse-NY/205867684374
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Bar Food, Sandwiches, Burgers
Bar Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM, Sunday 12 PM to 11 PM
Alcohol: Beer with limited liquor selection
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Takes Reservations: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Delivery: No

In a spot that was once the former MacGregor's and Kelly Cole's, J Ryan's continues the tradition of Downtown beer bar in its own unique way. Although not technically within the confines of Hanover Square, it's a very short walk from there or Clinton Square and one of the few thriving businesses located on the desolate border between Downtown and the Northside.

It's a cozy place with black and white checkered flooring, neon signs in the windows, a low ceiling, and with plenty of seating at small tables, at the bar, or outside (when weather permits). Pretty much every spot in the place is utilized in some way by a zigzagged style bar with tons of beer on tap, a pool table, a jukebox (with a good selection of music that's never played too loudly), electronic darts, an ATM, and Big Buck Hunter. And with plenty of flat screen TVs scattered about at all corners and walls, there's definitely not a bad spot in the place to watch a game.

J Ryan's claim to fame? 69 beers on tap. Yes, 69. Kind of hard to believe that there can be this many affordable beers and such a huge variety in a generally small establishment, but they're able to fit them all in here. Everything from stouts, IPAs, local microbrews, and selections from Bear Republic, Horseheads, Troeg's, Rooster Fish, and Sly Fox to name just a few from the large selection. For lack of a better word, it's a supurb listing and probably the best in Central New York. If you can't make up your mind on what to order by the taps lining the bar, there's a beer menu as well as a huge, easy-to-read chalkboard listing every beer option available. The staff and bartenders are also extremely friendly and welcome any questions, so don't hesitate to ask if you're undecided.

Other beer notes...

- Every night there's a "$2 Holla Special" which features 2 selected beers on tap for $2 (served in an 11-ounce glass) or for $9 a pitcher.

- There's a storage cooler as you walk through the E Water St entrance with large glass bottles of beer for sale.

- Growlers are available for $5, which makes them one of the few bars in Syracuse to do so.

J Ryan's menu features your standard pub fare like wings, fried foods, soups, salads, sandwiches (like the beef on weck), wraps, and angus burgers. Choice-wise, I'd say it's right in the middle between traditional and slightly upscale bar food. And if one of the 70-ish varieties of beer does not entice you, there's non-alcoholic drinks available like sodas, juices, milk, hot chocolate, pink lemonade, and fresh-brewed iced tea.

The order...

Onion Rings: $5
Bubba Plate: $8.95
Great White Wit (not pictured): $4
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip (approx): $22

Pictured above are J Ryan's beer-battered onion rings.

Not too bad. I really liked the flavor of the batter (beer-battered, which I believe was black and tan based). Excellent crunchiness and perfectly cooked onions (biting right into the ring didn't result in the onion strand coming out). Personally, I wasn't really a fan of the texture. I prefer onion rings with a flakier batter, not something so rigid, but these were still good none the less. No dipping sauce, which was kind of a let-down. A mustard-horseradish-style dip would've fit nicely.

The Bubba Plate, J Ryan's personal take on the traditional Garbage Plate, consists of mac salad, fries, 2 cheeseburgers, meat sauce, and onions. All and all, I was impressed by this. Mainly because I expected not to be blown away (we're in Syracuse, not Rochester). The plate featured crunchy fries with the skins on, freshly chopped onions that weren't too overwhelming, thick and juicy ground angus beef that was cooked very well, and topped with a spicy meat sauce that blended everything on the plate together nicely. Though within the style of a true garbage plate, I would've liked to see a bit more grease at the bottom of the plate. Though not unwelcome, this was more like a "clean" version. It's a huge portion and I barely finished it, so you certainly get your money's worth. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the mac salad, which I thought was a bit flavorless and overly gooey. Overall though, thumbs up. I'd order it again. My one major regret from living in The Rock briefly was never going to Nick Tahou's for late night, so it's nice to know that there's a decent option right here in 'cuse.

J Ryan's is slowly moving up on my list of favorite Syracuse bars. And with the recent closure of Clark's Ale House, it's only moved up further. It's a great place to drink, comfortably socialize, watch a game, and enjoy some decent bar food. If you love beer, you will love J Ryan's. 5 stars for beer, 3.5 for food.

My rating of J Ryan's Pub:

Mini-Review: Darwin

Name: Darwin
Address: 211 N Clinton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: 315-214-5036
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.darwinonclinton.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Deli, Sandwiches, Breakfast
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 2:30 PM
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: No (will be available by Fall of '10)

Since the newly opened and little sandwich shop on N Clinton St will be evolving its menu every week until a final one is picked out in the fall, I'm going to hold off giving a rating and full review until then...

Darwin springs out of the mind of Terry Riley, owner of Riley's on Park Street (a sister restaurant, if you will). It's one of several new restaurants that have been making their way Downtown recently. While the place is small with no seating inside (at least on this visit), a couple of tables outside seem like a great spot to enjoy a meal along Clinton Street. A chalkboard above the counter displays the weekly menu items, as well as a salad of the week, brisket of the week, sides (like noodles, roasted potatoes), soups, a vegetarian option, and breakfast sandwiches. The chef's are all very friendly, so if you have a suggestion or any questions about anything on menu, they're glad to help.

Being that sign in the shop reads "If you've had the 'best sandwich ever' from somewhere in your travels, we'd love to hear about it.", may I shamelessly make a suggestion that the vegetarian option for one of the weeks be a pressed sandwich with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, sliced mozzarella, olive oil, salt and pepper (as a nod to the best sandwich I've ever had). Simple ingredients, but if they'd could pull it off, I'd be there every day of the week.

The ingredients are home grown and homemade and what they don't make here, they try to incorporate from other local business like DiLauro's Bakery, Pasta's Daily Bread, Gianelli Sausage, and Liehs & Steigerwald, to name a few. In the coming weeks, additions such as a fish fry Friday and Riley's raspberry pie will be making an appearance. On this particular visit, a Chicago-style hot dog was available (made with Liehs & Steigerwald's and baked on fresh DiLauro's bread topped with mustard, onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, sport peppers, and celery salt). Extremely tempting, but maybe next time. For now, I decided go with the main sandwich...

Darwin's Week 1 Sandwich consisted of sliced turkey, cranberry aoli, sauteed spinach, and Swiss cheese on a freshly baked DiLauro's Bakery whole wheat roll (and served with a complimentary fireball candy).

Though I'm not big on whole wheat bread, this sandwich was extremely tasty. The melted cheese, warm turkey (roasted on the premises), and freshly sauteed spinach all went very well together and the aoli provided a really interesting and sweet kick. Surprisingly a great combination of flavors going on and a big portion too.

Also pictured is Riley's cranberry coleslaw (served in a convenient Asian-style take-out box).

I realize the monotony of picking out two items on the menu with cranberries, but I thought I'd go with it anyway.

Tender red and green cabbage, fresh carrots, chopped cranberries, and a not too overwhelmingly mayo taste (I'm picky about my coleslaw mix, sometimes it can be too mayo-ie or not enough - this was perfect). Great coleslaw.

They're really doing some smart and creative things here at Darwin. It seems like a little chef's science lab where they're trying out all different ideas from around the country to see what will work, all the while taking in suggestions from visitors. It's kind of fun to see how the menu changes from week to week. I'll be going back as the weeks and menu progress. Give them a shot if you haven't already.

Review: Fresco Tortillas Grill

Name: Fresco Tortillas Grill
Address: 214 Walton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 472-8226
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.yelp.com/biz/fresco-tortillas-syracuse
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex, Asian Fusion
Restaurant Hours: 11 AM to 9:30 PM Monday-Thursday, 11 AM to 10:30 PM Friday-Saturday, 12 PM to 10 PM Sunday
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes

Ummmm...

Uhhhhhh...

Errrrr...

I don't like writing negative reviews. Mainly because I don't want to bash a place that is just trying to fit in. But I have no idea what to make of this place. Objectively, I suppose you could call the food here Asian Fusion, but it's more or less a Chinese restaurant attempting to serve Mexican food.

In what was the old Movino's Pizza location on Walton Street, Fresco Tortillas and Grill has been open in Armory Square for about a year now. The name is borrowed from a family restaurant in New York City of the same. Other local family businesses include Dragon City and Oishi Sushi.

Inside are a few high tables, tall chairs, a flat screen TV playing the news, and a counter in the back for ordering. I was the only person in here sans for what I assume was the owner's child playing with toys around one of the tables.

The menu is laid out like a typical Chinese restaurant with numbers along sides of menu items. It's relatively small, but has some tempting options like nachos, taco locos (flour tortilla with cheese wrapping a hard shell taco), tostadas, chili con carne, and quesadillas (the mixed vegetable with bok choy, baby corn, and carrots is probably the perfect example of "Asian Fusion" here). A decent portion of the menu is made in-house including the beans, salsa, tortilla chips, and flour tortillas.

The order...

Chicken Burrito: $4.99
Shrimp Taco: $3.09
Sprite: $1.09
Total money spent with tax & tip: $9.60

The food came out extremely fast. Probably the quickest I've ever gotten food that wasn't fast food. There was something kind of awkward about being in there by myself the 1-2 minutes while I was waiting for my food. The interior is kind of strange and uncomfortable, so when I got my meal (which had already been placed into a plastic bag) I decided to take it over to Armory Square Park and eat outside.

Pictured here is the shrimp taco with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese all in a hard shell.

The taco shell was good; a nice crunch and served warm, but nothing else really held up. The shrimp was more or less the stir-fry kind you'd find at a Chinese buffet and there were large pieces of lettuce with just a couple pieces of tomatoes inside. The salsa and sour cream both came in separate mini plastic containers. Although it's advertised as homemade, the salsa was essentially what you'd expect from any canned salsa. A pretty basic taco, but I didn't finish the shrimp (which is blasphemous in my family).

BURRITO BALL.

Pictured above is the chicken burrito: a grilled 12-inch flour tortilla served with chicken, white rice, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

A HUGE portion size (essentially a giant rolled up ball of food), but most of which consisted of rice and beans. Very few tomatoes, large pieces of romaine lettuce, and generally bland black beans. While hot and fully cooked, the chicken was moist, albeit a little spongy, and the rice was pretty soggy (dare I say, sticky rice?). I did like the grilled flour tortilla, but the rest left a lot to be desired. Certainly edible, but I just wasn't up for finishing it.

Some other things of note...

- Fresco offers catering to nearby businesses

- They also offer delivery within Downtown with a $10 minimum

I suppose if you like the individual ingredients (say, beans, cheese, or rice) it will suffice here. Nothing was really coming together for me though. The tortillas were respectable, but what's a tortilla if the actual ingredients don't hold up? It's very quick food, so if you're stretched for time during a lunch break, it might do. I think my money may have been more well-spent had I walked across the street and picked out a roll or two at Sakana-Ya.

Sorry, Fresco. I know you're trying, but I wasn't feelin it. A half star for friendly service.

My rating of Fresco Tortillas Grill:

Review: The Blue Tusk

Name: The Blue Tusk
Address: 165 Walton St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: 315-472-1934
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.bluetusk.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Upscale Bar Fare, Sandwiches
Bar Hours: 11 AM to 2 AM Monday-Saturday
Restaurant Hours: 11 AM to 11 PM Monday-Saturday
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Alcohol: Full Bar

On a snowy afternoon and looking for some lunch prior to the big SU basketball game, I wandered into Blue Tusk on Walton Street in Armory Square.

Inside is a tad upscale compared to most local bars, yet it doesn't prevent the place from being fun, casual and lively complete with friendly bartenders and a good mix of patrons (on this particular visit, it was filled with a plethora of suburban entitled SU fans and families, but I digress...). The vibe is really laid back and comfortable and the music selection, via Sirius Satellite Radio, fits in well too. It's more or less indie rock and jam bands, but it ties in really nicely with the whole ambiance. For what it's worth, the music was also set at a perfect volume (I really can't stand when a place has it inappropriately loud or is playing the wrong style). Thumbs up.

Speaking of music, there's quite a bit of Grateful Dead themes going on here (artwork on the front of the menu, the website design, and even music that was playing as I was ordering my food). I'm not a big Dead fan honestly, but it's nice to see that they have a theme and a brand down. It's good marketing.

There's plenty of different areas to grab a seat or table: there's a few long, cafeteria-style tables in the back room, a couple small and intimate booths in the middle room (which is very reminiscent of my old College bar hangout), stools and a long counter along side the expansive windows facing Walton Street, stools at the bar, and tables up near the main entrance that overlook the pedestrian courtyard and walkway between Walton and Jefferson Streets. And weather permitting, there's a lot of outdoor seating at the courtyard and along Walton Street which is great for groups, socializing, people watching, and eating outdoors in the city.

Ordering food and ordering drinks takes place at two separate areas: the counter off to the side is for ordering food and where you'll see menus and a list of daily specials, while the bar is solely for drinks (on occasion you can consult the bar staff for a menu and order food as long as it's not too busy). There's no table seating and if you end up getting both drinks and food, bills are on separate checks.

Needless to say, with 69 beers on tap, the beer selection is phenomenal here. It's without a doubt the biggest variety in the city. Not only does Blue Tusk boast Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Duvel (which was St. Patties green on this occasion), Ommegang Witte, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA all on tap, but also features a nice selection of champagne, white and red wines, and various bourbons at their full bar. Beer tends to lean on the pricier side for Syracuse (about $5 a pint) but totally worth it given the quantity and quality to choose from.

The menu is creative for pub food and even gourmet in some cases. There's some really unique and interesting things to choose from like quesadillas (like the prosciutto and brie with cranberry chutney), specialty salads, chowders, gourmet soups, cured meats and cheeses, cold Mediterranean vegetable plates, grilled panini, specialty sandwiches like pigs in zen (with pulled pork, pâté, bacon, kimchi, red onion, cilantro, mayo and hot chile sauce on a round roll), and a carving board with meats that are slow roasted on premise and hand-carved to order. It's really a fantastic menu with a lot of temping choices.

The order...

Middle Ages Local Real Ale: $5
Jambalaya: $4.50
Lobster BLT: $11.75
Total money spent with tax & tip: $23.25

Pictured here next to the pager that you receive after placing your menu order, is Middle Ages Brewing Company's Local Real Ale: fresh cask conditioned ale, hand-pulled with authentic British beer engines.

A darkish, amber colored ale with an extremely smooth taste. A bit like a pale ale but with a significantly less overwhelming aftertaste. An excellent beer that by chance had just been delivered here the day prior.

Pictured above is the jambalaya (with white rice and thinly sliced pieces of sausage, onions, and celery) served with stretch bread.

The soup was served hot (a huge pet peeve of mine when it isn't), but I would have preferred a meatier and spicier sausage and maybe an additional vegetable (like peppers) as it seemed like it was missing some sustenance. There was a little bit of spice in there, but overall it was all a tad flavorless. Not bad by any means, but I'll opt for a different soup next time. As for the bread, it was great for dipping into the Jambalaya. I have this theory that if you add Pasta's stretch bread to anything, it instantly kicks everything up a level of awesomeness. Love it.

Also above is the lobster BLT: homemade knuckle and claw lobster salad, bacon, Gruyère cheese, Romaine lettuce, and thinly sliced tomatoes and red onions on a flaky croissant.

For what it's worth, I'm a huge lobster fan. It can be tough to find it on a menu in 'cuse, so seeing it here was a bit refreshing. But oh man, the lobster was really tasty - especially considering we're not anywhere near the coast. While the "salad" aspect was a bit non-existent (I wouldn't have minded a slightly better presence of mayo or salt and pepper), the lobster tasted very fresh. It's hard to bicker about missing subtleties when the main ingredient tastes so good on its own. Also, I've never had Gruyère cheese before, but it's a really unassuming cheese that's a bit like a mild Swiss and fits in really well here. Add fresh veggies and smokey bacon and it was a really good combination of tastes. Overall, it was an excellent sandwich with great textures and a nice balance of very fresh ingredients. I would definitely order this again (maybe even splurge the extra $6 and get double meat) but I'm just as enticed by a lot of other things on the menu.

Some other things of note...

- Space is available for parties in the back room and can be reserved at no charge. Check their official website for details.

- Happy Hour runs from 11 AM to 8 PM every day. $1 off all 20 oz pints and $10 off all bottles of wine.

- There's a flat screen TV near the bar that's good for watching a sports game.

- It can get busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

- This may be the only place where you can play Buck Hunter and drink Duvel. I'll have to check on that.

- Again, great place to watch the snowfall if you get a seat near the window.

Overall, I liked it here. It's a hip space in a great location with a creative pub menu and fantastic beer and wine selections. I'd say it's probably a better spot to get some finger food or for lunch than for an actual formal dinner out. It may hint on the pricier side for 'cuse, but with a great vibe, unique menu offerings, a clean and cozy interior, and good mix of people, it's a trade-off that's well worth it.

My rating of The Blue Tusk: