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: Chorong House

Name: Chorong House
Address: 1121 E Fayette St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 428-0501
Neighborhood: Near Eastside
Website: www.yelp.com/biz/chorong-house-restaurant-syracuse

Cuisine: Korean
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 11 PM
Parking: Private Lot
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Take-Out: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Delivery: No

Following a trip from Green Lakes State Park, the sunny and sweltering Memorial Day called for a stop to Chorong House on Fayette Street in the city's Near Eastside. It was just my luck that they were open, as the other places I tried that day were closed for the Holiday. Unassuming from the street and a bit like a big plain, square house in the middle of nowhere, there isn't much else you can say from the outside, except for the "Open" neon sign in the window that guided my arrival. The private parking lot around the side and out back functions a bit more like a driveway, so a helpful tip when pulling in is to try to stay in-line with the rest of the cars (if there are any) as it seemed relatively non-regimented for parking.

There's two separate rooms upon entering through the side entrance. To the left, is the main area, with the kitchen, cashier's counter, and 5 or 6 tables with four chairs each to them. To the right, is a bigger room, with two tables set for floor seating, available for larger groups, and those wishing to use the karaoke machine (which is available by reservation). Mind you, you're essentially walking into a house done over as a restaurant, so ignore the set of staircases in front of you. It was all a tad confusing off the bat, but one of the workers quickly pointed me in the right direction.

It's seat-yourself, so I grabbed a spot at one of the empty tables near the counter and was given a menu and glass of water by the waitress. The interior is a bit like a small divided kitchen molded into a restaurant, so you can literally smell and hear the food being cooked next to you as you peruse the menu. The menu itself is written in both Korean and English, easily legible, and helped with accompanying pictures of specific dishes. Much of the descriptions in it will have to be loosely translated from memory here, as there's no menu online. Highlights include bibimbap, dumplings, fried pancakes, bulgogi, several spicy stews like soon tofu, noodle dishes like chop chae bop and kalguksu (which apparently is rare in 'cuse), and even a sushi roll pops up in the appetizers section.

The drink selection is somewhat limited, with a few canned sodas and beers displayed in a glass cooler near the entrance. Though trumped by this is the fact that they offer a few different kinds of soju here, which is the only place in Syracuse where I've noticed it before. Soju is essentially, an alcoholic drink similar to vodka but a bit sweeter. It was tempting, but I wasn't sure of its alcohol level and wanted to stay safe for driving home (on further investigation, it's usually stronger than wine and probably better for sharing, so it was a good decision). I really wanted to try some of the soups and stews too, but the day wasn't calling for it. It was way too hot to even contemplate doing so. The order...

Vegetable pancake: $8
Beef Bulgogi: $15
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $27

Exuse the iPhone quality and food that's been half-eaten in these pictures. I didn't feel ready to snap any pictures until later on through the meal.

Counterclockwise from top right: kimchi (napa cabbage), black beans, white rice, scallions, mac salad, and namul greens (forgive me if that last one is incorrect).

First up was the complimentary banchan brought to the table along with my appetizer. If you don't know, banchan is basically small Korean side dishes typically served cold, but come in hundreds of different varieties. I have this theory that most of it is somewhat of an acquired taste, due to the pickling, fermenting, and vinegars that takes place beforehand. I've slowly started to like most of the varieties since trying it for the first time a few years ago, but every now and then a few dishes, specifically the kimchi, still take some getting used to. However, I can pretty much put that notion to bed after having them at Chorong House. It's miles above anything remotely comparable in Syracuse or any of the other few places I've had it outside the city.

Most of these were really tasty, but my favorite by far were the green onions, which had good punch of chili heat and tasted extremely fresh. Granted I'm a picky eater and it wasn't overly filling, but it's the only time I've finished a whole small dish of banchan. The greens were next and they were outstanding. With a texture similar to swiss chard or spinach, they had a nice, light fresh taste to them and somewhat of a salty pickled taste as well. Following that was the napa cabbage, which was equally as good. Typically, there's always that initial tasting moment with napa cabbage kimchi that I almost have to force myself to get past. I found myself doing it at first here, but slowly realized that I didn't have to as I found it to be pleasantly spicy, flavorful, not overly pungent or fermented, and just delicious.

Yes, they even have macaroni salad. And believe it or not, it's actually not bad. Essentially, it seemed to be only mayonnaise and macaroni with a few green beans tossed in, but even so, I found myself picking at it more often than I thought I would. The pasta was cooked perfectly and whatever mayo was used, it had a thicker than normal consistency and yet remained both light and filling. I'd even dare to guess that it was homemade. The black beans, however, were a different story and not that appetizing. They were very hard, bland, and not as flavorful as any of the other side dishes. Also, I'm not necessarily an expert on technique, but the beans were a little difficult to pick with chopsticks.

Overall though, the banchan was excellent. There was nothing was overly pickled, briny tasting, or too spicy, and none of it needed to be. It was a very refreshing and a perfectly light start for a meal, most specifically highlighted by the beautiful scallions and greens. A bit of online digging reveals that they have their own vegetable garden out back and pickle and freeze everything themselves, which is a testament to how fresh everything was. And after sampling it here, I'd even consider getting the kimchi in an actual meal for next time as both kimchi sundubu and kimchi jeyuk bokkeum are on the menu.

The vegetable pancake was to-die-for! A little charring, caramelization, and grease (the good kind) on the outsides, while the inside remained light, doughy, and slightly airy. Large pieces of fully-cooked scallions and thinly sliced carrots stuffed in and around the crust, a hint of garlic, and the perfect, bubbly crunch on the outside edges gave the whole thing an outstanding flavor. It was served extremely hot and probably proof that it had just been hand-made and fried several minutes prior to being devoured. The dipping sauce was soy based and yet not overly salty. I found it to be a great light and tangy sauce for dunking. A few online reviews mention Chorong's seafood-style pancake which is supposed to be excellent as well and I knew that going in. Now I'm wishing that I hadn't shied away from it. I'll definitely have to give it a shot for next time.

If you've ever had the potato pancakes at Eva's, which are also superb, these vegetable ones were actually very similar in taste and just as delicious, if not more. It's strange to compare the two, but it just shows you how two authentic restaurants representing different countries and cuisines in the world can have something that's so randomly identical as this.

The beef bulgogi was wonderful - long, sauteed and crisp strands of white and green onions, thinly sliced pieces of sizzling marinated grilled beef (which near the end of the meal become delightfully caramelized by the hot pan it was served on), and topped with a good amount of freshly chopped scallions. The sticky rice was excellent on its own and only further made the entree that much more enjoyable when it was pieced together with grilled bits of beef and lightly charred white onions. Deeeeelish. (I'll stray from ever using that word again. It was really good).

Additional notes...

- There's a lunch special Monday through Friday. I wasn't able to spot the times (I think it's from 11 to 3?). $7.99 for several entree options like soups and bibimbap. Each comes with 3 kinds of kimchi.

- No need to wait for it, just approach the counter when you're ready to get your check. Also there's a 15% gratuity already included.

- Edible Fingerlakes featured an excellent article about the history, gardening, and local vegetable preparation regarding Chorong House that you can read here (scroll halfway down). For example, the mac salad and the occasionally available sliced hot dogs garnished with kimchi reflect the influence of US Military bases and Army surplus rations in Korea. It's definitely a good read and provides some really interesting background about the restaurant's preparation and influences.

A few online reviewers have mentioned that they prefer take-out as oppose to dining in, due to the ambiance. Sure, it might be a dive that's rough around the edges and a place where a new visitor might feel daunted, but it's a very clean and professional resturant. Personally, I felt comfortable there enough by myself the whole time. During my stay, relatively 10 or so visitors shuffled in and out for sit-down and take-out. I was the only white boy there and moreover, the only English-speaking patron. Yet, I was made to feel welcomed by the kind and friendly waitress (who spoke English fluently), the interior's unpretentious and down-to-earth atmosphere, and with its home-style food and charm. I didn't feel uneasy and felt very much relaxed and "at home", which only increased as the great food and flavors continued to set-in.

For you vegetarians, take note, as this place would rank high as one of my top spots for a good vegetarian meal. Everything I tasted was very fresh and very clean, most specifically the vegetables. Further, I fancy myself as an average home cook in most aspects, but this was far from better than anything I could've shallowly attempted to make in my own kitchen. I'm not even Korean and the food just had this overwhelmingly and delicious home-cooked feel and comfort-level quality to it. I was full and still found myself using my metalic chopsticks numerous times after setting them down to pick at more and more kimchi, thinly sliced beef, and fried pancake pieces, which is a good sign to represent how great of a meal it was.

I have several reasons for starting this blog and devoting time to it, but Chorong House is the prime example of the type of place I was originally hoping to discover in Syracuse. I will definitely be back here for take-out, lunch, or dinner again. I'm hooked and this visit unexpectedly helped make for a great meal and end to a perfect Memorial Day.

My rating of Chorong House:

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: