Top 5 Things To Do Downtown Before, During, and After the Clinton Square Tree Lighting

The 7th Annual Holiday Magic in the Square is this Friday, but certainly don't let that be the ONLY thing you do while you're downtown. Support your downtown businesses and put some much needed money into the local economy!

Listen: At just a short walk from the Clinton Square festivities, the Chittenango High School Choir will be performing for free at Hanover Square from 7:30 PM to 8 PM on Friday evening. Hot chocolate, coffee, and tea will be offered. More info here.

Skate: In what has grown into one of Syracuse's best destinations, the Clinton Square ice skating rink will officially open on Friday. Though, if you want to avoid the masses of people, I'd advise going skating the day after the tree lighting. More info here.

Sights: Free horse drawn trolley tours in Armory Square. To liven this holiday season with fun, hospitality and a respite from the usual hustle and bustle, Armory Square Association is again inviting families to  enjoy an historic ride through the Square and then relax for refreshments in the beautiful lobby of the Jefferson Clinton Hotel. Tours begin at noon on Saturday, the 29th at run until 3 PM every Saturday through December 20th. More info here.

Eats: Before the festivities, take your loved one out to a romantic dinner and enjoy some French cuisine at L'Adour. Too much? Then head a few blocks south to Clark's Ale House and enjoy some pickled eggs, a hot roast beef sandwich, or some smoked gouda cheese with a Saranac root beer or a Woodchuck Amber Cider - both on tap. Not exactly that romantic dinner, but enough to warm your soul on a chilly night.

Drinks: Happy Hour at Mully's in Armory Square kicks off at 5:30 PM on Fridays - Free pizza, sandwiches, and wings. And a heads up, for those people still wishing for a downtown baseball stadium, check out the framed picture hanging on the wall near the bar for a sketch of what could have been Syracuse's beautiful, pedestrian-friendly baseball stadium.

Honorable mention: Though not technically "Downtown", an 8 minute walk from Clinton Square to Franklin Square and you'll wind up at Freedom of Espresso. Enjoy a tasty hot chocolate or an espresso and relax with a significant other in the park just outside. (Is there anything more picturesque than sipping some hot chocolate while sitting on a bench at Franklin Square Park on a winter evening? Me thinks not).

Other suggestions? Feel free to list them in the comments section.

Review: Brooklyn Pickle (Eastwood)

Name: Brooklyn Pickle (Eastwood)
Address: 2222 Burnet Ave, Syracuse, NY
Neighborhood: Eastwood
Website: www.yelp.com/biz/brooklyn-pickle-syracuse-2
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Deli, Sandwiches, Subs, Soups
Parking: Private lot
Take-Out: Yes
Accepts credit cards: Yes

On a Monday evening, looking for some cheap eats on my way out to the east side of the city, I figured I would stop in to Brooklyn Pickle. I've been to this place multiple times and each time have enjoyed my lunches. But this was my first time coming here at night and as fate would have it, I would have a fairly lousy experience.

I got there a little bit before 7 PM and pulled into the parking lot. There were only a few cars in the lot and hardly anybody inside. Upon entering, I saw one of the busboys stacking chairs on the tables. I was a little confused because there were workers behind the cash registers and some of the lights were off. It really just looked like they were closed or in the process of closing. I asked the busboy what time they close and he said 8, so I still had a good hour until they actually close. I made my way to the counter to order my meal only to see 3 workers behind the counter: One asked what I wanted to order and the other two were blatantly chatting away about their social lives at Syracuse University.

The order...

Roast beef on white with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onions: $3.50
Can of root beer: $1
Total money spent with tax and tip: $4.82

This sandwich took incredibly long to make. Not only that, but one of the other workers was re-filling seafood salad into a container right in front of me. It was really rude. Just given the slow service, it made me feel like I wasn't even supposed to be there. Did I already mention how long it took to make a roast beef sandwich? I almost feel like I could have gone to the grocery store, made homemade mayonnaise, and stacked a sandwich at my house faster than it was made here.

After it was stacked, the worker started putting it into a brown paper bag and I had to inform him that I was going to eat here. I eventually got my sandwich put onto a tray and sat down at one of the nearby booths.

The proportions were out of whack. Way too many tomatoes and the roast beef was uneven and wasn't stacked properly. Though the portions are big, especially given the cheap prices, the roast beef just didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I'm so used to the roast beef at Clark's Ale House. Again, just looking around, it looked like I was here after closing with half the lights being turned off and the entire staff cleaning up around me.

As for the complimentary pickles, they really weren't anything to rave about. You would think with a name like Brooklyn Pickle that they would at least offer a couple of gherkins or something instead of two tiny slices of pickles. Although I admit I didn't actually get a whole pickle, I think you can find much better pickles in the Northside (try Liehs and Steigerwald for starters).

While I was finishing up my meal, a cop walked in and was immediately served a sandwich. Evidently, if you have a gun, you can get a meal really quick here. Maybe I should look me into getting one of those for next time...

I know this wasn't exactly the ideal time to go to a deli, but even so, when you close your business at 8, make sure you close it at 8 and not 7 because you essentially just lost yourself a night time customer. The only thing Brooklyn Pickle really had going for it was the fact that I finished my meal and it was cheap.

My rating of Brooklyn Pickle:

Review: Clark's Ale House

Name: Clark's Ale House
Address: 122 W Jefferson St, Syracuse, NY
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.clarksalehouse.com
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM
Kitchen: Monday-Wednesday 11 AM to 1 AM, Thursday-Saturday 11 AM-2 AM
Cuisine: Sliced-to-order roast beef & turkey sandwiches, cheese plates, coleslaw, & pickled eggs.
Alcohol: Beer and Wine
Parking: Street
Take-out: Yes
Accepts credit cards: No. ATM on-site. $1 charge, reimbursable at bar.
Trivia Night: Wednesdays at 8:15 PM

How fitting that one of my favorite places in in the city and one of the best places to grab a beer in Syracuse is my first review on this blog. That place: Clark's Ale House in Armory Square.

I came into Clark's on Monday evening around 4:30 PM after a walk south down Warren St and crossing Salina St. Very few patrons were inside, a couple at the bar, and a couple at a table by the window both eating roast beef sandwiches. I knew what I wanted to order before I had even walked in. The order...

Roast beef sandwich with cheese & onions: $5.50
Pickled Egg: $1
Brooklyn IPA: $4
Total money spent with tax and tip: $11.24

The decor of Clark's is great; almost like an English pub that's been transported to the edge of Armory Square. The interior is complete with posters of local happenings around town, English beer advertisements lining the walls and a well-crafted, red English phone booth facing the Jefferson Clinton Hotel across the street. Though Clark's can get busy on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM for Trivia Night, there's normally enough seating here: tables with stools along the windows in the main room, a much larger side room with dart boards, an entire upper level with seats and tables, and outdoor seating (given the weather conditions, of course).

The main room is great for some socializing with barflies and the knowledgeable and friendly bartenders are always easy to talk to if you have questions about anything or want to try some samples of beers. And don't miss the great games that Clark's has to offer like REAL darts, Jenga, Trivial Pursuit (among others), and the unique ring/hook game.

The side room is great for people watching and currently even better if you want to track the development and construction of the Jefferson Clinton Commons being built right across the corner. And, for what it's worth, you can also spot the orange-painted trains of Syracuse's failed passenger system, Ontrack, from the windows of Clark's.

Any who, to the important stuff... The bartender was very friendly; slicing the roast beef (which was put onto an onion roll with cheese and thinly sliced red onions), pouring the beer, and then putting the meal on a try complete with self-serve jars of horseradish and spicy mustard. Now normally, Clark's roast beef sandwiches are usually pretty tasty, but this time the entire bottom bun of my sandwich was extremely soggy and would drip of some kind of liquid (water or beef-juice) as soon as I would pick it up. So at the risk of having a totally wet sandwich, I tried finishing as quickly as possible. There was more than enough roast beef there, I'd say about an inch thick, so despite having somewhat of a soggy sandwich, it was still very filling. The pickled egg was A-OK (you can't go wrong with food for $1) and the amber-colored Brooklyn IPA on tap was one of the better beers that I've had all summer.

Despite the dripping sandwich, the meal is good for a pretty solid course if you are by yourself, with a small group of people, or if you are looking for a late-night snack. Though I didn't splurge for it this time, the smoked Gouda cheese plate should definitely not go unnoticed.

My rating of Clark's Ale House: