Review: Empire Brewing Co

Name: Empire Brewing Co
Address: 120 Walton St, Syracuse, NY
Neighborhood: Downtown (Armory Square)
Website: www.empirebrew.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Traditional Bar Food, Creole, Tex-Mex
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:30 AM to 10 PM, Friday-Saturday 11:30 AM to 11 PM, Sunday 11:30 AM to 3 PM, 3:30 PM to 9 PM
Bar Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:30 AM to Last Call, Friday-Saturday 11:30 AM to 2 AM, Sunday 11:30 AM to Last Call
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Alcohol: Full Bar

With a serious burger urge in my stomach all day, I thought I would venture over to Empire Brewing Co in Armory Square. Located on Walton Street in what feels like a hip, underground bunker, Empire is notoriously home to the some of the best Syracuse-made beer in the city. Inside you get a cool view of everything going on at this place, from the chefs cooking in the open kitchen and the glassed-in brewing facility, to the bartenders serving freshly brewed ales and patrons of all ages enjoying themselves. On a given day, you can find roughly 6 to 8 styles of Empire's beer on tap as well as live music on Thursdays and Fridays with 1/2 price deals at the bar all day on Thursdays (1/2 price on Empire beers, 1/2 price on wines by the glass, and 1/2 price cocktails). Don't miss their Happy Hour too (or Hoppy Hour). Times are n/a so just call for details.

Not only is Empire Brewing Company the first business in Central New York to have 100% New York State produced renewable energy, they also pride themselves on using local ingredients whenever possible - such as Gianelli Sausage, Big Mama's Cheesecake, and Plainville Farms to name just a few. Yes, they deserve serious props for this.

The beer and wine selection are both good with a nice range of house-made beer selections and a good offering of New York State wines. If you're new to the beer at Empire (or have fallen in love with them already) they offer $15 growlers for getting beer to-go and a $10 "beer sampler" where you can try a small glass of each of their brews.

There's a lot going on with the menu. I was merely up for a burger and fries, but they really have a bunch of different dishes here - to the point where I think they could clean it up a bit. I liked the way it was designed and organized (small plates, big plates, etc...) but the concepts were conflicting and a bit confusing if you're trying to gauge what type of cuisine they actually offer. For example, they serve calamari, pizza, gumbo, burgers, Indonesian sauces, pasta dishes, burritos, ribs, and lobster egg rolls - among other things. Being proud to serve local ingredients is great, but I think they could fine-tune the genre a bit, just so the overall menu concept(s) seems a bit more concise and directed - rather than a jumble of different kinds of random foods.

The order...

India Pale Ale: $5
Jambalaya: $6br> Bentley Burger (w/side of Fresh-Cut Fries): $9br> Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $25.60

Without sounding like I'm tooting my own horn, I consider myself to be fairly well-rounded in terms of liking different kinds of beers. And yet I honestly have a hard time enjoying, much less finishing, any beer that I've ever had at Empire. There's something about their beers where they leave a very bitter, uncomfortable and lingering aftertaste in your mouth. And the IPA on this occasion was no different. Hoppy and citrusy, but with an extremely annoying bitterness that made it hard for me to want to finish it. Though, perhaps this whole issue is just a personal preference. At any rate, I did not like it.

Jambalaya: a rice dish with shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage, and smoked ham seasoned with spices and topped with a homemade Creole sauce.

I wasn't really a fan of this. It was spicy an all but the flavors just didn't line up. The ingredients in Jambalaya are supposed to interlock and blend together (like a stew, for instance) and this just tasted like 5 or 6 ingredients thrown on top of each other with some spices mixed in. Not only that, but the rice was very overcooked and tasted mushy. And baby shrimps? C'mon. There was just no love in this (yes, you should be able to taste the love in Jambalaya). Also, cooling down the spiciness of this dish with their IPA didn't work for me and actually made the heat linger more. Empire should seriously consider putting beer pairings after each dish on the menu. For example, I think something like the Downtown Brown in this case would have accompanied the Jambalaya a bit better instead of the IPA. Not only would this suggestion be good in terms of taste, but it might give some initial thoughts to those who are unfamiliar with their styles of beer and what they taste like before ordering what they want to eat.

Pictured here is the Bentley Burger. Grilled, black angus beef with chipotle mayo, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions.

I have to say that I liked this burger a lot and it was a pleasant surprise after being fairly disappointed with my beer and Jambalaya. Juicy and perfectly cooked angus beef with the right amount of fresh lettuce, onions, spicy mayo, melted cheese, and a layer of large, creatively-cut pickles. No ketchup (I love ketchup on a burger) but they give you enough in a small bowl on the side for your fries so I was able to use some of that. I wasn't crazy about the fries. I think I expected somewhat larger cut fries - maybe even steak fries - but these were kind of a let-down. Fairly dry and bland. And for the record, I hate when fries have that weird breading on the outside (you know what I'm talking about). Something happened to American's perception of fries sometime during the early-1990's and I put the blame on Burger King. Give me some normal, lightly salted fries with the skin on and I'm a happy camper.

A few things of note...

Service was slow. It was a Sunday night, not incredibly busy, and yet it took a good 15 minutes to get the check after the waiter disappeared.

They also have a "Blues Brunch" menu served from 11:30 AM to 3 PM on weekends with breakfast pizza, breakfast fajitas, and other creative brunch dishes.

Overall, I love the decor of Empire, love that they proudly use local ingredients, love that they are keen about energy usage, and love that they make their own beer, but everything that I ordered fell flat - with the only strong point being the burger itself. I would go back for it again but would rather try my luck with a different beer, different side, and a different appetizer choice.

My rating of Empire Brewing Co:

Review: The Mission Restaurant

Name: The Mission Restaurant
Address: 304 E Onondaga St Syracuse, NY
Neighborhood: Downtown (Columbus Circle)
Website: www.themissionrestaurant.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Mexican and Pan-American
Alcohol: Beer and Wine
Hours: Monday 11:30 AM to 2 PM, Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 AM to 9 PM, Friday 11:30 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 5 PM to 10 PM, Sunday 4 PM to 9 PM
Parking: On street and occasionally free parking in a private lot on E Onondaga St (call for details)
Accepts credit cards: Yes

Note: I had had only two experiences at The Mission prior to this one: the first being about 8 years ago when they first opened and I remember the food being sub-par, and the second time was this Summer for a birthday dinner (where my family and I were treated to some of the worst service ever). Needless to say, I was hoping on this occasion that The Mission could make me forget my two prior visits. And yes, they succeeded.

I got into The Mission on a Tuesday evening around 5:30. Parking wasn't a problem as I found a spot on Jefferson St and walked about a block and a half to the restaurant. The Mission is uniquely situated in an old Wesleyan Methodist Church at Columbus Circle (complete history here). Inside, you'll see a wide range of colors and some of the best decor in any Syracuse Restaurant: An extended bar on the left side with giant, ordinate columns, stained glass windows letting in natural sunlight, booths on the right for more intimate dining, and a kitchen in the back where you can see the chefs preparing Pan-American and Mexican dishes.

The menu is great and has a nice range of standard Mexican fare (like tacos and burritos) mixed with creative new dishes. And in case you can't figure out what pasilla means, the back of the menu features a Spanish to English dictionary and pronunciation guide of sorts to help out with Mexican cuisine terminology that you might be unfamiliar with.

You are treated to fresh pico de gallo salsa and chips after you sit down...

The salsa was extremely tasty. Perfect chunks of tomatoes with onions, jalapenos, and cilantro.

The order...

Salsa Tasting Menu: $2
Basic Margarita: $5
Puerco: $17
Total cost with tax and tip: $29.68

The margarita was very good and had quite the kick!

The table salsa was so good that I just had to order the "salsa tasting menu". Salsas include a roasted tomato chipotle (pictured on top), tomatillo serrano (pictured in the middle), and a papaya habanero salsa (pictured on the bottom). The roasted tomato was smokey and had just the right amount of heat and garlic. The tomatillo serrano, though my least favorite of the 3 on the plate, was sweet and the blackened tomatillos were a nice change of pace. And the papaya habenero, which turned out to be my favorite, was a extremely hot and citrusy. This salsa was great and I loved the unique combination of tomatoes and papaya as a salsa.

The entree Puerco was: Rum and pineapple glazed, oven-roasted pork loin medallions topped with a grilled pineapple and red onion salsa. Served with sweet plantain fufu and vegetable del dia.

The rum and pineapple glaze was excellent except for the fact that there was a puddle of it at the bottom of my plate. Though, should I be complaining about having too much rum in my dish? Me thinks not. The fufu (mashed sweet plantains cooked with onions and bacon) was great and had a similar constancy to stuffing: sweet with the plantains and hearty with the bacon and onions. I would recommend giving this side-dish a shot, even if you have never had plantains before. The vegetable del dia (vegetable of the day) was cooked zucchini and squash. Although squash was one of the foods that was on my "would-not-eat-unless-it-was-a-life-or-death-situation" list, after trying them at The Mission, hey what do you know, I love squash now. Both vegetables were a great compliment to the fufu. The pork loin was cooked perfectly with just a little pink on the inside and the grilled pineapple and red onion salsa mixture was very sweet and tangy.

I suppose if I had to change one or two things about this place, it would be to exchange the tortilla chips at The Mission with El Canelo's. Not that The Mission's are bad by any means, but El Canelo's were thicker, served warm, and tasted more like corn tortillas. Again, not that this should warrant a star rating in either direction or be a big deal to anybody, but it's merely a small judgement call on my part. And I thought the music could have been a little more authentic. I have no problem whatsoever listening to Steve Miller while I'm chowing down on awesome Mexican food, but I think The Mission should set themselves apart from other places in the area and maybe play some Mexican-style music instead of Rock 'n Roll, as it might be better suited with the decor and food. Some instrumental music like this for starters.

Some other things of note...

- Salsas and guacamole can be ordered to go.

- Catering services and gift certificates are offered. Call for info.

- Free parking is available. Call for details.

- I'm not quite going to label The Mission a "date spot", because it can get fairy loud in here at times depending on when you visit

All and all, the entrees may be on the pricier side for some (and if that is the case, I would highly recommend their lunch menu with more affordable offerings) but your palette will be treated to a wide-range of flavors and ingredients that you will just not get by visiting most, if not all Mexican places in the area. And from a personal standpoint, The Mission deserves praise not only for totally redeeming themselves on the terrible service that I had prior to this visit, but for also reversing my view on squash. The service this time was very good and the food was excellent.

My rating of The Mission Restaurant: