Review: Liehs & Steigerwald

Name: Liehs & Steigerwald
Address: 1857 Grand Blvd, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 474-2171
Neighborhood: Northside
Website: www.liehsandsteigerwald.com
Category: Butcher, German market
Business Hours: Tuesday-Friday 7 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 7 AM to 5 PM
Parking: Private lot, on-street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Delivery: Yes (regionally)

I have somewhat of an affinity to Syracuse's Northside. More specifically, to any shops or restaurants remotely relating to anything German in the neighborhood. My great-grandparents came over from Germany in the late 1800's and settled into Syracuse at the Butternut Street area around Schiller Park. Every generation since then has had someone either live or been born in Syracuse. And given the location and odds, I'm quite certain that one of my family members along the way at least once visited this family-owned and operated, German meat market.

German markets are few and far between these days. You can still spot hints of them around the city (Karcher's Meat Market comes to mind - a painted sign still exists on the side of the red building at 420 Butternut St, now Viet Ny Grocery). In early 2009, the neighborhood's heritage took a hit with the closing of Weber's Restaurant & Haus of Reubens, a longtime German restaurant and bar on Danforth Street. But despite the dwindling number of German shops, bakeries, and other establishments remaining in the neighborhood, Liehs & Steigerwald has stood strong and true to its roots since 1936, all operating out of the little house on Grant Boulevard.

Walking in, your first impression of Liehs & Steigerwald should be the amazing smell. Wafting around in the air are hints of garlic, fresh cut and cured meats of all assortments, and ingredients from their bratwursts and other homemade meats such as horseradish, bacon, cheeses, and hot peppers, to name a few. The smell alone from this place has to be one of the best in the city.

Inside there's a few display cases showcasing the non-pre packaged and fresh daily cut meats like beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, and veal, cheeses (domestic and imported), Plainville and Boar's Head cold cuts, and homemade ones like blood tongue, German bologna, pressed ham, Polish ham, gelbwurst, roast beef, roast pork, and pastrami. For such a small store, there's a lot of interesting things on the shelves and counters too: chocolates, homemade horseradishes, dumpling mixes, German pastries, Underberg, Maggi, spice rubs, and even chopping blocks and cutlery.

And I haven't even mentioned the other specialty items here - all of which are homemade and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives: gravies, pierogies, German potato salad, sauerbraten, pickled eggs, cabbage rolls, beans, soups, hot dogs, coneys, kielbasa, bologna, liverwurst, sausages, chorizo, pickles, loafs, cutlets, spiedies, pork bones for flavoring, ribs, burgers, and 18 different kinds of bratwurst.

Exhale... A lot going on.

Behind one of the counters is an overhead chalkboard with some of the daily specials and pricing. Service was very helpful and best of all patient on this not-too-busy Saturday afternoon.

The order...

Bratwursts (2 jalapeno, 2 sun dried tomato chicken): $7.79
Pickle: $1.69
Jar of hot horseradish mustard: $4.99
Total money spent with tax: $15.90

Since this isn't a restaurant, I'll have to do the review a little differently than normal. Later that night I decided to make two bratwurst sandwiches. I grilled up the brats to get them brown, sauteed some onions, added some canned saurkraut (don't kill me, at least it was from Wisconsin!) and then simmered it all in some water and a little beer. Since I knew I was doing a review, I didn't add that much beer because I didn't want to distract from the flavor of the bratwurst by adding too much.

4 plump brats. Wrapped in parchment paper, the sign of a real butcher.

Shown here with L&S's Hot Horseradish Mustard.

You'll have to take your guess as to which is which because I can't remember. I think the jalapeno ones more tan.

A local lager like Utica Club may have been more appropriate, but Molson was all that I had in my fridge. And next time on the way back home, I'll stop by DiLauro's Bakery for rolls and skip the grocery store brand.

Noticeable after the first bite was the overwhelming fume of horseradish that was sent into my sinuses. If you love horseradish or very spicy mustard, you may be in heaven. I loved the fresh taste, classic flavor, and bright yellow color of L&S's mustard but I had to switch over to my refrigerated Hofmann brand because the horseradish was just way too spicy. My face was on fire, basically. If it's any consolation, I still have it. Again, great flavor and I even use it on sandwiches every once in a while (Boar's Head ham, provilone, Harrison Bakery rye bread, and this all go amazing together). I just add the horseradish parts VERY sparingly. I'm talking pinky nail size. I can only imagine what the Xtra Hot style is like.

For the bratwursts, I wasn't too crazy about the sun dried tomato and chicken one as I thought it was a tad dry and a little bland. I would've liked a little more tomato presence in it. The jalapeno was awesome: juicy meat, a very fresh taste, not overly spicy but enough to know that it's jalapeno, and encased a nice snappy skin.

Lastly, a great, classic dill pickle: large size, clean, fresh, and very crisp. Without diminishing how good this was, it had a similar flavor to the Claussen store brand but without the unnecessary preservatives.

Other notes...

- Liehs & Steigerwald has an "at your door" program for delivery to select cities in Central New York where they can not only deliver meats, but their Hot and Eat Meals as well. Check the website for more details.

- They also offer knife sharpening here.

All and all, it's a great store, with great history, great meat, outstanding selection, and friendly service. It might even be a hidden gem to pick up things for tailgating. I'll have to check out some of the other bratwursts, hot dogs, cuts of meat, and the chicken wing bratwurst (yes, you read that correctly), which is supposed to be very good - complete with blue cheese inside. Though I found their keilbasa a bit tough and gritty when I had it after my visit last year, I also had the pierogies which were awesome and the jar of hot pickles which were amazing (I didn't see them on the shelves this time around).

That all being said, it's not a bad place for basic grocery shopping either. There's a lot you could fill your fridge and freezer with here. I'll hold off on the elite 5-star rating as I'd like to try some other things. For now, let's settle with 4.5. And if you have any suggestions on what else is good here, let me know in the comments section.

My rating of Liehs & Steigerwald:

Review: Francesca's Cucina

Name: Francesca's Cucina
Address: 545 N Salina St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 425-1556
Neighborhood: Washington Square (Little Italy)
Website: www.francescas-cucina.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Italian
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Friday 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Monday-Saturday 5 PM to 10 PM
Bar Hours: Monday-Friday 11 AM to Close, Saturday 5 PM to Close
Catering Hours: Monday-Sunday by reservation
Parking: Private Lot (free: next door/around corner), On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: No

On a recent cold and wintery evening, my rosy cheeks and empty stomach found itself at Francesca's Cucina on North Salina Street in Little Italy.

A fairly busy and rowdy crowd was on hand passing through the bar area. Upon scoping out their website soon after, I found out it was Francesca's 7th Annual Customer Appreciation Holiday Party. Unbeknownst to me, the arrival time of my date and I was roughly 15 minutes prior to when they usually begin seating for dinner, but the waiter was kind enough to seat us in the dining room ahead of time anyway, away from the crowd and without a reservation.

The dining area is contemporary, very relaxed, and intimate with exposed brick walls, framed pictures, white tablecloths, dim candle lighting, and very tall windows facing Salina Street all underneath traditional tin ceiling panels. The lighting may have been a bit too dim for my taste, as it eventually became a little difficult to read the menu. Glass stemware, white plates, and heavy silverware were all cohesive, tasteful, and classy and really let you know that you were in a place that cared about its setting.

While I didn't get a look before seating, there's also an outdoor garden patio area for dining and catering during the warmer months. Judging by the pictures online, it looks like a great spot for outdoor dining.

The menu is very descriptive and has Italian classics like linguine with clam sauce, fettuccine alfredo, veal parmesan, and others, local favorites like Utica greens, riggies, haddock franchise, and some very enticing dishes like panko-coconut crusted salmon, crab stuffed chicken breast, and apple gorgonzola salad. Overall, it's a predominantly seafood and meat driven menu, but there's a few vegetarian options like salads, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, cheese ravioli, homemade gnocchi, and vegetable rigatoni.

The wine menu contains a well-rounded selection with choices from Germany, Italy, Napa Valley and the Finger Lakes.

The order...

Merlot, Blackstone (California): $7
Calamari: $10
Stuffed Hot Cherry Peppers: $7
Lobster Ravioli: $18
w/ Soup of the Day (Italian Onion)
Total money spent with tax & tip: $53.36

Arriving to the table prior to ordering was a loaf of Italian bread with the waitress pouring a tall bottle of olive oil onto a plate mixed with basil and other dried herbs. Fresh table bread and a perfect olive oil for dipping.

Pictured above is the fried calamari: lightly battered and gently sprinkled with chopped parsley, homemade marinara sauce on the side, and garnished with a lemon wedge and flower. These were perfectly fried and tender calamari tentacles and rings that didn't at all taste like rubber bands (which can be a risk when ordering them so far away from the coastline). And not only was the calamari fresh, but whatever the batter was, it was delicately crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth good. I would absolutely order these again.

While I probably tend to mention my love for Boston's seafood more often than I should on this blog, let the record show that this was a close second to best fried calamari that I've ever had (the best being from a random vendor at St Anthony's Feast in the North End), which from a personal standpoint, says a lot about how good this was at Francesca's. It was awesome.

Next up was the stuffed hot cherry peppers: beef filling and baked with marinara sauce and finished with Romano cheese. Pictured above on a separate plate.

The spicy red and green cherry peppers were packed with a juicy beef filling (almost like mini-meatballs) and accompanied with a fresh and spicy marinara sauce. Excellent appetizer.

A cold evening called for soup instead of salad, which I rarely do. It ended up being a nice decision. The broth of the Italian Onion soup had an excellent consistency and was not too thick; almost like a cross between a beef broth from a French Onion soup and a thin tomato soup; and spoonfuls of long, sauteed onions were the perfect addition. Also some good crusty bread that soaked up the soup. I'm not a big soup guy in general, but this was very tasty.

There it is. Behold. The lobster ravioli. This was outstanding: robust, diced tomatoes in a creamy, pink vodka sauce with hints of fresh garlic, chopped scallions, basil, shredded parmesan, and perfectly cooked diced onions all set atop beautiful, striped ravioli that was generously packed with chunks of tender Maine lobster. I'd be hard-pressed to order anything different on my next visit as it was one of the best and most flavorful pasta dishes that I've had in recent memory. A-plus all around.

Writer's note: it should be noted that my Mohawk Valley-born girlfriend was a little put-off upon reading that Francesca's Chicken Riggies were listed as "a Syracuse tradition!" on the menu. She had to order them to see if they incorrectly lived up to the claim. They passed.

There was no room for desert, but I'll definitely give it a shot on my next visit.

Considering this visit was intended as an intimate dinner for two, it was a perfect choice. Great setting (despite the loud crowd on this occasion), great food, and you're really treated like a welcomed customer from the thoughtful service and thoughtful execution in the food, which you can tell just by reading the menu that each dish has been thought-out for and carefully cared for.

This was really a great meal. And from a personal standpoint, it was nice to eat at an Italian restaurant where you didn't receive that familiar, blase, home-style cooking experience that you can find anywhere in Central New York (i.e. uninspiring bread, salads, and appetizers and dishes drenched in sauce and filled to the brim with ungodly large portion sizes). Franesca's was a pleasant breakaway from the local-norm and had the feel of offering more refined food where the focus is on the layers of flavors happening in each of the pastas and sauces.

If I can get a little more existential (here I go!), I guess I'll never understand why people will choose to wait for over an hour and dine at Texas Roadhouse or Ruby Tuesdays as oppose to a meal at a place like Francesca's. It was a great dining experience, parking was easy, there was minimal wait on a Thursday night, and the food was not only superb but appropriately priced too. I mean, I don't want to bash the big chains or the people that dine there because I enjoy those places every so often as well, but I don't rely on them as a staple or as my go-to place for a certain cuisine. A slight purpose of this blog is to show that there are other dining options in Syracuse that offer a far better experience than the standard chains. Francescan's is the perfect example of how one meal here can be more memorable than 20 visits to an Olive Garden.

This was by far one of the best Italian meals that I've had over the last several years and I can't wait to return.

My rating of Francesca's Cucina: