Syracuse, N.Y. — Many of you will put a lot of thought into where you’ll grab a fish dinner over the next seven Fridays. Some of us, however, realize just how good fish fries are in Central New York and take advantage of it all year long, and not just on Fridays.
Over the past few years, I asked syracuse.com readers for their go-to places for fish during Lent. I went to most of them. I ate their full dinners, and I tried their lunch-sized sandwiches. I sampled the soups, the side dishes, the desserts and the drinks that came along with it. I went to fancy restaurants, dive bars, crowded legion halls and plenty of takeout-only fish counters. It just proved how well Central New York makes fish.
This is my take on Lent based on a few years of “exhaustive” research. Consider this a guide to get you started on your fried fish feasts over the next 40 days and 40 nights. They’re listed in no particular order. You can click on the venue’s name to get a more detailed review.
CJ’s Seafood
Address: 2012 Teall Ave., Syracuse. (315) 463-9390
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday only. Open Ash Wednesday and Christmas Eve.
Credit cards? No
What’s so good about it: The haddock here has been prepared and fried the same way since CJ’s opened in 1963. That might explain why owner Todd Taylor and his crew sell more than 500 pounds of fish on a typical Friday. That’s impressive because that’s the only day they’re open during the week except for Ash Wednesday and Christmas Eve.
The skin-on fillets are coated with a house-made breading and fried in fresh peanut oil. The salads and side dishes are made here on Thursday mornings as Todd waits for the seafood to arrive from Boston.
The fish dinner ($8.99) comes with a healthy piece or two of haddock, fries and a side salad. For an additional dollar, you can get onion rings. (TIP: Spend the extra buck. The onion rings are more than worth it. I usually get two orders.)
If you think a fish dinner is too much food, opt for the fish sandwich ($4.40). You get a smaller fillet on a Lyncourt Bakery roll.
Cortland Seafood
Address: 65 Pendleton St., Cortland. (607) 756-5225
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to noon
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: This isn’t a restaurant; it’s a full-fledged seafood market. That said, you can get one heck of a fish dinner here to take home with you, one that’s worth the 40-minute drive from Syracuse.
Phil Niver Jr., the owner, orders hundreds of pounds of haddock from the Atlantic Ocean each week. He and his son, Phil Niver III, will sell it to you raw for $10.75 per pound, or they’ll cook it up for you. There’s no special recipe, just fresh fish breaded with Golden Dipt and fried in canola oil. A fish sandwich will only set you back $4.50.
The sweet batter-dipped onion rings ($4.95) come in a box and could easily be a meal on their own, but they serve as a nice complement to the fish.
While you’re here, you should really try the broasted (pressure-fried) chicken. For $3.05, you get two good-sized pieces that are truly crispy on the outside and moist inside. I got extra drumsticks for the ride home. The chicken alone makes this road trip worthwhile.
Smitty’s Fish House West
Address: 343 Genesee St., Auburn. (315) 253-4043
Hours: Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Ash Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Credit cards? No. (ATM located next to cash register)
What’s so good about it: Ben ‘Smitty’ Smith learned to cook fish in the 1980s while cooking for Johnny’s Seafood on the west end of Auburn, and he always wanted to open his own fish place. Smitty and his wife, Julie, did just that 13 years ago.
Ever since, they’ve been going through 500-plus pounds of haddock each week. They coat the skinless fillets with Golden Dipt, the all-purpose flour-based breading, and fry it for a few minutes in peanut oil. It comes out flaky and moist.
“Everything we use here is quality,” Julie said. “The ingredients are more expensive, but it’s quality. The quality keeps people coming back.”
While the fish is always a hit, their favorite dish is the mac and cheese. They use shell pasta, not elbows, in this slightly spicy casserole and baked it just enough to make the top slightly crispy.
Valley American Legion
Address: Valley American Legion post, 110 Academy St., Syracuse. 315-492-2040.
Hours: Friday’s during Lent 4 p.m. until gone. Takeout only.
Credit cards? No
What’s so good about it: The best thing about the fish fry at this American Legion might not be the fish; it’s the party that often comes with it. The weekly fundraiser turns into huge a neighborhood gathering that just happens to serve great fish.
A $12 fish dinner includes a 12-ounce haddock fillet, two sides (mac salad, slaw, baked beans or fries), a soda and dessert. It’ll take 15 minutes or so before you get your food, so you might as well grab a beer and catch up with friends you might not have seen since the coronavirus quarantine.
For the time being, the fish fry remains takeout only, but they hope to return to normal soon. Let’s hope so, because it really is a good time.
Sal’s Seafood
Address: 3730 Brewerton Road, North Syracuse. (315) 454-9779
Hours: Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Fridays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Also open 11 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Ash Wednesday.
Credit cards? No
What’s so good about it: The traditional fish dinner is $12.75. It comes with two 13-inch haddock fillets that are almost an inch thick. You also get a small order of fries and your choice of macaroni salad or coleslaw. The salads are prepared with the same recipe developed in 1957. This is a LOT of food.
Don’t be intimidated by the long line. The guys at the fryer cook 18 fillets at once, so the line moves quickly.
TIP: Grab a half-pound order of fried sea scallops ($8.75) for the ride home. That’s about 15 plump scallops. Just be sure to leave room for the fish dinner. It’s easy to get carried away with these juicy treats.
Green Hills Farms supermarket
Address: 5933 S. Salina St., Syracuse; (315) 492-1707
Hours: Daily 6 a.m.-10 p.m. (Fish fry is Friday only)
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: Get here early, or be sure your order in well in advance. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in a line that snakes around this huge supermarket. The fish here and the endless side dishes you can pair with it are that good.
John Mantia & Sons, a top seafood supplier from Boston, deliver hundreds of pounds of fresh haddock to Green Hills every Thursday. The kitchen staff at Green Hills cleans it overnight so it’s ready to be breaded and fried. The cooks dredge each skin-on fillet in an egg dip and coat it with the store-made extra-fine breading. They cook with vegetable oil in a fryer used just for fish.
“The haddock here is just excellent,” said John Mahar, a syracuse.com reader who recommended Green Hills for its fish. “The batter and breading delivers an excellent flavor.”
Manlius Fish Fry
Address: 119 W. Seneca St., Manlius. (315) 692-8038
Hours: Tuesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: The fish CNY native Chuck Blackman fried in his South Carolina restaurant was unlike anything his customers had eaten before. It quickly became insanely popular.
For one thing, he uses haddock; most restaurants down south use cod. He dunks each skinless fillet through an egg-milk mix before coating it with extra-fine breading that he sifted himself a few times.
“I then like to push it down, rub it in and make sure it’s all over each piece,” Chuck said. “It just tastes better that way. It takes more time, but it’s worth it in the end.”
He and his wife moved back here in 2019 and brought his approach to Lent with him. He opened up shop in a storefront in a plaza shared by Top’s supermarket. It didn’t take long for his business to take off.
Maybe its his approach to fried haddock ($13.95 for a dinner or $8.95 for a sandwich), or maybe it’s his homemade lobster bisque and clam chowder ($4.95 for a small, $7.95 for a large bowl).
South Carolina’s loss is Central New York’s gain.
Sandy & Sons
Address: 201 E. Manlius St., East Syracuse. (315) 299-5355
Credit cards? Yes
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 4-11 p.m.
What’s so good about it: Don’t let the building fool you; 201 E. Manlius St. really is a bowling alley. Laugh if you will, but inside, you’ll find some of the finest fish in town. Heck, you’ll also find some of the best chicken wings around too.
Sandy & Sons Kitchen is hidden inside the Village Lanes of East Syracuse, a 10-alley venue in the heart of town. Jon Paninski and his mother, Sandy, bought the bowling alley in 2011 after it had sat vacant for three years.
Sandy’s process is simple: run the haddock through an egg-milk dip, coat it in Golden Dipt breading and fry it in 350-degree vegetable oil for a few minutes. She lets it rest for a bit so the oil drips off. By the time you get the plate, the fish is crispy on the outside, hot and moist on the inside.
You can get a fish sandwich on its own for $7 or add a side dish for an extra 95 cents. The haddock dinner with two sides is $10.95.
The sides include macaroni or potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni & cheese or fries. Like all the food at Sandy & Sons, the salads are homemade.
Fish Friar
Address: 39 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. (315) 468-3474
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 4 to 9 p.m.
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: The guys at Fish Friar take a gourmet approach to our CNY favorite. The wild-caught skinless haddock comes from Free Range Fish & Lobster in Maine. They use fresh eggs for the dip and then coat it with a mixture of flour, spices and ground panko.
“We don’t want to be like everybody else,” said Giovanni Giardina, the co-owner of The Fish Friar. “It costs more, but it’s just better.”
The side dishes here are certainly high-end. My last fried haddock combo ($13.50) came with mushy peas and roasted carrots. Yes, I could’ve gotten their homemade slaw and fries to save a couple bucks, but I needed to prove to my wife that I can be sophisticated at least once a year. (She didn’t buy it. Probably because I paired this high-end fish dinner with a couple bottles of Miller Lite.)
Kiki’s
Address: 64 Main St., Camillus. (315) 320-4390
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: Kiki’s is known for its gyros. They sell the lamb or chicken pita-pocketed sandwich $7.45) at their restaurant in Camillus, and they usually create long lines selling these at the State Fair.
Kiki’s owner Bob Cosselmon came up with a Lenten-version of the Greek classic. His fish gyros ($8.85) became an instant hit last year.
The 8-ounce skinless haddock fillets are coated in a beer-batter breading made with Yuengling beer. They’re fried for a few minutes in vegetable oil. Bob cuts the cooked fillet into inch-long bites and lays them out on a toasted pita and wraps it around lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh cucumber and his homemade tzatziki sauce.
You can get these all year long, thankfully. I got one over the summer when I couldn’t get his food at the State Fair because of the pandemic.
You can also get a traditional fish platter for $9.95. That’s a footlong fillet and a half-box of fries.
TIP: Get a side of tzatziki fries for $2.50 while you’re there. This is no snack. It’s a mound of freshly cut fried potatoes topped with sea salt, oregano and the refreshing sauce. Come to think of it, get a full order of the fries for $5.95 to share with your family.
Luigi’s
Address: 1524 Valley Drive, Syracuse. (315) 492-9997
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: Luigi’s been buying its haddock from the Channel Fish Processing Co. since Louis Savastino opened the restaurant in 1954. It arrives from the Boston Pier three times a week: 100 pounds on Tuesday, 100 pounds on Thursday and 400 pounds on Friday. By Saturday morning, it’s usually all gone.
Like everything on the Luigi’s menu, the fish dinner here is big. The average footlong haddock fillet weighs 12 ounces. The fish platter ($15) comes with fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce and, of course, a plate of pasta with marinara sauce. Luigi’s makes its own slaw, tartar sauce, pasta sauce and salad dressings.
ALTERNATIVE: If you’re all haddocked out, consider trying the linguini with white clam sauce ($19.50), made with fresh clams also from Channel’s. This house specialty will certainly provide you for lunch the next day, as it weighs about 3 pounds.
The Old Ledge
Address: 7356 Church St., North Syracuse. (315) 373-0036
Kitchen hours: Tuesday 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday 12:30 to 7 p.m.; Fridays during Lent 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays 12:30 to 7 p.m.
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: The Old Ledge has an incredibly loyal following. A year ago, the regulars peppered me with emails, saying the haddock here was among the best they’ve ever had in CNY. Great, I thought; I’d go the following week. But then Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered bars and restaurants to close in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. I instead ended up writing about how this tavern was forced to shut down just six months after opening its doors, leaving the owners with no income and a lot of bills.
Owners Nicole Kennedy and Jon Henderson eventually reopened for takeout-only, and now they can serve these faithful customers inside their bar. These patrons are lucky, because the fish was worth the wait.
For $12.75, you get a 10-ounce fillet that’s surrounded by fries and housemade coleslaw. You can add their mac salad and macaroni and cheese as well. Nicole also serves assorted pies and cheesecakes from local bakeries.
On Ash Wednesday, they’ll be serving a fried shrimp dinner with fries.
TIP: I realize we’re talking fish here, but the chicken wings here are exceptional. Nicole brines them all day, so they come out extra juicy. The best are those coated with a low-salt Bone Dust dry rub from Wing-A-Lings, a Cicero-based company owned by Shanin and Shelly Stoddard.
Syracuse Ukrainian National Home
Address: 1317 W. Fayette St.; Syracuse. (315) 478-9272
Hours: Friday 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Credit cards? Yes
What’s so good about it: Friday marks the start of the third year for this fundraiser for the Ukrainian Home located on the edge of Syracuse’ Tipperary Hill neighborhood. They came close to selling out most nights, but usually fell short by one or two fish dinners. That changed on the last Friday of Lent last year, the day we wrote about them. They sold every meal, and they sold out well before closing time.
The word is out. People now know the fish comes in Thursday from Boston, and they know Ihor Godzak, the cook at the Syracuse Ukrainian National Home, makes his own batter and breading with a blend of spices mixed with breadcrumbs.
“We are ready,” Nykola Lucak, president of the Ukrainian Home.
So, here’s the deal: $13 for a fish dinner (fried or broiled) that includes coleslaw and tartar sauce made Friday morning, a roll and your choice of fries, potato salad or onion rings. Or for you not-overindulgent folks: $9 for a fish sandwich, which is a 6- to 8-ounce fried piece of haddock on a roll with your choice of fries, potato salad or onion rings.
DON’T FORGET: While you do get a lot of food for your Lenten dollar here, shell out a few extra bucks for their homemade soup. A large container is $6, a small bowl is $4. Their soup this week is cream of mushroom.
Kitty Hoyne’s Irish Pub
Address: 301 W. Fayette St., Syracuse. (315) 424-1974
Dining Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
What’s so good about it: We write about Kitty Hoyne’s all the time. We just declared the pub as one of our favorite Syracuse restaurants of 2020, and it was featured as among the best for takeout cuisine during the pandemic. I even lauded them for having the coldest beer of all 30 downtown bars.
Surprisingly, we hadn’t written about their fish. That’s just wrong, because it is unlike any other in town.
Kitty’s does a true beer-battered haddock in the spirit of a European fish-and-chips shop. They’ll even offer you malt vinegar (You should take them up on that.). The coating that hugs these thick fillets is smooth and delicate, not gritty. The silky breading has a little flavor (onion and/or garlic powder?) unlike plain flour.
The fish and chips entrée comes in two sizes: a one-piece for $12 and a two-piece for $16. (I went with the double and shared it with my Valentine last Saturday night.) It’s served with plenty of fries and a fresh slaw.
It goes well with a pint or two of Guinness or Kilkenny Irish cream ale (pictured above). Owners David and Cindy Hoyne serve top-notch creative food here, but sometimes we just need to eat what we know, what we’re comfortable with. This fish is it.
Doug’s Fish Fry
Address: 8 Jordan St. in Skaneateles, (315) 685-3288; and 3638 West Road in Cortland, (607) 753-9184
Hours: Monday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What’s so good about it: A couple years ago, we went on the hunt for CNY’s best fish fry. We invited readers to nominate their favorites. In the end, it came down to four restaurants. When it was over, the readers AND the judges voted Doug’s Fish Fry the overall winner.
What made it so good? Pretty much everything. The fish, the fresh-cut fries, the onion rings, the cold beer, the side dishes, the atmosphere and the community that jams the place every week.
Doug’s usually uses haddock, but sometimes they’ll use cod. It depends on the time of year and the availability and quality. Regardless, the fish is tender and juicy, and the breading, crispy and light, sticks to the fish well.
One judge, food writer Jacob Pucci, couldn’t get past the slaw: it’s made with green and red cabbage and other vegetables mixed with a zippy vinegar dressing that was just a little bit creamy and speckled with black pepper and celery seed.
The point is that everything here is memorable.
Fish Cove
Address: 2130 W. Genesee St., Syracuse, in Westvale Plaza. (315) 468-4767
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Closed Sunday
What’s so good about it: For the next seven Fridays, you can expect a line stretching out the door here, past Kirby’s Restaurant. Why? People know good fish. This was one of the four finalists in our Best of CNY Fish Fry of 2019.
Fish Cove set the benchmark high in that challenge. Judge Bob Corning, a longtime Syracuse restaurateur, rated it as his favorite fish of all the finalists, thanks to its well-seasoned breading and tender meat. Bob knows fish; he cooked it for decades at Swallow’s bar and restaurant.
Not only did Fish Cove serve a great fried haddock dinner, it made some of the best clam chowder we’ve ever had, including that from restaurants in Boston.
Atlantic Seafood
Address: 69 E. Genesee St., Baldwinsville. (315) 638-1986
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
What’s so good about it: This was among the finalists of the 2019 tour, and rightfully so. Atlantic serves big portions of freshly-fried fish, sold by the sandwich or by the pound wrapped in white butcher paper, to a hungry crowd that will quickly envelop the counter and wait outside the door on a busy night.
It’s a small shop with no inside seating, and customers are there for one thing: Fish. It’s served skin-on, like most places in Upstate New York. People here say the skin boosts the flavor of the fish and helps it stay together.
TIP: Grab a cup of their clam chowder. They add bacon to it, which gives it the same smokiness that you’d enjoy in clams casino.
Jim’s Fish Fry
Address: 1248 Wolf St., Syracuse. (315) 471-9755
Hours: Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will be open on Ash Wednesday.
What’s so good about it: For one thing, this is probably the oldest fish fry I’ve ever visited, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect the process. Jim’s opened in 1944. The recipe hasn’t changed, and the restaurant remains in the Easterly family. Bill Easterly, whose grandparents opened the restaurant, got his start cooking French fries here at age 12.
Don’t give Jim’s an award for longevity; give it an award for serving a unique piece of fish with the dinners. Jim’s uses a lighter breading—largely cracker meal—that shows off haddock’s silver skin. The breading adheres to the meat, while the fish itself is tender and juicy. Is there anything more you require in your fish dinner? Nope.
Easterly also knows how to cook fresh-cut fries. You cook them twice. Not once. Twice. Otherwise, they come out soggy. These were our favorite fries of any stop in 2019.
They are once again allowing in-house dining. Take advantage of it and soak up the old-time atmosphere.
Fish Company of Liverpool
Address: 209 Oswego St., Liverpool. (315) 457-9839
Hours: Wednesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Credit cards? They prefer cash, but will take plastic and charge you a small service fee.
What’s so good about it: What got me here the first time was the price of the fish sandwich ($3.69!). What got me to come back and designate this a Hidden Gem of CNY was the quality of food, the price of it all and the spirit that goes into making it.
Not a week goes by that a customer doesn’t tell owner Cosmo Giardina that they never knew the place existed. After all, it is hidden behind the old Ponderosa Plaza strip mall in Liverpool. “But because of our food, we’ve developed a loyal following,” he said.
The basic fried haddock sandwich comes as advertised: basic (photographed above). It’s served on a sesame hoagie roll. You can order your fish with or without the house-made tartar sauce. It makes the already moist sandwich even more tasty. You can also order it with marinara sauce and cheese for an extra 50 cents.
The Fish Company cooks the haddock with the skin on. “That holds the fish together,” Cosmo said.
Cosmo cuts the haddock fillets himself and pulls them from a milk-based brine before dipping them into a yellow batter and then into golden breading. One of his two helpers working the counter takes the coated pieces and drops them into the peanut oil as orders come in. That gets you your food quickly.
Don’t feel you need to cheap out. They have plenty of other fresh seafood, and it’s still reasonably priced. I just couldn’t get past the fact that I could leave a place with a full belly for under $5.
Western Ranch Motor Lodge
Address: 1255 State Fair Blvd, Syracuse. (315) 457-9236
Hours: Open 7 days a week. Restaurant opens at noon, except no lunch on Mondays.
What’s so good about it: C’mon, look at the place. We’ve all seen it, and we’ve all wondered what it actually was. Well, I took a chance and went inside this old roadside motel, and I’m darn glad I did. I’ve been back about a dozen times to eat, oftentimes with my wife or my whole family. It’s some of the finest home cooking you’ll find around here outside your own kitchen.
For fish, though, this is a must-stop. They do the traditional haddock with fish trucked in fresh from Canada. I brought a syracuse.com reader here because he urged me to write about the place. We went on a Friday, and he ordered the haddock.
This piece of fish was about 13 inches long, probably longer if you flattened out the end. I still can’t figured out why the chef puts it on a bun instead of a whole loaf of bread to make it a true sandwich. The fish was lightly breaded and served with the house tartar sauce. “It’s good every time,” my dining companion said. “I can always count on it.”
Over this past summer, after restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms, I went back for lunch on a Friday. I had to try the perch. This wasn’t hauled in from Canada; it was from Otisco Lake. It was $14 for about a dozen strips and a bowl of clam chowder and a salad. (The pint of Miller Lite from the tap was a couple bucks extra.)
If it’s available on the Friday you stop in, get it.
MORE CNY FOOD
Central New York fish fry guide: Eating for Lent in a time of Covid (list)
How area churches are making accommodations for Ash Wednesday
Salt City Market: Our reviews of every vendor at Syracuse’s new food hall
Locally made barbecue sauce has become a hot seller during the pandemic
Syracuse Slices: CNY’s self-proclaimed pizza queen takes us to 8 places for different occasions
Best tacos in CNY: Syracuse’s self-proclaimed expert shows us his 8 favorite spots
A year of Hidden Gems: 19 spots in CNY you didn’t know about but should
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.
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