Kỳ Duyên Cafe

488 N Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13203
(315) 471-5207
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On a recent road trip that took me through Syracuse during the lunching hour (anytime between 10AM and 4:30PM), I decided to check out a banh mi place I had been told about. Although you may think of Syracuse as a thriving metropolis, I assure you it has not since returned to it's (debatable) former glory. Luckily there was parking out front so no one stole my bike out of my truck. Although some guy wearing pajamas pants with no shoes or shirt asked me if I had any recyclable cans when I was feeding the meter. Maybe they are just eco-friendly. As you can see, the exterior of this shop announces "affluence" and so I was expecting a hipster to be serving fair trade tofu on gluten free rolls. Luckily I was wrong . . .

The interior was clean, cared for and definitely used to be a dive bar. You could tell by the yellowed drop tiles and the bathroom location. Oh, and the fact that behind that white wall there is still a bar. With people hanging out. Possibly smoking and 'playing games.'

The sandwiches were served on more of a torpedo roll than a French baguette, but to the same effect.

I went with a shredded pork and a BBQ pork. Because one pork just wouldn't cut it. These were $5 a pop, and worth every penny. The BBQ pork was the winner, as usual, with tender sliced meat, smokey sauce, and crisp vegetables.

Plenty of cucumber, julienned carrots, and fresh cilantro added the requisite crunch and fresh contrast to the protein. I also loved the butter/mayo mix helping to grease the skids.

The shredded pork and super dry, kind of like that old beef jerky chew I ate as  kid. I liked it, especially with the sliced pork sausage thing in the bottom. The pate on this one came through more, likely because it didn't have the flavorful BBQ sauce like its competitor.

You can see the pate leaking out the bottom.

If you are in the Syracuse area and find yourself in the mood for a cheap & tasty sandwich made with love and tendered with friendly service, you could do much worse than Kỳ Duyên Cafe. One of the better deals I have had in a while.

Bullpen Tavern

216 Glen Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
(518) 745-7811


The next time you are in Glens Falls . . . you should eat at the Bullpen. I happened upon this place while on my way to Vermont, there are not a whole lot of places to stop for a beer and burger. This place is in a great building in their cool little downtown. A revival to it's past glory, perhaps.

The menu is good bar food, and the draft list covers all the bases. Lots of local choices as well. I went with the recommended jalapeno bacon burger, cooked medium rare. The bread was perfect, the bacon nice a crispy, and the jalapenos provided quite a bit of kick.

The cooper sharp cheese (a personal favorite) was melted perfectly.

The battered fries were crispy and addictive. Especially dipped in a side of the chipotle sauce.

Look at how perfectly this burger was cooked. I was quite impressed.

Juicy, well seasoned meat cooked to a perfect medium rare. What's not to love?

I also wanted to try something less traditional for a bar in upstate New York. In this case, I went with the fried shrimp po'boy. The shrimp were battered with Red Hook beer, and tossed in "bang bang" sauce.

The bread did nicely (obviously no Leidenheimer) but it certainly held up to the task. The shrimp had a sweet and spicy, sticky sauce. I was a big fan. Surprisingly good food I stumbled upon here. If you are ever looking for a spot to eat on the way to Vermont, this might be the place.

Shifty's Bar

1401 Burnet Ave.
Syracuse, N.Y. 13206
(315) 474-0048
Website

On a road trip, I like to try and find somewhere to stop that is a couple steps better than the standard chain crap. See my last time doing so here. It is a major plus if I can grab a beer with my food, because nothing eases the stress of not driving like a slight buzz. Shifty's is a staple in Syracuse, and I have been a number of times when my travel takes me through the area. Their motto is "cold beer, hot wings, live music". Done.

At its heart, this place is a venue. As I was lunching, the band for the evening was bringing in a never-ending stream of equipment.

The menu is bar food, but the real specialty are the wings.

Of course, that didn't mean I wouldn't order a burger as well . . .

On the left are the "Godzilla" wings, basically a teriyaki/Asian with some heat and couple secret ingredients, and on the right are the "red hot and blue," which have blue cheese mixed in with the wing sauce.

The Godzilla wings were perfectly cooked, crispy, and nicely coated in the sticky flavorful sauce. These are damn good wings. The soy/hoisin flavor translated well, and I greedily scarfed them down.

The red hot and blue wings were the winner of the day. Nothing too fancy, but the salty, pungent chunks of blue were delicious, and ALMOST negated the need for additional blue cheese dipping. Just the right amount of heat, and a perfectly crispy skin, what more can you ask of the chicken gods?

The "Upstate" burger boasted sharp cheddar, horsey mayo, bacon, and maple glazed onions.

This was not for the pure of heart. Mostly because your heart was under direct attack while eating this.

The bacon was crispy and salty, the cheddar had some bite, and the onions added some significant sweetness to the burger. This was a good burger, but I still favor diner style. Shifty's is a very cool place to stop in for some wings and beer, and it's not too far off 81 if you are up that way.

Xi'an Famous Foods

(Midtown Location)
24 W. 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
(347) 294-0022
Website

Xi'an Famous Foods is a multiple-venue operation in Manhattan with a lot of press, and a wide following. I was in Midtown for some business, and I decided to give that location a shot, because Midtown is a food desert for cheap eats.

The space is small inside, just a counter and a wall menu in the front, but you can see the food being prepped, which is always nice.

I also like the simplicity of wall menus (with pictures of course).

It didn't take too long, and was relatively cheap. I was able to find a seat in the back dining area by playing hawk.

The spicy cucumbers were a bit of a let down. They were spicy and oily, but not much else. I think I am spoiled by most of the places in both Chinatown's.

There was literally no flavor. Where was the ginger, garlic, sugar? Where was the umami?

The stewed pork burger at about $3.50 was my favorite piece of the visit. A nicely grilled bun, and fatty, flavorful meat, this alone saved the 3 cheesesteak rating from spiraling down to a two (or one, dare I say it).

The meat was nicely spiced, with some kick, but had this rich fattiness that kept me coming back.

Look at the fat glisten, and the meaty shreds with pieces of skin.

The pork Zha Jiang hand ripped noodles was "a savory-sweet pork stew, tossed with biangbiang noodles and a generous portion of cucumbers, scallions, celery, and chives." This was a decent dish, but again, there was spice and not a whole lot else. I am used to multi-faceted noodle dishes, with contrasting flavors. The noodles had a nice spring to them, but I can think of many better variations.

The "Concubine chicken" was the biggest let-down. According to the menu "Our biangbiang noodles mixed with pieces of bone-in dark chicken meat, sauteed, stewed, and mixed with our secret house sauce." The bone in chicken was a pain to eat, and the tiny pieces of meat on the bone left something to be desired. Again, the sauce was one note.

Pieces of bone were so hard to find, they were small and jagged = choking hazard. No thank you.

I eventually combined the noodle dishes, and suddenly it had a lot more complexity.

Still not worth going out of your way for. Next time I would try some of the cumin lamb, and definitely get another Chinese burger.

Darwin

211 North Clinton St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 373-0484
Website

So the next time you are in Syracuse . . . go to this place. I know, you probably will never be there. BUT should you happen upon it, this is a funky little joint to get some lunch.

The menu changes constantly, so you should just check the website. I didn't even give them my name, but they spelled it correctly anyway. Pretty impressive.

This monster, known as the "Bobby Love's 81-SOUTH," consisted of pulled pork, ham, cheddar, coleslaw and frizzled onions. It was not healthy, but it was very delicious. Seems like those two are inversely proportional.

Another hit was the roast turkey with smoked gouda, hot pepper mayo, bacon, fried egg, and slaw, AKA "MoJo Rising." Again, nothing lite about this, but that's because fat + salt = flavor. It's a proven formula.

The final iteration was the oven fried chicken with buffalo mac and cheese, coleslaw, baked beans, frizzled onions, and BBQ sauce - let's call it the "Darwin's PICNIC BASKET" (because that's what they call it). Like a picnic on a roll.

Is this the best sandwich shop in the world? No. Is it a must try? If you find yourself near Syracuse, I would have to say yes.