Sunny Asian Restaurant

In Utica, New York, near the courthouse, there is this little asian restaurant called Sunny. They serve various thai, vietnamese and various pan-asian cuisine.

Now y'all know how much I love Pho, so when the opportunity presented itself to pay a visit to Sunny's, well, was there really any choice?

I wasn't disappointed.

Sunny is in a small, nondescript building on the corner of Albany and Elizabeth Streets. If driving from Genessee Street, you can follow Elizabeth Street all the way to the end; Sunny is on the left. We parked on Albany St, though they do have a small lot (entrance on Elizabeth Street only). Inside, it's clean and tidy--even the bathrooms were impressively clean.

At 11:30am mid-week, we were surprised to be the only customers. Undeterred, we sat down and ordered. The wait staff were attentive to our every wish, and hot tea and water arrived quickly. Our order didn't take long--and wow, just look at this:



Beef pho with sliced brisket.



Here is chicken pho, or Pho Ga.



Our partially-devoured plate of accoutrements. (We already had used all the lime wedges.)

It was good. Really, really good. And shortly after we began our meal, more customers arrived--obviously on their lunch break from work.

Here's a blurry photo of my brother chowing down.



The soup broth was delectable, the portions very generous, and the availability of condiments was fantastic. We like our pho hot, so the waittress brought little bowls of diced chilis in oil. That did the trick! (Though be warned--that stuff is hot!)

So if you love pho as much as I do, enjoy Thai and various pan-asian cuisine, or just want to try something new and you're in the Utica area, visit Sunny. And if you want a lunch partner, just let me know--I'd be glad to meet you there!

Sunny Asian Restaurant
530 Albany Street
Utica, NY 13501
315.292.7304

"The Bis"

Yesterday I had an appointment out-of-town, so my brother joined me for the ride. Along the way, we stopped at a restaurant in Syracuse, NY called Steak & Sundae.



I should have taken more photos of this place. It's an honest-to-goodness old-school diner. The menu was pretty large, with lots of meal options--from Chicken Parmigiana to salads to gravy-covered hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes. This is the place to go with your parents or grandparents--and the food really is delish.

In my experience it's always a good idea to stick to the specials menu when trying out a new diner--and that's just what we did. I had the haddock sandwich and fries.



My brother, Aaron, had a greek salad with grilled chicken.



The portions were generous and the prices weren't bad--we ate for under $16 for the both of us.

I was tempted by their drool-inducing dessert case but managed to run away unscathed, though I'm still giggling over this bit on the menu:



The definition of "the bis" eludes me--but whatever it might be, you can be certain that it's (a) full of sugar, (b) fattening and (c) delicious.

After that big meal at noontime I still didn't have much of an appetite at dinner, so I made my own greek salad.



Simple, but good. I gave Mr.W a gratuitous hamburger patty to go along with it, which always makes him happy.

It's raining again today here in Central New York, and somehow that energized me for some spring cleaning. Go figure. But with cleaning comes making a big mess--here you can see that I've completely destroyed my living room by rearranging some furniture and emptying cabinets, shelves and whatnot to organize all those bits & pieces that have been stashed behind closed doors over the last 12 months. Y'all know what I mean!




I took a short break for a ham sandwich and to look through a stack of photos I found and, lo and behold I found this, from way back in 1992:



You'll have to click on it to see it full-sized. I almost spit out my soda when I saw it. I'm the gal on the right of the groom. I was 21 then, newly married myself and stand as matron-of-honor. And check out that awful dress--black and white crossover bodice, hi-lo hemline and a giant bow right on the front. Look at the poofy sleeves! I remember that I got lipstick on the sleeve because I turned my head. God forbid, right? Ugh!

Well I hope that gave you as much of a laugh as it did me.


Steak & Sundae
1830 Teall Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13206
315.463.6551

My New Favorite Restaurant

Here's what the sky looks like today in my area:



Does that look like a day for Pho, or what?

My brother's sister-in-law recently found a Pho restaurant nearby, and we found it today! Behold:



I can't describe to you how excited I was. My brother (Aaron) likely noticed me hopping lightly from one foot to the other...

Pho Mekong is a clean, tidy little restaurant near the Utica Courthouse. The decor is blue and white, with little adornment.

With this good, healthy chow, you don't need frill and fuss. I ordered the small Pho Ga (chicken soup).



Aaron ordered the large Pho Do Bien (seafood soup):



The bowls come in an option of three sizes, in super-reasonable prices: small for $5.95, large for $6.95 and extra-large for $7.95 (USD). The small was quite enough, and Aaron felt that the large was almost too much food for him.

Almost.



Upstaters, I strongly recommend visiting this place--you won't regret it.

Pho Mekong
House of Noodles
601 John Street
Utica, New York 13501
tel. 315.797.7171

Symeon's

At this time of year in Central New York, everyone seems to have a bit of cabin fever, which can often accompany some depression. After so many months of nothing but grey skies, snow and icy cold, with little hope of spring anytime soon, this is the time to give yourself something interesting to do.

A friend and I recently found ourselves in just this position, and to combat the blahs we decided to go out for lunch. We chose a place that specializes in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine: Symeon's in Yorkville, NY.

We were seated at a comfortable booth in a well-lit room right off the open kitchen. Their no-muss vinyl tablecloths are topped with white paper. Each table came complete with a box of crayons for your very own entertainment. Crayons always entertain me, anyway.



The menus are kitchy but fully packed. With so many options and so little time, we stuck to the lunch menu on the back.

Our waitress, Edna, was friendly and efficient. I've been to Symeon's a few times, but always stuck to the souvlaki luncheon plate: a skewer of marinated and grilled lamb or pork over a greek salad with a basket of flatbread. And it's a great meal. This time, however, I was in the mood to experiment.

Lunch began with a typical greek salad: salad greens, crumbled feta, sliced onion, tomato and calamata olives dressed with a fresh vinaigrette. I forgot to take a picture of it, so you'll have to imagine it. Delicious in its simplicity, this is something everyone can love.

Except for the raw onions. I picked them out.

I took Edna's advice for a delicious entree: Melitzanes Yemestes sto Fourno. And that translates to delicious. It was a baked eggplant casserole--tender eggplant (not breaded) layered with simmered vegetables and feta, all topped with a gooey layer of kasseri cheese. Yum!

(Kasseri is sort of like mozzarella in consistency and color, with a mild flavor.)



And what is a good meal without dessert? Well, I didn't have room, but my dining companion did! She ordered the baklava is a traditional and delicious choice.

They even have a sugar-free low-cholesterol version which I've tried before, and it's quite good. I love a restaurant that offers a sugar-free option!



Symeon's has lots of parking, seating, are handicapped accessible, and are always packed around mealtime. Whenever I go to Symeon's for lunch, I make sure to arrive early--no later than 11:30am--if I want a quick seat. Because it will get busy by noon. Count on it.


Symeon's
4941 Commercial Drive, Yorkville, NY 13413
Tel: (315) 736-4074