The best of 2012 from Unchained Restaurants

I know there has been a mind-numbing listing of lists the past few days. The New Yorker even chimed in with the hundred best lists of all time. But what is one more, right?

I was lucky to be able to visit a good number of restaurants in Central New York and beyond this year, so I want to share a few of my favorites.  If you know of a locally owned eatery that I should try this coming year, please drop a line in the comments section below. And, as always, thanks for following Unchained Restaurants.  Now more than ever it is important that we celebrate and support locally owned restaurants and shops that make our area so distinctive and such a great place to live.

I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous 2013!

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Best Breakfast

The Caboose, in Norwich, N.Y. This tiny establishment serves up great breakfasts and lunches in an old rail car. You can chat with the owner/chef as she cooks away at the grill. Look for the fresh muffins, pies, and pastries in the morning. It’s worth taking a quick turn off Route 12 in this Chenango County city.

Thee Diner, Cicero, N.Y. A great place to stop if you traveling on I-81 north of Syracuse and need a place to get re-energized. It is not much to look at from the outside, but the diner has a warm, inviting interior that is filled with photos of local patrons. It’s all about the people and the good food at this roadside eatery on Route 31.

Honorable mention: The Beaver Den in Brookfield, N.Y. Not a new discovery for me, but it has become a go-to place on weekends. It’s a nice drive through southern Madison County, and the hearty food at incredibly low prices can’t be beat.

Best Lunch

Lock 24 Restaurant, Baldwinsville, N.Y. The setting for this restaurant bumped it up the list for me, I’ll admit. The Erie Canal is right outside the window, and the beautiful Red Mill Inn is just on the other side of the waterway. A walking path and a small park with a band shell provide great views of the canal and Seneca River. Good sandwiches and efficient, friendly service made this a great stop. I can’t wait to go back during summer and take advantage of the sprawling outside deck.

Eddie’s Restaurant, Sylvan Beach, N.Y. I like to see longtime establishments continue to do well because they continue to work at it, and don’t rely on reputation alone.  We stopped at this Oneida Lake mainstay last fall.  I enjoyed the hot ham sandwich that helped earn Eddie’s its well-deserved name as THE place to go when visiting this summer playground.

Best Dinner

barVino, North Creek, N.Y. This tapas restaurant was a terrific part of my visit to the home of Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks. It is a fun, busy place that puts a premium on finely crafted food coupled with interesting wine and beer lists. Nothing costs more than $12, and you will absolutely find plenty of options to share with your dinner companions.

Black Stallion, Vernon, N.Y. I love the variety of well-presented entrees at this restaurant, which is not far from Vernon Downs racetrack. There are solid CNY staples like Chicken Riggies, but also daily specials that show creativity and a flair for creative sauces. I’ve visited several times this past year, and each time was as good as the last.

Wildflowers, Verona, N.Y.  How can I not include this high-end restaurant at The Turning Stone Resort? Eating here is a once-a-year treat, if that, because of the price. But it was an incredible dining experience that won’t soon be forgotten.

Miscellaneous

Wicked Ways Saloon, Croghan, N.Y. Driving through the North Country? Stop here for wings or a burger. Daughter B and I stopped for lunch last week on the way back from St. Lawrence University. The wings had good fire and were crisp and meaty. The burger can serve two, so beware.

Reandeau’s Swiss Kitchen, Tupper Lake, N.Y. The BEST home fries I’ve had in a long, long time.  Real potatoes cooked and seasoned to perfection. Historical photos adorn the walls of this village landmark. Next time you’re traveling through the ‘Dacks, think about a stop here for breakfast.

The Black Stallion is worth a visit and a run on Route 5

Route 20 in CNY gets all the love.  Those beautiful signs that herald it as a national scenic byway, its claim to fame as the longest road in the country, the associations and groups formed to sing its praises.  All well-deserved, indeed. But then, just to the north, is Route 5, the ugly sister of Route 20. Don’t hear much about this road, though it shares the same exact pavement with Route 20 in two different sections as it runs 370 miles across New York state. And don’t even get me started with Route 5S.

But there we were the other day, traveling on the Ugly Sister through Vernon. I used to cover the Vernon Town Board for the Rome Daily Sentinel, writing stories about the Hood dairy plant and Vernon Downs. Back when people I knew were getting married and not divorced, I would attend receptions at Dibbles Inn. Lately, I’ve enjoyed breakfast a couple times at Nothin’ Fancy.

The other night, we discovered a place that was new to us and a place we’ll be going back to: The Black Stallion.

There’s the horsey name, thanks to the proximity to the racetrack, and there’s a bunch of miniature race cars (NASCAR, not open-wheel) adorning one wall in the bar, thanks to being across the street from the Utica-Rome Speedway, and there’s a well-organized wait staff and a mighty fine kitchen crew out back. This place was a surprise to us; a pleasant surprise.

The Black Stallion on Route 5 in Vernon.

It calls itself an Italian restaurant, but there is a whole lot more to it. On the Friday night we went, there were six different specials, mostly involving creative sauces and combinations of fish and scallops. You have your CNY standards like Chicken Riggies and Italian Greens, but there are plenty of beef and chicken options, too. Wife L had one of the specials, a grilled, mild white fish on a bed of wilted greens with a garlic butter sauce. She loved it.

I had the Chicken Asiago. This perfectly prepared chicken breast comes with broccoli, artichoke hearts, asiago cheese, and roasted red peppers in a lemon garlic sauce. 

The fish special was $21 and my chicken dish was $16. You can get baked ziti for $10 or Alaskan king crab for $26. There really is an interesting range of entrees and specials.

You might be apt to drive right by because the exterior might not stand out to you, and inside is your standard dining area with not a lot of frills, but it really is a well-run place.

We’ll take another ride on the Ugly Sister one day and try The Black Stallion again.

 On another, completely unrelated, note. Is the flox that seems to be absolutely everywhere I walk these days a good thing or a bad thing? I enjoy the bright colors but I wonder if it is forcing out other plants. This photo is from the Chenango Canal walking path, just off Eaton Street in Hamilton.