**UPDATED 3/3 at 7:50 a.m. **



I’ve condensed the additions into the original list for the sake of organization. Thanks to everyone for stopping by. If you like what you have seen, click the Follow by Email link to the right or Like Us on Facebook.

Syracuse is going through a sort of rebirth in terms of civic pride. In addition to the usual suspects — local chambers of commerce and young professionals groups — there is also Believe in Syracuse, a grassroots organization committed to showcasing all that is good about living in Syracuse (Disclosure: I used to work with its founder and know members of its advisory board.), Syracuse365, Syracuse Guru and Syracuse First, to name a few.

I’m not one of these cheerleaders. (One, I’m not a cheerleader by nature. Pessimist? Not quite. Pragmatist? Yes. Cynic? Very much. I prefer to call myself a skeptical realist. I look at Syracuse like my family: I’ve been around it all my life, it’s a part of me and there are very, very good things about it, but there are so many problems that no one will deal with and our economic condition has been teetering for years.) But, there is one thing about this town I will jump up and down about: the food.

I’ve been to some great cities in the past couple of years (Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New Orleans, Dallas) that have cool food scenes and I would put Syracuse’s food culture up there with any of them. Yes, we lack the name-brand chefs like Donald Link, Emeril Lagasse and Stephan Pyles. But, we have an area full of food built on the back of family-owned enterprise. And that can be even better than a trip to Peche, Emeril’s or Stampede 66.

A story on Syracuse.com on Tuesday about the venerable Ascioti’s Market in Solvay made this resonate with me. So, indulge me for a moment on my list of the 62 74 78 Things That Make Syracuse a Great Food Town. In no particular order:

ANOTHER NOTE: It bears repeating that this is not a list of the best restaurants, places or things to order in Syracuse. This is about the elements that make Syracuse/CNY a great area for food.

And I’m sure there are things I have missed. I didn’t include any beer or wine here. There are some I eliminated because they are overrated (Dominick’s). Some are loved by people but not me (Dominick’s). Some are just outright terrible (Dominick’s). Tell me what I missed and make your case for adding them to the list.

There are so many things that have been lost to time:

Grocery shopping at Williams in North Syracuse, from parking under the gigantic metal canopy to the big cowboy sign to the pizza, was always a treat.

So was the Pu Pu Platter at Frankie’s Chinese Restaurant . Ragusa’s.

. Ragusa’s. Pat’s Pizza in Mattydale.

in Mattydale. Roast beef subs the size of your leg from Kegs and Cases .

. Going to the old Serpico’s on North Salina Street for post-drinking breakfast at 2:30 a.m. and winding up at the counter seated between a hooker and a drug dealer, and having them work a deal like you aren’t even there (remember kids, dining is an experience and the food was SO good). All lost to the ether.

on North Salina Street for post-drinking breakfast at 2:30 a.m. and winding up at the counter seated between a hooker and a drug dealer, and having them work a deal like you aren’t even there (remember kids, dining is an experience and the food was SO good). All lost to the ether. Grimaldi’s and Giovanni’s on Erie Boulevard. I went to both as a child and remember them fondly.

and on Erie Boulevard. I went to both as a child and remember them fondly. Duck Two Ways at Kettle Lakes (R.I.P. Brian Shore).

(R.I.P. Brian Shore). How did I forget Steak Au Poivre at To The Moon , the restaurant where I proposed to The Wife? I’m really a terrible person.

, the restaurant where I proposed to The Wife? I’m really a terrible person. Reubens from Weber’s on the North side. It was the only restaurant of note that did takeout near St. Joseph’s hospital. I ate a lot of those reubens during the 90s when various members of my family decided to get cancer.

on the North side. It was the only restaurant of note that did takeout near St. Joseph’s hospital. I ate a lot of those reubens during the 90s when various members of my family decided to get cancer. Donuts from P&C . Nothing short of awesome.

. Nothing short of awesome. Plainville Turkey Farms . Big Farm came to town and bought them out so I don’t count it as local anymore. Mostly I’m mad that they closed the store and restaurant in Cicero.

. Big Farm came to town and bought them out so I don’t count it as local anymore. Mostly I’m mad that they closed the store and restaurant in Cicero. Aunt Josie’s . I asked my father why we never went to Aunt Josie’s. He said that the line was always too long. With a dining room the size of my laundry room and an excellent menu, I can see why.

. I asked my father why we never went to Aunt Josie’s. He said that the line was always too long. With a dining room the size of my laundry room and an excellent menu, I can see why. Greg, a friend, former college roommate and Syracuse expat to NoVA, suggests Aunt Fannie’s in Solvay to the lost but not forgotten list. I don’t remember Aunt Fannie’s and neither does The Wife (a Solvay native). Can anyone toss an assist to me here? UPDATE: See the comments below.

in Solvay to the lost but not forgotten list. I don’t remember Aunt Fannie’s and neither does The Wife (a Solvay native). Can anyone toss an assist to me here? UPDATE: See the comments below. People who remember such things also say that Caroma’s is missed. The longtime family owned restaurant was named after the three sisters that worked in the kitchen: CArmel, ROse & MAry. Ca-Ro-Ma. Pretty cool, eh?

is missed. The longtime family owned restaurant was named after the three sisters that worked in the kitchen: CArmel, ROse & MAry. Ca-Ro-Ma. Pretty cool, eh? Leaving The Wife’s house at night, back in the days when she was The Girlfriend, and driving past the old New York Bakery in Solvay. The smell of fresh bread is a beautiful thing. New York Bakery i s still around and providing bread to just about every deli in town, but they are no longer a retail outlet.

s still around and providing bread to just about every deli in town, but they are no longer a retail outlet. Poodle’s and their frittatas but it had closed long before my parents had even met.

The Aunt, alerted to this list by one of her Internet-ready friends, informs me that I missed Squadrito’s . I love the woman but she was convinced that there were no fillers in their sausage, as if the pig ate a steady diet of garlic and fennel.

. I love the woman but she was convinced that there were no fillers in their sausage, as if the pig ate a steady diet of garlic and fennel. As a kid, we would drive down Route 11 in North Syracuse and pass Angelo’s Cornucopia . The sign out front had a, wait for it, gigantic cornucopia on it. I always thought it was weird that there would be a restaurant that served only vegetables. It turns out I might have taken the sign a little too literally.

. The sign out front had a, wait for it, gigantic cornucopia on it. I always thought it was weird that there would be a restaurant that served only vegetables. It turns out I might have taken the sign a little too literally. Where Barbieri’s Restaurant in North Syracuse sits today was once Oscar’s Restaurant . A mom-and-pop shop (Literally. The husband worked in the kitchen. The wife worked the front counter.), Oscar’s had awesome soups and a menu written on an enormous chalkboard behind hanging from the wall.

. A mom-and-pop shop (Literally. The husband worked in the kitchen. The wife worked the front counter.), Oscar’s had awesome soups and a menu written on an enormous chalkboard behind hanging from the wall. I’ve been reminded that I’ve missed Clark’s Ale House. It was a Syracuse landmark with a great beer selection. It has been gone a long time and talk of its reopening has been out there since, well, the day the doors were locked. Count me in the minority of “believe it when I see it” when it comes to this place reopening and surviving in an otherwise mediocre location.

NOTES:

Multiple people have told me that I have whiffed on Eva’s European Sweets in Solvay. Though a favorite of The In-Laws, I have never been. I’ll have to work on that.

Someone mentioned Liehs and Steigerwalds on Facebook. That’s one I missed, if for no other reason than they have exceptional customer service.

Former teacher and current resident of John Boehner’s Congressional district Linda Wiehl mentioned Santangelo’s and Joey’s below. Santangelo’s is one I missed and will add. As for Joey’s, well, I’ll be at Asti.

bc fell off the list because they tinkered with the lobster and crab salad. When you play with my emotions like that, you get banished.

I need to get to New Century for some pho.

Brooklyn Pickle isn’t my favorite, but it is very reliable. Find it at #69.

I’m not getting into the chicken wings discussion. The Blarney Stone does a nice job, as does Twin Trees Too and III, but in the world of wings there is Duff’s and everyone else.

Apparently, I need to try the Better Brittle Company.

Based on what people have said, I need break my Starbucks habit and try local roasters some of the other local roasters. I’ve always been partial to Freedom, so we’ll see how they stack up.

A note on Marshall Street. I included King David’s. I will likely pass by Cosmo’s and Varsity. Yes, the atmosphere and experience are pure “college,” but the food is not all that good. Plenty of St. Bonaventure graduates will sing the praises of the long-passed S&G Pizza in Allegany. It had nothing to do with the food. It was “our” 24-hour outpost for grease.

I still don’t like Thai food, but have acquiesced because you, dear reader, have been insistent. And they are probably right.

Just like this list isn’t necessarily about the best, it’s also not about my personal feelings. I can’t deny what Columbus Baking Company’s bread means in this town.