SYR - Rise N Shine Diner

It’s a new year and we’re starting it off trying new places and eating all the good food!

Today’s adventure was to the Rise N Shine Diner Wescott for a little post holiday, holiday team breakfast. I’m not one to complain about a little bonding meal, that’s for sure.

LOCATION: 500 WESCOTT STREET, SYRACUSE, NY 13210

We’ve gotten Rise N Shine for breakfast before as a team but I’ve actually never been to this location. For some reason, we’ve ordered delivery to the office before but we can’t quite remember what the occasion was but I do remember eating an eggs benedict from this spot before because it’s a big thing they’re known for and I love a little eggs benny.

Today, I decided to mix it up a little and get myself a Homefries Poutine which is technically one of their ‘Divvies’ to start off/share but I’m not one to deny myself a menu item just because it was labeled as a sharable plate. It was also priced the same as an typical ‘entree’ plate ($16) so logically, this seemed like a reasonable choice to me.

I, of course, love a poutine. Being a huge lover of potatoes, I didn’t want to pass up on this option. This one came with homefries with garlic-breaded cheese curds, chopped black forest bacon, and topped with a sausage gravy. Now, I won’t say that this is TOTALLY giving poutine just because we added some cheese curds to a potato base but I’m not mad. It was definitely leaning more into a breakfast hash vibe with the giant potato chunks and the white sausage gravy but I was here for it.

If I was out an about craving a poutine, this wouldn’t be my first choice, but as far as breakfasts go, I really did enjoy it. Of course, it was super filling and I have leftovers for days but I really enjoy a messy plate that gives you a different bite each time. The homefries are really just giant potato chunks (not crispy deep fried cubes if that’s what you’re hoping for) and there are hidden pieces of breakfast sausage so you’re really digging into this big plate but it’s a good time for sure. Nothing special, but this order won’t let you down.

SYR - Haraz Coffee House

It’s a day of eating! Welcome back from holiday break! There’s a new spot that opened up about a month or so near campus so of course a few of us had to try it out before the students return on Monday and flood the joint!

LOCATION: 125 MARSHALL STREET, SYRACUSE, NY 13210

Word is Haraz is a chain of authentic Yemeni coffee and while I’m not a big coffee drinker, I do like a nice tea and a new place to try out.

After a big breakfast this morning, I was totally happy to have a light tea for lunch with a little sweet treat and Haraz delivered. I ended up ordering a Saffron Adeni, which was a black tea with haraz spices, saffron, and cream along with a Strawberry Mousse because it was too beautiful to pass up and I’m a big strawberry fan as well.

The tea was in fact pretty strong and was giving coffee vibes. I drank half and felt super amped (I’m sure the cream didn’t help) but it was really nice to have something warm a rich to drink to help digest more of my breakfast. The strawberry mousse was a great little sweet treat. It tasted just like a light strawberry ice cream and had a really nice thin shell. There was a little cookie base that was pretty hard to cut through and got stuck to my plate so that wasn’t a win but that base also didn’t have much flavor so I didn’t feel I was missing out too much. The mousse was a little runny once I broke the shell but that’s to be expected from a ‘dessert’ that sits in a glass case all morning at a coffee shop so no points off there. I will say, this little guy was almost $12 alone, so we really are treating it as a special occasion dessert and not a weekly purchase.

All in all, I enjoyed the vibes and the menu items. I don’t think my wallet will appreciate too much frequency here but once a quarter is probably doable. Hopefully, the coffee drinkers of the world support this place so it stays open long enough for me to make my sporadic trips.

ITHACA - Ithaca Bakery

ITHACA - Ithaca Bakery

It’s a movie date day but we’re old homebodies so that means we start with breakfast and hit the early showing! We did a scouting mission and, upon seeing a couple full parking lots for local diners, we ended up with our pick for the day.

LOCATION: TRIPHAMMER MARKETPLACE, 2255 N. TRIPHAMMER ROAD, ITHACA, NY 14850

We’ve been to Ithaca Bakery before a couple of times and this location is the most convenient when we’re trying to hit a movie so here we are. It’s been awhile, but we don’t LOVE going here since it’s usually a pretty busy spot. I also don’t love the layout of this location - it’s pretty cramped by the doors and the menu is nowhere near the registers so don’t forget what you were planning to order. Caleb wanted a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich but everything has a name so he got a Brooklyn bagel (add cheese for $.90) and I decided to go with an Avocado Toast #2. I had a moment at the counter wondering if I really did want the #2 and not the #1 or #3 and since the menu is over by the door, I just hoped for the best. The upside was that I was correct and I did want the #2 which comes with avocado, feta crumbles, bacon, olive oil, salt and pepper on oatmeal wheat toast. I’m not the biggest fan of wheat toast at all but I figured it’d be fine with all the extra toppings included.

Not gonna lie, this was a disappointing toast. And for $10 I should’ve known better but I’ve been having a mental aversion to eggs lately and didn’t want a whole bagel sandwich because I knew I wouldn’t eat it all. Joke’s on me because I didn’t eat all of my avocado toast either! For an avocado TOAST you would thing that they would actually TOAST the bread but no luck. I could’ve used a little extra bit of support but the bottom was floppy. It did manage to stay together well enough so that’s what hearty bread will do for you but just a light toast on it would’ve made a world of improvement.

Honestly, this felt like an avocado toast you could get at a dunkin’ donuts. Pretty generic ‘avocado spread’ that didn’t really scream freshness, microwave bacon that smells smokey but only tastes like salt, and some pretty mid feta crumbles. Each component tasted the way I wanted it to, but all together it was so muddle and one note. My wallet is crying for a meal that was not worth the $10. We’ve got to find some alternative breakfast options for days like these.

ROC - Mission BBQ

Caleb and I were in Rochester for the weekend and unluckily for us, there’s not a ton of BBQ options back in Cortland so if we’re in the mood we try to pick a spot when we’re in Rochester to get our fix. This time, we decided to give Mission BBQ a try.

LOCATION: 100 MARKETPLACE DR. SUITE 100, ROCHESTER, NY 14623

I’ve never been to a Mission BBQ before and didn’t even know it was a chain before this. For a BBQ place in New York, I’ll take it - not that I’m THAT discerning when it comes to BBQ. Being born and raised in NY has its flaws sometimes.

Having a small stomach also has it’s disadvantages so sorry for the empty looking tray but this was the right amount for me! I had to get the brisket sandwich (moist because I love a fatty piece of beef) along with some baked cheesy potatoes.

For someone who knows very little about BBQ - this place was spot on. I like that I can pick my own sauce to add since I’m not a huge fan of too much sauce and I prefer a more vinegar base to my bbq over something sweet. The potatoes weren’t my favorite but from the list of offerings - this did feel like my best bet so I do have to stick it out whenever we visit but it wasn’t anything to complain about so that’s alright with me. They were just a little tangy and not as savory as I wanted them to be. Plus - the cheesiness took away from a simpler potato-y style that I prefer. If ‘too much flavor’ is the problem, I think we’ll be ay-okay.

ROC - Möge Tee

I’ve gone for a ride here trying Möge Tee in Rochester so come along for my journey!

LOCATION: 3679 W HENRIETTA RD., ROCHESTER, NY 14623

Of course, I’m a little tapped into the bubble tea scene in Rochester, even though I’m in Cortland/Syracuse now, but having friends in town scoping out the new spots is always a win. This is how I knew I had to make a stop next time I was in town. I’ve been following along on their instagram to check out their menu and see what they had going on, so I was super excited to get a cup with a cute bear lid with ears and all.

Unfortunately, social media isn’t always 100% truthful and I was hoodwinked! (I’m exaggerating of course, and a bear lid is not the end of the world though they are going to get me to visit again to see if I’ll get any luckier next time so I guess their marketing worked!)

In my attempt at getting the bear lid, I even ordered a drink that they featured on their socials with the lid - Yogurt Mango Tea - now I typically don’t get yogurt drinks since they’re super filling and dairy is not my BEST friend but we trucked along. I do love a good mango drink a la mango lassi so this was not a bad choice if you like something like that. This drink did come with a crystal boba topping too which I’m not the biggest fan of. The texture is less chewy than regular tapioca/boba and it’s kinda dense. Not huge in flavor but I guess it’s a good filler and a different texture to add to the mix. I’d still rather have a normal boba or go with a lychee jelly or similar for more flavor and a more familiar texture for me.

While I was there, I figured I’d also get some wings as well since it was lunch time. I got their 6pc with fries in a soy garlic sauce which seems like a pretty safe choice. These wings were a lot bigger than I expected! They’re a pretty classic, chinese style breaded wing which is something I grew up with. Doesn’t taste like any sort of classic buffalo style wing I’ve had so if that’s what you’re looking for, adjust your expectations. These wings have a crispy seasoned exterior that’s flavorful without the sauce tossed around it. I don’t know that the soy garlic did too much for me but this took me back to my dad’s fried chicken wings when I was growing up so major points for nostalgia and taste.

As mentioned, I’ll be back - gotta get that cute bear lid! Plus there’s a whole menu of other items to try out if I’m feeling up to it.