Left at the Fork

the road | the food | a new direction

Month: July 2017

Spiedies are cooked on metal skewers, with no vegetable matter to distract you from the taste of highly spiced charcoaled pork. Soft Italian bread is used to de-skewer the meat.

Sharkey’s, Binghamton NY

July 25, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Sharkey’s is the spiritual home of the spiedie, a Binghamton-only shish kebab cousin with an Italian-American genealogy. The word spiedie is said to come from an Italian word for the skewer upon which meat is cooked, or perhaps the meat on that skewer. In Binghamton, that meat was originally lamb but it’s been decades since anyone has seen a lamb spiedie around here. Pork had become traditional until the last decade or two, when chicken has overtaken it to become the spiedie of choice (much as chicken has elbowed other meats aside all over the country, so that chicken cheesesteaks and chicken-topped pizzas are not uncommon – this is a development that irritates us no end). Continue reading

Phil's chicken is slow roasted and frequently basted with Cornell Chicken sauce, resulting in a mind-bogglingly delicious chicken skin.

Phil’s Chicken House, West Corners NY

July 23, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

It’s all about the bird at Phil’s Chicken House. True, Phil’s has a wide-ranging menu, and in our experience, plenty of folks order things like beef tips, grilled ham, or baked fish, and they evidently enjoy those meals very much. Phil’s is usually packed at normal mealtimes. Phil also offers bounteous daily buffets. Nonetheless, in our experience, which spans over 40 years of dining at Phil’s, it’s all about the bird. Continue reading

You can get a classic Binghamton spiedie from the BBQ stand down the right field line, albeit one made with chicken. Honestly, though, despite our pork chauvinism, this was nicely tangy and generous (about two skewers worth of char-broiled meat).

NYSEG Stadium, Binghamton NY

July 21, 2017 / / 2 Comments

REVIEW

Minor league baseball stadiums, like NYSEG Stadium, home to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, AA affiliate of the New York Mets, haven’t gone all-in on the current major league trend of offering local food specialties at their concession stands. For sure, at the big league level, it can sometimes seem as if the fans are more interested in the food than the ballgame. In the boonies, hot dogs and beer are still more the rule, but regional food or, at the very least, extreme food, is finding its way onto the menus more and more in places like Charleston and Louisville and Fort Myers. Continue reading

Whether you call them pierogi or varenyky, these dough pockets stuffed with potato are as soulfully satisfying as any we've ever had.

St. Volodymyr the Great Ukrainian Catholic Church, Utica NY

July 19, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Here’s one important lesson to keep in mind when searching for superior local food: keep your eyes, ears, and, especially, nose on the lookout for anything edible that catches your senses’ attention. Don’t depend exclusively on scouring the internet, following the Yelp and Tripadvisor lists for all your meals. At least, not if you want to find the really interesting stuff. Continue reading

The brawny, crusty loaves of Utica Bread can be found at the Saturday market.

Oneida County Public Market, Utica NY

July 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

The USDA has classified a portion of downtown Utica as a food desert, which means the residents have low access to fresh food. The Oneida County Public Market was established, in part, to help address that situation. Located outside the historic 1914 Union Station (and inside the station during the cold months), OCPM is a year-round, Saturday morning operation. Continue reading

A pair of Texas dogs, which at Pete's means a topping of Greek-style meat sauce. Mustard optional.

Pete’s Hot Dogs Inc., Newburgh NY

July 15, 2017 / / 5 Comments

REVIEW

First of all, let’s ask the important question: Do you like hot dogs? We ask because, if you don’t, there’s no point in reading any further. Pete’s sells hot dogs, and only hot dogs. Oh, there are toppings to choose from and, of course, they also offer drinks. You can even nab some packaged chips or cookies if you must. But Pete’s is about the tube steak, fast and hot. They want you in and out. And they’ll get no complaints from us. Continue reading

© 2024 Left at the Fork

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑