Syracuse’s Northside neighborhood is a not-so-hidden gem planted in the middle of the city. It’s a cultural hot spot; an intersection between new immigrants and an area steeped in heritage. And a restaurant that’s starting to become a favorite of mine, Riley’s, is tucked away here.

On the outside, it seems like an unassuming place for a restaurant. The dark beige wooden exterior panels, the colorful awnings and a sign with piano keys that loudly proclaims Riley’s plays homage to an old western saloon.

Inside, warm welcomes coupled with friendly service and an intimate setting make this place feel more like home. A lively, pleasant buzz makes Riley’s so alluring. It greets you as if you’ve been before, and yet still seems to surprise you.

Bare wooden tables accented with a small, central candle provide the only light for the table. A few hanging dimmed bulbs light up the rest of the dining room. It’s just enough illumination to make out the historical pictures or relics of downtown Syracuse adorning the wall.

And just like home, dinner is different each night. A chalkboard in the front of the dining room proudly announces what’s on the menu for the day. A paper menu reiterates the chalkboard’s message, but provides further details and descriptions.

Every day the staff at Riley’s painstakingly writes down each dish and its lengthy description, along with some loose illustrations. It requires your full attention given just how much they’ve managed to squeeze onto a standard piece of paper.

On the back is the standard daily dinner menu. Classics include Irish fries, any 7-ounce burger and the steak sandwich. But it was Friday, and on Friday, most of the sides and all the burgers were unavailable. On Friday, fish is king.

The menu reads like a fish market, putting a smile on any fish-lovers face. It included a stew of shrimp, halibut and tuna, served with fresh tomatoes and barley. Or you could try the genuine lobster roll, the shrimp scampi or the fried frogs legs.

The fresh bread served beforehand provided me just enough sustenance to make it to my main courses, so I decided to skip the appetizers and go straight to the star of the show: the entrée.

I ordered a beautifully grilled Swordfish steak, slightly sweetened with hoisin and sesame, sitting on top of a seaweed salad. It served alongside asparagus and Syracuse’s local salt potato. The swordfish was at least a half-inch thick and was incredibly tender. Admittedly, it was my first time eating swordfish. While it isn’t bland, swordfish certainly has a very mild taste. Given also how thick it is, swordfish can definitely be a blank slate for anything.

The seaweed salad also proved to be perfect. Salty, sweet and with the perfect chewy texture, seaweed is one of my favorites. I also tried the grilled pork medallions with a mango peach barbeque sauce. The pork wasn’t dry at all and had a nice complexity to it, adding just the right amount of spiciness. I washed down both courses with solid beers from Middle Ages Brewing. It was a strong showing by both dishes, and I was comfortably full and content.

After scanning the menu diligently, I came across a little bubble towards the bottom that says Brian’s Desserts. Our waitress was quick to inform us about the available pies they offer every day.

While I didn’t order any dessert this time, I’ve had the privilege of trying almost all the flavors of pie. I highly recommend saving room for dessert, maybe even skipping dinner all together. Each slice is so decadent, that one bite may send you into a long-lasting food coma.

Riley’s feels like home, so you can always squeeze in the last bite. You can stay and chat and order another drink. The lights are dim, the food is comforting and the neighborhood is quiet; perhaps anticipating what dishes will be scrawled across tomorrow’s menu.

Published on August 25, 2014 at 12:01 am

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