Mexican Invades Armory Square

“We felt that downtown was missing {Mexican cuisine},” says owner John Vigliotti, who, along with his father Frank,
owns and operates the business. “There also seemed to be a lack of
eateries in the area with counter service where you can go in and have a
quality comfort meal and within three minutes of walking in the door,
sit down and eat at an affordable price. We loved the location and the
layout and we knew we could transform it into what it is today.”

Previously, the spot, stationed right across the street from the
Daisy Dukes bar, housed a couple of pizza joints, most notably Slices.
Vigliotti mentions that they thought about purchasing the space four or
five years ago, but they decided to invest in another family owned
eatery—La Dolce Vita (907 E. Genesee St.), which opened in early 2009.
(The father-son duo also own Peppino’s Pizzeria as well as Franco’s
Pizzeria.) 

The younger Vigliotti has been around the restaurant business since
he was a kid, and became involved managerially when he purchased
Peppino’s in 1997. He has used all that experience into turning La
Taqueria into a one-of-a-kind Mexican restaurant.

“All our recipes are homemade but by no means are we an authentic
Mexican eatery and we don’t pretend to be,” he continues. “We have
tacos, quesadillas, burritos and we put together extremely tasteful
combinations. One avenue we focus on are ‘Dolce Vita Fusion Burritos,’
in which we import ingredients from entrees at Dolce Vita and sync one
or more ethnic cuisines, aside from Mexican, and blend them together
into an entree, such as a dish in where we turn an Italian dish into a
burrito.” 

While they do have some of their own creations on special, any menu
item you think will hit the spot can be made-to-order, and is available
for dine-in or take out. Some of the menu items include a regular
burrito at $6.50 while the super burrito runs $6.95; tacos are priced at
one for $2.65 and three for $6.95, or you can opt for the taco salad at
$6.75; and quesadillas will set you back $6.50. Choices for the “Dolce
Vita Fusion Burritos,” priced at $7.50, change each week, and some of
the options you might see on the menu include Bombay chicken, Cowboy
Francais, Portobello Lavender and quite possibly the hottest one of all,
the “Sophia Loren.”   

Vigliotti notes that their biggest counter rushes come during the
workweek lunch hour, and after hours on the weekend when the Armory
Square bars are closing. Currently, he notes, dinnertime is the slowest,
but he believes that will change when they are approved for their wine
and beer license by the New York State Liquor Authority. Also, La
Taqueria will be providing a catering service in the coming weeks, and
he plans on opening more locations in the area. “We’re going to spray
the entire Onondaga County with them,” he jokes.

La Taqueria has seen a steady clientele with new repeat customers
every week. Along with the other three restaurants he operates, one
thing stands out above the rest for Vigliotti: “We are food people by
heart and we love customer service,” he says, “and we get extreme
enjoyment watching people satisfied by one of our entrees, and when it
puts a smile on someone’s face, it makes it all worthwhile and that’s
what we do what we do.”

La Taqueria is open Mondays through Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and
Thursdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; closed Sundays. For more
information, visit www.lataqueriagrill.com.

 

Locavore’s Delight

Green Hills Market, 5933 S. Salina St., is hosting the third annual Hometown Tasting Festival
on Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 from 4 to 7 p.m. More than 20 local farmers
and manufacturers will be on hand to offer samples and you can taste
marinated meats, homemade sausages, local produce, cookies, ice cream,
beers, snacks and hors d’oeuvres.

Some of the local purveyors they’re expecting include: ICJ cookies, Meadowood Farms offering
sheep’s milk yogurts and cheeses (Green Hills is only one of two
independent stores carrying Meadowood’s products locally), Kate Swete, Nana’s Toppings, Kiernan May, Landmark Beer Company, Fabio’s Italian Dressing, Hawg Wash BBQ, Erie Canal Jams and Chili Sauce, Obie’s Bavarian Relish, MuMu Muesli Products, Hunter and Hilsberg, Mrs. Echols Gourmet Caramel Corn, Paul DeLima, Ramona’s, Byrne Dairy, Tom’s Bootleg BBQ, Yellow Dog, Navarino Orchard, Organically Hip, Saranac, Green Hills’ own Creekstone Aged Black Angus SteamShip Round of Beef and  many more. 

The festival is free. For more information, contact Green Hills at 492-1707.

 

Tasty Jams

Another homegrown annual delight is the sixth annual Hog and Barrel Festival, taking place Friday Sept. 17, 6 p.m. at the Craftsman Inn,
7300 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville. The event is staged to celebrate the
bounty of Central New York with an evening of food, spirits, beer and
wine tastings, music and more—rain or shine. 

A sample plan: Yellow Dog sauces are among the items you can try at Green Hills this Friday.

Some of the highlights include spit roasted Berkshire Hogs, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers and a buffet dinner featuring Hosmer Winery wines. There will also be liquid indulgences featuring barrel tasting stations from Jim Beam’s portfolio of Small Batch Bourbons, Beak and Skiff Distillery and Middle Ages Brewing. Music will be provided courtesy of the Damn Dogs, who inject a high-powered mix of blues, bluegrass and Zydeco into their jammin’ sound.

The cost is $85 per person (including tax and tip) and there are
special Hog and Barrel room rates at the next-door Craftsman House $69.
Reservations are required for both, and can be made by calling
637-9999.