Potatoes of all persuasions satisfy State Fair snackers

It’s no wonder that every year hungry throngs at the New York State Fair gobble up tons of fried potatoes of one variety or another. New York is a leading producer of the venerable root vegetable and everything at the Fair from pickles to macaroni and cheese is sizzled in fat. So it makes sense that the tasty tuber is everywhere on the grounds, fried, hot and crisp, after being cut, cooked, seasoned and dressed in every imaginable way by innovative chefs. 

For many, the attraction at the New York State Fair is the food. This year, the fair is trying something different, by having a food maker be one of the reasons to pay a visit. Cable TV’s Bobby Flay, one of the Food Network’s superstar chefs—an Iron Chef, in fact—owner of New York City’s Mesa Grill and a cookbook author, appears at Chevrolet Court on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1 p.m. It is the first time a celebrity chef will appear as part of the entertainment lineup at the Fair.

A sign in the shop reads “No dessert is too pretty to eat,” but Corso’s Cookies, 314 Lakeside Road, Lakeland, is certainly trying to make one. The gourmet cookie factory specializes in elaborate cookie bouquets that can be shipped anywhere in the country for just about every occasion. “These are personalized gifts,” says Tina Corso Hess, 35, the owner and original baker. “We wanted them to have a wow factor.”

Dolce Vita brings international flair to the Connective Corridor

Why wait a few weeks until red tomatoes appear on the vine when there are a multitude of uses for green ones? 

The first annual Redneck Games will be held at Quaker Steak & Lube, Saturday, Aug. 8, starting at 3:30 p.m. Come to watch or participate in long jumping, seed spitting, toilet seat tossing, hot wing eating and more. There will be 11 different events, each with a chance to win a prize.

Now that the summer is finally starting to heat up, families will have the urge to visit Gelato d’Italia’s new location in Liverpool; the original location is 421-423 S. Main St., North Syracuse. The gelateria and coffeehouse has been open for a couple of weeks.

Now is the time to pluck these tasty morsels to snack on or bake into a pie

Two tasty tomes celebrate the joys of vegan cooking

We typically think of soul food as ribs, macaroni and cheese and pecan pie. Vegan recipes are probably not the first place you would turn to for comfort food, but chefs Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Bryant Terry offer their perspective—based on numerous delectable-sounding recipes from their respective books Vegan Brunch and Vegan Soul Kitchen—that vegan cooking can provide an appetizing means of satisfying our most intense cravings. 

The Greek restaurant Sotiris Taverna takes off as a happening hotspot in Jamesville

It is not really news when another Italian restaurant or a fast-food joint opens in the area, but it is definitely worth mentioning that two Greek restaurants have appeared within the last five months. The Black Olive in Armory Square, which opened Feb. 27, was highlighted in the April 22 issue of The New Times; Sotiris, a “Greek taverna” in Jamesville, opened around the same time.