http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/newyork/articles.sec-732-1-eats.html Travel to certain casinos in Las Vegas and it’s like the Rat Pack never left, where a time-standsstill ambiance continues to exist, one of swizzle sticks, the loosest slots in town and “jumbo” shrimp cocktails that, in terms of size, are more like those magic seahorses that would expand when kids tossed them into a water glass.]]> I had a great chat with Mark Bullis, co-owner of the Bull and Bear Road- house, before my arrival on a recent Monday night. He described the place he has opened with his business partner, Todd Blair, as an “undercover sports bar” serving a fusion of Asian/French Canadian/ south-of-the-border food.]]> Conveyor belt sushi is the focal point at Asahi Japanese Restaurant, 508 Westcott St. The restaurant, which opened Feb. 19, offers sushi, sashimi, hot entrees such as chicken teriyaki and udon noodle soup. Asahi is open every day 11 a.m. to 11 p.m..]]> In some ways, the American Culinary Federation’s Northeast conference was a let down. There wasn’t a single chef dropping the f-bomb. Nothing needed to be bleeped. No one was throwing food or temper tantrums. It was so very unlike the behavior we’ve come to associate with some chefs as prima donnas from popular television shows.]]> Buying shrimp is a little like buying wine. If you’re having a party and want to impress, without spending a lot of money, buy jug wine, and transfer to carafes, or check with your wine merchant to get the best deal for the price. Most people will happily chuga-lug the stuff, and even get a buzz on, no matter what the quality.]]> Steven Flohr takes the glass to his right, transfers it to his left hand and scoops ice into the cup from the well. The cups goes on the mat on the bar as Flohr fills it from the vodka bottle in his right hand, beverage gun spewing tonic on his left.]]> While downtown bustles during the week, Sunday is a slower day. But with new brunch menus at four long-standing downtown restaurants, that will change.]]>  On a freakin’ cold Wednesday night I grabbed my friend Patty and we headed to the Fish Cove, arriving about 30 minutes before closing time. We walked into this takeout-only fish joint and r]]> Business and baking join forces again with the return of Girl Scout cookies. While Feb. 8 was designated National Girl Scout Cookie Day, the goodies are...]]> The Pre-Lent Vent The noise! The colors! The debauchery! Mardi Gras is known far and wide as a day of indulgence, with New Orleans as party central. French for “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras]]> A vegetable lover, I had always thought that Brussels sprouts are miniature cabbages, so I avoided them. No amount of Polish heritage would convince me to like cabbage, so it followed that I wou]]> John and Jeff Freightenburgh are back to making gourmet pizza, this time in a new joint which differs in one important way from their last kitchen: This one...]]> This Candy’s Dandy There’s still plenty of time to check out the Erie Canal Museum’s 27th annual Gingerbread Gallery, on display through...]]> While pumpkins are most often associated with holiday pies, don’t underestimate this favorite of the squash and gourd family. Not only is the mighty pumpkin delicious, but it is also quite ]]> Dining Card Party Syracuse-area business owners and residents spent the evening of Oct. 17 celebrating the arrival of City Dining Cards, both the...]]> Courtney Flynn hated baking—that was until she started a cupcake company. In September, Flynn’s company, Evil Treats Bakery, won Best Bakery in the annual Best of Syracuse readers’ ]]> Shopping for olive oil can be daunting, much like choosing a wine. The bottles are often artistic, the labels persuasive, the choices confusing. The only way to know for certain that you like the ]]> In the 1880s, George Renninger, a worker for the Wunderlee Candy Company, invented a new kind of candy. The tiny cone-shaped “treat” was aesthetically a...]]> Taking cues from other New York agricultural success stories such as wine and apples, dairy farmers and creameries based in the Finger Lakes are working together to ensure that their products, che]]> Vegan cooking is often stereotyped as bland and uninteresting, composed mostly of crushed-up chickpeas and flavorless tofu. But according to author John Schlimm, it doesn’t have to be that wa]]>