Binghamton Live

Pop's Sugar Shack: Ice Cream Nirvana

2008-06-09T11:32:00.002-04:00

Way back when, Pat Mitchell's was the undisputed king of ice cream shops in the triple cities. I remember many trips to Pat's shop in Endicott when I was a kid. The ice cream was incredible and, as a kid of 10 or 11 in the late 70's, it was my first exposure to food fanaticism.

Everybody loved Pat's. If you just mentioned the name, everyone in the room would get a dopey look on their faces, and as if in a trance, start repeating their favorite flavor over and over like a mantra: "Butter Pecan... Butter Pecan... Oh, Butter Pecan...". And lactose intolerance? The idea that somebody couldn't eat ice cream? Unheard of!

Pat Mitchell's still exists in at least one location I know of on Binghamton's Southside, but Pat is long gone. And it's just not the same. The ice cream is okay, but it's nothing to rave about. Other than Humdinger's on Upper Front Street, there hasn't been an ice cream shop in Broome County (that I know of) with all the ingredients necessary to become a Mitchellesque legend... until now.

Pop's Sugar Shack is like... a miracle. Located on poor run down Conlkin Ave. behind Jane's Diner, Pop's Sugar Shack seems incredibly out of place. The building is just a run of the mill red brick warehouse looking thing, but the glow of Pop's beautifully designed neon sign is all the ornament the building needs to tell you something cool is going down.

Pop's is gorgeous inside, the perfect ice cream shop decor. A classic, vintage feel but without the plastic, manufactured atmosphere of say, a Johnny Rocket's or Red Robin. You'll see what I mean when you visit... and you will. The place just makes you feel good. You can sense that the owner's cared enough to pay attention to every detail. You know it wasn't cheap. You know that somebody "dreamed big" when they conceived of this place, that they invested heavily into making it "just right" and, for all those reasons, you feel like you want to love the ice cream before you've even looked at the flavor board.

Fortunately, Pop's Sugar Shack makes it easy for you to love their ice cream (and gelato) because it is FANTASTIC. All homemade, incredibly fresh, creamy, bursting with flavor... in a word, flawless. They've got unique hard ice cream flavors and all the standards. My fiance tried the "Snicker's Swirl" and absolutely loved it. My buddy Rich tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and didn't say a word... until he finished it. Then, in Rich's understated style, he offered his verdict: "Really good. Really, really good. Mmmmm."

Me, I had to go with a sundae. But a gelato sundae. Two flavors: Tiramisu and Pistaschio. And hot fudge and whipped cream and the cherry. I thought the Tiramisu gelato was a tad too sweet, but the Pistatchio was perfect. I definitely ate more than I should have, but it was so satisfying after a long day of kayaking in 90 degree weather. You know, I deserved it, right? ;-)

Pop's isn't just amazing hard ice cream, soft serve and gelato though. They also feature homemade fudge, cookies, turnovers, scones and other miscellaneous dessert goodies. We didn't have a chance to try anything other than the ice cream, but they sure looked great! Next time though, I'm grabbing a few cookies for late night snacking.

I don't know what more I can say. Greater Binghamton has a new ice cream king. If you love ice cream, you've got to get there. Very few people know about the place, which is amazing. But it won't be a secret for long. Get there before the lines start to reach out to Conklin Ave.

Pat Mitchell, rest in peace.

Long live Pop's Sugar Shack!

5/28: Tom Dempsey, Free Concert at BHS

2008-05-24T01:08:00.001-04:00

If you're into jazz, and jazz guitar specifically, you'll want to be at Binghamton High School on Wednesday night at 7:00PM to catch Tom Dempsey and the Binghamton High School Jazz Ensemble. Actually, I'm not sure if the BHS Jazz Ensemble is playing, but Tom definitely is. Tom is an awesome player that reminds me a lot of the great Wes Montgomery. I'll be there for sure!

Links:

Unitarian Book & Stuff Sale

2008-05-24T00:59:00.001-04:00

Sorry if I haven't been posting regularly but things are happening in real life. Anyway, the Unitarian Universalists (did I get that right?) are having a book sale this weekend. The Unitarians are an interesting bunch... definitely a little left of center field. My kind of people. I'm going to try to stop by and see if I can't find some good metaphysical books, or cook books, because I think a lot of UU's are vegetarians. In addition to books, "art objects", media and household goods will be available to buy. Yeah, buy stuff.

Here's a post on WSKG's web site about the event:

UU BOOK SALE

All the proceeds will goes to the Unitarian Universalist Church and their goal of total world domination by the year 3076.

They're a patient bunch, too.

5/18: David Copperfield at The Forum

2008-05-17T12:39:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow (Sunday, May 18) I'm taking my fiance and nephew to see David Copperfield at The Forum. I saw his show once before and it was great entertainment. Not every routine is fantastic and one is just plain monotonous, but there are at least two or three that are jaw-droppers. There's a particular vanish he performs with a member of the audience that is so direct and fast, it stuns your brain. Even the cheesy routines are entertaining in their own way, just not so amazing.

However, I do have reservations about attending a Copperfield show. Why? Because a year or so ago, a young woman accused him of luring her to his private island in the Caribbean and raping her. What's strange to me is that since the accusation was made, very little additional information has come out about it. No indictment, no tabloid reports. It seems like if the girl's accusations were valid, more would have been reported about it.

Copperfield, for me, is one of those people that I don't want to believe would ever hurt another human being. His stage persona is so light and breezy, an act as ugly as rape doesn't seem to be in the cards, but we can never really know what a performer is like off-stage. It's not inconceivable that he would do something so horrible, it just seems unlikely. I'll withhold judgement but if it turns out to be true, this is the last David Copperfield show I'll be attending.

Here's a little Binghamton Press fluff piece / interview with Copperfield that makes no mention of the accusation:

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080515/ENT/805150306/1017

Crepe Heaven Now Open

2008-05-08T10:25:00.001-04:00

Why is this turning into a restaurant review blog? Because I like to eat, I guess... Anyhoot...

Yesterday a friend and I stopped into Crepe Heaven which opened a week or so ago. I'm not sure of the exact address of the restaurant, but I'm guessing it's 217 Main St. It's in that little retail strip across from the Price Chopper, where Nirchi's is located. The map below will give you an approximate location.

First thing to note is that Crepe Heaven is clean and well decorated. Not the most creative decor, but appropriately cafe-like. You'll feel comfortable eating there, but maybe not hanging out (head to the CyberCafe West for that).

I had a Euro Crem Crepe with fresh strawberries (Euro Crem is a sort of white chocolate and chocolate / hazlenut spread). My friend had a Veggie Crepe which is filled spinach, mushrooms and a few other veggies. We both were impressed with our crepes. Not quite heaven, but much better than we expected. The crepes were larger and more substantial than you would guess. In addition to crepes, Crepe Heaven also serves espresso and cappuccino drinks.

There one thing about the place I didn't like: the guy that took our order could barely communicate with us. English was obviously not his first language. He did get our orders right, but it was a confusing exchange that didn't make a great first impression. My advice to the owner would be to keep the foreign fellow as a chef, but have someone else take the orders. I'm afraid most people would not be as tolerant or patient as my friend and I.

Overall, I would recommend you try Crepe Heaven. It's something different for Binghamton, the crepes are great and I'm sure that the service will improve. The owner is a nice guy and it would be great if his business succeeds. It'll cost you $4-5 to give it a try. And remember: if we want Binghamton to be "all that it can be" we must support the local businessmen that invest in our town, at least give them a shot. Otherwise, stop your whining.

View Larger Map

5/8: Poetry at The Belmar

2008-05-07T16:40:00.001-04:00

Another thing that makes The Belmar one of Binghamton's most unique taverns: Thursday night poetry readings. How neat is that? This Thursday, Jan Becker, a friend of a friend, will be reading, among others. Check it out. Starts at 9:00PM.

Links:

Some of Jan's poetry on Buck's blog (Asking "Who's Buck?" is NOT cool!)
A previous post about The Belmar
The Belmar on MySpace
Google Map

5/1/08: The Kilmer Brasserie & Steakhouse Opens in the Kilmer Building

2008-05-05T11:38:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday, May 1, 2008, The Kilmer Brasserie and Steakhouse opened it's doors for business. The restaurant serves French cuisine (obviously) and, while upscale in appearance and decor, the menu prices are said to be quite reasonable (at least according to the owner). Since I've yet to eat at the restaurant, or know anyone who has, I can't vouch for the quality of the food or service. Check back at a later date for a full review of the restaurant from one of my meat-eating friends. ;-)

So that's about all I can say about the restaurant at this point: it's open. Check it out. But let me say a few quick things about the Kilmer building.

The Kilmer building and The Kilmer French Bistro are both located at 31 Lewis St. at the intersection of Lewis and Chenango.

The Kilmer building is located at the corner of Chenango and Lewis streets in downton Binghamton. The building is undergoing a major renovation project, one of the most ambitious to date in Binghamton. The Goldsmith, which offers some of the most beautiful custom jewelry and gifts in Binghamton, opened in October 2007. I love The Goldsmith! The store is beautiful, the quality of products is top rate and the service is friendly and helpful. What more could you want? And, contrary to what you might guess, The Goldsmith carries jewelry and gifts for all budgets! While you could easily spend $5,000 on a piece at The Goldsmith, you can just as easily spend $50 for a gift that's no less unique. Personally, I think that's very cool and just the right approach for a market like Binghamton.

Other than The Goldsmith, not much has been happening in the Kilmer building yet. Hopefully, more quality retailers will move in and succeed in a tough marketplace. I have to assume the plan is to fill the first floor with retail and restaurants and the upper floors with office space.

I have to hand it to the owner of the Kilmer building (not the restaurant), Mr. Frank Whitney...he's investing some serious money into downtown, but if somebody doesn't, what future does Binghamton have? Major props to Mr. Whitney for his vision, hard work and courage.

Useful links:

The Kilmer Brasserie website (cute, but empty!)
Fox 40 cover the restaurant opening here.
The Goldsmith Fine Jewelry & Gifts (beautiful website!)
The Kilmer building website (Mr. Whitney, contact me and I'll redesign your website for FREE! It's really not too good as it is... no, it's awful.)

(Sort of) Review: Latin American Grill

2008-05-03T12:07:00.001-04:00

Last night some good friends and I went to dinner at the Latin American Grill located on Clinton St. in Binghamton's First Ward (we're #1!). Before I get to talking about the restaurant, let me say a few things about Clinton St.

It's no secret that most of Clinton St. is a mess with more than it's share of dilapidated commercial and residential buildings and 2-3 nice big dirt parking lots. At one time there were many thriving antique and collectible dealers doing business on the street. These days the number of shops have dwindled to about a half dozen worth visiting and those that remain are struggling to survive. Antique Row? Barely.

The point I'm making is that Clinton St. is in need of a revival and, believe it or not, I think a restaurant like the Latin American Grill could be the lever that gets the ball rolling. People need a reason to visit Clinton St. again and this little gem of a restaurant is that reason. The restaurant is clean, well decorated, spacious and bright. And the food is unique and outstanding! Every member of my party of nine rated the Latin American Grill 4 out of 5 stars... and we're a hard to please bunch.

Now this is the weird part... I'm a vegetarian so there wasn't a lot on the menu I could eat. I had mixed vegetables, tomato salad and friend plantains. The simple dishes I had were all excellent. The veggies were all fresh and delicious, cooked to perfection. The plantains were everything I was hoping and a little more.

My carnivore companions enjoyed a variety of meat and fish dishes. I can't really describe the dishes as I wasn't taking notes, however, I asked each of them to visit the blog and describe their experiences in the "comments" section for this post, so click on "Comments" below and hopefully you'll find something to read.

My only negative on the restaurant was that service was a little slow. However, it was cheerful, easy-going slow and I'm sure things will speed up as the staff finds their rhythm.

I would highly recommend you check out this place soon. It needs your patronage to stay in business and while you're there, consider stopping into a few of the antique shops on the street (though you'll have to do so before dinner... most of them close around 4:00 PM). I'll be posting a mini-guide to "Antique Row" soon that will profile the remaining antique dealers, so look for that. Thanks for reading!

The Latin American Grill is located at 158 Clinton St. and is open Monday through Thursday 11AM-10PM, Friday and Saturday 11am-midnight, and Sunday 11am-8pm. For more information on the Latin American Grill, call 607-722-2631.

Live Music at The Belmar

2008-04-24T02:15:00.001-04:00

I just got in from The Belmar which is located on "the West Side" (is Binghamton really big enough to have "sides"?) at 95 Main St. It's not a huge bar, just big enough for a hundred or so friends. The owner Ed Hickey has gone an unusual route for a Binghamton neighborhood bar. For one thing, good beer. What a concept! Sure, they've got the Coors Light and Bud, but you'll also find Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout (my favorite), Sierra Nevada, Rogue (I think) and a number of other "micro-breweries", realizing how meaningless that term has become.

In addition to a nice beer selection, the bar also features live music on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tonight (Wednesday) they had a group of talented local players, lead by (I think) Jimmy John McCabe, cranking out some boot stomping acoustic blues/rock/zydeco/pop/funk/rock. And it was good, really damn good. The kind of music that sounds a tad out of place in Binghamton, if you know what I mean. You DO know what I mean, right? I mean, you're COOL, right?

Anyway, you should know that The Belmar attracts a funky, youngish crowd of Binghamton hipsters. Yeah, they exist. And they're good folks... basically there for what you go to bars for, but they go about it pleasantly and without too much aggression. But if you're over 40, you might feel a little old. I know I do.

One last thing: while I usually avoid bar food at all costs, I'm told that The Belmar has excellent food all around, featuring the best hamburger in town. Could it be true? Well, as a vegetarian, I'll never know. But if you have experience with The Belmar Burger, or other Belmar cuisine, please leave a comment and let us know what your opinion is.

Happening 4/26/08: Rachael Sage at CyberCafe

2008-04-24T01:57:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder that singer/songwriter Rachael Sage will be at CyberCafe West this Saturday, April 26th. The show starts at 9:00 PM. Rachel is a favorite at the Cafe so expect it to be packed. If you don't know the CyberCafe is (!), visit their website at www.cybercafewest.com. If you want to check out more about Rachael Sage, www.rachaelsage.com (go figure).

Happening 4/25/08: Roberson's 8th Annual Wine & Food Fest

2008-04-23T12:52:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is Roberson Museum's 8th Annual Wine & Food Fest which I never miss. Is the food incredible? No, especially not if you're a vegetarian like me. ;-) But there's a wide variety of snacks, entree samples and desserts. You'll sure to find at least a few bites that you'll really enjoy.

But I really go for the wines.

There are quite a few New York State wineries that show up every year, particularly from the Finger Lakes region. I'm not a huge fan of Finger Lakes wines, although there are some outstanding wineries amongst the majority of so-so offerings. Dr. Frank, for example. Or Treleaven who, in the past, has produced some of the finest gewürztraminer. I'm not sure if either of these vinter's will be making a show at this year's Roberson. Let's hope so.

If you'd like to learn more about the 8th Annual Roberson Food & Wine Fest, check out their website at http://www.roberson.org.