After our initial breakfast visit to At Long Last in March, we had been meaning to make it out for lunch but just never quite had time. Well, we found some time and lunch was worth every single bite just as much as breakfast was.
We walked in at 2:07 planning on being quick because they closed for the day at 3:00 but we failed spectacularly at that because everyone there is so nice and I happened to see someone I worked with years ago during my time at the Sherwood Inn so we got distracted chatting with Ellie. Our waitress, Hannah, also works at the Sherwood and was extremely polite and fun to talk with as we swapped stories of the insanity of this business and the Sherwood in particular.
Once we finally ordered, we started with the fried pickles with house-made ranch dressing. The pickles were lightly fried and crispy with a nice batter to them and the ranch dressing brought a nice creamy flavor to go with the vinegar of the dill pickle chips.
Chelsea decided to get the A.L.L. Smash Burger featuring double smash patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, crispy onions, bacon jam, IPA sauce and a toasted brioche bun. I’m not particularly a fan of smash burgers because I like my burgers to be thick and medium rare, but we were both impressed with how much flavor was packed into those two crispy seared patties. The cheese was beautifully melted, onions and lettuce provided a nice crisp, IPA sauce a nice savory element and the bacon jam rocked both of us. This is a perfectly executed smash burger and the bacon jam was the major standout with how sweet and savory it was to the point where if it was bottled and sold I would grab a few.
I went with the A.L.L. Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich. Advertised as cornflake crusted chicken, pepperjack spread, quick pickles, house hot honey and a toasted brioche bun, I was interested in seeing how their hot honey was since almost everyone around here just immediately serves Mike’s Hot Honey (not that there’s anything wrong with Mike’s, but it’s just everywhere to the point that even Dunkin Donuts has it now). The chicken was CRISPY in all the right ways, the pepperjack spread brought a gentle heat and creamy texture, pickles a bit of brine and the hot honey was immaculate. My only complaint was that I would have loved more hot honey, not because there wasn’t enough on the sandwich but because it was just that good.
After we finished eating, we ended up spending time talking to the owner Robin, who I also know from my time at the Sherwood. It was great to catch up with former coworkers I hadn’t seen in years and it warms my heart to see Robin and her crew having such great success with At Long Last. But the most important part of their success is that everyone there is just genuinely HAPPY. Everyone seems to just love their jobs and have FUN with what they do and it shows with how much they all care. From the second you walk in the door you are greeted with laughter, smiles and happy people.
There are very few restaurants that seem to just absolutely nail every aspect of the industry, but At Long Last has pulled it off. They deserve to be in the upper echelon of Syracuse eateries with places like Brewer Union Cafe, The Café Bella Luna, Maryanne’s Country Time Café and Downtown Deli. I can only hope that if I ever have my own restaurant I manage to find the perfect team and success the way Robin has. This is dining out at it’s absolute best and their only competition in quality across the board is all 40+ minutes away. Do yourself a favor, go see Robin and get yourself some of the best food west of Syracuse.
3193 East Genesee Street, Auburn NY
(315) 282-7561