Ok, so I promise I’m not dead, just been really busy with the start of the season at work and Easter and Mother’s Day were a lot, but I’m back again with another novel for those of you who like to read my overly wordy posts!
This time I had a Friday off and Chelsea finished work at 1:00, so we went out for a late lunch/early dinner to go try The Crooked Cattle on Jefferson St. A sister restaurant to local juggernaut Ale ‘N Angus Pub, Crooked Cattle isn’t just a repeat of the same concept. Instead of pub fare and handhelds (albeit very well-made pub food and handhelds), Crooked Cattle’s menu is more elevated deli sandwiches and dip appetizers. Now, before I go on about the food, let me preface this by saying that I have known the chef behind The Crooked Cattle, Charly Hughes, from way back in the day when I worked with him at Longhorn Steakhouse in Camillus when they first opened. Charly was an amazing person then who always kept the kitchen moving and has a great attitude, and not one bit of that has changed since I worked with him 11 years ago. Charly alone makes it worth the trip to go try Crooked Cattle because he’s a genuinely great person and deserves all of the praise he may ever get. Anyway, let’s talk about some food.
The menu is simple with three appetizers and a soup, six sandwiches, four salads and two side options as well as a few weekly specials. We started with the Whipped Ricotta and Feta Dip which was served with toasted crostini and hot honey on top of feta, ricotta and sour cream. The feta and ricotta were absolutely divine and the hot honey added just a touch of heat to go with the salty and savory flavors of the cheeses. Add in some extra crunchy baked and seasoned crostini and you’ve got yourself a perfect shared dish to set the tone for the rest of your meal.
Chelsea decided on the Tuscan Turkey Panini, a warm sandwich with turkey, sun-dried tomato aioli, lettuce, bacon and feta cheese on a crisp pressed panini. The bread was cooked and pressed perfectly and the crunch balanced very well against the sweet sun-dried tomato aioli, savory turkey, briney feta and salty bacon. The turkey was the true star of the sandwich, what with how much was in there and how great of a cut it was. Not shaved but not thick slices, the turkey was outstanding for how well it shined through with so many other flavors trying to compete for attention. This was a stunningly perfect turkey sandwich that took a simple idea and pushed it just a little bit over the edge into greatness.
I’m more of a roast beef kinda guy, so I went for the Hey Clark. Sliced roast beef, shaved red onion and cheddar cheese on a grilled onion roll, I truly can’t think of a better roast beef sandwich I’ve ever tried in my life. This was a THICK sandwich on a just-as-thick Di Lauro’s onion roll lightly grilled to give a gentle crunch. The roast beef was cooked so perfectly, sliced wonderfully and absolutely deliciously moist and tender it could be eaten without teeth and still be incredible. I felt like the sandwich version of Bobby Boucher from The Waterboy as I looked at Chelsea and just said “That there’s some high quality roast beef” in the Bobby Boucher voice. Don’t don’t judge me, I’m a simple man and used to watch too many Adam Sandler movies. I still am a simple man and still love Adam Sandler movies, so not much has changed to be honest. Anyway. The red onion added a gentle crunch texture to go with the soft beef and roll and the cheddar was lightly melted but not dripping and the au jus to dip in pushed the sandwich even further into greatness. The only issue I had was that I was woefully unprepared for how strong the side of horseradish was, which is genuinely shocking considering horseradish is kindergarten compared to some of the things I have eaten. So if you get horseradish at Crooked Cattle, be prepared for your sinuses to be cleansed more than you expect because it does pack more of a punch. I also ordered a side of Smokehouse Potato Salad to accompany my sandwich and it was also worth every bite. A gentle flavor and not super mustard-y like a lot of places, the potatoes had a light crunch but not undercooked and the mayo wasn’t heavy and all-encompassing. I truly cannot think of a better roast beef sandwich, especially considering how simple of a sandwich it was. Three ingredients on the best onion roll around was all it took to achieve greatness.
We also ordered a dessert special, the Southern Bell Cheesecake. Thick cheesecake, peach hot honey, walnuts, raisins and fruit puree, this one shook Chelsea a bit since she typically doesn’t care for cheesecake and isn’t a fan of hot nor peach. But it just worked. The hot honey played against the super sweet peach and cream cheese, walnuts added a little texture and the puree nudged the heat a little bit to balance it all together very well. Chelsea literally danced in her seat with each bite. Before our dessert, Charly took a moment out of his busy day to stop out and see how everything was and chat for a moment. He also brought out a miniature version of the Crogan Bologna and Saltines appetizer that Chelsea was eyeballing because she’s crazy and will polish off a box of saltines without batting an eye. For something so weird sounding, it somehow just worked. The bologna was REALLY good and not just deli slices but more of a smoked sausage size and texture, the mustard added a dash of heat and the saltines a solid little base for the bologna and red onions. It was definitely the goofiest charcuterie combination I’ve ever eaten but still somehow delicious.
Overall, 10/10 experience all-around. This is a great little place nestled in Armory Square right by the MOST in Syracuse. The only detractor is navigating the parking situation of the Armory Square area, but it’s worth it to get one of these sandwiches in and/our around your mouth. If you live near Armory Square, work near the square, travel near the square or even simply breathe the air in Syracuse you owe it to yourself to check out what Charly’s got going on over at The Crooked Cattle. Best damn roast beef sandwich around. I don’t know what Charly and crew have planned for this space in the future, but I do know I hope to be around to witness it.
290 W Jefferson St, Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 925-6100