I am going to say some things here that are going to make people question me and my opinions but right now I am fighting a food coma so don’t judge me. I don’t even know how Chelsea stumbled upon The White Moose Diner but she did and I’m not mad at it. I’m mad at the snow that came down because we’ve got an hour drive ahead of us to get home, but it was worth it. There ain’t much of a damn thing in Constantia unless it’s summertime and you want to hit the lake, but The White Moose has given us and anyone else willing to take the drive a reason to visit. Opened by the husband/wife combo behind The Munching Moose Catering, this is another diner that makes a large amount of their food from scratch and you can tell. The minute we walked in the door we were greeted with smiles and laughter from everyone inside. We didn’t even get a chance to order anything before our waitress (who is one of the owners) struck up a conversation about Chelsea’s unique ear piercing and we found ourselves engrossed talking about self expression and having fun with life. It’s always amazing to go out and meet real people who aren’t just there for a paycheck and want to have a real conversation with their patrons.
Chelsea may be a grown woman but she loves her some chicken tenders, so after mulling over a couple items she landed on the hand-breaded chicken tenders (which come seven to an order) and a side of hand cut French fries. Now, we WERE warned that the tenders are quite large, but nothing could have prepared us for quite HOW large. Seven tenders on the plate and Chelsea could only eat two. These suckers were massive on an almost concerning scale. But they were crunchy, flavorful, insanely juicy and at $13 for seven tenders, Tully’s be damned these were glrious. Most hand cut fries are slightly soft and greasy because fresh cut potatoes aren’t tossed in additional potato starch or some other anti-clumping/crisping agent and therefor absorb a lot of the fryer oil and don’t get that delightful crunch. These were crisp, not oily in the slightest, cut to-order and served in a massive pile of what had to have been the equivalent of four full-size Idaho potatoes. We ended up leaving with half of the fries and five tenders because there was just so much.
I’m a big fan of puns and goofy names for things, so when I saw a burger called “The Moose-tadon” I was sold on the name alone. Two hand-pressed patties, bacon, pulled pork, cheese sauce, crispy onions and zesty bourbon sauce and a side of hand cut fries, this plate needed to be served with a pillow because I knew I was going to need a nap. The size of this monstrosity made me immediately say, out loud, “Ooooooooh, I f*cked up” because I was not even remotely prepared. But, being the trooper I am, I set out to conquer this beast and I regret nothing. It wasn’t the BIGGEST burger I ever had (Christian Felix at Brewer Union Cafe in Brewerton still holds that record because he’s a madman) but this behemoth stood almost as tall as the knife I had to use to cut it in half. It was an absolute mess to eat but worth every bite. The patties were seasoned well and cooked to a perfect medium-rare like ordered, the pulled pork made in-house and bacon at a wonderful halfway point between lightly crispy but still a touch limp so it didn’t shatter with each bite. A heaping globule of, and I cannot believe these words are about to come out of my fingers, canned cheese sauce, worked perfectly with the flavors of the pork, bacon and beef all tied together with the crunch of the onions and a light drizzle of a sweet bourbon sauce. I managed to eat the entire goliath, but it was a bit of a struggle. At $20 for a burger, it was worth all $20 and then some, canned cheese wiz and all.
It may be an hour drive for us, but it was an hour drive well spent. The place is small and there ain’t a damn thing fancy about it when you walk in, but it doesn’t need to be. The focal point is the food, not cutesy decor or ambience. But the owners being as delightful as they were and the food being that good, who cares if pretty? With how beautiful the pulled pork was, I asked about the brisket on the menu and they confirmed it was indeed cooked in-house as well. So that alone has me intrigued and wanting to come back. With something as simple as chicken tenders and a terrifyingly large burger being executed this well, I can only imagine how great the breakfast food or even the catering is. They even make their own breakfast sausage, so we definitely need to come back for that. The White Moose Diner is an absolute gem with wonderful people in the front and back and amazing food that makes it well worth the drive from Syracuse. So go show them some love and see if you can make it through the Moose-tadon yourself. Just make sure you wear your stretchy pants because you’re in for one wild meal.
1404 NY-49, Constantia, NY 13044
(315) 623-2090