Downtown Diversions

Ale’n’Angus Pub, 238 Harrison St. (426-9672), offers the
lush luxury of being able to belly up to the bar or sit down for an
intimate date or family affair, all in the calm of an atmosphere where
shouting is an option. “We get a lot of folks coming here when those
downtown events are going on,” says owner Randy Beach. “A lot of people
will actually be at the event, then break away and go someplace
relatively quiet so they can carry on a conversation and get a little
peace of mind.”

Off the eaten path: Diners enjoy the casual and relaxing atmosphere of the Ale’n’Angus Pub. Michael Davis photo.

Depending on how close the stool pigeons flock, the bar
seats about 30 to 40. While one would think a crowded bar would
infringe on the privacy of casual diners nearby, the two factions are
positioned in a diverted proximity making it entirely possible for both
to be at capacity, and neither to really even notice the other. 

“The crowd here is a little more older than the Armory
and Hanover crowds and it’s usually very relaxed,” continues Beach. “In
fact, Ray Clark from Clark’s Ale House {located at 122 W. Jefferson St.
on the fringe of Armory Square} was in here recently and we were
talking about this; he said his business is completely opposite. Many
bars in his area are not open during the day and do all their business
at night, and by the time we are closing down, he’s just getting
started. Our happy hour and nighttime dinner crowd is up and down
during the summer, but we always have a great lunch rush.”

Beach’s establishment, which celebrated its third
anniversary in June, is within walking distance from the Public Safety
Building, the 16-floor Onondaga County Office Building and a host of
other downtown businesses, all filled with employees who would rather
take that short walk to close-by places like Ale’n’Angus instead of
losing their fared parking spaces to travel more outward bound. But
ultimately, nearness is not what keeps customers coming back to
Ale’n’Angus—it’s their first-rate menu.

“We have the best darn Angus burger in town,” continues
Beach. “I’ll put it up against anybody’s. It’s the best.” For $6.49,
their eponymous half-pound burger comes with choice of fries or
homemade potato chips and is topped with lettuce, tomato and pickle;
cheese will set you back 50 cents, while adding bacon is 99 cents. 

According to Beach, however, that burger is about to get
a run for its money. “Our second biggest, and it might even take over
our angus, is the Bixby’s Prime-Rib Cheese Steak,” Beach declares.
“Everybody who has it usually ends up ordering it again, to which we
say, ‘Why go to Philadelphia for a cheese steak when you can get the
best darn one right here?’ In Philly, you’ll mostly likely get
something with Cheez Whiz on it, and we do actually serve them with
prime rib.” Call it a darn-tootin’ deal for $7.99.

Although served everyday, their sales of beer-battered
haddock sandwiches ($6.99) go through the roof on Fridays, which serves
as a moderate addendum to their grilled salmon ($13.99) and lemon
pepper broiled haddock ($10.99) entrees. A number of steak, chicken and
pasta platters round out their dinner fare, while daily specials such
as chicken quesedillas on Thursdays serve as an enhancement to their 16
sandwich options, such as the chicken Parmesan sandwich and the Buffalo
chicken salad wrap.

The OnCenter complex is within a few blocks of
Ale’n’Angus and aside from the midday business crowd, Beach describes
the place as an “event-driven restaurant.” Dinner is regularly served
beforehand to people attending Mulroy Civic Center and Onondaga County
War Memorial events, while those not looking to go straight home
afterward sometimes come back for a round or three of drinks.

During the summer, the kitchen at Ale’n’Angus is open
Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9
p.m.; they are closed weekends through August. If closing time comes
and a few imbibers are still at the bar, Beach ensures drinks will pour
for as long as business and time complement each other financially. 

“For most restaurants it’s unheard of that you take
weekends off,” observes Beach. “We’re fortunate enough that we’ve got
10 good months of business and only two slow months. But that could be
the other way around if we had a restaurant on the beach with only two
good months and had to close the rest of the time.” Besides, the name
Beach House has already been taken.

During the summer is when most of the 15 staffers use
their vacation time, the shorter hours also frees up time for Beach to
tend to his second hobby: the local classic car scene. As a member of
the Right Coast Car Association, the organizers of the Syracuse
Nationals car show that will be taking place Friday, July 18, through
Sunday, July 20, at the New York State Fairgrounds, Beach offers a
10-percent discount off meals for fellow members. Anyone who eats at
Ale’n’Angus that drives a classic car can bring in a 5-by-7-inch
picture of it and he’ll provide the frame to hang next to the 50 or so
others currently driving themselves up the restaurant’s wall.

“A lot of regulars who have their picture on the wall
will go over there as soon as they get in to see what’s new and who has
been here,” he says. “It almost gives them a sense like it’s a place of
their own, and that’s how we want to make everyone feel that comes in.”

{mospagebreak}

Always. . . Pastry Clientele

From Ale’n’Angus, follow the scent a block west, then
turn and head a block north, where the air of baked bread will lure you
into the Pascale Bakehouse Café, 500 S. Warren St. (448-0255, Ext. 6).
Upon entry, you’ll soon realize you’ve found one of the more pristine
eateries not only in downtown, but all of Onondaga County.

Pascale has the luxury of being subjoined to the corner
of the Hotel Syracuse that is adjacent to the Galleries of Syracuse.
Since 1992, the Bakehouse had been located in the Hawley-Green
district, but a propitious opportunity led them to opening the downtown
location in November 2007.

“We were negotiating with the hotel to take over the
banquet facilities and they inquired about the possibility of moving
our bakery,” says Neal Pascale, owner of the Bakehouse. “We fitted out
this location and it’s turned out to be a big success for us. We
remodeled the entire space, and we offer a lot more pastries and
cookies, and the lunch menu is a little broader.”

Before heading into work or during their mid-morning
break, many people stop in for Starbucks-brewed java and fresh baked
pastries, created earlier by the chefs that arrive between 4 and 5 a.m.
every morning. A variety of cookies and biscottis are offered at $2
apiece, while scones and croissants are presented for $2.25. Desserts
by the slice, which could include cheesecake, carrot cake, lemon curd
layer cake or white chocolate mousse, is served at $3.50. 

There is plenty of seating to enjoy your order in-house,
and come afternoon, the place is usually hopping with the lunchtime
crowd. Nine gourmet sandwiches are served on choices of either bread or
on a wrap, both made from scratch the same day. The grilled Portobello
($8.25) is served with zucchini, mozzarella and basil oil is popular
with vegetarians and omnivores alike, while the French Dip ($8.25),
comprised of roast beef and au jus, never fails to satisfy.

A bleu cheese steak salad ($8.25) highlights the salad
menu, while subtler choices such as the antipasto ($6.95) and the
julienne ($6.25) will appease the casual palate. And for the people put
under the spell of the opulent aroma of poppin’-fresh dough in the
oven, loaves of rustic Italian ($2), semolina ($2.50), cracked wheat
($3), olive bread ($4) and others can be taken out whole.

Pascale also owns three liquor stores bearing his name,
plus Pascale Wine Bar and Restaurant, 204 Fayette St., as well as
Justin’s Grill, 6400 Yorktown Circle, East Syracuse. Yet he sees the
downtown area in the process of establishing a uniform identity
throughout its four corners. 

“Right now, there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm about
renovating downtown,” he says. “We’re starting to get a lot of the same
crowd as Armory and Hanover, and I think people are slowly realizing
that there is more to this side of downtown than they think.”

Pascale Bakehouse Café is open Mondays
through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Their lunch menu is only available
between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.