Night at Francesca’s in Syracuse

Thursday nights are kind of when my weekends begin; I so often work Sunday’s and Saturday’s, too. We had made it a date that we would go for dinner, and we decided a place, then greeted by the hostess, sat, reviewed menus and wine list and were ready to place our orders. The waitress proofed us, and Mark, with a full beard, age:  32, forgot his I.D.’s, thus we were denied the wine.  We weren’t going to stand for enjoying a beautiful veal chop with no wine to accompany it. We decided to leave after the manager came over and told us they would not serve anyone without proper identification. Disappointment set it and crescendo-ed into frustration as we walked to the car. We were now ‘hangry.’ and ‘thirstrated’. Hangry is when you are so hungry that you actually become angry. Thirstrated is when you are ready to relax with a nice adult beverage and some other force out of your control puts a hiccup in those plans. 2 adults hangry and thirstrated in a dark parking lot after 8pm, you can imagine how difficult it was to agree what to do next. This was a date-night-fail. We got in the car and totally unsure where to go or what to do next… (Why is it all the time in this town, I make a mental note to “try that place”, and when it comes time to “try that place” I can’t think of the place I wanted to try!? Is there an app for that?)

A moment of clarity and calmness came over Mark and he was able to pull the trigger:  “Little Italy! We are going to Francesca’s.” “Perfect.” I was in agreement.

Not only was I politely greeted, but the bartender offered me up a drink immediately
followed by a genuine compliment on my dress. (We are off to an ideal start.) Thirstration- gone. The hostess got our table ready and she complimented my bag as she sat us at our candlelight table for 2.

Patrick O’Brien– probably the best server I’ve ever had. He was fantastic and smart. He greeted us, took our wine order with no questions asked. In fact, he began to tell us about a wine store on Pearl St., Vinomania, one of my favorite spots in Syracuse, and we were now on common grounds with common friends. Wine was poured as he recited the incredible featured items of the evening. Scallops, risotto, authentic calamari salad, parrot fish, mahi-mahi, layered eggplant side… Culinary poetry was flying from his tongue so effortlessly that I was expecting him to take a bow at the finish. After his performance, I had to tell him what had happened to us just 15 minutes ago.  He laughed and shared a similar story about the same restaurant involving Guy Fieri’s visit to Syracuse a few weeks ago, and how he had ended up leaving frustrated, too! Mark & I meditated on the menu and decided.

We opted for the 2 giant sea scallops over almond risotto with fresh pea shoots, and apple slices and a beet reduction sauce to start. Best. Risotto. Ever. It was cooked so perfectly, exact crunch you would expect from a 5 star restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. Slivered almonds tasted toasty and subtle, the scallops had a perfectly seared exterior and when you bit into it, the inside was so succulent and perfectly tasty. For dinner, we had the surf & turf special:  14 oz NY Strip, aged 30 days in-house accompanied by 2 sea scallops, 3 giant shrimp, 2 split grilled lobster tails finished with a sweet-chilli sauce.  The steak: cooked perfectly medium rare, scallops were purposefully undercooked, which is what I prefer; delicate & succulent. The split lobster tails were good, shrimp were great. Sides were garlic mashed potatoes & vegetable medley.  Between the starter and the entrée, this was a perfect meal for 2. Everything was perfect, perfect, perfect. We finished our bottle of 7 Deadly Zin’s and chatted more with Patrick. He gave us the grand tour of the outdoor seating area and helped us visualize how a rehearsal dinner or 100 person wedding could be set up back there, knowing Mark and I are recently engaged.

Thank you to the entire staff at Francesca’s.

For more scoop on things to do in Syracuse or the real estate market in Syracuse:  subscribe to my blog, watch my YouTube Channel and visit my website to search for properties for sale in Central New York. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horseback Riding in Central New York

Earlier in the spring, Mark and I went horseback riding ten minutes south of Syracuse, at Quarry Ridge Stables on Rt 80.  The horse farm was really simple with hay-mudded parking and a simple, one level, cabin-style office. We were greeted by a friendly young ranch-hand, with a passion for fresh air and horses. We went without any reserverations and were able to get going right away, two horses which were ready to ride. For $35 we took a trail ride into the woods with a guide. “Texas” was my horse,  a big guy. We rode,  trotted and went up and down some mild inclines throughout the woods and in the open fields.

Going horseback riding was such a great time, I decided to do it again with a group. Thanks to Facebook,  it was simple to organize a private event and 11 of us went to Highland Forest.  Each brought wine or Pinterest-inspired treat to share. We arrived around 2 and one group rode at 2:30 and a second at 3:30. While the other group rode the other group stayed back and enjoyed the treats and wine. We laughed, ate,  sipped & sampled.
The trails at Highland Forest were so peaceful, the views are stunning. The beauty in Upstate NY is everywhere. The horses were so easy to ride and the instructors are fun. this is a fantastic activity in and around the Syracuse area. Horseback rides are great for ages 8& up, groups of 2 or more. Calling in advance was helpful to the park and riding instructors.

For more things to do in Syracuse or information on the real estate market in Syracuse, I’m Michele Nastri from Keller Williams Realty in Syracuse with The Nastri Real Estate Team.

Home Buyer Mistakes to Avoid #2: Handling the Home Inspection

The purpose of the home inspection

is to review the property in full:  analyze the condition of all it’s major components.   Can you fix the wood rot? Can you repair the leak in the kitchen sink? Can I replace a roof in the next few years? Can I have the furnace serviced? As the professional inspection is going through the house and bringing up these imperfections, a buyer should consider if it’s something they can deal with, or live with? A home inspection is not for:  renegotiating, nit-picking the house apart, getting the seller to replace features you don’t like.

Get the report.

Buying a house is the only possession or major life decision when we have the option to pay for a professional evaluation on it.  Could you imagine how many bad relationships one might have avoided if we could get that kind of report on a potential suitor? or employee? “I’m sorry, ‘hypothetical-past-boyfriend’, after reviewing this report, I’ve decided you are going to be way too emotionally taxing and too high maintenance for my lifestyle. I’m withdrawing my offer to see you.”

This is YOUR decision,

and it is wonderful to have a handful reliable, caring folks that have your best interest at heart, but if you decide to buy a house that has a roof which as ‘exceeded it’s life expectancy,’ don’t let Auntie One Bedroom Apartment scare you off about a roof.  Or if you can see the backyard through a crack in the basement wall and Uncle Contractor tells you ‘it ain’t a biggie.’  Be your own judge of home maintenance. If something is concerning you, ask the home inspector if it is typical in a house this age, or a house this style. Or ask your agent. For example, gas leaks are often discovered by inspectors and are usually an easy fix. Get the facts before you move forward or withdraw your offer.

Expect the inspector to find something wrong.

Older homes might have signs of water in the basement or galvanised lead pipes.  Home inspections can take a few hours and often include walking on the roof and lots of time analyzing every corner of the house and codes for building homes are always changing. If one is buying a home from 1920’s chances are there will be some existing amenities from 1920’s. Be prepared that  problems will arise, and thankfully the home inspector is skilled enough to find & bring them to the forefront.

The home inspection is optional, and at the buyer’s expense. However, many sellers have opted to get a home inspection done ahead of time to offer a fully disclosed listed house for sale. And if anything problematic if found, they can repair it before a buyer comes in and is scared off. 

Want  more information on the process of buying or selling?  Call me today!