Restaurant hopes to bring casual dining to the area

By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

After several months of intensive renovations, Scenic Root is now open for business at its location next to the Manlius swan pond. And with this opening, owner Mike McDonough hopes to bring a casual restaurant experience to the community.

“I’m trying to create a community atmosphere; there is really a market for a place like this in the area,” said McDonough.

The menu of Scenic Root can be described as a bistro-style American, said McDonough, with a limited but wide-range of items. Some of the menu offerings include a classic burger, grilled salmon and a wide array of entrée salads.

“I didn’t want the menu to be too large. I wanted something simple that had a range of items to showcase,” said McDonough. “I hope this can be a place where people will come frequently, maybe once or twice a week, not just on special occasions.”

McDonough is no stranger to the restaurant industry, being the son of Dark Horse Tavern owner Bob McDonough, who also was the co-owner the former Saratoga Steaks and Seafood. McDonough said after spending some time living in Brooklyn and working in restaurants, he had been in the market for a place to open his own restaurant in the Syracuse area. A few locations fell through, and then the former Bella Cigna building at 310 Fayette St. in Manlius became available and he jumped on the opportunity in June 2016.

McDonough said he originally planned to have the restaurant open in early summer, but found that a lot of renovations were needed on the building to keep it updated and a desirable place to run a restaurant.

The restaurant officially opened Aug. 24 and, because they are still in their soft opening phase, McDonough said they have been able to use feedback from customers to make small changes. They eventually hope to expand to be open on Sundays and serve lunch.

The meaning behind the name “Scenic Root” is something McDonough said was a bit of a play on words.

“I look at this place as the ‘root’ of Manlius. It’s right in the center of the village and next to a landmark like the swan pond,” said McDonough. “I know a lot of people were looking forward to us opening and I hope it was worth the wait.”

Currently, the restaurant is open for dinner at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the kitchen closing at 9 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and 10 p.m. the remainder of the week. Additionally, the newly renovated bar is open every night that the restaurant is open. Eventually, McDonough said he hopes to expand the hours to include a Sunday dinner and lunches Monday through Saturday.

Scenic Root is located at 301 Fayette St. in Manlius. For more information, call 682-3000.