After decades working as a bartender at various area watering holes, Dave Caramanna has finally forsaken the nightlife. The veteran mixologist has traded in his cocktail shaker for a sandwich spatula.
As the owner of The Chickadee Human Eatery, at 8140 Brewerton Road (Route 11), in Cicero, Caramanna now serves delicious meals rather than draught beers.
His bustling new sandwich shop, The Chickadee, is easy to find a few miles north of North Syracuse on the east side of Route 11, in the same location that previously housed a small restaurant called All Fed Up.
Many of Caramanna’s former customers who enjoyed his service at The Retreat, the White Water Pub and Sharkey’s have made it a point to check out his new non-alcoholic endeavor.
Soup stole the show
I stopped in for lunch last week, and found The Chickadee buzzing with customers. Guys from a business down the street ordered spicy Philly steaks and loaded fries, while a young lady stepped up to ask for a chicken Caesar salad. Several young mothers with kids in tow munched tuna sandwiches, chicken tenders and pizza quesadillas at the 1950s-style tables in the adjacent dining room colorfully decorated with all manner of 1960s kitsch.
While the menu features a few adventurous choices such as a peanut butter and jelly quesadilla, I decided to keep it simple with a grilled cheese and bacon on sourdough bread and a cup of white bean and sausage soup. The lightly fried sandwich was perfection, with freshly grilled bacon providing the yang to the yin of the melted mix of cheddar, jack, Swiss and provolone.
But the soup stole the show. The peppery roux was plentifully dotted with Italian sausage and navy beans making for a truly tasty experience.
A trip to The Chickadee won’t break the bank, either. Prices range from $5.50 to $7.50 for most items and there’s a Friday fish fry lunch for $6.50 or dinner with two sides for $10.50. A six-ounce burger — topped with sautéed mushrooms and carmelized onions, if you’d like — goes for just $7.
Italian melt and The Ruby
Customers rave about two signature sandwiches — the Tuscan Italian and The Ruby. The Italian melt smothers ham, capicola and salami in melted provolone and parmesan with lettuce, tomato, mayo plus oil and vinegar. The Ruby is a Reuben with grilled corned beef, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing on toasted marble rye.
Caramanna’s right-hand man, Ian Contard, has helped shape the menu and oversees the kitchen while Dave works the counter. Contard has worked in professional kitchens across Central New York, most recently as a chef at Parkrose Estates.
With Dave’s vision and personality and Ian’s attention to culinary details, The Chickadee is well on its way to sandwich-shop success.
The Chickadee flies from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed on Sundays; call in your take-out order at (315) 699-7044.
Old First a half-hour late
For the past week or so the village’s biggest, most visible clock has been running slow. The bell tower clock at Liverpool’s First Presbyterian Church at Tulip and Oswego streets has been about 30 minutes off the pace. I’m sure the church will set the clock straight sooner than later.
Canopy at Johnson Park
Representatives of Colorado’s WeatherPort Shelter Systems are scheduled to install a “Jubilee” style tent over Johnson Park’s stage on Thursday, June 15. The canopy is made of durable composite fabric stretched over a sturdy metal frame securely anchored into the stage’s cement floor.
The free concerts presented by Liverpool is The Place continue at 7 p.m. Monday, June 19, with Matt Chase & Thunder Canyon. On Wednesday, June 21, The Other Guise return with legendary Liverpool rocker Jan Fetterly on drums and vocals. And the big-band bonanza continues on Monday, June 26, with Jeff Stockham’s 20-piece Stock Market Swing Orchestra playing 1920s and ’30s jazz.
Correction
In last week’s column I identified John Mackenzie as the manager of Nichol’s Discount Liquors, but in fact, although he still works there as a clerk, he is the former manager.
Nichols Discount Liquors’ present manager is the lovely and personable Colleen Campbell.
Contact the columnist at [email protected].
