This place could be your new Denny’s, if only it stayed open for 24 hours.

I’ve always liked big portions, especially if the food is seasoned well and the price is decent. Steak & Sundae is a place where the portions are huge and the price is just right, but the flavors are safe and dull.

The restaurant is at 1830 Teall Avenue, about a 10-minute drive from campus. I didn’t close my eyes and savor every bite during my meal, but I did feel a sense of home in the restaurant, which I didn’t mind.

When I first walked in, I saw cakes, layered pudding desserts and cannolis in a glass tube counter top. I almost decided to start my meal with dessert, but got distracted from the thought when a waiter ushered me to my table.

I thought of my own dining room as I saw the hanging potted plants and round bronze ceiling lights scattered across the ceiling. Dark wood outlined the walls and matched the dark wood furnish. The chairs and tables reminded me of a country-style buffet.

I indulged myself in a protein tour as I tasted the Veal Marsala for $15.25, the Chicken Parmigiana for $13.65 and the Fish Sandwich for $7.25. All were huge portions of comforting, predictable food.

The Veal Marsala came with a side Caesar salad, which had too much dressing. The romaine lettuce was wilting too fast for me to crunch on each bite. I recommend ordering the dressing on the side.

The veal was tender, but it didn’t taste fresh. It was served with mushroom gravy, which had a savory broth flavor, and reduced Marsala wine. The chef was heavy handed with the wine.  I love gravy and mushrooms, so I didn’t mind that the gravy was overwhelming the veal, but I wished the mushrooms were fresh instead of canned. It would have been better with a side of mashed potatoes.

The Chicken Parmigiana offered much more texture with a mixture of pasta and chicken on each bite. The chicken was fried to perfection. It was crunchy on the exterior, and the meat was juicy and tender. Yet the chicken lacked flavor. Perhaps marinating the chicken overnight with diced garlic and onions, olive oil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper might do the trick.

Just like the chicken, the fish sandwich offered enough variety in texture per bite. I laced the chewy bread and the fried haddock with tartar sauce, and each bite was a delicious combination of those three flavors. I ate the side of French fries between each bite. The fish was fried to perfection; it was crispy and tender.

The texture was so perfect that I almost didn’t mind that it lacked flavor. I wanted to squeeze lemon juice on it because I was hesitant to add more tartar sauce, but I ended up doing nothing. The waiter took too long to check my table, and I didn’t ask for a wedge of lemon. So I just continued eating my crispy, tender but flavorless fried haddock.

As I looked around the restaurant, the place seemed ideal for the usual Sunday brunch with friends or family, or the weekly dinner. It was a place where waiters knew their patrons’ usual orders, laughed loudly in friendly conversations and wished their peers and patrons loud goodbyes from across the dining room.

Published on February 16, 2014 at 11:43 pm

Contact Vekonda: vluangap@syr.edu