Pusties & Pies A-Plenty in Rome/Utica, NY

Sunday Sept. 18th - Well, race day finally came though I took these shots of the bridge, dam and Delta Lake the day before so I could concentrate on my run.  I came across the bridge around the 11.5 mile mark with my family waiting for me with Gatorade and cameras ready!

The view of the dam from the bridge.  I spent many a day fishing near the base of that dam.

It was really quite peaceful running by the lake.  Cool, breezy and just very quiet.  A nice respite from the craziness of NYC.  I had a nice surprise as my running coach, Doug, was in Syracuse visiting family and he shot over to Rome to run this with me.  He really liked the course and the conditions and hopefully we can make this a tradition.  There weren't a lot of spectators on the course as can be found in some of the bigger, more established races so when I approached the 2 mile mark and saw 7 members of my family all sitting in a row cheering me on and one of them ringing a cowbell I was pumped up.  Some of the runners I was keeping pace with wondered who had so many people waiting for them this early on a Sunday morning!

 

There were about 160 runners on this day and we passed by many corn fields as well.  

And a better shot of the dam.  When I was a kid, my grandma and I would walk down this road pretty frequently just to get some exercise, take in the dam and listen to the water rushing down over it.

My niece was waiting across the street from my former elementary school with Gatorade and water for me.  A welcome sight.  At first she was a bit shy when some of the runners came by and then one runner said, "Take the water from the little girl!" and then she really got into it.

Coming down the stretch towards the bridge.  Just a few of us left.  

Crossing the finish line...ahhhhh!!!   I came in about 3 minutes under my time for 2010 and ended up setting a personal record for myself at this distance!!

Did I just run that?  Am I really thinking of running 4 more miles?  Yup.  I knocked out 4 more that day to keep on pace with my marathon training.

The finisher's medal.

The organizer's put on a great race this year, had free massages at the end, raffle prizes, lot of food (Chobani yogurt, yesss!) and these really nice long sleeved tech running shirts.  

 
COMING UP NEXT...the Hall of Fame, back to Voss' BAR B Q, some pies and a half moon, finally!

ynotryme, never cared much for rum cake or any cake or pastry that has alcohol in it for that matter.  Like alcohol, like cake, don't like them mixed together.
DirtDude, thanks!  Glad I could help!  
Ann, the ham is usually a slices or thinly shaved ham.  I'm not sure if it is boiled or baked but it seems that each place uses something different.  Not sure of the brands.  Some places keep it in a metal pan with warm water and then heated up on the flat top that also gives it a slight crust.
 
 

Monday Sept. 19th - My mom and I made a trip to the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, NY.  I had been meaning to come here on my last couple of trips but the timing had never worked out.  They are open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and weekends by appointment only but they do recommend that you call ahead regardless of the day you want to come as they may close early or be out to lunch.  Below is the countdown clock to the 2012 Boilermaker 15K Road Race.  Less than 293 days to go!  WOO HOO!!!

 

    The members of the Hall of Fame.

    The Ted Corbitt was the founding president of the New York Road Runners, the running group I joined two years ago when I first started on this crazy, awesome journey.

    Bill Rodgers is credited with igniting a widespread interest in running in the late 1970s-early 1980s that brought more than just lifers to the sport but everyday people looking to improve their health as well.  He ran the Boilermaker in 2010 as did I.  That's one of the great things about races.  You can run on the same course with professionals, cross the same finish line and receive the same finisher's medal.  Not too many other sports allow the average person to do that.  I'd love to run the base paths at Fenway but they might arrest me if I tried!

    Fred Lebow, founder of the NYC Marathon and president of the New York Road Runners for 20 years.  The race they run in his honor in Central Park every year is one of the first official races I ever ran.  Pretty cool feeling to cross that finish line.

    Amby Burfoot, editor of Runner's World magazine which has been very helpful to me in the past two years.

    Grete Waitz, 9-time NYC Marathon champion and huge presence and influence in women's running all over the world.  Sadly, she passed away earlier this year.

    Some servicemen in Baghdad ran their own Boilermaker in 2008 in honor of this local tradition.

    I love this ad and it really does sum up how I feel on many days.  Just getting out there and doing it is the goal.

    The evolution of Nike running shoes...

 

    True.

    One of my favorite publications (right up there with the Onion and Pre-mid 1980s Mad Magazine)

    Kathrine Switzer, the first female to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon (1967).  She was running alongside her boyfriend and at some point a race official rushed up on her and shouted, "Get out of my race!" and tried to grab her and force her off of the course.  Her boyfriend shoved him out of the way and she finished the race.  An inspiration to women everywhere.

    A likeness of Steve Prefontaine, the University of Oregon and Olympic runner who held numerous records in various distances and still is a huge influence on many runners today and whose life was cut tragically short in a car accident at age 24.

    Fred Lebow's memorabilia

    Kathrine Switzer's memorabilia

    Grete Waitz's memorabilia

 
Mom and I had a great time at the Hall of Fame and for me it brought another level of appreciation for what it takes to go out there day after day and put in the hard work and how running can be a something wonderfully transformative.
 
AND...THE FINALE COMING UP!

What a terrific trip report, BB! I enjoy your focus on just a few food items that are specific to the area you are visiting. I thought I had read them all here on Roadfood, but "pusties" and "tunnels" are new to me!

This next RF stop was brought to you in part by the letter "E".  

After the Hall of Fame Mom and I decided to get lunch before I was to take the train back to NYC.  Mom was leaning towards Panera Bread but I convinced her that Voss BAR B Q would be the better choice!

Pancake breakfast, Spaghetti dinner benefit, Voss' usually has some local goings on posted in their window.

They just started selling ice cream pies!!  Yes!!!

My turkey BBQ sandwich (with extra sauce, of course).  Mom saw this and thought they had spilled the sauce by accident.  I assured her it was per my request and all part of the plan!  Plenty of sauce to mop up with the bun and as a dip for my fries.

A hot sausage sandwich with homemade chili on top.  Tasty but I wish the sausage had been hotter. The chili brought some of the heat I was looking for and a whole other layer of flavor.

Fries

A vanilla malt (with extra malt powder, ordered "thin").  I enjoyed it but I think I would order it thick next time as I think I just prefer them that way.  Good malt flavor but I'd like even more.  Too much is never enough for me.

 
Our last stop of the day was at North Star Orchards on Rte. 233 in Westmoreland, NY.  A favorite of mine for years with local produce and an in house bakery.

For all of your Halloween decorating needs...

If you think these items are seem far fetched...in the fall of 1997 when my friend Greg and I were roommates in Boston we picked up a carload of hay bales for people to sit on, corn stalks to staple to the window frames and a block of ice in which we carved a channel for "luge shots" of Jaegermeister at our Halloween party.  Good times!

 

Mmm...garlic!

Some really nice looking grapes.

And some interesting flavors of popcorn made locally in nearby Little Falls, NY.

I opted for a mini cherry pie.

I couldn't wait until I got back to the apartment so I broke this open on the train.  I bit more "filling" (as opposed to fruit) than I like but there were plenty of cherries and the flavor was great.  The crust could have been browner/golden but there was no mistaking the homemade taste and texture.  

And I couldn't leave CNY without one of my most favorite treats, a chocolate half moon cookie.  Perfect.

 
Though these pies weren't from this trip I felt the need to shoehorn them in somewhere.  My friends Doug & Marisa had been telling me about the homemade pies at Green Acres Farm and Bakery near Craryville, NY (near the southern NY/MA border) for some time and have been introducing me to them for the past year.  I have been up that way but just never had time to stop and check out the place for myself.  However, these pies blew me away every single time I've tried them that I feel obligated to post some pictures.  
This is the peach pie that Marisa's mom brought to their first house the weekend I was helping them move in (August 2011).

We would paint, then hear Marisa call out, "Pie break!".  Move some furniture, pie break.  This happened a few times over the weekend and I ended up with half of this pie back at the apartment.  It was the perfect combination of fresh fruit and buttery, flaky crust.  I still dream of it.  Best pie I ever hung a lip on so far (I know, miles to go...)!

Apple-Raspberry pie.  Another winner and the flavors of both fruits really shone through.  

Apple-Cranberry pie from Thanksgiving 2010.

Pecan pie from Thanksgiving 2010.  All of these were just incredible.  My apologies for not having more info about Green Acres.  Next time I talk to Doug & Marisa I'll get the info and update the report.  It's definitely worth drive and not too far from the Roadfood reviewed West Taghkanic Diner in Ancram, NY.  

 
I always look forward to going back home to visit my family and friends.  It was truly wonderful to run alongside my coach and to see my family and especially my niece cheering me on and handing water to me on the race route.  I'm also glad that I was able to tackle a number of new-to-me food spots that I could share with you here.  That's all for this report, hope you enjoyed it!
 
"Eating is an adventure, enjoy the ride." - billyboy, 2011
 

another first rate report, Billyboy. Still I wish you would take my advise and try Symeons while you are in the area. if for only the GALAKTOBOUREKO. a Greek custard baked in pyhllo with a warm honey topping.  I had to force my wife to try it and then I thought she was going to lick the plate, she enjoyed it so much. Now when we visit she insists on going there twice.

ynotryme, I will, I will.  Love Galaktoboureko.  Had it for the first time at a Greek place in Astoria, Queens a few years back and it blew my mind.  Never thought my heart could flutter over a non-chocolate dessert!  You probably scold me for this but my sister and her family were having dinner there the same time I was in Yorkville!!  I had my plan though for the tomato pie, bbq sandwiches and pusties and didn't want to deviate from it.  I knew I'd see them at my mom's house later that evening and the rest of the weekend.  

Grin, now that I have talked you into that one. I have another local favorite for you to try. Cream of pepperoni soup at the boulevard diner in whitesboro on oriskany blvd. i know it doesn't sound good but believe me, if you order a cup of it , you are going to wish you had ordered a bowl instead. the pepperoni is chopped into little bits and as they heat , they release their oil into the soup. the only thing is they only serve it on thursdays. fyi, joe's pizza is owned by the daughter of the owners of O'scuggnizzo's pizza in utica on bleeker street.
 

The 411
 
1.)  Teddy's Restaurant
       851 Black River Boulevard North
       Rome, NY 13440
       Ph # 315-336-7839
       Website:  www.teddysrestaurantny.com
       RF Review:  http://www.roadfood.com/R...4334/teddys-restaurant
 
2.)  Sugared Plum Ovens (CLOSED as of the end of July 2012)
       254 West Dominick Street
       Rome, NY 13440
       Ph # 315-533-5599
       Website:  www.sugaredplumovens.com
 
3.)  B & L Italian Bakery
       407 North James Street
       Rome, NY 13440
       Ph # 315-336-5522
       No website
 
4.)  Ferlo's Bakery
       522 Floyd Avenue
       Rome, NY 13440
       Ph # 315-339-8874
       No website
 
5.)  Joe's Pizza
       117 Main Street
       Whitesboro, NY 13492
       Ph # 315-736-1510
       Website:  www.theoriginaljoespizza.com
 
6.)  Roma Sausage & Deli
       2029 Bleecker Street
       Utica, NY 13501
       Ph # 315-792-1445
       No website
 
7.)  Napoli's Italian Bakery & Deli
       412 Culver Avenue
       Utica, NY 13501
       Ph # 315-798-8709
       Website:  www.napolisitalianbakery.com
 
8.)  Florentine Pastry
       667 Bleecker Street
       Utica, NY 13501
       Ph # 315-724-8032
       No website
       RF Review:  http://www.roadfood.com/R...florentine-pastry-shop
 
9.)  Patio Drive-In
       1401 Oriskany Street West
       Utica, NY 13502
       Ph # 315-724-0136
       No website
 
10.)  Holland Farms Bakery & Deli
         50 Oriskany Boulevard
         Yorkville, NY 13495
         Website:  www.hollandfarms.com
 
11.)  Pumpernickel Deli
         120 Genesee Street
         New Hartford Shopping Center
         New Hartford, NY 13413
         Ph #315-735-8121
         Website:  www.pumpernickelsdeli.com
 
12.)  Voss' BAR B Q
         Oriskany Boulevard (Rte. 5A) - near Main Street (New York Mills)
         Yorkville, NY 13495
         No phone
         No website
 
13.)  North Star Orchards
         Route 233
         Westmoreland, NY 13490
         Ph# 315-853-1024
         Website:  www.northstarorchards.com
 
14.)  Delta Lake Half Marathon
         Delta Lake State Park
         Rome, NY 13440
         Website:  www.romanrunners.com
 
15.)  National Distance Running Hall of Fame
         114 Genesee Street
         Utica, NY 13502
         Ph # 315-724-4525
         Website:  www.distancerunning.com
 
16.)  Green Acres Farm and Bakery
        226 Route 82
        Livingston, NY
        Ph# 518-851-7460
        Website:  www.greenacreshudson.com

DirtDude


Why do I come on this site when I haven't eaten lunch yet? Awesome job and nice photography!

 
Don't you just HATE when they do that to you!?!?!?!?!?
 
BillyBoy, Buffetbuster and Wanderingjew ALL DO it to me!!!

BillyBoy
 
What a wonderful trip report and excellent adventure.
That was some good looking tomato pie and pustie's.
 
I am almost drooling just thinking about them.

Another great report Billyboy! I think my favorite picture was the menu at Ferlo's Bakery. You know you're in a really local place when there are several items on the menu that an out of towner would have no idea what they are.
 
Keeping my mind out of the gutter, I'll leave a "meduim hard" and a "large hard" to the imagination (altough I can envison a Saturday Night Live Sketch evolving from that..). You did describe what a "tunnel" is, and I'm guessing that a "football" in some sort of large oval shaped roll.
 
I've been keeping notes, and Utica/Rome is on my backlist of 2-day food trips. Thanks for contributing heavily to that list.
 
PS: Aside to Joe Rogo: Last year when my wife and I did our day trip to Carbondale PA, I found cases of Utica Club beer at Clause's Beverage in Carbondale. You might want to try there, it's a lot closer to you than Utica.
 
 

Great Central NY food report, Billyboy!
 
I still am amazed by your running.

Hey tcrouzer, thanks!  I feel that even though I lived the first 26 years of my life in CNY and still visit often, I always find something new to me up there and that really is a great source of joy for me!
CK, glad to be of service!  ;) 
Ken, so many great looking things to try at Ferlo's and a lot of Italian provisions shops making their own pasta, sauce, meatballs and sausages.  Some of that bread would be great with it!  I think a tunnel should be on the short list for my next trip.  I still have about 20 more places to try tomato pie and about 10 more for pusties. 
Don, thanks so much.  I just logged a 21.75 mile run today, my last long run prior to the NYC Marathon.  They say if you can run 20, you can run a marathon!