Eddie's Restaurant

901 Main Street, Sylvan Beach, NY - (315) 762-5430

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Posted By Bill Homan on 10/13/2008 11:00:00 AM

On a recent visit to Central NY, my family and I had dinner at a restaurant that has been a favorite of ours for as long as I can remember. Eddie's Restaurant has been an institution in Sylvan Beach, NY since 1934 and is still going strong. They started out as an eight-seat hot dog stand and have since grown into a 250-seat full service restaurant.

Eddie's is known for their hot ham on a toasted bun, spaghetti and meatballs (with homemade sauce), fish fry, and homemade pie. The Giant Platter is half hot ham and half pork BBQ. The heat in the hot ham is right on and it is piled high, but there is an assertive fennel flavor that just doesn't work for me. The barbeque sauce reminds me of the McDonald's sauce used with McNuggets. I'm glad I tried the ham, but I don't think I would get it again.

The first time I had a roast pork sandwich from Tony Luke's, I had a flashback to this sandwich. It's a really good sandwich with moist, piggy pork piled high. This is not spicy like the hot ham, but it's a winner. The crinkle-cut fries aren't hand-cut, but they are the perfect complement to this sandwich.

My grandmother made the best spaghetti and meatballs. She would simmer the sauce all day and let the fennel-flecked sausage and her homemade meatballs perfume the sauce for hours. Eddie's version with Fifi's sauce is the closest I have had to hers and always reminds me of good meals at my grandparents' house. This is the yardstick by which I measure all other spaghetti and meatballs.

The bread pudding tastes great, but I'm not crazy about the solid block texture. The banana cream pie is excellent. The pineapple cream pie is stellar: creamy custard with lots of crushed pineapple bits throughout. The rice pudding is very creamy. The coconut cream is just amazing and the chocolate cream is great too. The crusts on all of those pies are homemade and top notch. Someone in that kitchen loves what they do.

I'd recommend Eddie's even if you are just coming for a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. It's one of those places that just feels special when you walk in, from the prominent display case of homemade pies, to the decor which has barely changed in the last 25 years, to the locals who have been coming here for decades. The waitresses are top notch too. The memories of Eddie's food and my many dinners there with family have a special place in my head and my heart.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Spaghetti and meatballs with mushrooms: very delicious."
Bill Homan

"One of the reasons I love this place."
Bill Homan

"Second only to my Grandma's!"
Bill Homan

"Clockwise from top left: rice pudding, coconut cream pie, chocolate cream pie, bread pudding, banana cream pie, pineapple cream pie, and vanilla soft-serve."
Bill Homan

"Eddie's started out as a hot dog stand and gradually became a full-service restaurant."
Bill Homan

"How many in YOUR party?"
Bill Homan

"The early days of Eddie's."
Bill Homan

"A Sylvan Beach institution since 1934."
Bill Homan

"A family favorite for as long as I can remember."
Bill Homan