Adventures in Cazenovia: Heid's

I recently took a mini-vacation to upstate New York with my girlfriend Jenny to the small town of Cazenovia, about 30 minutes outside Syracuse, where her parent’s have a house.

We took the Greyhound bus from Boston to Syracuse which was a nearly 8 hour ride, quite grueling I don’t need to tell you. But we were treated to such visual spectacles as:

Bustling Downtown Schenectady,

The Beech Nut Factory,

and sunny, sunny Utica.

The excitement was palpable.

At the end of our journey, Jenny’s parents picked us up at the Greyhound station and brought us to the charming little town of Liverpool where we got lunch at Heid’s, a childhood favorite of Jenny’s dad’s. He treated us to a Coney dog each. These whitish wieners are of a style apparently enjoyed on Coney Island, but what do I know?

The flavor was reminiscent of a mild knockwurst and they were grilled to a passable degree. The buns could have used a good grilling themselves as the Wonderbread turned gluey real quick. After picking up the dogs at the counter I ventured over to the condiment shelf where a big bottle of brown mustard and a gallon pump-bottle of ketchup distracted my fellow diners from the shelf on the opposite wall that contained tubs of diced onions, and 3 different relishes. A few spoonfuls of onion and of a delicious, sweet, tangy and slightly spicy red pepper relish later, and I was ready to eat.

I’m sure the foul weather was keeping the normal amount of locals and tourists out as the place was pretty quiet. I can imagine the restaurant bustling with lake-goers and Salt Museum patrons (both attractions lay across the street) when the weather is fairer. When that is the case I’m fairly certain that seating is much more difficult to come by. Overall the place seemed more like a roadside stand that just happened to be indoors. That was reflected in the cafeteria-style environment as well as the somewhat brusque manner of the staff. I would go here again, although I’d be interested in seeing what else their menu has to offer, but that is all dependent on if I find myself in Liverpool, New York again.