Food and Drink: People's Place

Every graduate student's best friend, cheap coffee.

Founded in 1971, People's Place is a student-run non-profit coffeeshop located in the basement of Hendricks Chapel on the Syracuse University quad. It is only a small nook set into the wall, but it fills the entire hallway with commotion during class breaks. Only a short walk off the ESF campus, People's Place offers not just coffee, but also tea, juices, bagels, donuts, soup, and sandwiches.

For ESF students tend to carry around their reusable school-branded mugs. If you are so inclined, People's Place offers a 10-cent discount for those that bring their own container. When most drinks are between 50 cents and $1.00, this amounts to a generous environmentally friendly discount.

For a short student-penned piece on People's Place, including a photo essay, click here.

Food and Drink: Syracuse Real Food Co-op

Located at 618 Kensington Road, in the Westcott neighborhood, the Syracuse Real Food Co-op has been providing local, fresh and organic foods to area residents since its inception in 1972. The store is open to the public, though a co-op membership entitles the holder to special voting privileges and periodic discounts. Organic cereals, energy bars, snacks, and milk products are available, among a range of products.

While other grocery stores such as Wegman's, P&C, and Price Chopper may offer a wider selection in a larger location, the Co-op has all the necessities in an easy bike- or walkable location. It is located two blocks from Westcott Street, near Barry Park:


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Food and Drink: Middle Ages Brewery

A Syracuse institution, Middle Ages Brewery, has been pumping out tasty microbrews for almost 15 years. Its local flavor and focus on quality is especially popular with students. Its tap room on Wilkinson Street is open Monday-Friday from 11:30-6pm and Saturday until 5pm. Its beers are named with a medieval flair: Grail Ale, Dragonslayer, Druid Fluid, Wizard's Winter Ale. Wailing Wench and Swallow Wit wheat beer are both regular selections at the ESF graduate "TG" parties.

Sample the wares responsibly, and don't feel pressured to make a purchase. If you do, however, beers can be carried home in half-gallon refillable glass "growlers".

Food and Drink: Farmer's Market

The Central New York Regional Market is a favorite Saturday-morning destination for the go-getters in the ESF community. While early morning around 10am is best, the market is open until 1pm. It is not uncommon to see a dozen or more fellow students and professors doing their weekly shopping on a typical visit.

The Market features locally grown produce, especially during the summer and fall, when the offerings change on a weekly basis, from berries and fruits to apples, squash, and potatoes in the autumn months. A large number of vendors offer necessities with a specialty flair: cream-on-the-top milk, fresh yogurt, unfiltered apple cider, homemade pastas, granola, and breads.

In the summer, fresh local peaches are a must-have. Highly recommended and year-round are the very reasonably priced Mennonite baked goods, locally produced cheeses, and various free-range and grass-fed meats, from Buffalo to Lamb.

Food and Drink: Inn Complete

Every graduate student's favorite hang-out, the Inn Complete is housed in the former ski lodge on South Campus. You can reach it by car or via the Winding Ridge bus route, free to students. The Inn features standard student fare - chicken fingers, cheese fries, wings, sandwiches and wraps - all with a 25% discount for showing your grad ID. Apart from food, there is a great selection of beers at very reasonable prices - $1.50 is the "grad special": a random bottled beer or a selected draft.

On Thursday nights they host a trivia night, and at least twice per year they host a Friday "TG" party for ESF students. Apart from its food and drink, the Inn is also home to free foosball, pool, ping pong, and Nintendo Wii for all students and visitors. (I head here regularly with other ESF friends for my foosball fix.)

Food and Drink: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que - on Willow Street, near Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse - is a Syracuse landmark and must-see destination. In May 2009, it was voted America's Best Barbecue in a Good Morning America poll. For bikers, blues fans, and barbecue lovers, it needs no introduction.

Try the cornbread, pulled pork, or ribs. All meat is slow-cooked in their own wood-fired barbecue.

It features live blues and rock music Monday-Saturday nights and only takes walk-in reservations. Carpooling is suggested, as parking in the restaurant's general vicinity can be difficult. Campus groups that are lucky enough to have Dinosaur cater their event are usually descended upon by a pack of hungry graduate and undergraduate students.