Several friends tipped me off to two interesting lunch spots.
One is a brand new café/bistro in downtown Malone. The other is a country diner with a '50s theme in West Potsdam.
Here's the report.
ST. LUCIA'S CAFé
367 MAIN ST.
MALONE
1 (518) 481-5480
There's a stunning new bistro open in downtown Malone next to the courthouse.
St. Lucia's Café is utterly stylish and intimately cozy. A historic building — originally a coffee roaster and confectioner factory in the early 1900s — has been restored to its original brick walls and dark wood floors. Modern lighting fixtures hang from the high, blacked-out ceiling. Heavy-duty chairs, tables and couches are scattered throughout the spacious eatery.
It's open for breakfast and lunch, with a hip menu. For breakfast, you can enjoy eggs Benedict, sweet and savory crêpes, create-your-own omelets and the quiche of the day. Lunch includes soups and salads, sandwiches and paninis, delectable desserts and all the fancy coffee drinks.
We stopped by for lunch and couldn't believe the crowd, considering St. Lucia's has been open less than a month.
Bruschetta was exactly as described, chopped tomato and red onion served on two pieces of baguette, sprinkled with Parmesan and quickly baked. It wasn't overly garlicky like bruschetta can sometimes be.
French onion soup is available in a cup or bowl portion. We enjoyed the savory broth, seemingly a combination of chicken and beef stocks, topped with melted mozzarella and decorated with fresh minced parsley.
The club sandwich is available with choice of ham, turkey or roast beef. Our choice was stacked high with deli turkey, crisp lettuce and perfectly cooked bacon, and — to bring this old standby into the 21st century — Brie cheese.
There are three paninis to choose from: tomato, mozzarella and pesto; roast beef with cheddar, onions and peppers; and the one we tried, ham with Monterey jack, Dijon and pineapple.
It was a large panini with a pretty gooey center. Luckily, we asked for the pineapple ring on the side or it would have been super gooey. The outside of the panini bread was buttered before it was grilled, making it greasy and messy to handle.
A tasty, colorful homemade spiral rotini pasta salad, jazzed up with sun-dried tomatoes, accompanied the sandwiches.
Desserts consist of a chocolate lava cake, cheesecake with strawberries, apple or berry pies and — we just couldn't resist — white chocolate éclair pie.
It was basically a wedge of cheesecake with éclair-like filling on top plus some sliced almonds. We also sampled the apple pie, which arrived at the table warm without our asking. Nice touch.
Congratulations to owner Kathleen Nichols, a stay-at-home mom for more than 20 years, for her vision in filing a void in Malone. Judging from the number of customers there the day we visited, she's got a hit on her hands.
Kudos also to chef Jamie Dupra, an 18-year veteran of Lake Placid's Adirondack Steak and Seafood, for designing and executing a perfect bistro menu.
And to the staff — at least a half-dozen waitresses who were efficient, knowledgeable and personable.
St. Lucia's Café is open 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
MOM'S SCHOOLHOUSE DINER
CORNER OF COUNTRY ROADS 34 & 35
WEST POTSDAM
265-6577
There's a quaint little diner out in the country between Canton and Potsdam that's worth checking out.
It's called Mom's Schoolhouse. Yes, there's a mom, and yes, there's a schoolhouse.
"Mom" is Sharon Bastille. She does the '50s-style cooking in the old West Potsdam schoolhouse that was converted into a diner about a decade ago.
Inside, there are two short counters with old-fashioned screwed-to-the-floor stools and a smattering of tables. There's '50s memorabilia everywhere, even old 45s dangling from the ceiling.
There's an old upright piano tuned and ready for action. Mom wraps up her week behind the grill by hosting a sing-along at the piano every Saturday evening.
Breakfast consists of all the basics: eggs, bacon and sausage, home fries and toast, omelets, and pancakes and French toast served with local maple syrup — the real thing.
Same with lunch: burgers and dogs, BLTs and westerns, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot and cold platters, pizzas and subs, and the "'50s Classic Special," cheeseburger, french fries, pickles and a frappé.
Mom's has all those great '50s drinks, too, like root beer floats, ice cream sodas, frappés and malts. And of course, ice cream sundaes, a dozen different ones named after '50s tunes like "Happy Trails," "Unforgettable" and "Que Sera, Sera."
We arrived around 11:30 a.m. after the official closing of the breakfast menu, but Mom accommodated my pal Al, a regular, with his breakfast "usual"— three homemade pancakes and bacon, topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Good eats and lots of it.
Regulars were pouring through the door for lunch, all being greeted by name by Mom from her station behind the grill.
I dove into the lunch menu with a hot hamburger sandwich, a nicely grilled burger between two pieces of white bread, smothered with canned beef gravy and served with fries. It was '50s all the way, just as I remember it.
Mom also accommodated me by substituting her homemade red potato salad for cottage cheese.
No room for dessert, but I did round out my trip-back-in-time with a classic Coke. And I mean classic. Mom's got them in the original vintage glass bottles, perfect for completing my hourlong nostalgic journey back to the '50s.
Mom's Schoolhouse is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It's easy to find. Turn at the Valero station on Route 11 halfway between Canton and Potsdam. Go about four miles to West Potsdam. Mom's is at the four corners.
You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.
