Just Lovin' the Traditional Burger, Ice Cream & Personality at Sip 'n Soda in Southampton, L.I. New York

Whether it's food places or places of fun and good times while growing up, one has a tendency to yearn for the nostalgic and what was familiar to you as you as a kid while growing up. I grew up in Great Neck, NY and remember the venerable eating establishments on Middle Neck Road 'in town' like Hamburger Express, with the little choo choo train that whistled around the train tracks and delivered your burger to you. I remember Kreigel's ice cream, cherry Coke, egg creams and its creaky wood floors.
There aren't many of those old-time restaurants around anymore...and especially one that evokes that old time feeling. There is, however,  one we have been going to for many years during the summer season and is situated in town on Hampton Road in Southampton, L.I., New York. It's Sip'n Soda.

A little bit about Sip 'n Soda. There's a long Parash family history that goes all the way back to the Oyster Bay Candy Kitchen in 1918. The Southampton location, however,  was opened in 1958 and is now run by the third generation family member Mark Parash and his Uncle Jim.

Besides their ice cream, they became famous for their lime Rickey, a drink made of freshly squeezed lime, cherry syrup, a homemade lemon-lime syrup and seltzer.

Years ago this refreshing drink was referred to by some as "air-conditioning in a glass"!

Recently, while out visiting my customers to make sure they are all set for the season, Sandy and I stopped in for lunch. I was fortunate enough to have left my wallet

at the restaurant and had to drive back the next day. How can that be fortunate you ask? Simple. If I hadn't, we would not be reading this story right now.
                                     

 Yup...that's Mark with his Sip 'n  Soda Burger!

My Burger...the old-fashioned way!

As the proprietor with personality Mark Parash put it, "lucky for us both". I got back my wallet and you folks  get to read about a worthy destination.
Why? Let me tell you!
The excellent homemade ice cream is what this place is all about. Don't get me wrong. As Newsday says, Sip 'n Soda also serves "consistently good renditions of luncheonette fare".
In particular, I love their $3.75 hamburger with a slice or raw onion and ketchup.
They make a double size burger for $5.75, however there's something about this burger that draws us back over the years.
When I returned to pick up my wallet, I was greeted by Hannah and Delaney. Hannah was nicely folding some of the Sip 'n Soda shirts when I asked her to show me one and to please make it look good for this entry.

Hannah

She was gracious enough to accommodate as was Hannah when I asked her for a smile while filling up an ice cream cone with a double scoop for a customer.

Delaney

It just seemed everyone was in good spirits and the timing was perfetto (Italian for perfect) for this new story.
While I was having my hamburger for lunch, I found out that Hannah's family operates a new Mexican Grill by the name of Sabrosa. New to the area, it was quite coincidental that the day before Sandy and I had the choice of eating at their new Water Mill location (we spotted something new on the way into Southampton) or continuing on to Sip 'n Soda. Sip 'n Soda won out. We can assure you, Hannah, we will make it there in the near future.

Hats or T-Shirts...bought a blue hat!

Okay folks...it's Memorial Day weekend...the official beginning of summer. Get out there...enjoy the fabulous ice cream and say hello to Mark, Hannah & Delaney and tell 'em Chef Bert the blogger sent ya!

Current menu

Older pic.Cones are a bit more today

Wanna take out order? The only phone line into Sip' n Soda is in this phone booth

                                                   Bye Delaney and Hannah. See you next time! 

                                                                   Mangia Baby!
                                                                      Chef Bert

As always, comments are appreciated.

Memorial Day Potato Salad With Fresh East Norwichian Dill

I'm not the biggest fan of dill...but I love dill pickles and matzoh ball soup with dill. With that thought in mind and because Sandy loves dill (not to mention there are many potato salad recipes with dill), I figured why not put a spin on my version of potato salad (with sweet gherkins and only yellow mustard) and try it with fresh East Norwichian dill**....sans pickles and adding some Dijon mustard to the mix.

Total time to prepare: less than 1 hour.

Short and sweet: I now love 3 things with dill...ie...never too old to add to, take away from or change.

Ingredients:
-3 lbs. small Yukon Gold and/or Red Potatoes with the skin (this recipe was 50-50)
-3 coarse chopped hard boiled eggs
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-1.5 Tbsp. yellow mustard and Dijon mustard (50-50). I like Heinz or French's yellow and Bournier Dijon
-2 stalks coarse chopped celery
-1-1 1/4 cup your favorite mayonnaise (Hellman's is the best tasting 'light' mayo for the less calorie/fat version)
-1 packed fistful of fresh dill coarse chopped...stems removed!
 It doesn't have to be East Norwichian**. Any fresh dill will work fine.
-2 tsp Kosher salt
-10 or so twists from a fresh pepper mill

-Boil potatoes for 20- 25 minutes depending on size of potatoes. Drain and let cool slightly until warm.
-Very coarsely cut potatoes...add vinegar and salt to cut potatoes. Toss gently until potatoes are coated.
-Mix together mayo, mustards, celery, pepper and dill and pour blend over the potatoes.
-Add hard boiled eggs
-Toss gently until blended being careful not to break up the potatoes much more than they already are as you want your chunks of potatoes.
-Salt and pepper to taste

**East Norwichian dill: Dill from my backyard :-)
Credit also must be given to my new ketchup made by True Made Foods. This more nutritious and gluten free ketchup is made with tomatoes, squash, spinach and carrots and tastes fab. Not, however, to be used in this recipe.

Mangia Baby!


As always...comments are welcome.
Bert

Savour Australia New York Wine Tasting / 2 May 2016 With A Big YUM!

I distinctly remember my first Shiraz experience. It was a bottle of Rosemount Estate back in the late 1990's.What in the world is this wonderful mouth full of big fruity red wine with a (as the Brits say) brilliant finish? Loved it!

So much has happened to Shiraz since then and no matter what people say, you enjoy what you enjoy and Shiraz was the new wine for me for many years to come. 

A little bit about Shiraz. Shiraz is the name given to the dark-skinned Syrah grape when grown in Australia and selected pockets of the New World. Though genetically identical, the stylistic differences between Shiraz and Syrah are pronounced enough to consider them distinct varieties. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.

During the 1990's and early 2000's a lot of Australian Shiraz was characterized by highly extracted, super-ripe wines that, for better or worse, caught the attention of wine critics around the world. Some responded well to the style, championing the rich and bold flavors, while others lambasted the wines' lack of subtlety. Regardless of the divided critics, consumer enthusiasm for Australian Shiraz flourished during this period and countless expressions of the style were exported around the world.

The other day I attended the "Savour Australia New York / 2 May 2016" wine show at the Tribecca Grill in NYC. It was a relatively small show of 22 vineyards compared to some shows with double and triple the amount of vineyards. 

The wines being presented  retailed from 14.00 to 199.00 per bottle. The white wines included Chardonnay, Reisling, Rose',Viognier, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

The reds were Shiraz, Granache, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. My strategy...whites first and then the reds. You might ask how does one get through such a big show with that many exhibitors. Easy! The whole idea behind a wine tasting is to taste the wines...not drink them. It was a hard lesson many years ago when I first started attending these shows and couldn't stand the thought of spitting out the wines, however you learn quickly how to savor the taste and use the spittoon.

Tasting so may wines one after another and trying to pick out the inexpensive, moderate and expensive wines is a daunting task. Some wines were really WOW and you could sense these were the higher prices wines. The bottom line, however, was what did I really like.

I tasted 18.00 and 24.99 bottles that I enjoyed more than bottles in the 50's and 60's. Why?

Here are my favorites with realistic price points:

                                             2013 Fowles Are You Game Shiraz @ 16.00

                                    2014 Flegenheimer Bros.Grenache Shiraz Blend 17.00

                                                                 

                                              

                                                2012 Maxwell Ellen Street Shiraz @ 18.00

                                                        2012 Tahbilk Shiraz @ 23.00

                                   Natalie & 2012 Eskadale Velvet Sledgehammer Shiraz@ 25.00

                                   2012 Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz @ 34.00

                                                                 Confession Time

                                            2012 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz @ 65.00

                                                     2013 Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz @ 66.99

                               2013 Hickenbotham Clarendon The Revivalist Merlot @ 75.00

                               2013 Hickenbotham Clarendon Brooks Road Shiraz @ 75.00

                               2013 Hickenbotham Clarendon Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon @ 75.00

                                                2010 Elderton Command Shiraz @ 99.99

                                           2012 Hentley Farm Clos Otto Shiraz @ 164.95

                                               2012 Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz @ 187.00

                                                 

                                                    2012 Torbreck RunRig Shiraz @ 199.99  

What's clear to me based on the evolution of this wine over the last 20 years is that it still remains at the top of my list at virtually all price points. It has, I'm sure to many, evolved into a sophisticated wine for gourmet meals. For me, however it satisfies at all levels.

To my readers, it's still about your own personal taste. You can, however, trust me enough to say you are getting a good value in most Shiraz wines. Syrah...you're next!

Thank you Australia!