(in First LookSo, I'm going to be visiting new restaurants and bars in Central New York to give my readers an idea of what to expect. If you know of any new places, Email: Or call/text us 315-382-1984If I follow your suggestion, I might even treat you to a meal.
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Syracuse, N.Y. — A little roadside shack that has served up Syracuse's biggest breakfast for the past 40 years is taking a gourmet turn.
Well, more or less.
You can start your day with a six-pound frittata and foot-long pancakes at Mother's Cupboard, but now you can end your evening with farm-fresh Wagyu beef cooked on the same griddle that's been here since 1940.
Pete Green, co-owner of the diner on James Street in the city's east end, just opened a ghost kitchen at the location with his longtime friend Ryan McCammon. Get Smashed is a digital-only restaurant that serves customers through food delivery apps like DoorDash, GrubHub, and Uber Eats, which means you can't dine at a counter three feet away from the person preparing your food.
Get Smashed offers a small menu centered around cheeseburgers, and not just any cheeseburger: these are smashburgers made with Wagyu beef, arguably the pinnacle of red meat.
“We keep it simple, but it satisfies the palate,” Pete said.
This restaurant-within-a-restaurant in Eastwood only serves food on Friday and Saturday nights. It began with a soft opening three weeks ago to test out a two-person workflow. It went well, and the following week was even better: By the sixth night of business (last Saturday), orders were coming in nonstop.
Pete and Ryan unlocked Mother's Cupboard at 5 p.m., four hours after Pete had served the last Mexican omelette and home fries, one of several weekend specials still listed on the Mother's Cupboard menu board above the grill.
The bar was already cleaned and the tables were set for the Sunday morning crowd, and Pete blasted some Van Halen on the stereo (he prefers David Lee Roth's Van Halen; we debated), lit the 12 gas burners heating up the flatiron grill, and grabbed a five-pound bag of ground Wagyu beef from the cooler.
Get Smashed is currently purchasing 100 pounds of meat per week from Deer Hill Wagyu Farm in Cazenovia.
“Wait a minute, you've never tried Wagyu beef?” asked Pete.
correct.
“Oh, this is amazing.”
Wagyu is a protected and regulated Japanese breed of cattle that produces the finest marbled beef, with fat that melts at a lower temperature than other cattle, leaving behind a rich, buttery flavour.
By the time Van Halen's “On Fire” finished, the grill was heating up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pete stuffed three ounces of Wagyu beef into an ice cream scoop and placed a meatball on the griddle. Each sandwich had two patties. He lightly sprinkled each scoop with his own blend of pepper, garlic powder, and seasoned salt, and topped it with a handful of white onions sliced into 1mm pieces.
Once the meat is hot, Pete hits each ball with a stainless steel weight, compressing it into a thin, circular disk.
“You're slamming the fat directly into the heat,” he said, leaning to the right to apply more pressure from his torso, “so that the fat cooks quickly and gives it a slight crispy texture.”
The press also infuses the wagyu with the moisture from the onions, which keeps the meat just the right amount of hydration while frying. Pete flips his patties with a patty knife rather than a spatula, a technique used by TV chef George Motz, who wrote a detailed book on the history of the hamburger.
While the other side cooks for a minute or so, Pete drops about an ounce of shredded cheese on top of the burger: He shreds his own Cooper White cheese, a creamy-yet-sharp American cheese that melts evenly when the skillet's lid is on.
After a total of two and a half minutes, the two patties are placed onto toasted brioche buns from Heidelberg Bread in Frankfort.
“Take a bite before you even think about putting anything on this burger,” Ryan insisted. “Now tell me what you notice.”
The most noticeable first impression was that the bottom bun wasn't moist at all, and while the 80% lean meat was juicier than any burger I've ever had, there was no oil on the bun.
“Exactly,” he said. “But do you ever put ketchup on a burger like that?”
It is a such a fool.
“Good answer. Now try this.”
He hands over a cup of the consommé Pete has been bubbling away from his last pot of chili, which he runs through a strainer twice and adds more tomato paste and chili powder.
Eric's idea was spot on: It's the perfect condiment for Pete's burgers or mini perogies with fried onions ($8), and I spooned some over my toasted breadcrumb-topped macaroni and Cooper's cheese ($8).
Get Smashed offers two types of burgers: I got the Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger with cheese and the “All the Way” with mustard, diced onions, and house-made pickles. Both are made with two 3-ounce patties and cost $15.
Wagyu beef has lower cholesterol than other breeds. To offset all this “healthy” stuff, consider adding a Chocolate Cake Shake ($12). That's what I did. It's a spin on the milkshake invented by Portillo's, the famous Chicago hot dog stand. Soft-serve vanilla ice cream is mixed with Hershey's chocolate syrup and topped with a big chunk of chocolate cake. The end result is so rich that you're given a wide straw, the kind usually used for bubble tea.
For now, Get Smashed will only be open on Friday and Saturday nights and will only be open for takeout or delivery.
So far, it seems to be working. After an hour of prep on Saturday, they went online at 6pm. At 6:02pm, the point-of-sale register rang its first ding, letting two staff members know an order had come in. The second ding came 10 seconds later. By 6:08pm, Pete had dropped 20 Wagyu beef balls from his scoop.
All the while, he knew that in 12 hours he'd be back at work flipping eggs and bacon in a packed shed.
“We didn't want to change anything about Mother's Cupboard,” says Pete, “but everything around us has changed. People's tastes have changed, their eating habits have changed.”
detail
venue: Get Smashed, 3709 James St., Syracuse (inside Mother's Cupboard Diner), where you can order online only.
time: Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 11pm.
parking: Medium sized parking lot.
credit card: Yes, credit card only. Delivery and collection only.
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Charlie Miller Discover Central New York's best food, drink, and fun. (315) 382-1984or by email Email:(By the way, he also pays for his and his guests' food and drink.) You can also find him at @HoosierCuse. twitter and InstagramSubscribe for free every week Get the Syracuse Eats Newsletter here.
