Latoya Ricks came to Syracuse with a goal of opening the first sit-down Jamaican restaurant in the city. After some time working at McDonalds and six years in Salt City Market at Erma’s Island, she reached her goal with the opening of Erma’s Bistro on Clinton Street.
Business was slow over the first couple months, so she was excited about the opportunity that Downtown Dining Week was offering.
“I'm just looking forward to people coming out, having what we're offering and just the fact that we're new to Downtown Dining Week this year,” Ricks said.
During Dining Week, she has the chance to show what her restaurant has to offer and introduce people to the world of Jamaican cuisine.
“Some of our specialties that customers really like, we have curry chicken, there's jerk chicken, oxtail, which is very popular, and we have our curry goats,” Ricks said as she stirred the traditional Jamaican style rice and beans.
For Downtown Dining Week, which runs through March 14, Erma’s Bistro will be serving a burger and fries for lunch as well as a choice of three entrees, appetizers, and dessert for dinner.
Over 50 restaurants are participating in the event this year. Lunch options are $15 or less, dinner is $40 or less, and sweets and treats are available for $10 or less.
Another new participant in Dining Week this year is Pausa Coffee on Water Street. Laura Capparelli opened the shop in September, attempting to bring the European coffee culture to Syracuse.
“We really struggle with this concept of slow living and slowing down and, you know, being intentional with time and being intentional with space and so that was really something that we had to teach in the Syracuse area to slow down and not everything needs to be so fast. You're not getting a two-second latte. We focus on quality a lot at the place,” she said about the mission of Pausa.
This sentiment is embodied by the name. Pausa is Italian for a break or rest, which is supposed to convey the message that it is the type of shop where customers are encouraged to sit down for a while and enjoy the vibes.
The interior is plastered with art, books, and games, and it is designed to embrace the feeling of relaxation.
Pausa is serving a lunch of soup, sandwiches, salads, and lobster tails to go along with their coffee during Dining Week.
Cafe Kubal has multiple locations around Syracuse, and this will be the first time participating in Dining Week at their Salina Street shop. Similar to Pausa, Cafe Kubal is focused on the vibe of the dining experience.
One of their baristas, Christopher Choi, said the people are what make them stand out.
“We bring a lot of personality to the cafe, and most of our regulars that come in, they're always looking to have conversations with us, and they never forget our names. I'll have most of my customers come in and chat with me for like a good half hour. So they just come here to talk about their day and we're always there to listen,” Choi explained.
Cafe Kubal participated in Dining Week last year, but manager Shamae Bennett said they have improved on their offerings.
“We have the open-faced tuna melt and stuff, so it's not just the Upstate Grinder and BLT anymore, a super vegan wrap, so more a thing for the vegans and the vegetarians, which last year we didn't really have anything on the menu for them, so It's really good we made it more diverse this year for people. And we brought back soup, so that's exciting,” Bennett said.
Cafe Kubal is offering lunch at both of their locations, on South Salina St. and Creekwalk Commons on West Water St. throughout Downtown Dining Week.
Downtown Dining Wee continues through March 14 and is put on by the Downtown Committee.
