Eva’s – Restaurant review

For me it’s not the plummeting temperatures, the leaves crunching underfoot, or the smell of apple cider that truly heralds fall’s arrival. As much as I love the leaves and the bulky sweaters, it’s the change in my appetite I rely on most to tell me the season’s at hand.
 
The other night, with salad greens wilting in the back of my fridge and mealy overdue peaches shrivelling on my counter, it hit me. Fall was here. The shift in my cravings from salads to stews, peppers to squash, and basil to cinnamon reminded me that the season of comfort food follows closely on the heels of September.
 
I’ve been told repeatedly that Eva’s, a Polish restaurant in Solvay, was the place for comfort food—best appreciated with a side of chilly. They were right. The gust of grandma’s kitchen warmth that hit me upon entering just wouldn’t have been the same in the middle of July.
 
Eva’s is a doll house, snuggled into a row of shops with Solvay’s industrial smoke stacks puffing away in the background. And this was no Americanized ethnic. I felt like I was in Eastern Europe again, from the stencilling on the walls to the red and blue mood lighting to the waitress’s patterned stockings. The atmosphere is cozy enough to dress up and take a date, but also possesses a homeyness that attracts families and older couples.
 
With entrees ranging from $6-$12, Eva’s is worth the five bucks in gas you’ll spend getting there. Plus, I don’t know any other place where you can get a slice of homemade dessert for $3.75. If that’s not enough, beer-lovers will go crazy over their list of imported Polish, German, and Latvian beers, unrivalled the city over. They bring it in by truckloads straight from a Manhattan-based importer, offering a clear menu description for each.
 
On my first visit of what I hope will be many, I shared a sweet and nutty salad of freshly shredded leek, apples and carrots mixed in a creamy dressing. For the main course it was twelve potato and mushroom pierogi, piled on a plate with sautéed onions, butter and sour cream. Having grown up on my Ukrainian great-grandmother’s homemade pierogi (pur-oh-gee), the little stuffed dumplings touched something in me besides hunger.

 

 

 

 

I can’t wait to return for their potato and cheese version to see if they’ve got anything on hers. Not to mention to try the cabbage rolls and Hunter’s stew. Eva’s delightful kitsch and simple, warming fare makes those inevitable December days suddenly seem less ominous. Surprisingly, I found myself craving another change in seasons—but not quite just yet.
 
Eva’s
1305 Milton Avenue
Syracuse, NY
13204
(315) 487-2722

~ Jennifer Ward
www.freshcrackedpepper.com

Untailored Fashion: Fashionably Different

At a party a few weekends ago a girl walked into the club wearing the hottest dress anyone could possibly find. As she walked through the party everyone commented and told her that she looked great and she was feeling pretty cocky.

 

But then the worst possible thing happened. Another girl came in wearing the same dress and ruined the whole night. Yes, this oh so typical story is overly corny. But it showcases one of the worst aspects of fashion today.

 

A person’s fashion is supposed to give the world a first impression of who that person is. Your style is supposed to belong to you and no one else. But today’s fashion is so mainstream that most people end up wearing that same H&M sweater or North Face jacket that we see 20 other girls wearing everyday. Even celebrities do it, thus we have the terrible “who wore it best” sections of tabloid magazines.

 

My name is Amity Paye, and I’m a magazine journalism major at Syracuse University with a concentration in fashion and beauty communications. Sorry that’s a mouthful, I know.

 

Anyway the biggest question in fashion is really: how do people look individual and stylish all at the same time. The biggest fashion houses brood over this question before creating each new line and we ask ourselves this every morning when we look in the mirror and decide what to wear

 

Whether you love Punk or Hip-Hop, Glam or Hippie style we all have ways of making those mainstream pieces our own. Yves Saint Laurent did this with his 2009 spring ready to wear line redesigning the disco girl’s wardrobe, to include the same dress all in black with a more modern bow in the back. The common business suit gets a touch of elegance with a sheer top, loose flowing pants to replace the high waited skirt and just about the best shoes ever created. They may be common ideas in fashion but both of these looks are indicative of classic Yves Saint Laurent style.

 

 

Like Yves Saint Laurent, many celebrities find ways to show their personality even when wearing an article of clothing that other people have worn. Charlize Theron accessorized the gothic look of this Christian Lacroix fall 2008 dress to look much more elegant and glam for the Berlin premiere of the movie Hancock. Many celebrities do this very well.

 

On wikipedia.org, alternative fashion is defined as “fashion that stands apart from the mainstream commercial fashion.” If this is the case we should try to make all casual fashion alternative.

 

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

-Coco Chanel.

 

~ Amity Paye