Little tastes, big flavors at Tin Pan
SACKETS HARBOR — If there's a small town in Northern New York that seemingly has more restaurants than people this time of the year, it's Sackets Harbor.
This waterfront village on the shore of Lake Ontario just 10 minutes from Watertown is mobbed in the summertime. In the wintertime, you can park anywhere, and you just might be the only person strolling up and down the street.
The restaurant that set the standard in Sackets several decades ago is Tin Pan Galley. Owner Andrew Hanzlian has always had a keen eye for décor, an awareness of all the latest food trends and an unequivocal radar when it comes to hiring the most knowledgeable and personable servers.
A recent newspaper ad for Tin Pan promoted its "Just A Taste" Thursday night menu, featuring smaller portions with smaller prices, house wines at $3 a glass and live entertainment featuring veteran musician/showman Andy Taylor.
The night we visited, Main Street was deserted, many seasonal shops and restaurants shuttered for the off-season. An old, restored brick building was illuminated inside and out. Lots of cars lined the street in front of Tin Pan Galley.
We couldn't believe the crowd inside this relatively small bistro with seating for 50 or so customers. Wine was flowing. Waitresses were hustling. Laughter and light conversation were the order of the night.
Every seat was filled. Every person was having a good time. Andy Taylor was making sure of that, playing the right tunes at the right volume. Not only does he sing songs of Jimmy Buffet or Johnny Cash or Johnny Mathis, he sounds like them, too — guitar in hand on one tune, banjo on another, fiddle and harmonica on yet others.
Veronica was our waitress. Lucky her. Three guys on a "guys night out," and she was working a double shift that day. And she was waiting on a table of two dozen gals next to us enjoying a "ladies night out."
The regular winter menu is available as well as the totally separate "Just A Taste." Both are creative and innovative.
Selections on the regular menu include lobster bisque, five spice calamari, crab and crawfish cakes, Buffalo chicken fusilli, lobster truffle penne, filet mignon, several steaks, root beer-glazed pork chops and lots of seafood: ahi tuna, lobster, trout, sea scallops, sea bass and salmon.
On the "taste" menu, there are six choices. We'll get to those in a minute.
We each began with a cup of the soup of the day ($4), spicy corn and clam chowder. This thick and creamy soup loaded with bacon, clams, potatoes and corn exploded with flavor and just the right amount of heat provided by cayenne pepper. Our only criticism was, we wish it were served a little hotter.
We ordered all six of the "tastes" and asked Veronica to bring them out in whatever order worked best for the kitchen. Here they are, in menu order:
■ Ahi tuna tempura ($7): Top-grade tuna was lightly coated with tempura batter and flash-fried. The batter is made with flour, ice water and eggs, resulting in a distinctive fluffy and crisp coating.
The kitchen came close to our request for rare, a little difficult for something that has to be deep-fried.
The tuna was presented over mixed greens, accompanied by traditional pickled ginger, very interesting seaweed "salad," tamari (similar to soy sauce, with a distinct mellow flavor) and a clever wasabi guacamole.
■ Pulled-pork quesadilla ($7): Here's an example of taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. Seasoned and sauced slow-roasted pork was sandwiched between two lightly grilled flour tortillas along with black bean and corn salsa plus jack and cheddar cheeses.
A trio of accompaniments — salsa, sour cream and guacamole — was served in three little square ramekins. Nice touch.
■ Spinach, pesto and ricotta-filled ravioli ($6.50): A light and homemade-tasting pasta with a flavorful filling, it was placed in a saffron-tomato cream sauce and topped with shredded Asiago cheese.
■ TPG scallop cake ($7): Hey, did you get that "TPG" thing? Tin Pan Galley!
Here's a new twist on an old theme — scallops and aged provolone cheese dredged in coarse panko bread crumbs, served over mixed greens with homemade tartar sauce on the side. This was one of our favorites.
■ Crunchy California roll ($6): You've probably had a California roll in a Japanese restaurant before; it's rice and fish rolled up in paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed. Tin Pan's is totally different, stuffed with grilled asparagus and red peppers, scallions, cream cheese, rolled in panko and deep-fried.
The crunchy creation was drizzled with wasabi (spicy hot horseradish sauce) and — here's a new one to me — kabayaki sauce. Kabayaki is a combination of soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine) and sugar.
■ Seafood duo ($7): This was another favorite. Tender scallops and snappy shrimp were tossed in a creamy avocado, roasted tomato and bacon sauce and served over linguini. It was bursting with flavors. We could have used more than a "taste" of this one.
A bread basket stayed with us throughout the evening. We were amazed at the house-made flatbread, dough rolled thin, cut into strips, deep-fried and sprinkled with kosher salt and black and white sesame seeds. It was not greasy at all — it was snappy. The flavors kept us coming back for more; in fact, we had to ask for more.
There was artisan bread too, and a nice olive oil-pesto dipping sauce.
And the tastes don't end here. There are three very special desserts, priced at $4.50 each.
Brownie sundae was served in a small snifter; it's a dense brownie together with vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with fresh whipped cream.
The brownie (and we assume the artisan bread) was made in the bakery across the street called Chrissy Beanz, also created and owned by Hanzlian.
Apple crisp parfait, also served in a snifter (a balloon-shaped glass), consisted of yummy apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and TPG caramel sauce.
Totally outstanding was the coconut cream tart. Delicious coconut cream was piped onto a flaky shortbread pasty tart and finished with luscious whipped cream. We could have eaten a tray full of these.
The cost for our tastes plus our soups came to $73 before tip. Cocktails and wine added to that total. There's a very impressive selection of wines. Even the house pours (TPG calls them featured wines) are from recognizable vintners like Beringer, Mark West, Covey Run and Forest Glen.
Andy Taylor entertained throughout the evening, taking only short breaks to walk the floor and greet his guests. You may know that Andy is half of the legendary musical duo Ferguson and Taylor.
You may not know that Andy Taylor is Andrew Hanzlian. For years, Hanzlian has used his stage name. For decades, Andy Taylor would finish a gig in Burlington, Binghamton or Buffalo at 2 or 3 in the morning, hop in his car, and be back at his restaurant in time for breakfast service.
Andy's uncompromising passion for food and hospitality shows in his restaurant. The food, the service and the ambiance at Tin Pan Galley are the best around.
For three decades, Tin Pan has offered a very special dining experience. In my opinion, it continues to be one of the best dining destinations in the north country.
One additional thought. Spring is just around the corner, and there's nothing better than dining on the sprawling tree-covered patio at Tin Pan Galley. I suggest you include this in your dining agenda for the coming months.
You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.
Tin Pan Galley
110 W. Main St.
Sackets Harbor
646-3812
www.tinpangalley.com
One of the north country's favorite dining destinations continues to impress and amaze, introducing its Thursday "Just A Taste" menu.
DINNER HOURS: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Breakfast and lunch served Tuesday through Saturday
Days and hours of operation will expand throughout spring and summer. Consult the Web site for details.
OUR "JUST A TASTE" FAVORITES: Ahi tuna tempura; scallop and provolone cake; spinach, pesto and ricotta ravioli; shrimp and scallops with an avocado, roasted tomato and bacon cream sauce; coconut cream tart.
RATING: 5 FORKS
