Two eateries so hot you'll have to jostle for a table
A little Mexican restaurant popped up a few months ago just outside Fort Drum where Route 26 meets Route 3. We stopped by VV's Mexican Kitchen for lunch recently and couldn't believe what we discovered.
On Outer Market Street in Potsdam, a colorful sign proclaims "Foxy Roxy's Diner," the successor to Caroline's Diner. We reviewed Caroline's a few years ago just before it changed ownership, so a visit to the "new" diner was long overdue.
VV'S MEXICAN KITCHEN
32585 ROUTE 26 (CORNER OF ROUTE 3)
GREAT BEND
493-DRUM
OK, picture this: It's 11:45 a.m. on a Thursday. We pull up to VV's Mexican Kitchen just outside the airfield gate of Fort Drum. We have trouble finding a space in the small parking lot.
We stroll inside and every one of the four high-top tables is occupied. Customers are sitting in chairs lining the small room waiting for their takeout orders. There are a half-dozen people lined up at the counter placing their orders.
A table opens and we grab it. It's high noon and customers are filing through the door at a steady pace. We decide to get in line. Moments later, the line is back to the door.
Now it's a few minutes into the lunch hour and the place is mobbed. Mobbed. The slightly stressed gal at the counter is taking orders in stride. No one's panicking in the kitchen either, visible through on open door.
The menu is simple: Homemade appetizers like stuffed peppers, queso dippers and fiesta shrimp; steak, chicken or shrimp salads; burritos five different ways; empanadas (Mexican-style turnovers) — and as part of combination platters you can get tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, taquitos and chimichangas.
We took back to our table three bottled drinks, light and refreshing Jarritos brand fruit drinks from Mexico (try the mango or the grapefruit — excellent). It wasn't long before our food was delivered directly from the kitchen in Styrofoam containers. Doesn't matter if you're eating in or taking it home — you eat from the Styrofoam container.
And you know what? We could have eaten it out of an old shoe, it was so good — I mean REALLY good. And mucho filling.
Julian's stuffed peppers ($6.99) were amazing — six jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and chicken, wrapped in bacon and grilled. Not too hot — just right. Next time we'll order a dozen, they were so good.
In order to sample most everything, a combination platter seemed the way to go. For $11.99 we got the four-item deal consisting of a bean and cheese burrito, chicken enchilada, beef hard-shell taco and a cheese and chicken-filled chimichanga.
You know how everything can taste the same sometimes? Not so here.
Each item had its own personality and its own unique taste — perfectly seasoned, unequivocally fresh and oh so tasty.
We loved the crisp outer layer yet cakelike consistency of the deep-fried enchilada. The taco shell was also obviously homemade, light and flaky.
The fillings were, well, about as good as it gets.
Sides of rice, beans and guacamole were more than just plate fillers; they were made with a skilled hand and as delicious as the meals they were accompanying.
Complimentary salsa comes in two different styles: mild red and blistering hot green. Keep your hand on that bottled water when sampling the latter.
Whoever "VV" is, she certainly knows what she's doing. We understand she was a partner in one of the previous incarnations of the Mexican restaurant on the square in downtown Watertown. In less than six months, she's got a loyal following for her cooking in the little white building at the four corners in Great Bend.
We don't give "fork" ratings to our lunch reviews, but if we did, VV's Mexican Kitchen would be a solid four forks, for excellent.
Our lunch cost $26 before tips. VV's takes credit cards and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
According to a sign on their wall and information on their Facebook page, there are plans in the works to expand to a second location with a full-blown restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
FOXY ROXY'S DINER
134 MARKET ST.
POTSDAM
268-0109
A few years ago, a popular diner in Potsdam, Caroline's, took on a new name: Foxy Roxy's Diner.
As with all change, their clientele was a little skeptical at first. But they soon realized that the only change was the spiffy new sign out by the street. The menu remained virtually the same — so did the staff and the look of the diner.
Foxy Roxy's continues to serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week with all the expected diner favorites.
Breakfast features all the usual suspects plus homemade doughnuts, five varieties of omelets and specialty pancakes like strawberry, apple, banana walnut and chocolate chip.
For lunch there are hot and cold sandwiches, sandwiches and wraps, burgers and dogs, fried things like chicken tenders and onion rings along with homemade soups, salads and desserts.
We stopped by for lunch around one o'clock, thinking we'd avoid the noon rush.
Not really. There were only two booths open, so we quickly occupied one. A few minutes later, a couple had to take the last seats remaining, sharing a table with some other customers.
The Foxy Roxy Sandwich ($5) was a must: roast turkey, bacon and cranberry jelly with grilled bread. It truly deserved the title of signature sandwich. Our call of homemade macaroni salad ($2.25)was a good one — firm noodles, good mayo, lots of chopped green pepper.
Grilled ham and cheese ($4.50) is one of our favorites. They do it up right here: real baked ham between two pieces of melted cheese, buttered bread perfectly grilled. A side of coleslaw that we assume was homemade was some of the best we've had in a while, the right balance of sugar, vinegar and creaminess.
Pies are always a delight at north country diners. We weren't disappointed with a slice of apple and a slice of raspberry ($2.75 each). Canned fillings, but oh-so-wonderful crusts with a coating of granulated sugar on top.
Lunch for two came to $22. Credit cards are accepted.
Service was friendly and efficient. The food came out in a flash.
Foxy Roxy's Diner is open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast and lunch are served any hour they're open.
