After dark...

I’m fortunate that in my first week Susan and her colleague Julia had organised two visits of the city’s icons. This is a moment I had desperately been waiting for and needed…a bit of after dark entertainment. The only problem is, with daylight savings it does not get dark in Oswego until around 9.00pm. So before leaving on this escapade I had a quick dip in my back yard and just to remind you, that is Lake Ontario. The water was refreshingly cool.

The Oswego Framers’ Market was the first port of call. The markets are held every Thursday from June 1 - October 25 where approximately 48 vendors line West 1st Street to peddle their home-grown fruits and vegetables, fresh baked delights, cheese, wine and hand made crafts. Street performers and musicians are also a feature of the market.

One of the many things you notice is that the produce is farm fresh and inexpensive. I purchased 2lb of the most succulent and delicious peaches for only $3.00 and 1lb of sweet yellow sugar plums for $2.00. You can also buy the freshest blue berries for $2.00 a pound and the packaging is the traditional brown paper bags which are made out of recycled paper.

Samples of the produce are abundant including local wine from the Thousand Islands Winery. After sampling only a few wines (I’m being honest), I thought I’d better do the right thing and purchase one bottle. I selected the Wellesley Island White for $10, which is a blend of Diamond, Catawba, and Cayuga White grapes; it has a fruity aroma with a semi-sweet taste. The wine was awarded the 2009 New York Wine and Food Classic Silver Medal.

The wine was followed by a pork egg roll from Wonton House (a market vendor and Chinese restaurant), which is owned by a previous student of SUNY Oswego. A final walk around the markets for last minute bargains and then off to dinner at Azteca.

Azteca boasts a lively atmosphere with some very good Mexican food. They whip up strong margaritas and service is friendly but at times, it can be a bit slow. It’s a clear favourite in the area and for good reason. Thursday is “Margarita Night” and the place gets pretty wild. So I can’t imagine what the restaurant will be like when the students return to the city from summer break.

Like everything else in America, even the margaritas are supersized. I ordered a mixed blend (lemon/lime and strawberry) margarita with salt around the rim of the glass for $2.75, a Burrito California ~ beef tortillas stuffed with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce and cheese which cost $10 and curly sweet potato fries. A couple of margaritas later and a delightful meal, the night was enjoyed by all.

Talk again soon.
Mark