DINING OUT: The Wedge

September 24, 2026 admin

Restaurant in Syracuse’s Eastwood excels at everything it does

By Julie McMahon

The Wedge

2802 James St., Syracuse, NY 13206

Wednesday through Saturday, 4 – 10 p.m. | Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The steak frites are a specialty feature on the restaurant’s Friday menu.

The Wedge in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood is an extraordinary place, with the restaurant excelling at everything from its aesthetics to its cheesy menu; from its cocktail, beer and wine program to even the thoughtful design of its menus.

The environment at The Wedge is enticing and a little funky, with modern art decorating the walls and an eclectic array of dining ware at every table.

With a menu designed for cheese enthusiasts, but accessible to anyone, we were impressed by the carefully curated dining experience.

The first things we noticed were the extensive beverage menus. With large lists of wine, beer, hard cider and cocktails, there was something for everyone to choose from. The cocktail menu of the moment was inspired by green paintings from across the world and history.

A glass of Malbec and a cocktail named “Show Me Your Bluebs.”

There was even a martini “manual” with a cute backstory, a wheel of spirits to choose from, and a pick-your-own add-ins, bitters and customization section. The menus themselves are beautiful too, with a flawlessly chosen typeface and blue-and-white visuals.

It was busy on a Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. reservation, but we were immediately greeted and seated by owner Sarah Simiele, who is the cheese monger and brains behind The Wedge, and its next-door neighbor The Curd Nerd cheese shop.

Simiele was welcoming and directed us to our table nestled on a wall near the bar, lit by candle. A friendly server came to drop off water and let us know it might be a moment before she was able to take our drink order. We waited briefly but had a lot of exploring to do with the wide-ranging drink menus.

We put in our drink order along with our order for “small plates” and “shareables” – the menu is broken into three sections; these two plus “large plates,” allowing for wide customization for how you’d like to enjoy your meal. The menu also changes daily.

The grilled cheese ($10) was made with specialty cheeses accented with fresh chunks of figs. The dish was served on sourdough made by local baker “Breadhead.”

We ordered a “Show Me Your Bluebs” cocktail ($12), to which the server responded “only if you ask nicely,” which of course we did. We also got a glass of Malbec wine ($10).

The Bluebs cocktail was simple and delicious, with a strong flavor of blueberries and aged balsamic, and just a hint of basil. It was not too sweet but very tasty and drinkable. The humble but delightful ingredients made for a light and breezy drink.

The Malbec had notes of cherry listed and we definitely tasted a hint of cherry. It was also spicy like we like our Malbecs.

For our second round, we stuck with the Malbec but also ordered “The Lily Pond” ($14), inspired by Claude Monet’s “Water Lily Pond,” a famous painting of a pond with a white bridge arching over it.

The drink had gin, elderflower, lemon, celery shrub, basil and kiwi. It looked classy, with a foamy white top and deep green color, garnished with a kiwi slice. It was super flavorful, with the tastes of lemon, gin and kiwi most prominent, but we also got hints of the other ingredients. The texture was foamy on top and smooth on the bottom. It was a stronger drink overall than the Bluebs cocktail, and thoughtful in its composition.

The sfgolini was an al dente pasta with a perfect shape for capturing the cheese, so each bite was full of flavor, with tangy and sharp cheese.

For small plates, we opted for grilled cheese and “The Wedge” salad, as well as plums and burrata from the shareables menu.

The grilled cheese ($10) was made with Woodlawn Creamery’s Pawlet and Gourmino Rahmtaler cheeses, and was accented with fresh chunks of figs. The dish was served on sourdough made by local baker “Breadhead,” and had a smooth creamy texture on the crispy grilled bread. The grilled cheese looked at first a little dark and overcooked, but the fresh bread held up to the grill very well, and had a great texture without any burnt flavor. The fig was necessary to offset the rich, earthy cheeses.

The plums and burrata ($16) featured fresh, melt-in-your-mouth burrata cheese, and perfectly poached plums. The plums had great texture with a little toothiness and snap, but soft to eat. Drizzled with a cabernet and chestnut honey vinegar dressing, and served with hazelnuts, this added complexity of flavor and texture to the dish.

These started us off strong, but the star of the appetizer show was “The Wedge” salad ($14). Simply served with a chunk of iceberg lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, red onions and crispy bacon, the basic, fresh ingredients allowed the homemade blue cheese dressing to be the main attraction. Creamy but salty, tangy and funky, with distinct nicely-sized chunks, the blue cheese was delectable. The bacon was crunchy. We scraped our plate clean. It was one of the best wedge salads we have ever had.

“The Wedge” salad ($14) was the star of the appetizers.

After such a strong start, the entrees could have easily been lost in the mix, but instead we thoroughly enjoyed the steak frites and bacon mac and cheese.

The steak frites are a specialty feature on the restaurant’s Friday menu. You have your choice of 8-ounce bavette steak or an 18-ounce dry-aged Kansas City strip steak. We opted for the smaller bavette ($38) and were not disappointed. This was served with French fries covered in Parmesan Reggiano. The steak came sliced and doused in a mouthwatering mushroom cream sauce. The meat and the creamy, smooth, slightly cheesy sauce on top came together for a great flavor. The steak itself was cooked to medium as we ordered, juicy and tender on the inside, with a crisp and crunchy outer layer, seared to perfection and seasoned well.

The frites were perfect. These were a shoestring size covered in a salty shredded parmesan cheese. They were crispy but somehow light. We compared them favorably to McDonald’s famous fries but crispier and without the grease.

The plums and burrata ($16) featured fresh, melt-in-your-mouth burrata cheese, and perfectly poached plums.

The mac and cheese ($30) was a cheesemonger’s choice cheese blend and sfgolini pasta. We added bacon ($5). The crispy bits of bacon added a great smoky flavor to the dish. The sfgolini was an al dente pasta with a perfect shape for capturing the cheese, so each bite was full of flavor, with tangy and sharp cheese. The dish was heavy, rich and filling. It had the appearance of a small portion size, but we had plenty to eat and leftovers of this to take home and enjoy later.

The décor at The Wedge is classy and comfy, with creative colorful paintings on the blue and white walls, a brick accent wall, and wooden tables and chairs. The 12 to 15 tables and 7 to 8 seats at the bar make the space feel filled but not too crowded.

The dishware and furniture all appears to be vintage and miss-matched, with nothing identical but everything somehow fitting together seamlessly.

They dimmed the lights around 8 p.m., so we were left with candlelight emanating from the tables, alongside flowers in vases, creating a cool aesthetic, where everything feels very intentional.

Everything also highlights the cheese. As a cheese lover joined by a person who likes cheese in moderation, we were both happy with our meals.

The cheese lover among us was in heaven, and thought the specialty cheeses were divine and made everything taste richer and better, preferring the approach of showcasing the cheese. The person who wasn’t as crazy about cheese might have preferred some of the other ingredients to be pumped up a bit to balance out the cheesiness, but still thought the menu was accessible and the food great.

Our bill came to $167, which felt appropriate for the amount and quality of food that we enjoyed. We were left wanting more and wanting to try things we didn’t get a chance to sample off both the food and drink menus. With ever-changing menus, The Wedge left a lot to be explored.