Syracuse’s Board & Bar Charcuterie: Not your average meat and cheese board (Dining Out Review) – syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Board & Bar Charceuterie’s Neapolitan board is not the traditional array of cured meat and cheese. In fact, there wasn’t a speck of speck or salumi found on the large wooden block in the middle of our table.Meatballs, Italian sausage and breaded chicken fritters were served with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan cheese with a copper-clad mini-skillet of marinara sauce. Grilled red onions and roasted plum tomatoes adorned the board, as did a mound of pesto hummus.It was visually striking with regard to color and texture and even more enjoyable to eat. The rigid, somewhat crunchy exterior of the meatballs showed evidence of frying, not baking or cooking in sauce, a pleasant departure from what we have come to expect from restaurant meatballs. Sausage sits with chicken fritters and a meatball on the Neopolitan Board at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaLarge Italian sausage links were advertised as spicy, but were really just assertively spiced with flavors of fennel and other herbs. We found the chunky marinara to be bold and full of roasted tomato flavor with hints of garlic and a dash of crushed red pepper.Together with the house focaccia, we had the tools to assemble bite-sized chicken parmesan, meatball and sausage sandwiches. Housemade potato chips created the ideal carrier for the earthy, fresh flavor of the pesto hummus.It embodied the spirit of a charcuterie board rather than adhere to the definition. In fact, you could say it defied the notion of charcuterie.The pun is intended. Board & Bar opened during Summer 2021 in the spot formerly occupied by Defi Cuisine, a high-end open kitchen restaurant that shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nick Salvetti, once a chef and partner in Defi, rebooted the location with a new concept. He and his wife, Laurie, lead the new venture.Four boards are available at dinner service and priced by size. A small board, feeding 1-2 people, is $20; a board for 2-4 people is $35; and a board for 4-6 people is $50. Our medium Neopolitan board would have created leftovers for two but was right-sized for four of us as we made our way through the menu.The Neopolitan Board with (clockwise from top left) pesto hummus, housemade chips, sausage, chicken fritters, fresh mozzarella, foccacia, marinara sauce, fontina cheese, meatballs, olives and ricotta cheese. Dinner at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaThe Traditional Board is closer to the meat and cheese combination most diners are accustomed to. Prosciutto, pork rillette, and chicken and sage mousseline are paired with blue cheese, a black pepper-crusted goat cheese ball, fontina cheese, pickled vegetable and hot pepper jam. Cooked pork is pureed into a paste and molded for the rillette, rendering it spreadable on focaccia bread. It was salty with a slightly earthy flavor to it. It provided a contrast to the mousseline, the flavor of which one of our companions called a “fancy chicken salad.” Creamy in texture, the chicken and herbs spread like pate and was paired nicely, though accidentally, with a chunk of blue cheese as we spread it on bread.Our server warned us not to try eating the goat cheese ball as a singular item. Apparently, another guest popped it into their mouth and nearly choked on the aggressively peppery cheese ball. Good to know. Spread on a kettle chip or bread, the earthy, creamy cheese cut some, but not all, of the pepper’s sharpness.The traditional board with foccacia, pickled vegetables, pork rillette with hot pepper jam, olives, chicken and sage mousseline, blue cheese, black pepper goat cheese ball, housemade potato chips, parmesan cheese and hummus at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaThe seafood board was a curious entry, revolving around a Mexican-inspired shrimp salad. Salad-sized shrimp was tossed with cumin and jalapeno peppers to create a flavorful, but not too spicy blend that would have been perfect for a tortilla chip. The scallop mousseline was an interesting preparation. It had a decidedly fishy flavor, though it was light and airy. It paired well with smoked salmon on a hunk of focaccia.Board & Bar offers two dessert options. We opted for the small size of each and they were presented on the same board. In the Cheesecake Board, small chunks of rich cheesecake with a graham cracker crust were overshadowed by the mounds of sweetened ricotta cheese. When dipping homemade shortbread into the cheese, you got a deconstructed cannoli. Pecan brittle made for a much better pairing with the cheesecake.The cheesecake board with housemade cheesecake, sweetened ricotta, white chocolate shooter, pecan brittle and shortbread. A ramekin of caramel sauce and strawberries adorn the board at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaThe Chocolate Board offered gooey fudge brownies with a crisp exterior and decadent interior. Chocolate shortbread and chocolate fritters found themselves dredged in the caramel sauce served alongside the cheesecake. The white chocolate shooters, a blend of thick whipped cream and white chocolate wrapped in thin sheets of white chocolate were cloying and rich, tickling the sweet tooth.Shaved coconut tops the white chocolate shooter on the Chocolate Board at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaEqually as represented on the menu is the Bar aspect of the restaurant. In addition to a vast selection of draught and canned craft beers is a seasonal cocktail menu. The pomegranate spritz ($12) bridged the summer and fall with the addition of dry and tart pomegranate liqueur to the already bitter and bright Aperol spritz. The Perfect Pear ($12) blended pear liqueur, vodka, and rosemary syrup for a semi-sweet beverage full of fruit flavor.Visitors who remember Defi will find the industrial decor very similar, soften only by the addition of couch-style benches at the perimeter tables. They will also find the service to be as knowledgeable and attentive as before. Our server set the mood for the evening of sharing and conversation with an affable approach that never let drinks get too low before checking in for refills.Dinner at Board & Bar Charcuterie, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmaThe vast majority of customers were like our group; tables full of friends and family picking their way through the boards and immersing themselves in the relaxed, casual atmosphere the Salvettis have worked to create.The DetailsThe Restaurant: Board & Bar Charcuterie, 208 W. Water St. #6, Syracuse, NY 13202; (315) 497-6229.Reservations? Not accepted.Access to Disabled: Wide doorways and plenty of room to move inside make it easy for those with mobility issues.Credit cards? Yes.Parking: On-street parking is your best bet.Outdoor dining available? Yes.Noise level: I would rate it moderate. Music played overhead and a large group was seated near us, but we could still maintain normal conversation tones.Special diets catered for? A vegan board is available and pescaterians will be happy with the seafood board. Those following gluten- and dairy-free diets should discuss their individual needs with their server.Children’s menu? No.Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 5 p.m. to midnight Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight Saturday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday. Closed Monday.Cost: Boards are priced by servings, ranging from $25 for one to two people, to $50 for four to six people. Dinner for four with drinks, dinner and dessert boards, tax, and 20% gratuity was $250.14.