I have had my sights set on BC for quite some time and finding myself in Syracuse this past weekend we decided to give it a go.
This past Saturday was the annual St. Patrick's day parade, I think this year the parade was held a week earlier due to NCAA basketball tournament that would end in Syracuse on St Patrick's day.
We stopped by earlier to look at the menu, it looked promising enough.
We came back later, after several rounds of beer for some nourishment. Â The female working the door was the owner I believe. Â She seemed cool with her artsy looking attire. Â I don't think however she appreciated our casual dress, but we were coming from a street fair.
We ordered 2 glasses of wine and two starters, the arugula and pine nut salad and the scallop appetizer, "chefs preparation of the day" was vague but we gave them a go.
The salad was good but heavy handed in the condiment department. Â
The scallops, $14 were cooked well but we received a portion of 2 pieces. For $14.
Then I look at the menu again and really zoned in on pricing. Â $25 for chicken and waffles? Â I 'll pass, thanks.
Needless to say we asked for the check and bolted. Â
This has to be one of the most over priced, mediocre restaurants I have been to.
We will not be back.
P.S. Â The winter plastic wall they have installed at the entrance is so freaking ugly. I mean, I know Syracuse is cold in the Winter but they should have come up with something more aesthetically pleasing.
The first review I'm writing, because the Syracuse Yelp community seems to be dead. And that doesn't help me seeing as I'm stuck here for at least two more years. I've decided I'll contribute to help those in the future as unfortunate as I to come to a food desert like Syracuse after growing up in Los Angeles.
I came here for Valentine's Day after making the reservation about a week beforehand. I'd heard good things about it -- and that's a rarity in Syracuse! -- so the man and I (mostly I) decided to come here.
The four stars = a combination of lovely live Spanish music, pretty good (but not amazing) food, and a great date. It's quite hard not to enjoy a fancy schmancy restaurant date with great music, great ambience, and good food. The candles on each dining table? Ooh, am I a sucker for pretty lights.
The two of us had a lobster quesadilla as the appetizer, and we both got the filet mignon as our main entrees. The lobster quesadilla... very good. I don't like to try new things, but I went for this and it was delicious. The filet mignon I thought was so awesomely juicy and seemed to be cooked with care. I'm not a steak expert but most chain restaurant steak places don't seem to put much consideration into the "medium-rare" part of the order. BC, on the other hand cooked it perfectly.
Reason for the minus one star:
We got blueberry cheesecake and apple fritter/pie/turnover/whatever, and those were quite mediocre. If BC put more effort into their desserts, it would make it perfect. We were also supposed to get complimentary chocolate covered strawberries with each dessert, but the waiter didn't give us ours... :( I saw the next table with theirs too! But maybe it was because we rushed for the check.
The service was also really really slow. It was a busy night but there were many times the waiter could have checked up on us while checking on other tables, but instead chose to pass us. No matter since I had a great date for great conversation, but minus a star for it nevertheless.
I have eaten at bc three time now and twice just last week. I have always had a great meal here. Â The decor is very nice, and the service is polite and attentive.
Friday night they had a jazz trio playing... delightful.
They pour a good drink (I'm a bourbon on the rocks guy) and have a decent wine lis, and the wine by the glass offerings have been good.
Recommendations:
Scallops, pork, and short ribs, all excellent. Â
Will be back again, soon.
Went here the other day because Pastabilities was WAY too crowded on a Saturday night. We were able to walk right in at this place.
I have to admit, it was lovely on the inside - a great atmosphere and classy decor. That said, I found it overpriced for what they offered. I'm not sure how this place is only two $$, since a drink and an entree will definitely put you OVER $30 including tax and tip. The entrees are all seafood and meat and they are in the mid to upper 20s. That said, you can order a flatbread pizza and get out of here a little cheaper - the pizzas range from roughly $12 - $18.
The only vegetarian items on the menu are one of the pizzas and a salad or two. I wasn't that impressed by either of them. The pizza was just OK, though the salad was good. If you're a meat eater I imagine you'll like the food MUCH more judging by the other reviews of this place).
Our waiter made a few subtle comments to suggest that he was annoyed we weren't spending more money. Come on dude! I know it is a nice restaurant, but since all of the tables aren't full you're better off with us in here than with an empty table! Besides, our bill was around $115 for 4 people, which isn't SO bad for a tip.
We have been wanting to visit since moving to the neighborhood but never the perfect time until tonight. Â We were not really hungry but wanted to eat something light, not an entree per se. Â We were greeted and seated right away. The music was nice, the atmosphere and ambiance was perfect. Â Everything looked perfect, tables settings,plates, etc.
We were told Johnny would be taking care of us for the evening. Â He was very nice and attentive. Â Specials sounded great. Â We were served bread and oil, both were good. The menu choices were really tempting, specially the entrees. Filet Mignon? next visit. Â We decided to get the Calamari and the Big Kahuna pizza. Â Calamari came out fast. It was excellent! Â The semolina crust was light and the chipotle aioli drizzled on top made it all even better. Â
The pizza, the crust was the best part. This pizza has pineapple, canadian bacon, it was good.  Service was excellent and the food we had made us happy.  We will be back  really hungry and try more.  Thank you!
I was in downtown Syracuse looking for good food and I was dressed too nicely for Dinosaur BBQ... so thanks, Yelp, for helping me find BC around the corner.
Food was quite decent- I had IPA braised pork chop, which turned out to be a nice blend of savory and spicy-- and a pumpkin curry soup of some sort. Â The menu was small but serviceable, not the most vegetarian-friendly of menus I've ever seen,
The one thing that bothered me? Â The tables are very, awkwardly close together. Â I prefer not to have to listen to the next table's conversation, thanks very much. Â If getting a profit is that much of an issue, charge more for the convenience of fewer customers, I'd pay more for the meal.
The worst customer service from an owner of a restaurant. I made a reservation for 9 people 2months ago knowing it was parents weekend. Then 1 month ago i confirmed the reservation and changed the number of people from 9 to 10. No problem. Then we show up tonifht,no reservation. The owner insisted shes the onky person who answers the phine and its not possible. I know i spoke to someone twice. She didnt care,didnt apologize and had an empty table. I dont know how someone with such awful reservation taki g and people skills could own a restaurant. I would never go back!
Review Source:I wasn't so sure of what to expect coming to Bc. I've seen it numerous times walking downtown, and wasn't sure of the vibe. Finally, my boyfriend and I decided to go, and we were happy we did. We didn't have a reservation for a Saturday night at 6:30, but the hostess assured us we could be seated. The waiter was knowledgeable and kind, and paced the entire meal perfectly.
They have a cute cocktail menu on every table. It's printed on some sort of wax paper and wrapped around the candle, with funny/cute names for each cocktail. We both got our favorite, the dude (or a white russian). Awesome white russian, already made with vanilla vodka so I didn't have to ask.
For an appetizer we had a greens salad, which was phenomenal and light, and the calamari. It wasn't my favorite calamari, but it had a chipotle aoli that I really enjoyed.
The entrees were amazing. I had a filet mignon which was cooked to a perfect medium rare, with bacon and fingerling potatoes. He had the lobster ravioli, which did not disappoint. It was creamy, cheesy and not too fishy on it's own, but had a generous helping of lobster. I had to pass on dessert because we ate every last bit.
Overall, I really liked this place and dug the ambiance of it. I definitely will return, I'm just sad I didn't think to go sooner.
This place is super classy, and offers a bang for your buck. I was a little tentative when the fiance brought me here to celebrate our anniversary, but the prices were reasonable (totally doable for students on a budget, which is hard to say for some places in downtown Syracuse).
My boy had a pizza, which was perfection - hand-rolled dough baked to a nice crunchy texture with fresh ingredients on the top. I had the crunchy skin salmon, which was possibly the BEST salmon I've ever had in my life. The skin was crispy and flavorful (by far my favorite thing about the whole dish) and the meat was tender and juicy. I loved how they nailed the two textures, with the meat being completely soft and sweet and the skin being salty and crisp. It was also drizzled in a wonderful sauce great for dipping your bread in. The salmon also came with delicious potatoes and a bed of spinach simmered with capers and olives, so tasty!
We also shared a cup of their soup of the day, which was a Manhattan seafood chowder. This was AMAZING, and I highly recommend it if they have it. Tomato-based instead of cream, so it wasn't heavy, and the seafood packed a punch!
Another great thing about this place is that the portions are pretty generous - something of a welcome surprise for a classy high-end place like this.
The food at bc has always been good, but its reinvention has brought it to another level. In 2011, the menu had gotten a little tired. Can't say the same thing today.
Better still, bc now makes the best burger in Syracuse. They don't boast about their sourcing, but the blend (short-rib, brisket, chuck? I think?) is fantastic. Grilled, I think, not griddled, but consistently correctly prepared. Complemented well by an unnecessary but tasty garlic aioli.
Atmosphere is as good as ever. Marble-topped (draught-less) bar is a great spot.
Pretty disappointed that bc has discontinued weekday lunch service. Hopefully this is just a summertime break and not a permanent move indicative of slow business.
We went to BC's for dinner while visiting my Dad and had an amazing experience. Â The restaurant displayed a local Artist, Susan Mastine's mixed media art on the walls. Â It created a sense of community and we were able to see a local artist without having to goto a gallery.
And the food was incredible!!! Â The fillet mignon was cooked to succulent perfection. Â The scallops appetizer with polenta was delicious. Â The Sea Bass with Coconut & Carrot Puree with Jasmine Rice, the Special of the day was incredible. Â
Our waiter Jordan was very friendly and knowledgable about the menu and the wine list. Â He recommended the perfect white wine for me.
We were so impressed with our dinner that we asked to meet the chef, Wayne who is recently transplanted from Long Island. Â He likes to use local food and vegetables for his menu. Â He was very kind to send a cheesecake to the table for us to try...I recommend starting with the cheesecake.
I recommend going here for a date, a girls night out or a family dining experience.
The only reason why it got 2 stars was for the food. The service is deplorable. The excuse was they were short handed. For the kind of money you spend is any excuse a good one? The owner did give us a fantastic guest recovery when I explained our poor dining experience. Kudos to her for trying to make up for bad service...
Review Source:This place tops my list of favs in Syracuse. Â My reasons: Â 1. Â the Staff is top notch. Â They are friendly, accommodating, and very knowledgeable in their respective areas. Â Just ask one of the bartenders to recommend a good wine or to make you something new and creative; you will not be disappointed. Â 2. Â the Menu. Â For lunch you can get anything from a burger to lobster mac and cheese, and the dinner menu offers a diverse and sophisticated selection of entrees and sides.
Review Source:Very nice venue, very welcoming staff. That said, I was here a year ago and just recently, and the quality of the kitchen has gone from impressive to adequate. Â If you spend a hundred bucks for two people, I expect well designed well executed dishes. These were OK, but just OK. Â Try harder guys.
Review Source:I have been a customer of BC since they opened over 6 years ago. Â It has been one the very few consistent mainstays in Armory Square, which is a good thing.
I like change but most Syracusan's do not, so being consistent without upsetting the apple cart is a good thing. Â They recently changed their menu to be more "food friendly" for some. Â Either way the food has always been consistently great. Â
With the old menu it had finer foods and their specials were simpler, now it's the opposite. Â I just recently dined there, and after the refurb they have NOT skipped a beat - again consistency is key and they have it. Â Service has always been stellar and with Shaun Preble and Ellen Leahy managing and McKenzie Stroman being the waiter of the moment you can't go wrong. Â
You are never rushed, or made to feel like you have to pay immediately, even when dining late. Â As a late night diner, most places in Syracuse grumble when you walk in at 10:45 and they close at 11 pm, and the service and food are not the same as if you were dining between 5-8, which is inexcusable. Â Why post hours if you don't live by them? Â If that is the case, post hours you serve and leave the last half hour to dessert and coffee as customers don't like unwelcome surprises. Â
That's where BC rises above the rest. Â Unrushed times with a hint of mystery - THAT'S BC.
The food and service were outstanding. I had the beet  and arugula salad and the fillet. I was in Syracuse to visit my son who is a student. He had the burger which was thick and juicy and my wife had the sea bass.
I travel a lot and eat at some great restaurants around the country and I would highly recommend bc. Glad my son is a freshman as I plan on visiting Syracuse again and will eat there hopefully many more times.
We visited during Syracuse dining week. Great food and good menu choices. The lobster bisque was phenom; as was the Filet. Bartender went out of his way and stuffed my martini olives with bleu-cheese.
Decor in the back room needs an overhaul - like get rid of the rug and go with tile!
Don't be alarmed by the nondescript exterior or the casual/relaxed decor, the food and service speaks fine dining.
We made a reservation to dine there without knowing that it fell in the middle of Syracuse Dining Weeks. Although the place was packed, and we decided to skip the special Dining Week menu just to add complexity to the busy evening, they hit everything with stride. Food was delicious and beautifully presented; services can be described as professionalism with warmth, exactly what we expect from a fine dining establishment.
Enjoyed the experience and will certainly be back.
I had dinner at BC Restaurant last night with my wife Jen. I had no problem making a 7:30 Thursday reservation earlier in the afternoon. We were seated immediately by the host, even though we arrived 15 minutes early. Â Our waiter was pretty off-putting at first, reciting the specials like a robot with a frozen look on his face, but before long he hit his rhythm.
Wines by the glass were a bit expensive, but the bottles were reasonably priced. The bread was crusty and soft and quite tasty although I was concerned that the paper cone in which it was served would catch fire on our candle.
I enjoyed the porcini crusted seared scallops with bok choy which were perfectly cooked although I couldn't really taste any mushroom. The bok choy was peppery and provided a nice texture component when paired with the silky scallops. Jen had the seared yellow fin tuna which was also tasty and well executed.
The desserts were fantastic. I'm a sucker for any place that has seasonal cheesecakes. This one was flavored with Frangelico and Baileys and my only complaint was with the strawberry coulis. The coulis was fine, I just prefer my cheesecake unadorned. The creme brulee was top notch as well and was big enough to share.
I would certainly recommend BC for anyone looking for something a little different and a little soignee in Syracuse. Entrees range from 17-30 but may vary depending on the seasonal menu. A touch pricey for some in CNY perhaps, but there are coupons readily available in the Entertainment book and at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a>.
The food is good. Appetizers, salads, fish, and dessert. Wine selection is good. Bill Collins thinks he invented salt and pepper.
Upscale decor. Apparently _the_ place for a business class lunch. It's a treat, so I'd go if money were not involved. Otherwise I'd go around the corner to Pasta's - any day. For dinner, I'd choose Lemon Grass over BC.
Service blunder: one time, after dining alone, I enjoyed espresso with my dessert. I'd finished. The server came by with a coffee carafe, asking if I'd like a refill of some "regular coffee." As I imagined her decanting coffee into that little single espresso cup, I declined, suppressing a chuckle. (What would Miss Manners have done? Probably something more snarky.)
Was in Syracuse on business and the client took us to bc for lunch. Â There were five in our party. Â I agree with some of the other reviews in that the seating was a little tight. Â It forced us to sit very close while conversing. Â Not always a good thing when dining with relative strangers, but it worked here. Â I think the service and food helped this out significantly. Â The wait person was lovely - not "in our faces" but there when needed. Â The food, beginning with the appetizers (I had the soup, which was delish - didn't see anyone not finish what they ordered) was nicely prepared and very tasty. Â
I went back the next day with my colleague, after we wandered around and around looking for a different place to go - there don't seem to be that many choices for a decent lunch in downtown Syracuse. Â The food was great. Â As it was later than your typical 12 noon lunch hour it was not crowded and we were seated very nicely with empty tables between us and the other patrons. Â I ordered the chili and the grilled cheese. Â While both were extremely tasty, a few hours later I was not so happy with my choices. Â I was not sure, but I think it was the grilled cheese. Â It was a LOT of cheese. Â So, next time I'm downtown Syracuse I will definitely go back, but will be more careful when selecting what to eat.
BC is one of our favorite places to go for a nice dinner in Syracuse. The menu is updated regularly and the food has been always good. The wine list is quite good as well. We have yet to have a bad meal there.
Service has always been good, if not exceptional. A couple of their servers certainly are top-notch.
It's not the cheapest place in Syracuse, but it is definitely a good value. (Suggestion: sometimes you can find discounted gift certificates online for BC, so keep an eye out for them.)
BC has always been consistently good on every visit. Â Â Service is sometimes really good, sometimes a little so, it all depends on who you get as a waiter/waitress but not so bad as to knock off a star.
We were very impressed when they refused to serve my husband his favorite - sea bass. Â Â Why was that impressive you ask? Â Because the waitress explained that the seabass was not up to the chef's standards and he refused to serve it. Â Not something that you hear very often!
I really didn't think the food was great especially after most of my party discarded their meals. The filet with the mountain of mashed potatoes appeared to win the "best entree" contest. My spring rolls and mushroom pizza were tasty but not impressive by any means.
The gnocchi with cream sauce was tasty but I would never order that or recommend it to any of my friends, unless they were looking to pack on the lbs.
Anything served with fish or seafood had an overwhelming fishy flavor, which reminds me of when the lake turns over.
I loved the desserts and wine list. I would possibly return for a drink at the bar, but the bar wasn't exactly comfortable for lounging.
I had lunch here with my girlfriend for her birthday. Â
BC has a trendy interior, though the seating was pretty tight. Â It wasn't overly busy when we stopped in for our lunch but we were seated right next to another group and so we had some competing conversations going on. Â
I was not a big fan of BC's salad - the dressing was bland and did not add much flavor to the greens. Â I know some people do not like to be overwhelmed by the dressing, but this was a little too light on taste for me. Â You also got very little except for greens on your plate. Â
As for my entree, they got it right. Â I ordered the salmon on a bed of lemon couscous. Â The salmon was seared nicely on the outside and was very flaky and tender on the inside. Â The garnish was very tasty (some sort of tomato salsa) and mixed well into the couscous. Â The size of the entree was perfect - just enough to fill you and provide for good presentation. Â
I'd like to check out BC for dinner sometime to see how some of the other entrees look. Â I give it 3 stars since the entree was so strong and it has a nice ambiance (feels like a NYC restaurant), but skip the salad as an appetizer. Â However, for the price of a meal here, I think I would look elsewhere.
Greatly enjoyed this restaurant. Â Girlfriend got red pepper soup and it was fantastic. Â They brought out bits of bread with some type of cream cheese, which I was initially reluctant about, but was happily surprised to find it was fantastically delicious. Â For the main course I got some sort of duck dish, which was also delicious.
Also, I dropped my napkin on the ground like 5 times because I'm a clumsy idiot, and the waiter kept getting me a new one without any complaints, even though I never even asked for a new one. Â Great service, great food, more than worth the price tag.
Went on a wed. night. did not have to wait, and were seated immediately.
service was cordial and professional. Â DH had the filet, and I had the short ribs. Â Both were outstanding. Â We both started with the beet salad on baby greens. Â Very good.
We both had a glass of wine and our bill came to just under 100.00 US.
Not an every day destination, but a nice special occasion place.  Looks like a chunk of their  business comes from professionals gathering for dinner meetings as there were a few tables of people talking office.
Really amazing food not only for Syracuse, but anywhere, including NYC. Standard high end business account dining. Some nice fish preparations. Good wine selection.
Service is hit and miss - I've experienced flawless service but at other times, pretty damned flawed service. if you are set on this place, I'd recommend reservations. We've been turned away a few times or the wait has been too long.
When we were flying up to Syracuse last year, after a few trips of relatively unsuccesful eating there, we asked the neighbors onboard our USAIR turboprop (don't ask why we weren't on Jetblue) where we should go, and two or three chimed in about BC. Â We went and discovered that there is fine dining in Syracuse, and it is a bit pricey like everywhere else.
If you want a nice meal shell out. Â There are some nice cheap Italian spots in the Syracuse area and Faegan's pub, but a lot of other places you can strike out. Â
You can count on BC.
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