Weekend Cooking- A Visit Back Home

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My husband got a job in New York City seven years ago and so we packed up and moved from the only place I had ever lived. My family still lives in Auburn, and we go back home to visit family and friends at least twice a year.

One of my husband's favorite activities back home is planning where we will eat. He always looks forward to making a list of restaurants and getting his favorite meals.

Our home was close to Nino's Pizzeria and on the way back from baseball games, we always stopped in to get a half cheese, half pepperoni pizza and mild charbroiled wings. (Their cold turkey subs were my favorite.) We got a pizza on our first night there and even though we live in NYC, the home of amazing pizza, we still love our Nino's.

Lasca's Restaurant is probably Auburn's best-known restaurant, and people frequently come from Syracuse (30 miles east) to eat there. We love to get take-out from there; I get the Lasca's Chicken, which is two chicken breasts stuffed with ham, broccoli and Swiss cheese and covered with a cream sauce and a little spinach on the side. I get it with rice, but this time they told me they don't make rice anymore. What??? I found that strange. But still, it was mighty good, and there always leftovers for another meal.

My husband gets the Veal and Jumbo Shrimp, served in a champagne cream sauce with a baked potato, one of his all-time favorite meals. Everyone else loves the Chicken Parmigiana, and their salad with house Italian dressing is a winner. It's funny, the restaurants in Auburn all have delicious homemade house dressings.

Chicken Parm from Lasca's

Parkers Grille & Tap House is located downtown, and we would stop in for lunch on our errands when we lived in Auburn. My husband is crazy for their Combo Platter of mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and potato skins, and I get the Beef-on-a-Weck, roast beef on a Kimmelwick bun. It's a fun place to go, and whenever we stop in, we always see someone we know.

We stayed at the new Hilton Garden Inn and met friends at the BeauVine Chop House & Wine Bar for drinks and snacks. I love that they specialize in Finger Lakes wines, there are so many wonderful wineries in the region. I highly recommend a winery tour if you ever find your way to the Finger Lakes.

I found a new Pino Grigio, Il Giardino, that I really enjoyed and will be looking for at my local wine shop. My friend suggested we share the Truffle Parmesan Fries served with Garlic Aioli and Homemade Ketchup and we shared a burger. Both were very tasty and they gave you so many fries, it was plenty to share. My son enjoyed the filet mignon he had, pronouncing it one of the best steaks he has had. We had breakfast there as well, eggs, homefries, bacon and toast and it was tasty and quickly prepared. The Hilton Garden Inn is a wonderful new addition to Auburn, and the atmosphere at the Wine Bar is relaxed and enjoyable. It the perfect place to meet up with friends and have a conversation.

And of course, I made several trips to my beloved Wegman's. How I wish we had one here in the city! We missed some of our other favorites on this trip- Michael's Restaurant, Rosalie's in Skaneatles- but we'll be back in August.

What are some of your favorite hometown restaurants and foods? Share them in the comments section below.