Harrison Bakery (Syracuse)

(more photos here)

Our last stop in Syracuse (besides the Everson and China Road) brought us to Harrison Bakery on West Genesee Street. Before we left home, I'd seen a photo of the bakery online, so as Clem drove, I kept an eye out for the red-and-yellow sign, and we found the place pretty easily. (Now I know to just look for the huge church across the street!)

Harrison's is an old-fashioned, no-frills bakery -- as you walk in, you almost feel transported to another decade. Their online yellow-pages entry says they've been around for more than 50 years, and the inside of the bakery doesn't seem like it's been updated for, if not 50 years, then a quite a while. But if holding off on renovations helps keep the prices down, that's fine with me! We were surprised that a cupcake (my pick) and a napoleon (Clem's) together cost just $2.50!

Harrison's also sells cookies, brownies, bread, and a lot more. I didn't look around as much as I would have liked to before ordering because the woman behind the counter was clearly NOT having a good day (and neither was the person who answered the phone when I had called earlier to check if they were open on Sundays -- or maybe that was the same woman). It turns out we made good choices, though -- my cupcake was one of the best I've ever had (really!), with fluffy yellow cake and rich, creamy chocolate frosting. Clem liked his napoleon, but not as much as the ones from Malek's.

TIP: Try a cupcake! I've heard (online) that the half-moon cookies are good, too.

NEARBY: If you like malls, the Carousel Center is worth a visit.