Category Archives: local business

Walking with a Nefarious Purpose

Posted on February 5, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I spent a good portion of my time at work on Friday pondering my movements for the evening (while still working; I have that kind of a job). I wanted to go to Hannaford, I wanted to go to the liquor store, I definitely wanted to walk my dog. Then the title “Walking with a Nefarious Purpose” came to me, and there was no looking back. Tabby and I were walking to the liquor store (see, I have a hard time with titles; when I think of one I like, I go with it).

Longtime readers may recall some months ago I wrote a post titled “Walking with a Purpose,” in which Steven and I walked our dog Tabby to Hannaford. Steven and Tabby waited outside while I went in and made our purchases. Steven was still at work, so he could not aid me in my purposes, nefarious or otherwise. However, I thought I could get away with taking my dog into the liquor store briefly.

I feel I am being a little silly even calling it a nefarious purpose. I was not purchasing alcohol for minors in order to corrupt their morals. I just wanted to enjoy a glass of white wine and maybe cook with it. I actually had it in my head to purchase a box o’ wine (the crowd I used to run with always referred to it as “box o’ wine,” studiously leaving off the “f”). For one thing, box o’ preserves the wine better if you don’t intend to drink it all in a short time. For another, I had discovered a flavor I liked.

Off we went. It was a lovely afternoon for a walk, not too cold, no precipitation. Ramar’s Liquors, where I intended to go, is a fairly short walk from my house. We were two blocks away from it when Tabby tried to make a left and head in another direction. I convinced her otherwise, but she tried again at the next corner. I hoped she would not insist. I can usually win an argument of this sort with a 17 pound dog, but I am not here to torture my poocher. I want us both to enjoy the stroll.

The box I wanted was right inside the door. Excellent! The lady at the register did not seem to mind my pooch being there. I had brought a reusable bag to carry my purchase. For one thing it had longer straps I thought I could put on one shoulder.

Tabby was happy to head in the direction of home. So was I, although it did seem to take a longer time. Maybe a small bottle would have been better. Or I could have taken Tabby for a walk and driven to the liquor store later. As the ever-heavier box bumped against my hip, I was only thankful it was not beer. I pictured opening a can of beer that had bounced on my hip for ten minutes and wondered if that would be a fun thing to do at my next party. I was just kidding, of course; I don’t have college-flavored parties any more.

The walk home was not really bad, but I thought it would make a better blog post if I suffered a little. For those of you with nefarious purposes of your own, Ramar’s is located at 104 N. Caroline St., Herkimer, NY, 315-866-9897,

3 Comments

Posted in dogs, Herkimer, humor, liquor store, local business, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

The Awful Tooth

Posted on February 4, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Like many people, I hate going to the dentist. In my defense, I have a hair-trigger gag reflex and a super-sensitivity to oral pain. Still, one must look after one’s dental health, and a few years ago we found a dentist we liked, Dr. David Zilka, 301 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY.

Dr. Zilka is the one who pointed out to me my ultra-sensitivity to pain in the mouth (as opposed to pains in the butt; I have the normal sensitivity to those). Previous to visiting Dr. Zilka, I thought I had a normal threshold but was just a big baby (yes, yes, I probably am a big baby, but you don’t need to emphasize the fact, those of you who were about to) (you know who you are). So when I get fillings from Dr. Zilka, I get a good dose of pain stuff. Dr. Zilka is also the kind of chatty, friendly fellow you can have a conversation with. When your mouth is not full of dental instruments.

Still, going to the dentist for routine checks and cleanings is easy and even pleasant to postpone. And then I started to get a twinge of pain when I chewed certain foods on a certain tooth. Oh dear. I thought I probably just needed a filling so made an appointment for a check and cleaning.

Of course as the day got closer I considered putting it off. It was only a twinge of pain after all. Surely another day would be just as good. As it turned out, calling to reschedule seemed more effort than just going to the damned appointment. Does that ever happen to you?

The lady who checked me in recognized me at once, noticed that I had lost weight (a sure way to win my heart) and welcomed me back. I do like a friendly staff. I was soon in the chair wishing I had brought a book. I amused myself while I waited for the dentist by looking out the window and noticing how many cars ran the red light at the corner of Mohawk and South Bellinger Streets.

When Dr. Zilka asked was I having any symptoms and I described my pain (full disclosure: it had gotten worse from the original small twinge), he put away the equipment for cleaning and said he was changing my appointment type, he needed to check this out at once, he wanted an x-ray, this could be serious. Yikes! I don’t remember what all he said it could be, but I heard the words “root canal” and “bacteria getting into the bloodstream.”

“So it’s good I’m here,” I said.

He said it was.

It turned out to be a cracked tooth. Dr. Zilka will be able to fix it with a filling. He offered to do it that day, but I might have to wait a while since he had another patient. I opted to make an appointment. For one thing I was getting hungry and did not feel like eating with a numb mouth. If I plan ahead, I can eat a large snack before I get the filling. Planning ahead is, of course, not my strong suit, but we do what we can.

As I made the appointment, I chatted with the ladies at the desk about what would be safe to eat till I get my filling. I volunteered to eat nothing but cottage cheese (I seem to remember doing that for a few days once in high school, long story). This suggestion was not highly thought of, but then I thought of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. We discussed recipes. This is the kind of sociable office I like.

For more information about Dr. Zilka’s office visit his website, http://www.doctorzilka.com, or call 315-866-2460.

Leave a comment

Posted in dentist, Herkimer, local business, teeth. Bookmark the permalink.

Breakfast with Liz and Donna

Posted on February 2, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven and I used to go to this fun diner on North Washington Street in Herkimer run by two nice ladies named Liz and Donna. Alas, it closed. However, last week Steven was delighted to report that he had noticed on South Main Street an establishment called Liz’s Country Kitchen.

“We’ll go there Saturday,” I said.

Liz and Donna have actually been at that location for over a year. Which just goes to show how often we are on South Main Street. Let that be a lesson to me.

Liz’s Country Kitchen is a cozy eatery decorated with a rooster theme. Liz loves roosters. Donna told us it caused a misunderstanding one day. Some young guys saw the rooster on the sign and thought it was a place that specialized in fried chicken. She did not say if they stayed and ate anyways, but I hope they did. Liz is a great cook.

Both Liz and Donna were happy to see us again (we were definitely regulars at their other place). They both looked well and happy, and the diner was doing a booming business. We found a table and perused the menu. I got my favorite of an egg sandwich on a hard roll with egg, cheese and bacon. Steven got eggs, pancakes and sausage. It was a delicious breakfast.

The place has a great hometown atmosphere. The customers were making jokes with Liz and Donna and with each other. I got into a whole conversation with a gentleman who, it turns out, retired from the place where I currently work. We left with plans to return for future breakfasts and/or lunches.

Liz’s Country Kitchen is located at 220 S. Main St., Herkimer, NY. They are open 7 days from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and for fresh haddock Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. (Goody! Another Fishy Friday!) For more information call 941-8025

Leave a comment

Posted in breakfast, diner, Herkimer, local business, Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.

Easy Saturday Supper

Posted on January 23, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday I had planned to sensibly heat up leftovers for dinner, but when Steven got home after a hard day’s work and I made a tentative suggestion to send out for food, there was no turning back.

As usual with us, we were not sure right off the bat what we were in the mood for. Steven grabbed the folder full of menus from local eateries (yes, we finally learned to keep them all in one place). I was positive I had recently found one from Salvatore’s (when I was looking for something else, of course) and added it to the pile. Naturally it was not there. Naturally as soon as I thought of it, THAT was where I wanted to order from. My subsequent search was fruitless.

Regular readers know I am not very computer adept. However, I knew I had liked Salvatore’s on Facebook, because they post their specials every day (usually I see them after I have eaten and say damn!). I got on the computer. A few judicious clicks and I was on their website, http://www.salvatores-herkimer.com/.

We looked at hot subs as it was a cold night, and settled on Stefano’s Chicken (not sure who Stefano is, but apparently he makes a mean sub): chicken tenders, tomato, lettuce, bacon, American cheese and Honey BBQ Sauce. Steven suggested a large antipasto salad, which also sounded good.

They told him 30 to 40 minutes, and it was not nearly that long. I thought I had shut the inner door (we have a kind of an entryway), but of course had not so Tabby came out to greet the delivery guy. He did not mind; he said it happens all the time. Well, she’s a little dog and all she did was put her paws up on his legs in case he wanted to pet her. Her paws weren’t even wet because she’d been indoors. So you see.

The food was delicious. We polished off the sub but have some leftover salad, which I will no doubt enjoy this afternoon. Now I feel we must go to Salvatore’s and dine in, so I can pick up another menu (you can’t count of me finding the same thing on the computer twice). They are located at 650 1/2 W. German St., Herkimer, NY. Phone number is 315-866-2600.

Leave a comment

Posted in dining, food, Herkimer, humor, local business, Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.

New 2 Me

Posted on January 19, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I love consignment shops almost as much as I love rummage sales and thrift stores. They are a step classier, so I don’t know what that says about me and my trashy mentality (I love that country song about “I like my women just a little on the trashy side”).

Steven actually discovered New 2 You Consignments a few weeks ago when he was looking for Dr. Henry’s office for his eye appointment. We sometimes get a little confused in Ilion. Steven went into the store and got directions. The ladies there were so nice about it that he went back after his appointment to shop. He purchased a lovely glass snowman ornament and two books for me (one was 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die; if I did all that I could blog exclusively about wine till my liver gave out).

Saturday we made our way to 10 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY. A sign in the window touts the environmental benefits of buying second hand, so that gave me a virtuous feeling to start with. Spending money at a local business will boost the local economy, so I had that going for me, too.

New 2 You is a classy place with a variety of items tastefully displayed. I looked at clothes, but I want to lose 10 more pounds before I invest in that. There were a couple of vintage coats I envied, but I have plenty of coats (you can buy a bigger coat and not feel bad when you’re fat). There were some lovely glasses too, another thing we have plenty of. I made my way to the books.

One might think I have plenty of books, but you know, I don’t think there is such a thing. They had a nice selection. The one that caught my eye was a paperback called Stories of Suspense. It looked old, so I pulled it out to see if it had a pulp fiction cover such as I love. Not a bad cover. As I debated I saw, “Including Daphne duMaurier’s THE BIRDS.”

I almost jumped for joy. Steven and I pop in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds on many occasions. I would not call it one of Hitchcock’s finest, but it’s such fun. We always wondered how much the movie differed from the short story but have never been able to find the story. I was so excited.

It came to $1.08 with the tax. I had just pulled all the change out of my purse, so the lady at the register nicely took eight pennies out of the “leave a penny” jar. I must remember to leave some pennies when I return.

And I certainly will return. After all, $1 doesn’t do a whole lot to stimulate the local economy. For more information about New 2 You Consignments, call 315-894-2220.

3 Comments

Posted in humor, Ilion, local business, shopping. Bookmark the permalink.

Chinese Food NOW

Posted on January 17, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday Steven and I spent the morning cleaning the house with the intention of rewarding ourselves with lunch out.

I did munch a little cottage cheese for breakfast — I don’t do well on a completely empty stomach — and soon realized I should have eaten a little more heartily. I was STARVING. I know, people in this country throw that word “starving” around like we know what it means, when, of course, most of us have never experienced that level of poverty. What I meant was I was dreadfully, uncomfortably hungry and I wanted food NOW.

What I really could have used was one of those Mexican restaurants where they bring you chips and salsa right away. In Georgia there were several of those, handily located. In the North Country we had the awesome Hotel Grande. Perhaps there is such an establishment in Utica. I’ll have to check around.

Be that as it may, I suggested our best bet was a buffet. Less waiting. We decided on the Main Moon Buffet, 40 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY (do I really need to put NY? I don’t know how many out of state readers I have).

Buffet is my favorite way to eat Chinese food, because you can try a little of everything. There are many good things to try at Main Moon. Two plates full — OK, one plate really full and one partial — and I still have not tried everything. We both left the restaurant quite full. Note to self: try not to eat so damn much next time.

Main Moon Buffet is open Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 10:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11:30 pm, and Sunday noon to 10 pm. For more information call 315-895-7404 or 315-895-7405. Take out is also available. Hmm, might keep me from eating too damn much, but then how could I try everything? It’s not easy being me.

Leave a comment

Posted in commentary, dining, food, humor, Ilion, local business, Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.

Now I’m Pretty

Posted on January 16, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I needed a hair cut, and Steven was nice enough to make an appointment for me at Cuts & Colors for Friday after work.

Perhaps some aggressively self-sufficient reader is saying, “What is he, your husband or your secretary? Why don’t you make your own damn appointment?” Well, Steven happened to be going to Cuts & Colors for a haircut himself. You see, they are good for all ages, shapes and sizes.

Steven had really waited till he needed a cut TODAY (that is, that day that it happened to be), so he did not go to our usual stylist, Jackie W. I think he went to the other Jackie (to us, I’m sure to her, Jackie W. is the other Jackie, but you know what I mean). Steven looked very handsome with his haircut, but I was happy to get an appointment with our Jackie.

Friday, you may recall, was when the weather was really really yucky. I walked out of work to see people scraping their vehicles. I optimistically thought to myself, “Perhaps they came in at 5. I came in at 7, so maybe my car has less to scrape.” Then I laughed at myself for being so naive. “Eight hours or ten,” I thought, “if they’re scraping, you’re scraping.” Imagine my delight when I discovered I had in fact very little to scrape. Maybe that two hours made the difference.

I was relieved that Cuts & Colors is right on my way home. It was not a day to make a lot of detours. I reflected sadly that I might have to brush or scrape again after my haircut, as it was precipitating in a very wintery fashion.

Jackie was glad to see me. She said they had several cancellations that afternoon. I told her I did not blame them; if I had had to go to far out of my way, I might have cancelled too. She assured me they did not blame people either. But I can see where it would be disappointing to a business. Probably disappointing to the customers, too. I would not have wanted to go through another week of bad hair days.

My hair, as usual, looked wonderful when Jackie had finished. We remarked, also as usual, about the ever increasing amount of grey I have. Jackie likes it. I guess I do, too. Normally when I leave Cuts N Colors, I feel so pretty I insist on Steven taking me out somewhere. Friday, I thought, not so much. I was happy to get home and stay there.

And my hair still looked good the next day, so there you have it. I love Cuts & Colors. They are located at 402 Mohawk Street in Herkimer. For more information call 866-8514, or visit their Facebook page.

Leave a comment

Posted in hair, local business, weather, winter. Bookmark the permalink.

A Lovely Lunch

Posted on January 9, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I used to work retail hours, one of my most hated shifts was 1 to 9:30 p.m. See, I like to get up, go to work, then come home and enjoy myself and/or do something useful. Time before work is, to me, just more time to say, “Oh crap, I have to go to work.” I used to ease the pain sometimes by treating myself to lunch. I would often write a letter while I ate. So Saturday, when I had a letter to write, I thought I would treat myself to lunch and write it.

Steven was at work. I had a house to clean and a dog to walk. I had one errand to run and reason to move my truck out of the driveway. I got the dog walked. I stared at the dirty house. I remembered that I wanted to run to the bank and move my truck into the street. I thought about my earlier resolve to write a letter. Do you really need me to tell you the house is still dirty?

I ended up at Brian’s Roast Beef Deli, 122 N. Main St., Herkimer. When I sat down the waitress asked me if it was lunch for one or two.

“Just me today,” I said.

“But there’s usually two of you, right?”

“Yes, my hubby is usually with me, but he’s at work today.”

“See, I pay attention,” the waitress said. It was really pretty good of her, because it’s been a while since Steven and I ate there. Some of our local eateries have a very attentive wait staff.

I ordered garlic boneless chicken wings and a side of macaroni and cheese. Side, indeed! It was a great big bowl! Yummy! The wings came with celery and bleu cheese. It was a great lunch, and I brought home leftovers.

Of course I had brought my notebook (remember my resolve to write a letter?). It was open to the novel I’m working on. As I sat there I realized what should come next. In short, the letter is still not written but I got a whole page done on the novel. Woo hoo!

I did a couple of other things with my Saturday, one of which was a true Mohawk Valley Girl activity. But I enjoyed my lunch and thought I’d write about that. I was about to say “I thought I’d share,” but sorry, guys, those boneless wings and mac and cheese were mine!

2 Comments

Posted in dining, Herkimer, humor, local business, Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.

Another Saturday Stroll

Posted on January 7, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

We have had a couple of pretty nice (for January) days, and I have taken the poocher for a couple of long strolls.

Saturday was not as warm as Friday, but still perfectly acceptable walking temperatures. We set off shortly after Steven had departed for work, me keeping an eye out for bloggable observations and Tabby keeping a nose out for interesting smells. We passed three mail carriers. We got a cheery greeting from two and a polite one from the other. Not bad.

We strolled down Prospect Street, and I looked at the distinctive old building that used to house H.M. Quackenbush’s corporate offices. It is a forbidding looking brick structure, a rectangle with stern corners and some embellishment at the windows and roof. I like embellishment. Why be plain? Except, of course, when you are going for that stark, minimalist look, which can also be very nice. I wish somebody would do something with the Quackenbush building. It seems a shame to let such a historic looking building go to waste.

Speaking of waste, we walked down Main Street past several closed businesses, some of which have been closed so long they no longer show any sign of what they used to be. I slid on the ice on the sidewalk in front of one. I jerked the leash straightening myself and got a “What?” look from Tabby. I reflected that if more businesses were open, no doubt some shopkeeper would be moved to keep the sidewalks cleared and safe.

Tabby did not pull me up to the door at Hummel’s for once. She pulled me to State Route 5, but I declined to cross it with her. Too much traffic for my tastes. We walked along Albany Street to Bellinger instead. When we got to Meyers Park (not Weller; had to think a minute, I often get those two confused. I think it’s the “er” sound) Tabby opted to walk along the sidewalk on the perimeter, which is unusual for her. Usually we walk through the park itself or pass it by entirely.

As we went by St. Frances de Sales Church, I said good morning to St. Frances. I said it in my head, though, because of course saints can hear you think. Somebody put a bright red scarf on the statue of St. Frances in front of the church, and there are red lights in the bushes on either side of the statue. It looks nice, and reminds me I need to find something to do with the box of scarves I’ve made the last couple of years. No sense in letting them go to waste like all the downtown buildings.

Tabby and I had a slight disagreement when we were a block from our house on the opposite side of the street. She always wants to jay walk while I insist we follow the crosswalks, even though the paint is almost completely gone. Something else I wish somebody would do something about. I know, I’m somebody. But can you see me getting white paint and painting the crosswalks? I can’t.

It was a nice walk, and I hope an acceptable blog post. I have plans for this afternoon. I may have an Ilion Little Theatre project to blog about soon. As always, stay tuned!

Leave a comment

Posted in commentary, dogs, Herkimer, local business, walking. Bookmark the permalink.

Fun Breakfast

Posted on January 3, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Friday morning after a not too awful doctor’s appointment, Steven and I treated ourselves to breakfast at the Farm House Restaurant, 2 Central Plaza, Ilion.

The restaurant is in a tiny building. We have noticed it on many occasions and were frankly quite fascinated that it could house a whole restaurant. I further notice it when I go in to work at 7 a.m. and see the neon OPEN sign lit. I think how nice it would be to go to breakfast before work and wonder why I didn’t leave the house earlier.

On entering, we found the dining room is indeed tiny. There are about five or six tables, not very far apart. We sat at one and looked around at the charming country decor. A toddler at a nearby table was listening with delight to a snowman that sang a Christmas song. We saw a couple such toys at our table. Our waitress told us one needed batteries but the other worked. We listened to a snowman sing “Let It Snow” accompanied by two marshmallows. Fun!

I ordered my favorite of a breakfast sandwich. Steven had one of his favorites, French toast with eggs over medium. We heard the waitress tell three ladies at another table to take their time if they wanted to just sit and visit.

“We’re open till eight,” she said.

“We might stay that long,” one of the ladies said.

I soon noticed the ladies were sitting under a sign that said, “Beware Pickpockets and Loose Women.” They seemed like such fun ladies, I just had to draw their attention to it. They had not noticed but were very amused.

“I’m a pickpocket,” one said. “I don’t know about these two.”

“This has to be our table now,” another declared.

I told them they should get a picture, and one immediately handed me a camera.

It was a very enjoyable breakfast. I don’t know if those fun ladies will be there when I go again, but I’m sure the food will be just as yummy. For more information about the Farm House Restaurant, call 894-3276.

Leave a comment

Posted in dining, humor, Ilion, local business, Restaurants, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →