Who: Jake Hafner's What: Beef on Wick
Where: West Taft Road, North Syracuse Phone: 458-5108 Website: Jake Hafner's
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No
With my dad back in town for the weekend and Christine off to her bridal shower, we decided to meet up for lunch on Saturday. I had been outside working in the yard all morning and had built up quite an appetite. The joys of home ownership seem to be endless but that’s another story for another day. It was my choice as to the location to where we would eat. Many places ran through my head including The Clam Bar, Ling Ling, Moe’s, and Hafner’s. These are all places we don’t frequent much because Christine doesn’t really like them. I, as many of you know, am a dump truck, a trash can, a garbage disposal if you will, when it comes to food. I will eat just about anything and enjoy doing it because I love food. I love the different tastes and textures that one can find. I decided on Hafner’s because they have a huge sandwich menu. Between grilled sandwiches, deli-style, chicken sandwiches, and of course burgers there is a great selection to pick from. We both started off with soup, I had the French onion and dad had the lunch special, which was prime rib vegetable. I had narrowed down the many great choices to two, the short fat guy’s sandwich and the beef on a wick. My dad always gets the beef on a wick and I decided that I would too because I haven’t had one in over a decade. It should be called beef on a weck because the roll it is served on is a kummelweck roll. But the alternate spelling of “wick” is used depending on where you are from. Many from Buffalo, where the sandwich originally comes from, go with wick. Hafner’s is also one of the only places around where you can get sweet potato fries which are always served with maple syrup. Naturally I opted for those over the chips that come standard with any sandwich. However, those chips are homemade so you can’t lose when picking a side to go with your meal.
Where: West Taft Road, North Syracuse Phone: 458-5108 Website: Jake Hafner's
Parking: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Take-Out: Yes Delivery: No
With my dad back in town for the weekend and Christine off to her bridal shower, we decided to meet up for lunch on Saturday. I had been outside working in the yard all morning and had built up quite an appetite. The joys of home ownership seem to be endless but that’s another story for another day. It was my choice as to the location to where we would eat. Many places ran through my head including The Clam Bar, Ling Ling, Moe’s, and Hafner’s. These are all places we don’t frequent much because Christine doesn’t really like them. I, as many of you know, am a dump truck, a trash can, a garbage disposal if you will, when it comes to food. I will eat just about anything and enjoy doing it because I love food. I love the different tastes and textures that one can find. I decided on Hafner’s because they have a huge sandwich menu. Between grilled sandwiches, deli-style, chicken sandwiches, and of course burgers there is a great selection to pick from. We both started off with soup, I had the French onion and dad had the lunch special, which was prime rib vegetable. I had narrowed down the many great choices to two, the short fat guy’s sandwich and the beef on a wick. My dad always gets the beef on a wick and I decided that I would too because I haven’t had one in over a decade. It should be called beef on a weck because the roll it is served on is a kummelweck roll. But the alternate spelling of “wick” is used depending on where you are from. Many from Buffalo, where the sandwich originally comes from, go with wick. Hafner’s is also one of the only places around where you can get sweet potato fries which are always served with maple syrup. Naturally I opted for those over the chips that come standard with any sandwich. However, those chips are homemade so you can’t lose when picking a side to go with your meal.
The second our plates hit the table I knew I was in for a treat. Now I consider this sandwich a real “man” sandwich because it is just bread and meat. No vegetable toppings or condiments to be smeared on. A little bit of horseradish comes on the side for those who like a little kick. The kummelweck roll that the roast beef comes on is crusted with salt and caraway seeds. This is a nice change from the usual deli-style breads or sandwich rolls. A side of au jus comes in a little saucer to dunk the sandwich in. This reminds many people of a French dip but the beef on a wick isn’t a hot sandwich like the French dip. I’m not sure of Hafner’s roasts their beef in house but it is very tender and cooked to a nice medium to medium well. The meaty beef along with the salty roll are a great combination of flavors. The au jus adds the perfect amount of moisture that would normally come from a spread like mayo or mustard. When it comes to the complexity of physically building a great tasting sandwich this one would be near the bottom. But this just goes to show that keeping it simple doesn’t hurt. The sandwich totally hit the spot and wished I had another to take home to eat later. I guess I’ll just have to stop by a little more often.
Rating: Delicious – Hafner’s continues to be one of the best sandwiches spots in Syracuse.
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