Restaurant in downtown Oswego, a flaming success
By Julie McMahon
Red Sun Fire Roasting Co.
207 West 1st Street, Oswego, NY 13126 | 315-343-2418
Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4:30 – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4:30 – 9 p.m.
It was a busy Tuesday night at Red Sun Fire Roasting Co. in Oswego so we got to take in the ambience of the place as we waited 10 minutes for a table.
Little tables line the left side of the room, while several big tables are situated to the right as you walk in, which then opens up to a big, beautiful bar, and open concept kitchen with brick accent walls, colorful murals and drop lighting.
We were soon seated and continued to observe the décor: colorful purple, orange, red and blue abstract murals match nicely with the black tables and chairs and red upholstery. At the far wall, windows overlook the riverfront and cast light across the dining room.
The lit-up U-shaped bar, which filled up as we sat down, offers service with classic cocktails, specials, draught beer and bottles, as well as a curated wine list.
No music played but the sounds from the kitchen reverberated throughout the room along with the clinks and chatter of others enjoying their meals, all of which created an aura about the place that altogether made for a cozy dining experience.
We waited a bit for our server to make it to our table, but it was nothing too bad and he was very apologetic. Also, a bus boy kept our water glasses full and got us some bread to munch on while we waited.
The bread was warm and light; the extra virgin olive oil herbaceous and refreshing.
We ordered our drinks first, getting a Brooklyn Amber Lager ($8) which was fresh and light, clearly coming from a clean tap, and a sea breeze cocktail ($9), which packed a bunch of grapefruit and vodka. It was a strong drink.
We started with a small arugula salad ($10). The arugula itself did a lot of work with the flavor, but it was also full of tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, walnuts and red onion. It was apparently very lightly dressed with what was described on the menu as an herb vinaigrette, but we could not detect any of this, yet it was still a flavorful salad and good overall, a light and refreshing way to start the meal. It had the appropriate amount of blue cheese, which blended with the other ingredients instead of taking over.
For our entrees we selected the Irish whiskey pork chop ($26) and one of the wood-fired pizzas ($17). Both were quite large portions. The pizzas were enough for one person.
The bone-in pork chop dominated the plate but the sauce that dripped on top of it was a shining star.
The chop was well-cooked, thick and juicy, good enough that it would be the star on most plates. But it was covered with a peppercorn cream sauce that paired with it brilliantly.
The Irish whiskey brine used on the pork chop provided saltiness, while the cream sauce had a subtle sweetness, delivering the famous salty-sweet combination with every bite.
The potato, bacon and leek hash provided a second bite at the same combination. The potatoes were the perfect sponge to make sure none of that delicious cream sauce went to waste.
The “Brian’s Song” pizza was spicy, had a nice kick to every bite, but was balanced with the few scoops of ricotta scattered around the pie. Crispy pepperoni — not cup-and-char but still very good—and strips of julienned basil accented the pizza as well. The crust was crispy, thin and chewy but held up nicely against the heavy toppings. Some crispy air pockets made for a stylish looking pie.
We’ve sampled a lot of wood-fired pizzas locally and believe Red Sun’s pizzas stand up to any of the artisan pizzas offered in Central New York.
For dessert we ordered the mango mousse cake, which had nice, clean layers of sponge and mousse. The mousse had a subtle mango flavor that you especially tasted at the end of each bite. Though we wouldn’t mind more punch, we appreciated the delicateness of the flavor as well as the lightness and fluffiness of the cake. It was also sweet but not too sweet. A great way to end the meal.
As we asked for our check, we found out dessert was “on the house” because we waited for a little while at the beginning of our time at the restaurant.
Thinking on it, service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive without being intrusive. He was clearly busy, both waiting tables and acting as the restaurant’s host. The compensated cake was unnecessary and we said as much, but he insisted on leaving it off our tab.
The bill came to the very reasonable price of $70 plus tax.
We noted the great prices. Everything was at least a few dollars cheaper than we’d expect, especially for the quality of the meal.
We found this to be a standout in the Oswego and Central New York dining scenes. We’ll be back for sure.
