SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Downtown Dining Weeks is underway in Syracuse with a record 47 restaurants participating. The promotion represents much more than a good deal. A closer look at the new restaurants is just one sign of downtown’s development.
Kasai Ramen opened on Walton Street just 12 weeks ago. Owner and Chef Kyle Mastropietro says there’s no other place in the area he could imagine his restaurant being.
“I chose to open in downtown because there really is no other spot for this kind of food,” he said.
The Japanese restaurant is one of eight new restaurants participating in Downtown Dining Weeks that have opened since last year’s event. Mastropietro says Kasai Ramen tries to put it’s own take on traditional Japanese cuisine.
“We like to play around with the broths and the dishes,” he said.
Mastropietro sees his restaurant as part of the bigger picture in what he says is the “cultural revolution” happening in the area that includes new restaurants, shops, and artists.
“There’s a lot going on down here,” Mastropietro said. “That’s part of the reason why we were excited to open here too is we thought that having the only restaurant of our types, it being down here, will kind of bring more traffic to this area.”
The deals happening right now at restaurants like Kasai Ramen are more than just a good sign for your stomach and your wallet. Alice Maggiore, the Communications Director at Downtown Committee of Syracuse, says it all ties in to the area’s development.
“Today compared to 15 years ago, that’s almost three times as many restaurants as we had when the promotion first started,” Maggiore said. “That alone is a unique measurement for us to see how the event has grown, and also how downtown has grown.”
Dining options in downtown are continuing to grow. Salt City Food Market is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020 at the corner of Salina St. and W Onondaga St. The building will also include a grocery store and mixed income apartments.
Downtown Dining Weeks runs until March 3rd.
