The Eis House in Mexico won’t leave you out in the cold when it comes to great meals
By Christopher Malone
Sitting in the tavern at The Eis House, located at 114 Academy St. in Mexico, is comfortable. For a mid-November evening, save the clouds and their indecisiveness to wring their cold rain out, the dark aesthetics of the restaurant is like a blanket compared to the looming outside conditions.
For those wondering, the German “Eis” does translate to “ice.”
After being served a nice, tart hazy IPA ($7) from Cazenovia brewery Meier’s Creek, the starters were ordered.
The CBR flatbread ($11.50) wasn’t what I was expecting. Sure, I was able to decode the CBR to chicken bacon ranch, plus, mozzarella for cheese, but the flatbread was what slapped my almost concerned mind. Several places offer flatbread and, while many of them make their own doughy base, others don’t.
I’ve gotten naan flatbread pizza from a restaurant I will not mention, and it the doughy base turned out to be one of those bagged store-bought breads. For the price, the offering was small and the toppings were few.
I definitely didn’t dislike Eis House’s flatbread. The bread boasted a great crunch. The breaded chicken and bacon were plentiful. The ranch was probably an unhealthy amount — but who cares when it comes to CBR pizza.
Next — a cup of the French onion soup ($4.25). Normally, it’s go-big-or-go-home when it comes to this kind (or for any soup, actually), but there was more food to enjoy. The cup of the onion soup was nice and hearty with a thick blanket of swiss and provolone cheeses on top. Underneath was a not-overly salty soup with onion slices and chunks of bread.
I should have gone bigger.
When finally deciding on what else to eat, the pulled pork burger ($12.75) entered my life and on a plate.
How this burger doesn’t cost more is beyond me. A thick patty of angus beef is topped with a pile of pulled pork, coleslaw, cheddar cheese, fried onions, and a slice of bacon. And there are lettuce and tomato, too. But if this burger was a mountain, it’d be an Adirondack high peak. And, on top of it all, the burger was cooked a perfect medium rare.
Intimidating to look at and delicious to take a bite out of. Human jaws can’t unhinge like a snake’s but you can’t blame a person for trying to get everything in one bite — halves of the Kaiser roll included.
When I did bite into it, there was something cold. It was the pulled pork. The temperature difference threw me off but, by itself, the slightly smoky pork was far from dry and there was an ample amount of sweet barbecue sauce.
Instead of choosing fries for the side, the ante was upped (making up for the soup) with macaroni and cheese ($5.25). There is a mac and cheese pasta dish on the menu and it’s served with roasted red peppers, bacon (yes, more bacon), and the house creamy cheese blend. This initially caught my attention but passed because, like all mac and cheese dishes, it sounded heavy.
The side was the same offering. Instead of thick, caked-on cheese, it was more of a sauce. It was light and gratifying. Plus, this came with the aforementioned ingredients.
Although, I still think this would have been a lot for a pasta entrée, because of the amount of cheese, there are no regrets with my deciding to choose this side. I should have put some on the burger.
Finally, the special I ordered — the chicken fresca ($18). The hearty meal consisted of a generous piece of chicken coated with cheese, mashed potatoes and veggies. Living up to the name, the tender chicken was heavily seasoned. The leftovers I had the following day didn’t falter.
The mashed potatoes were soft, creamy and boasted the skin kept on. The veggies were a medley of carrots, green and white string beans, and squash. The issue I have with sides like this, aside from a strong dislike for the word medley, is this could have come from a bag and been frozen. Normally with those, the carrots have serrated faces. These did not. Still, I was concerned.
I do have to mention that I did ask for another entrée but did not receive it. It wasn’t listed on the check, so the bartender exceling at her job and keeping patrons happy probably didn’t hear me. I have no qualms about it but need to mention this to keep me honest.
Before tipping the friendly and conversational staff, the total came to a mere $62.39. For the amount of food, I think this is very affordable.
The Eis House won’t leave you out in the cold when it comes to a good meal. You’ll leave full and definitely wanting to come back.
Featured Image: CBR flatbread ($11.50). The breaded chicken and bacon were plentiful. The ranch was probably an unhealthy amount — but who cares when it comes to CBR pizza.
The Eis House
114 Academy St., Mexico, NY 13114
315-963-3830 | theeishouse.com
facebook.com/theeishouse
instagram.com/theeishouse
Sun. – Mon.: Closed
Tues. – Thurs.: 4 – 8 p.m.
Fri.: 3 – 9 p.m.
Sat.: 4 – 9 p.m.
