The Sweet Praxis — Restaurant in City of Syracuse

I have an appointment downtown this morning, so at long last, I slipped into Sweet Praxis for a bite. I was having a pity party because I have at least an hour to burn and the Miss Syracuse diner owner has taken a winter vacation. The owner also takes a two week long summer vacation. I've only seen him inside his diner once in all the time I've walked by it, come to think of it. Can a man be made a man of means, man of leisure just by whipping up bacon and eggs for customers mornings for a few years? Maybe I've missed my calling.

Anyways, if I have time in the morning, I like to order up bacon and eggs. Sweet Praxis had two freshly made quiches, and a slice of quiche comes pretty close to a plate of bacon and eggs. I have yet to meet the partners who own this business, but I hear the two own the entire five floor building. I also heard the two have practiced as architects, hence the name Sweet Praxis. So I'm guessing the two bring all of their aesthetic and design thinking to the baking of muffins and quiche. The restaurant has been described as a "Bake Lab".

That slice of quiche seems to prove it to me. I loved the moist, creamy texture of every bite. In fact, I might call it the finest quiche I've ever ate in my life. The woman who served me a slice of the rather expensive quiche, six fifty the slice, asked me how I liked it. "You must have an incredible recipe" is all I could say.

I'm guessing the two assistants are drawn from the architecture students of Syracuse University. Neither of them have heard of the book, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche". One of the ingenues assured me, "More than one man comes here just for the quiche".

The floor has a fifties diner look, set with honeycomb tile. The short walls are set with easy to clean tile bricks. Ten picture windows have given me an intimate view of all the people from all walks of life walking to work. A woman bearing a red leather backpack has marched on by, surely to classes at the LeMoyne Campuse downtown.

I might be wrong, but these picture windows offer enough details for people watching to become a guessing game. I have tapped my fingers lightly on the table tops, which are fairly flawless, hand built tables constructed of maple wood. I've only seen this kind of attention to wood grain for the counters and tables of Japanese restaurants. Each table has a milk bottle vase filled with a different variety of flowers. How did the house buy wildflowers from a florist at this time of year?

I have counted the five different kinds of illumination suspended from the ceiling. I know these lamps have been picked for the right kind of lighting. Indeed, that's probably why I can see out the plate glass windows so well, thanks to a lack of glare. I'm not feeling the cold and damp air of this morning, but otherwise I feel as if I were sitting outside. As the French pop songs beguile me into ordering a cup of coffee and another delicious pastry, I wonder if maybe this interior has achieved a perfection that I cannot tolerate every day?

I willing to risk that. Although, I'm going to work in a greasy spoon and a burger shack into my routine just...

The chocolate almond croissant that I ate while visiting the Sweet Praxis wasn't enjoyable for me. For one, it seemed overbaked. I've had twice-baked croissants in the past from other establishments and have enjoyed them, but this croissant was too much. As far as the flavor, I noticed butter, but I mostly didn't taste any flavors other than salty and sweet. The chocolate and almond flavors were lost to the salt and sugar. It's hard to say if there really was too much sugar, or if it was just that the salt masked the almond and chocolate flavors to where the only other flavor that came through was a general sweetness. I realize that this may be a Syracuse thing, since Syracuse is known as the "Salt City." But, I've eaten many croissants, including a wide assortment of croissants on a recent trip to Europe. That doesn't make me an expert, of course. It just means that I feel comfortable in saying that I'm a person who typically likes croissants and has eaten a lot of them. For me to not even want to finish a croissant when I'm feeling hungry is very abnormal. On the plus side, the croissant was fresh.

I can't say anything about the Sweet Praxis's other baked goods, because the croissant experience made me not want to pick up anything for later. However, I do have some things that I'd like to say about the establishment itself. I found it to be cute and clean inside. I also noticed that the counter people were exceptionally professional and customer service oriented. In addition to my own interaction, I observed them interacting with other customers and was very impressed! Kudos to the counter staff!

This review is not meant to discourage anyone from giving the Sweet Praxis a try. I would just encourage anyone visiting for the first time to do what I did. Try a single item and then decide if you want to...

At our wedding, our photographer said that my expression upon seeing our dessert table was almost better than walking down the aisle! That should tell you something about The Sweet Praxis. I knew what Natalie created would be delicious and beautiful. But I was completely unprepared for the sight that was waiting for me at our reception! For a day that was quickly flying by, I spent far too long lingering at the table, trying to savor the sight of those artistic confections. I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were. Each one was beautiful in its own way – the colors, textures, and flavors each expertly balanced. All decorated with delicate, elegant edible flowers! Quite literally one of the highlights of the whole day. Now, when the topic of the wedding resurfaces, it is often because people are reminiscing on those delectable treats. Natalie very kindly worked with us to incorporate our family’s traditions and preferences. She flawlessly brought our unique vision to life. I will never forget what she did for us, and only wish I could bottle up that experience and...