Best bets for local dining

Larissa Ryan
Business Manager
The Inside Scoop
Walk down Main Street in Cooperstown and turn right at the flagpole and you’ll find this cozy little shop. Inside the same building as Slices Pizzeria, which I reviewed last year, turn right instead of left and you’ll find the perfect spot to order your ice cream and peruse the collection of baseball cards on view as you enter the sitting area.

There are tables inside and out and a wide variety of flavors to choose from. I got the Minty Moose Trail, a soft-serve mint ice cream with large chunks of chocolate and streaks of gooey chocolate fudge. You can even get some hot fudge poured over top of your ice cream if you want (like I did).

Other flavors included raspberry, coffee, chocolate, rocky road, and many more. A great spot just off the
main path in downtown Cooperstown.

The Inside Scoop
46 Pioneer Street
Cooperstown
607-544-1075

Tara Barnewell
Publisher
Pizza Land
When you are on the West End of Oneonta, you must stop in at Pizza Land. Everyone I was with had pizza and all of them were loaded with toppings. They have a nice soft crust and plenty of styles to choose from.

I tried a slice of the garlic and cheese white pizza — if you like garlic you’ve got to try it. But my favorite at Pizza Land is the calzones. The mushroom and pepperoni calzone is wrapped in this perfect pizza crust and it’s full of meats and cheeses. Beware, the small is HUGE, you’ll have enough left over for dinner.

One more thing … have some time when you go here. Everything is fresh and made to order. Calling ahead with your order is recommended!

24 Oneida Street
Oneonta
607-432-3850
Pizzalandoneonta.com

Greg Klein
Editor
Sal’s Pizzeria
If you want some inside-Cooperstown baseball, it has been said there is a great pizza divide in the village: are you a Sal’s Pizzeria person or are you a New York Pizzeria person? I am a New York Pizzeria person when it comes to Cooperstown and Richfield Springs, but I do note my son loves Sal’s in Cooperstown, so I/we are not the typical line-in-the-sand pizza family.

However, I wanted to mention that when it comes to Oneonta pizza, I am most definitely a Sal’s Pizzeria person.

My weekly visit to Sal’s is one of the things I miss most about working in the City of the Hills. You know you have become a regular when they see you coming and know your order. Jenna at the counter had me figured out pretty quickly, pulling the center slice of the lunchtime Sicilian pizza (no crust!) as soon as she would see me at the register.

I miss joking with the staff, too. One day I was on my trademarked rant about how people putting creative sauces on pizza is annoying me. I pointed to a slice of chicken-bacon and asked if it had normal sauce. No, Jenna said, it was chicken-bacon ranch. Cue rant about how putting ranch on pizza is an insult to cuisine and how chicken-bacon on a normal slice of pizza is a beautiful combination.
Without missing a beat, Jenna said, “you know, I can put chicken and bacon on a cheese slice for you and heat it up.” To which I answered, “but then what would I do with my righteous indignation?”

A friend of mine did her college thesis on the opioid problem in Otsego County and that was how I learned Sal’s is committed to employing some people who are rehabilitating from addictions and also to providing them a drug-free workplace. I love the civic spirit Sal’s shows and always feel good when I support that business.

Sal’s Pizzeria
285 Main Street
Oneonta
607-432-6766
sals-pizzeria-of-oneonta.business.site/

Kevin Limiti
Reporter
Rosso’s
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Independence Day? Probably fireworks, but from now on I’m going to be adding Rosso’s Fried Dough to the list.

This tempting piece of comfort food is loaded with cinnamon and sugar and fried goodness. Perfect for festivals. I had mine at Neahwa Park on Independence Day and I can’t remember the last time I felt good about eating something with virtually no nutritional value whatsoever.

Next time you see their cart around, I highly recommend getting a piece.

Kathleen Peters
Graphic Designer
Mr. Shake
Just over the Herkimer County line on State Route 28 is one of the best places to go for ice cream. I usually get the root beer float with hard vanilla ice cream. (They use Perry’s, my favorite brand.) The Husband almost always gets a black-and-white milkshake.

They also have a full sandwich menu with the usual suspects: burgers, hot dogs, wraps, chicken wings, tenders, and pulled pork.

Try the jalapeño poppers and wash them down with a lemonade and banana split.

They do birthday parties, make ice cream cakes, and there’s even a doggie sundae with soft vanilla and a dog bone on top.

If you need to entertain the kids (or yourselves) come play a round of mini golf on their professional mini course with landscaping by Melinda’s Nursery.

All around fun for the whole family

Mr. Shake
663 State Route 28
Richfield Springs
315-858-7425