Camillus residents have been flocking to Siena, the new restaurant at 5633 W. Genesee St., at the top of the hill, since it opened in January. Fittingly, the spot formerly housed Top of the Hill, and was operated by the Kondziela siblings. It endured from 1964 until 2000 when the remaining brother, Sonny Kondziela, and his wife Sally retired. The building remained vacant for a number of years until the owners of Casa di Copani took over. The menu was similar to that served at the Burnet Avenue location but the new restaurant didn’t survive.
Next came Plainville Farms Restaurant, which you think would have worked since their home-style food was tasty and affordable. However, one thing the restaurant didn’t have was a bar, which limited its success.
Another stretch of emptiness, until Hans Lazuardi, owner/chef of Dante, the trendy little spot in Armory Square, saw its potential. “The owner of the building was one of my customers and we began talking,” recalls Lazuardi. It was a huge building, and the owner wisely divided the space, half of which is currently occupied by a day care center, the presence of which held up Siena’s liquor license, but not for long. “We worked for about six months before we finally got it,” recalls Lazuardi.
On Jan. 15, typically a slow month for the restaurant business, Siena opened its doors. “There was such a big crowd on opening night that people were waiting in a long line outside,” Lazuardi says. Since then Siena has been packing them in. As an example, on one dreary, snowy Wednesday afternoon, the parking lot was full and just about every table inside held lunch diners.
Siena is named after a city near Florence, a no-brainer indication that the food carries an Italian influence, but that’s about all. “Someone from Siena, Italy, looking for an authentic Italian meal here wouldn’t recognize my menu,” says the chef with a chuckle. The successful entrepreneur did his homework before committing himself to the space and learned that locals come from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds. “They like Italian food that is familiar and not too fancy—hence, Italian-American,” Lazuardi says. “For instance, I won’t put broccoli rabe on the menu, just broccoli.”
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t put his own stamp on dishes. Antipasti, or appetizers, on the dinner menu include the cold antipasto sampler, which has assorted cold cuts and cheeses, grilled vegetables and chilled shrimp. Another example is the hot antipasto sampler, usually a shellfish mixture, with peppers and eggplant simmered in a broth. Here Siena opts for a combination of stuffed clams, fried calamari, fried mozzarella and eggplant rollatini masked in a light marinara sauce, for $14.
Spicy chicken strudel, a stew with potatoes, peas and aioli, is a far cry from Tuscany, but worth a try for a mere $6. A portabella mushroom, stuffed with shrimp, clams, calamari and crab, with cheese and garlic cream, for $9, could be a meal. Eggplant rollatini, eggplant rolled around ricotta cheese and topped with tomato sauce, is close to a classic Italian dish, for $6. Crab manicotti with Alfredo sauce and green onions sounds like a winner for $9.
Chicken pastina soup, a favorite no matter your ethnic background, runs $3 per cup or $4 for a bowl. There is also a daily soup, inspired by whatever is market fresh. A house salad is $4, and Caesar is $6 (add $3 for grilled chicken). A chef salad with the works is $8 and a salad of spinach, mandarin oranges, Virginia ham and cashews combined with shrimp is $9.
Kids can order a cheeseburger and fries, spaghetti and meatball with tomato sauce or butter, macaroni and cheese, or chicken fingers and fries for $5 per item.
There are three pizza choices (running $9 to $12), a seven-layer lasagna ($13), linguini with clam sauce ($12), spaghetti with meatballs or sausage ($11), or baked ziti (with meat, $12; vegetarian, $10). L
