Binghamton Take Out: Theo’s, Cosmo’s and Escape State Street

In response to a comment by "Exposing Cinguliar"…

“Sometimes I just want to stop by somewhere and get takeout so I don't have to cook when I get home. But everything I have tried has been, well, horrible. This is my first year in Binghamton and I learned early that the food is not great, so I don't eat out too much, but the only food I have found to be worth returning to is China Lake and Lost Dog, neither of which are take out type places. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

To be honest, I have had the same dilemma many times in Bingo. There are not too many choices for takeout in Binghamton, especially if you are looking for healthy food. But when I think of take out, I think of Theo’s for some reason. Maybe it’s because they are now located in a gas station, making the atmosphere less than desirable for a sit down meal. Theo’s was originally located under the arch on Main Street between Binghamton and Johnson City. For some reason they moved last year but they are still churning out some pretty good southern style food (The original Theo was from Georgia). I have eaten a number of their dishes when they were in their old location with mixed feeling about the food. Now I strictly go there for two things: wings and cornbread.

The wings are much different than your standard deep fried chicken pieces tossed in franks red hot. Theo’s wet batters their wings giving them a thicker, richer and all around crunchier crust. Plus, I would argue that the batter holds moisture in better when submerged under 350º oil. They then toss them in a homemade sauce of your choice, I prefer their ‘sweet and sassy’ sauce but sometimes I opt for the spicier version.

The cornbread is out of this world. It is by far the most buttery moist cornbread that I have ever had. Honestly, it’s better than cornbread that I have had when traveling through the south. You have to try it. They sell it by the piece or by the tray (if you’re having a party). Whenever I have people over for some pulled pork or homemade ribs I buy a tray of Theo’s cornbread because it is that unbelievable. Plus people always rave about it after one bite.

I would skip their ribs, pork products and sides though. They obviously don’t have a smoker anymore so anything they cook is oven roasted, which just doesn’t cut it for me when I think authentic BBQ. But don’t let this stop you from trying their wings and cornbread!

Another decent place is Cosmos, which is located underneath the 201 overpass by the traffic circle. It’s a mom and pop Italian place with decent food and inexpensive prices. They also have pretty good wings and pizza. I wouldn’t say that they do anything the best, but Cosmos is consistent. If you order wings there, I recommend the garlic sauce. Their pizza is very thin, which is nice but sometimes goes limp when it approaches your mouth…. Overall the place is quite interesting; there are a number of odd sculptures on the restaurant property that I can’t even begin to describe, you simply have to see them. Cosmo’s also boasts its own Tiki bar and its own carry out section which is called… you guessed it…“Cosmo’s Carry Out!”

Finally, there is Escape State Street. They are located downtown, in the square off of Washington Street. They are open for breakfast, lunch and late night dining. Their panini’s are the thing to order when going there. Most of their items have clever names like, the Woppa and Russian Roulette. The nice thing about Escape is that they are the only place that I know of that is open late night. Being located downtown, they cater to the college crowd that goes to the bars or insomniacs like myself. Their prices are inexpensive, hovering around $6 and they deliver if you’re feeling lazy.

Theo's Southern Style Cuisine
53 Downs Avenue, Binghamton
607) 352-3201

Cosmos
445 Grand Avenue
Johnson City, NY 13790-2522
607) 770-0020


Escape
escapestatestreet.com
163 Washington St
Binghamton, NY 13901
607)723-1831

The Bagel Factory

I grew up eating bagels and bialys (bialys are the polish offspring of bagels which are not boiled before baked giving them a slightly denser dough). As a kid, bagels were the go to breakfast item behind bacon egg and cheese sandwiches. I started out as a picky brat eating plain bagels with butter. As time progressed I started exploring other bagels and cream cheese. Sesame, poppy and salt bagels all come to into my life during elementary school. I am not sure when I had my first everything bagel, but it has been my bagel of choice for some time now. Bagels are like coffee in the sense that everyone likes their bagels a particular way. Various levels of toasting, volume of cream cheese (along with type) and bagel density all play their respective parts in creating the ideal bagel.

Now onto the Bagel Factory… This place is located a few blocks from my apartment making it the ideal place to grab a bite when I am in a hurry. The décor is kind of bland but neat, but what do you expect?! It’s a bagel shop, I simply want a quality bagel and a good cup of coffee (which is increasingly hard to find). The Bagel Factory offers a tasty bagel that comes with a generous amount of cream cheese that always fills the bagel whole nicely. On the day which I took this photo, the bagel wasn’t as dark as it usually is but I have to say that this place is very consistent. They do a nice job in balancing the ratios of salt, poppy, sesame, and onion on their everything bagels. They have a plethora of flavored cream cheeses which I have never touched because I am kind of purist when it comes to classic food items. Overall, the bagel is pretty good.

The staff who works at the shop is always super friendly and polite but I do have one major complaint… To be blunt, their coffee sucks. It’s usually hot which is good and I am sure its brewed daily… but its sooooo weak I sometimes wonder if I am drinking coffee or hot water. I am not expecting some fancy organically grown, handpicked locally roasted coffee either…. I just want it to have some bitterness and punch when I take a sip. Once that coffee touches my lips my sensory glands should jump to life and my day should get started… They need to double their bean count on their brew or else maybe offer a supercharged bold French Roast for the picky people (like me). What is really sad about the coffee is that I continue to buy it after I have been disappointed so many times. Maybe next time I will grab an orange juice instead…

I have faith in this place. I think they will eventually get their coffee situation under control and continue to pump out quality bagels. So stop wasting your money at Dunkin Donuts (you will be disappointed) and head over to the Bagel Factory for breakfast.


Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. Give me more caffeine!
The Bagel Factory
9 Glenwood Ave
Binghamton, NY 13905
Phone: 607-770-9083

http://www.mybagelfactory.com