“Jack Palmer was a trumpet player with the big bands of the 30s and 40s. I knew Jack all my life. In fact, he lived across the street from our house in Rome when he started playing with Harry James’ Band at Russell’s and, after they closed, he brought the band members to the restaurant. With them was a young vocalist named Frank Sinatra. Yes, Sinatra…at Sylvan Beach.

Frank was a skinny kid then, just starting out. He was an unknown, traveling with Harry James, trying to make a name for himself. I’ll never forget him, though. While the rest of the band came in and ate, Sinatra sat on the old wooden curb, our railroad tie curb, just looking at traffic along Main Street. Times had to be tough for him. I could have invited him to eat with the rest of us, but the idea never occurred to me.

Every once in a while Frank wandered in, bought a nickel candy bar, and went back to the curb. Finally he walked up to me, pointed to the curb, and asked, ‘Why do you guys use railroad ties for curbs in this town?’ He had a big smile on his face. We shared a good laugh. Then I decided to make him feel better. I asked him for his autograph, I couldn’t find a piece of paper, so I took a Dentyne Gum Poster off the wall. The poster had a big picture of Roy Rogers riding his horse, Trigger. Frank signed his name in big letters-right across Tigger’s rear! The two of us had another good laugh.”

- Eddie Sr. 

“We met all the big band musicians. Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Paul Whiteman, Cab Calloway, Lou Prima. All the big names. Dagmar, Desi Arnaz, and Nat “King” Cole. They’d walk around the Beach during the day and stop here, get a coke or ice cream, relax in our screened dining area. After playing at Russell’s they’d come back for coffee, dinner, sometimes just to talk into the morning hours.”

“Lou Prima was funny. He came into our kitchen and put his arms around Fifi. He sang ‘Angelina, My Angelina’ to her. Fifi shook her head and corrected him. She said, ‘My name is Florence, not Angelina.’ He just laughed. Then he saw a big round bread and asked for it. We gave it to him. He dipped it into our sauce, took a bite, and said, ‘Wonderful.’ He asked if he could cook his own spaghetti! We were happy to let him do it. He sang the entire time that he cooked.”

- Eddie Sr.

"When we expanded after the war, our business grew. The minute we fixed up our place, the people came. A big break was the hot ham sandwich. I ran out of hot dogs one day. Imagine-running out of hot dogs at Sylvan Beach! I had some capicola, Italian hot ham, in the cooler. I heated it on the grill, got it sizzling hot, put it on a bun and offered it as an alternative. The people loved it! They ordered more-and more. I reheated the capicola and it got hotter-the more you do this the hotter it gets. The people didn’t care. They wanted hot ham sandwiches. That sandwiches popularity took off beyond my wildest dreams!"

- Eddie Sr.

“The Original Hot Ham” is still a favorite and staple at Eddie’s. If you haven’t already, stop in and taste the legendary sandwich that still drives in folks from near and far.

“Russell’s was still open in the early 1950s when my son Eddie Jr. was a little kid. He liked to sneak over there and get the performers’ autographs. One night he came running back into the restaurant and yelled to me, ‘Hey Dad, I brought the singers back from Russell’s!’ In came the ‘Ink Spots,’ a pretty famous group. Eddie ran behind the counter, grabbed a handful of cigars, and gave one to each singer. We gladly fed them-they were nice guys. They appreciated our generosity and, in return, they stood in the middle of our dining room and sang a few numbers. Then they walked around the room and sang as they walked. A funny thing happened after they left. Several people came up to me afterwards and asked if I was going to be hiring entertainers on a regular basis! I had to laugh.”

- Eddie Sr.

“Liza Minnelli made a movie called ‘The Sterile Cuckoo,’ back in 1968 and they shot scenes in Union Chapel and Oudin’s Court (now called Sunset Cottages). She came by several times while she was here, but she wasn’t overly friendly. The movie company hired Eddie Jr. as Liza’s chauffeur and one of his duties was teaching her how to drive a Volkswagen. She had never driven a standard shift car. She made Eddie nervous and he advised her to pay more attention to the road. Guess what? He got fired for saying that!”

- Eddie Sr.

The newly remodeled restaurant features indoor seating and outdoor full-service patio dining, lunch, dinner and drinks. Grab a bite and listen to live entertainment or enjoy one of our seafood entrees as you watch a spectacular sunset over the Lake! Harpoon Eddie’s also offers catering and take-out, perfect for large gatherings or small get-together.

“The largest celebrity that walked through our doors was ex-heavyweight champ George Foreman. He was being inducted into the boxing hall of fame in Canastota and came down with his whole crew for dinner. Lord, he was big! My son’s big. My grandson Rick lifts weights and he’s even bigger. George was larger than the two of them combined!

We took him into the kitchen to see how we make sauce. He looked at our sauce, kept looking, looking. He saw all the big chunks of beef and pork in it and said, ‘Eddie, what I could do with a loaf of Italian bread!’ I told him to take a loaf off the rack and help himself. He said, ‘No I can’t do that because when I go back into the dining room, I want another piece of pie.’ That man was one tremendous eater.”

- Eddie Sr.

September 2011
Volume 21, Number 8

Day 4, Tuesday, June 7th, departed St. Johnsville Marina after saying goodbye to Dock Master and new friends… another retired NYPD Detective … leading the good life… boating & fishing every day on the Erie Canal during the summer, wintering in Florida! Where did I go wrong??? We reached our planned destination the mid-point of our nine-day trip, Sylvan Beach on Oneida Lake, at 1830 hours. We would spend the next day Wednesday, June 8th, at Mariner’s Landing Marina relax at the beach before returning home. I have difficulty walking long distances as the result of abdominal aneurysm surgery 7 years ago. Bob also has difficulty walking due to bad knees from years of construction work. Manny can walk like he’s training for the NYC Marathon! Understandably, Bob and I prefer to ride!

One drawback we quickly discovered at Sylvan Beach no taxi’s… no buses… no bike rentals no car rentals! Hoof it or stay! So we hobbled about a mile… felt like 10 to Eddie’s Restaurant on Main Street. Bob and I were hurting puppies! Manny… not even short of breath! Tuesday night at Sylvan Beach is bike night! About 500 motorcycles lined the curb in front of Eddie’s! To our surprise and delight… Eddie’s had plenty of tables available for locals, bikers, and 3 old boaters! We swash buckled in and took in a table. We could have used tattoos and bandanas! The best we could do was shorts and boat shoes! No one really seemed to notice! No pizza tonight! Hot food, coffee, various desserts, great friendly service with a family atmosphere. We had a very cute female admirer giving us the eye! Every now and then she would come by our table to speak to us! I’d guess she was about 5 years old! A beautiful little girl who did her best to make us feel welcome. After dinner, I limped to a park bench nearby, Bob… a Biker… went to checkout Harley T-shirts at an outdoor table… Manny went into a deli to buy Cheerios for breakfast! Must be the breakfast of long distance runners! While shopping, a beautiful and elegant lady approached Manny in the store to advise that we were observed in Eddies during dinner, and the little girl who befriended us was her Granddaughter. This lady introduced herself as Mrs. Leslie Stewart, a 3rd generation family owner of Eddie’s, and Harpoon Eddie’s, a restaurant and bar on the Beach, and the Laundromat. Being a “Launderer” myself… there was an instant connection! Her husband is the Mayor of Sylvan Beach, her son, the manager of Harpoon Eddie’s, and the Sylvan Beach Fire Chief! Talk about influential people! Manny mentioned Bob and my difficulty walking, Leslie stated she would be happy to drive us back to the Marina. Her act of kindness and compassion on three poor souls was most gratefully accepted! Little did she know, nor did we, that we would have the opportunity to give her public honorable mention in the Boating on Hudson magazine for her act of friendship. We visited Harpoon Eddie’s Restaurant & Bar for lunch on Wednesday afternoon and had such a wonderful time… we returned for dinner. The food service was outstanding… we experienced vibes that without a doubt… Lady Leslie had a hand in all of this! Sylvan Beach is on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake with a perfect mile-long white sand beach, has breathtaking sunsets, a fish idled lake, an old-fashioned amusement park, and lakeside dining establishments like Harpoon Eddie’s and beach side cottages. Sylvan Beach was once known as the playground of Central New York and hosted many famous entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellignton. All of this a few steps from the Erie Canal. Much of the businesses in the area, including the Mariner’s Landing Marina, are owned/operated by the Oneida Native American Indians, people who can rightfully proudly claim “Made in the USA”! They have done much to improve the area financially with the creation of thousands of jobs and their generosity of local organizations.  

Feb 5, 2013
-Article by Charles Passy

The classic diner can be a study in Art Deco design and feature such familiar elements as counter seating and an open kitchen. But in recent years, such styling can be seen in many eateries constructed anew as part of hat might be dubbed the retro diner craze. Just think about the Johnny Rockets chain, which touts its “timeless and fun environment” or the poised-for-expansion 5 & Diner chain, which goes by the motto, “Food, Fun, Fifties.” For the matter, consider the Southwest Diner in St. Louis: Co-owner Jonathan Jones fitted the eatery out with secondhand chrome fixtures and says customers “think we’ve been here a long time, when we’ve been only open seven months.”

But that kind of thinking doesn’t always please diner purists. The newer “old” restaurants “don’t have the nostalgia and the feel of stepping back a bit,” says Leslie Stewart, whose family has run Eddie’s Restaurant, a diner in the resort community if Sylvan Beach, N.Y., since its opening in 1934.

Operators of retro diners content that they’re simply trying to honor the past. “It’s a tribute,” says Johnny Rockets spokeswoman Cozette Phifer Koerber of the chain’s approach. (Koerber also noted that’s some newer Johnny Rockets have a more contemporary theme.) On top of that, operators say the classic look is more practical. At Southwest Diner, those secondhand fixtures not only cost less, they’re also easier to clean, says co-owner Anna Sidel.

Finally, as Bob Watson, founder of the 5 & Diner chain, explains, a classic diner may be a sight to behold, but the restaurants sometimes lack the appointments and amenities – think wider booths – that today’s patrons appreciate. A retro diner becomes an effective way to continue the tradition, he argues. “We’re rebuilding America one milkshake at a time,” he says.