Steininger’s

The service was awesome! Fresh salad for me and my hubby enjoyed a Indian inspired chicken. The chocolate was delish!

If you look up «quaint» in the dictionary, you’ll probably find a picture of the interior of Steininger’s. I don’t believe it’s changed much since my first visit here some 15 years ago — same wall and floor décor. The draws here are their confections, their breads, and their homemade soups. I’ve had some problems with service being a bit inconsistent (such as today’s visit), but the quality of the food here will keep me coming back.
Today 2 of us came in for lunch, and we each ordered the soup-​and-​half-​a-​sandwich deal. The soups change daily and are given to you hand-​written on a piece of scrap paper. Today they got our order only 50% right. My soup, a broccoli, spinach, leek soup was delicious, with a rich stock. The other soup was a bowl of something not ordered, but we kept it anyway. It was also delicious, just not what we ordered. For the half-​sandwich, it was my turn. I ordered a turkey sandwich — there are 2 of them on the menu, and the waitress even double checked to make sure she put in the right one. I ordered the one on whole wheat bread, but I got the other one, which came out on a flaky croissant. Again, it was delicious, just not what I ordered.
I wasn’t going to order dessert, but I tried to succumb when I saw that besides their homemade confections, they also serve chocolate cheesecake made by the nuns at New Skete, topped with their own homemade raspberry sauce. Yet another disappointment, they were out of it.
So today’s overall visit was not up to par, though the food (even if they didn’t get it quite right), was.

Great small town café to grab a bite to eat in. A tad on the pricier end but the deserts are well worth it. The menu offerings did seem. Tad random but everyone in the party enjoyed their meal and it provided for a good selection.

I was originally impressed with the very nice chocolates available here, and the foods available on the menu, however when I received my plate, I felt ripped off. My order of liverwurst sandwich literally included a slice of liverwurst, and a slice of onion between two pieces of bread on a plate. Thats it. The sandwich was nice, in a minimalist way, but my order could have used at least a pickle slice or ANYTHING else to make me feel less ripped off.

I was in town and thought I’d stop in and check the place out. I have never had a colder greeting at a place. The woman basically asked what I was doing there and glared at me while I examined the small selection of chocolates in the case. I was not offered a menu or a seat and was made to feel very uncomfortable so I left. I won’t be back.

Stopped in once more for the chicken salad on a croissant and a Happy Monk. Best spot for lunch for miles around!

Had a great, fresh lunch on our way to a hike. The staff was friendly, the prices were modest, and the food was delicious. We had a roast turkey on rye and a tarragon apple turkey sandwich on croissant. They were both delicious and the bread was fresh baked. We finished with a seasonal pumpkin sundae which was also great. We didn’t try the soup because I originally planned to take out, but will come back next time to try!

Steininger’s is a wonderful place. The owner/​chef really cares about what he makes and serves. Fresh ingredients, great flavor, and care are found in every dish. The daily soup/​sandwich specials are great. We have ordered soup to go after sampling ours at lunch. Mr. Steininger is a European trained chocolatier. The selections in the display are sumptuous. Take some home. We don’t get to Salem often, but when we do we try hard to make time to stop.

Tucked on the sleepy Main Street of a Revolutionary War-​era upstate New York town, Steininger’s is a quaint and genteel stop for a friendly, home-​cooked meal.
The real prize on the menu is the array of homemade soups, featuring satisfying, comfort-​producing combinations like cream of potato and turnip and white bean and barley. I’ve tried no fewer than 10 soups at Steininger’s over the decade or so that I’ve been going, usually once or twice each time good fortune brings me to my favorite corner of New York State.
My latest visit also featured a spectacular, interesting and geographically incongruous salad, labeled the «Dixie Chicken.» Though I fortunately didn’t spot any rebel flags in the area, I counted no less than ten different ingredients, including blueberries, grapes, cranberries, roasted pecans, tomatoes, mixed greens, celery, radishes, a deliciously seasoned and grilled chicken breast… and a lovely, edible purple peony. The Maple Mustard dressing brought it all together for a fantastic and unabashedly healthy meal.
No trip to Steininger’s would be complete without a sample of their fine homemade chocolates, which are lined up in a tempting formation at the front of the dining room.