By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: In the 85th Diners and Dives series column, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore Syracuse.

“I already came up with the title for you,” Wildcard Mason Slabaugh joked as he greeted us. “Darts, Diners and Driving Ranges!” Mason is the Dart League coordinator at the South Shore Social at 10601 N SR 13 in Syracuse. “Really more of the organizer,” Mason modified.

Locals will remember the SSS building had been the South Shore Golf course, which closed in the fall of 2020 and stayed closed until co-owners Jeff Dyson and Nate Scherer invested in the property.

Score

“I’ll never forget how Mason became the Dart League coordinator.” Dyson told us about the beginning of the project which just opened to the public on Memorial Day 2024. “After we bought the property, I had no shortage of people telling me what I should or could do, but nobody actually wanted to do any of their ideas.”

Mason chuckled. “And then I said, ‘Hey, you have three dart boards. You should start a dart league.’ So here I am suddenly running a dart league.” Mason and Dyson are also throwing partners in the dart league. The next one begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8 with a $20 buy-in.

Swing

The South Shore Social is a large white building that long-time residents will remember suffered a disastrous fire in 1991. Dyson gave us a tour of the building which is well laid-out into various activity and dining areas. “Hang on,” I said. “I need to grab my notebook in case you say anything brilliant.”

Mason joked, “Oh yeah, Dyson’s been waiting for that his whole life!”

Dyson grinned as he guided us to the areas for hosting large parties, watching big-screen TVs, enjoying various sports simulators, gathering with friends at the bar, savoring dinner at a cozy table, or relaxing in a leather chair in the lounge. “I want to get some outdoor spaces ready at some point too,” Co-owner Nathan Scherer told us.

Dyson told us, “South Shore wants to be known as the social place where you can hang out with friends and do things.”

“And eat,” Realtor Jeff Owens reminded him. “Don’t forget the food.” Diners and Dives hadn’t forgotten.

Savory

The nine of us gathered around a long table featuring a charcuterie board piled high with nibbles and met our waiter for the evening. I asked him if he minded me taking pictures of him.

“Sure!” Josh bantered. “But only on my good side.” Josh checked that none of us had food allergies or special requirements. He mentioned the specials, and the excellent homemade pizzas including a gluten-free option so good that some people order it just for the taste.

Wildcard Ashley Dillion of the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce pointed at her menu. “I always get my favorite thing here. The pizza is so good.” Dillon, Dyson, Scherer, and Slabaugh nodded in unison. Clearly, they support both each other and the local community.

“If someone wanted to know something about Syracuse and one of us couldn’t answer the question,” Ashley said. “I actually don’t know who else would know more!”

In addition to the pizzas, waiter Josh recommended the Italiano sandwich. “It’s perfect. The Texan is great but messy. Our soups are phenomenal. Mary makes them from scratch every day.”

Dyson recommended the steak salad with arugula, almonds, cranberries, blue cheese, and a bacon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was loaded with real pieces of bacon.

Realtor Owens asked to be surprised by his order. “You’re great,” he told the waiter Josh who didn’t miss a beat responding.

“No,” Josh wrote something down. “You’re great.”

Smorgasbord

We nibbled on various meats, cheeses, nuts and fruits from the charcuterie board while listening to Dyson and Scherer tell their eventual dreams for the 112-acre property. They want to build a subdivision for family homes, apartments, boutique-style shopping, and even a garden for fresh farm-to-table food. Maybe, maybe, some pickleball courts.

“We need something to do in this town!” Dyson explained.

“Something for everybody,” added Scherer.

Realtor Owens asked some technical deep-dive realtor questions. “No need to write these down,” he told me.

Judge Tony Garza nodded. “Yeah, Jeff’s saying he won’t be interesting to your readers for once.”

Prominent 1st Source Banker Paul Finley joked. “Is that your final ruling, your honor?”

Thankfully, Josh rescued the conversation by bringing out Vicky Owen’s gorgeous bowl of chicken orzo soup and Slabaugh’s beef barley. The plates kept coming: a plate of sliders, a steak salad, seafood with red sauce and peppers. Realtor Jeff was pleased with Josh’s choice of a gooey Philly cheesesteak. We happily ate and ate and ate.

Sizzle

General Manager and Chef Rick Gibson joined the table and watched us enjoy our pizzas, sandwiches and salads with satisfaction. Rick plans the menus and makes sure everything gets where it needs to be. I asked him about his favorite thing to create. “The specials,” he answered immediately. “But I like making the prime rib too.”

Rick is from Chicago where he learned restaurants. He motioned towards Dyson and Scherer. “I love working with these guys. They listen to what I’m saying.” Rick has a passion for the potential of SSS. “We want to be very successful, and we’re getting there.”

Rick kept moving, making sure everything in the place was moving smoothly. He checked on us often, stopping to answer questions, and to straighten the centerpiece. He plans to add catering to the SSS’s offerings in the future.

Spice

As we savored the last of our dinners, Josh offered dessert. “Can I tempt you with gingerbread or buckeye cheesecake?” Several of us ordered slices of cheesecake to take home.

“What’s the Diners and Dives’ mission statement?” Mason asked as he folded his napkin. I hadn’t thought of our fun endeavor as being driven by a mission statement before.

I put down my fork and contemplated. “We regulars do this every week because we want to help local small businesses succeed. We want people to know about them and appreciate them.” Mason nodded.

Dyson was listening. “That’s it exactly. Here at South Shore Social, we want people to have a place where they can put down their cellphones and interact with people and enjoy themselves like you guys do every week in Diners and Dives.”

Spirits

Some of us stuck around after dinner to sink into the leather chairs in the corner of the Martini and Bourbon Lounge. As you walk in, you’ll notice a gorgeous woodgrain countertop.

“That was the tree between the 1st and the 9th fairways,” Dyson waved. “It fell in a big windstorm. We wanted to bring the history of the golf course inside.” Dyson grew up in a house ½ mile away from the old golf course. “I worked at the golf course. I watched the 1991 fire from my bike.” He and Scherer have deep ties to the property, and to Syracuse, and to their clientele.

“It’s cute!” Vicky Owens described the place.

Dyson looked around at the simulators, the happy people, and the general joy of the crowd. “Well, a guy might call it cool.”

Whether you call it cute or cool, South Shore Social has something to do and eat for every age and desire, so take a little drive north and ask Josh to find you something yummy on the menu.

Secrets — The SSS is closed on Tuesdays.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives? Send Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].