In Syracuse, more Southeast <b>Asian food</b> is coming to Carousel <b>...</b>

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Syracuse, NY -- Your options for Southeast Asian-style eats in Carousel Center’s food court are growing exponentially.

Scheduled to open today: China Master, filling a spot that’s long been empty — so long I’ve forgotten what was there. To locale has occasionally played host to a seasonal coat-and-package-check station.

China Master is next to Carousel News Stand and, well, two other Southeast Asian-style food stands, China Max and Japan Café Grill. Across the way is Cajun Café, which, some have said, is more Chinese than Cajun.

Whatever floats your wok, yes? What’s diff about China Master so far is the look. It has the new-signature Carousel food court touches — stone and brick demise columns — plus its own customized storefront. So generic, it’s not. (We’ll try to fill you in on how Carousel’s food court is getting some touches of its relative, Palisades Center, after a targeted visit soon).

If you’re more in the sit-down restaurant mood and still going for Asian-style food, here comes Koto Japanese Steakhouse. Talk about your customized build-out. It’s all hidden now, but inside is wow. It’s scheduled to open in early March, perhaps the week of March 7, says Rob Schoeneck, Carousel Center mall’s manager.

Express checkout

Also at Carousel Center mall: the new Francesca’s Collection, which opens Saturday, but I’d hazard a stroll over there today just in case.. You’ll find Francesca’s on the mall’s second level, between J.C. Penney and the Center Atrium.

The unique Houston-based retailer has one other store in New York state, in Victor, near Rochester. Francesca’s Collection prides itself on what it calls “fashion-forward styles” of women’s clothing, accessories and gifts, and the stores aren’t cookie-cutter. This one won’t look the same as Rochester’s.

And you’re now seeing the storefront of Carousel’s coming White House Black Market, another upscale women’s clothing boutique. Scheduled opening: Thursday, as in next week, but I’m thinking soft opening before that day.Speaking of Rochester, that’s where you’ll have to go to get in touch with Body Shop soon. The last Onondaga County Body Shop is closing soon in, well, ShoppingTown Mall. Carousel’s bailed a while back.I know you like some SuperCuts in the Fairmount area. Customers are being told it’s moving across West Genesee Street into Fairmount Fair’s flashy newish outparcel.Speaking of which, the newest additions to FF, Dress Barn and Famous Footwear are hovering. This may make the reclaimed shopping center at or pretty darn close to capacity. Great comeback story via Benderson Development.Our friends from Canada, the Tim Hortons cafes, are doing random acts of coffee — through Sunday. Some folks are being handed packets of Hortons’ mouture fine — Canadese for “fine grind” — packets of coffee. Timmies calls them a Random Act of Kindness, and encourage receivers to brew up a batch and share it with a friend. Friend me.

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