Do yourself a favor and go here.
David is the best waiter I've ever had anywhere, anytime. He treats his job as a craft. There's not much more to say, really.
Well, okay.. there is... the food is simply outstanding. Start with the steamed leek and shrimp dumplings and go from there. Feel free to ask about the variety of dishes they serve. David will break it all down and help you find something you'll love. You will not walk away disappointed.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Henrietta)
Well, we wanted to take my Mom out for lunch yesterday and were planning on going to Joe's Brooklyn but the place was full (and, besides, there was a lack of comfortable seating for 4 people) so we gave Five Guys a try.
Now, 3 of the 4 in our group had been to Five Guys before, together, right after it opened. Our joint impression the first time was that the fries were awesome but the burgers weren't anything to write home about. Five Guys just seemed like a chain version of Rochester's local burger joints (Bill Gray's, Tom Wahl's, etc.).
This time, however, was different. Very different. The burger was nearly out-of-this-world good. It's no Wahlburger, mind you, but it was just as tasty. The burger was juicy with a slightly crisp exterior. The cheese was melted and slightly gooey. The veggies were crisp and thick. The toppings all fit nicely on the burger and didn't shlop out of the sides while I was in the process of eating it. It was a good looking burger. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite and wished there were a few more. The only quibble I can muster is that the bottom bun was slick with grease and kind of soggy. Fortunately, the burger didn't last long enough for the bun to start turning into mush.
The fries (the highlight of our first visit) were a massive disappointment this time. On top of barely being fully cooked (they weren't crisp at all) they just dump them everywhere, all over your food. I mean, if you're going to make a big deal out of your fries, make them awesome. And make sure that each time you make them, whoever makes them, they are perfect. I don't think anyone outside of my Dad likes soggy, barely cooked fries. Typically, they are supposed to be crisp on the outside. We ended up tossing 80% of the potatoes we were given. Given that I wiped out my burger so quickly, I was left munching (slurping?) fries for the remainder of the meal while the rest of the group finished. It was a sad way to end what started so well.
At this point, I could go into the whole local vs. national chain argument here but I won't. Instead, I'll just say that the burger I had today will make me rethink hitting up Bill Gray's when I'm in that specific area of Henrietta. I don't think I'm going to go out of my way for Five Guys each time I want a burger, though. I still think our local folks do burger joints a lot better.
Now, 3 of the 4 in our group had been to Five Guys before, together, right after it opened. Our joint impression the first time was that the fries were awesome but the burgers weren't anything to write home about. Five Guys just seemed like a chain version of Rochester's local burger joints (Bill Gray's, Tom Wahl's, etc.).
This time, however, was different. Very different. The burger was nearly out-of-this-world good. It's no Wahlburger, mind you, but it was just as tasty. The burger was juicy with a slightly crisp exterior. The cheese was melted and slightly gooey. The veggies were crisp and thick. The toppings all fit nicely on the burger and didn't shlop out of the sides while I was in the process of eating it. It was a good looking burger. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite and wished there were a few more. The only quibble I can muster is that the bottom bun was slick with grease and kind of soggy. Fortunately, the burger didn't last long enough for the bun to start turning into mush.
The fries (the highlight of our first visit) were a massive disappointment this time. On top of barely being fully cooked (they weren't crisp at all) they just dump them everywhere, all over your food. I mean, if you're going to make a big deal out of your fries, make them awesome. And make sure that each time you make them, whoever makes them, they are perfect. I don't think anyone outside of my Dad likes soggy, barely cooked fries. Typically, they are supposed to be crisp on the outside. We ended up tossing 80% of the potatoes we were given. Given that I wiped out my burger so quickly, I was left munching (slurping?) fries for the remainder of the meal while the rest of the group finished. It was a sad way to end what started so well.
At this point, I could go into the whole local vs. national chain argument here but I won't. Instead, I'll just say that the burger I had today will make me rethink hitting up Bill Gray's when I'm in that specific area of Henrietta. I don't think I'm going to go out of my way for Five Guys each time I want a burger, though. I still think our local folks do burger joints a lot better.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Going off of popular opinion, my life wasn't worth living until I experienced Chipotle Mexican Grill. I don't know how many people have told me that Chipotle is the best restaurant they have ever been to. I know one person who would drive to Cleveland to go to Chipotle. And each time the past few months when my wife and I have tried to go, the line was out the door and we left. You would think that Jesus was rolling the burritos in there.
So tonight on our way to get Terminator: Salvation (yes, I even liked T3) we saw Chipotle without a line out the door and decided to give it a shot.
Upon entering I looked for Jesus but all I saw were pissed off college/high school students manning a grubby, gooey, lettuce-covered countertop. Distraught at the lack of Jesus this particular night, I still needed to try this food. I placed my order: carnitas burrito-style and the guacamole and chips.
Chipotle employs an assembly line to create each meal. The first person took my order and removed my burrito shell from a plastic bag (local plastic, I'm sure) and put in the steamer. Upon completion, she handed it to the next mumbling employee who looked at me and waited for me to say something while he stood in front of ingredients. Hey, I don't know the procedure here so I waited for him.. Sure, I'll have the medium sauce, the corn and the sour cream. The next person was too busy talking to someone behind her so my mumbling pal stepped into her assembly space. Sure, I'll have guac.. wait, what's that? Oh, now the girl that was talking will help me.. oh and it's $1.85 for guac on my burrito? I'll pass. Just give me the cheese and lettuce. Upon completion of my burrito, said mumbler put them at the end of the line. Confused (the reach for the burrito was too far for comfort), we walked down to pay. Our burritos still sat at the end of the assembly line, gathering lettuce bits and smears of goop. The cashier then went and grabbed them and put them into plastic trays and handed us a paper bag about 1/10th full with chips.
Needless to say, this wasn't a good start for Chipotle.
So we sat down and I filled up my cup with Mr. Pibb Xtra. First bite.. not too shabby. The sweet corn was a nice addition. The pork was moist and tasty. The rice was tasty but with maybe a little more cilantro than I would have used. The ingredients were not uniform with each bite. Some bites were all pork and some were all lettuce and beans. In any case, I ended up eating the whole thing. I felt free to stand up and get a refill of Mr. Pibb because the burrito hadn't been so good I wanted to fornicate with it. I down some more Mr. Pibb and hit up the chips and guac. Meh. Chips with a mild hint of lime and overseasoned guac. We make better stuff at home, I thought. A couple more chips and we left. There was a long line beginning to form.
I left confused at the popularity of Chipotle because I have had their exact same burrito at several other places. In fact, Sol Burrito (on Monroe) makes a better stomach-sized burrito than Chipotle, in my opinion. Maybe Jesus was still in HTML class at RIT or something.. I don't know. I just know that I won't be waiting in any lines for Chipotle in the future and I won't go around raving about how good the company is. Chipotle is a burrito place like Moe's is a burrito place. There is no difference between the two, in my mind.
Time for Salvation!
So tonight on our way to get Terminator: Salvation (yes, I even liked T3) we saw Chipotle without a line out the door and decided to give it a shot.
Upon entering I looked for Jesus but all I saw were pissed off college/high school students manning a grubby, gooey, lettuce-covered countertop. Distraught at the lack of Jesus this particular night, I still needed to try this food. I placed my order: carnitas burrito-style and the guacamole and chips.
Chipotle employs an assembly line to create each meal. The first person took my order and removed my burrito shell from a plastic bag (local plastic, I'm sure) and put in the steamer. Upon completion, she handed it to the next mumbling employee who looked at me and waited for me to say something while he stood in front of ingredients. Hey, I don't know the procedure here so I waited for him.. Sure, I'll have the medium sauce, the corn and the sour cream. The next person was too busy talking to someone behind her so my mumbling pal stepped into her assembly space. Sure, I'll have guac.. wait, what's that? Oh, now the girl that was talking will help me.. oh and it's $1.85 for guac on my burrito? I'll pass. Just give me the cheese and lettuce. Upon completion of my burrito, said mumbler put them at the end of the line. Confused (the reach for the burrito was too far for comfort), we walked down to pay. Our burritos still sat at the end of the assembly line, gathering lettuce bits and smears of goop. The cashier then went and grabbed them and put them into plastic trays and handed us a paper bag about 1/10th full with chips.
Needless to say, this wasn't a good start for Chipotle.
So we sat down and I filled up my cup with Mr. Pibb Xtra. First bite.. not too shabby. The sweet corn was a nice addition. The pork was moist and tasty. The rice was tasty but with maybe a little more cilantro than I would have used. The ingredients were not uniform with each bite. Some bites were all pork and some were all lettuce and beans. In any case, I ended up eating the whole thing. I felt free to stand up and get a refill of Mr. Pibb because the burrito hadn't been so good I wanted to fornicate with it. I down some more Mr. Pibb and hit up the chips and guac. Meh. Chips with a mild hint of lime and overseasoned guac. We make better stuff at home, I thought. A couple more chips and we left. There was a long line beginning to form.
I left confused at the popularity of Chipotle because I have had their exact same burrito at several other places. In fact, Sol Burrito (on Monroe) makes a better stomach-sized burrito than Chipotle, in my opinion. Maybe Jesus was still in HTML class at RIT or something.. I don't know. I just know that I won't be waiting in any lines for Chipotle in the future and I won't go around raving about how good the company is. Chipotle is a burrito place like Moe's is a burrito place. There is no difference between the two, in my mind.
Time for Salvation!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Charlie's - Garbage Plate Edition
If you're ever up for a spirited debate ask a Rochestarian who makes the best garbage plate. Given that most every locally-owned restaurant offers some version of one there is most likely a garbage plate to suit everyone's different tastes.
Ever since my first garbage plate at the Charlie's in Canandaigua I've had a soft spot for the version Charlie's puts out. The Webster locale had never disappointed until very recently. You see the hot sauce they used to use added mostly flavor and a small dose of heat. To me, this is how the sauce should be made: flavorful with a dash of heat to justify the "hot sauce" moniker.
Today, the hot sauce spice overpowers everything else on the plate. The complex mix up of flavors on the plate is thus destroyed and the inevitable stomach ache from downing a whole plate is pushed to the brink of nauseating.
I don't know what prompted Charlie's to up the heat but I wish they would have quit while I still considered it delicious. At this point, I'll be avoiding the hot sauce at Charlie's and sticking to the rest of their menu (which has yet to ever disappoint).
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Anchor Bar
Having lived in Buffalo for two years and becoming acquainted with the Original Anchor Bar, I was hopeful that the food and the environment at the original Buffalo establishment would transfer to the new Rochester restaurant. I have been highly disappointed during each of my two visits to the Anchor Bar in Rochester. My first visit was during its first week in business, so I let my harsh opinions slide. I told myself that I would give this place the benefit of the doubt since the managers, cooks, and waitstaff were surely trying to find their groove while working the kinks out. After a month or two, I decided to revisit to see if this place had improved at all. Unfortunately, I just got more of the same. Here are some of my cold-hearted observations:
1. During its first week, the Anchor Bar offered a full menu on paper only. The chicken wings were the only items available. And, we weren't made aware of this until we were finally seated and ready to order. I do not agree with this strategy because it plays a trick on the patrons. I feel that restaurant owners should keep their doors closed until their full menu is available. First impressions are everything. And, I have a feeling that the first impression of the Rochester Anchor Bar was rather bleak for many people.
2. The Rochester Anchor Bar has a reputation to uphold, considering the original chicken wing was invented under the same name. Those of us familiar with the Buffalo Anchor Bar are greatly saddened because the Rochester bar is not doing the original wing any justice. In fact, the wings at the Rochester Anchor Bar are some of the worst I have ever had. It is because whether you order your wings mild, medium, or hot, they all taste the same. They all taste tasteless! We ordered hot chicken wings last night, and they were completely unsauced.
3. The Anchor Bar was not busy with hungry eaters during the second visit. Most patrons were there celebrating Halloween at the bar. So, when our waitress told us that our food would be awhile because the kitchen was backed up, I once again felt tricked. Supposedly, the management sent many of the kitchen staff home early on this particular Halloween night. Makes perfect sense, right? Wrong! It's not like we ordered a table full of filet mignons with twelve sides. We ordered a basket of eight wings, a combination platter of fried whatevers, and another basket of fried shrimp. Something makes me think that there is something going seriously wrong behind the scenes in the Anchor Bar kitchen. They really need to step it up one of these days.
The second visit was my last visit to the Rochester Anchor Bar. I will gladly drive an hour to the original Anchor Bar any day of the week to get my fill of some quality chicken wings. The Buffalo Anchor Bar is not flashy, but it has substance. In my humble opinion, the Rochester Anchor Bar has it backwards. The flash won't last.
1. During its first week, the Anchor Bar offered a full menu on paper only. The chicken wings were the only items available. And, we weren't made aware of this until we were finally seated and ready to order. I do not agree with this strategy because it plays a trick on the patrons. I feel that restaurant owners should keep their doors closed until their full menu is available. First impressions are everything. And, I have a feeling that the first impression of the Rochester Anchor Bar was rather bleak for many people.
2. The Rochester Anchor Bar has a reputation to uphold, considering the original chicken wing was invented under the same name. Those of us familiar with the Buffalo Anchor Bar are greatly saddened because the Rochester bar is not doing the original wing any justice. In fact, the wings at the Rochester Anchor Bar are some of the worst I have ever had. It is because whether you order your wings mild, medium, or hot, they all taste the same. They all taste tasteless! We ordered hot chicken wings last night, and they were completely unsauced.
3. The Anchor Bar was not busy with hungry eaters during the second visit. Most patrons were there celebrating Halloween at the bar. So, when our waitress told us that our food would be awhile because the kitchen was backed up, I once again felt tricked. Supposedly, the management sent many of the kitchen staff home early on this particular Halloween night. Makes perfect sense, right? Wrong! It's not like we ordered a table full of filet mignons with twelve sides. We ordered a basket of eight wings, a combination platter of fried whatevers, and another basket of fried shrimp. Something makes me think that there is something going seriously wrong behind the scenes in the Anchor Bar kitchen. They really need to step it up one of these days.
The second visit was my last visit to the Rochester Anchor Bar. I will gladly drive an hour to the original Anchor Bar any day of the week to get my fill of some quality chicken wings. The Buffalo Anchor Bar is not flashy, but it has substance. In my humble opinion, the Rochester Anchor Bar has it backwards. The flash won't last.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Joe's Brooklyn Pizza
Cut from the same mold as Pizza Stop (the respective owners of both shops are relatives), Joe's Brooklyn Pizza whips a spicier variation of the perfection Pizza Stop delivers. I can't say enough about Joe's Brooklyn... the pizza is just plain delicious.
Last night, the wife and I ordered up a pie (Grandpa's to be exact) and after one bite, we both agreed: These guys are doing something very right. In all honesty, this isn't the first time we've eaten there. We started going here as soon as it opened because I knew the guy running it was of the Pizza Stop cloth. So we knew what we were getting. Still, though, we were taken aback by the pizza. Even Joe was proud of it (as he opened the box and gawked at it along with me upon pickup). The guy simply cares about what he puts out the door. Name me another Rochester pizza staple that does that.
Getting technical: The sauce is spicy with a sweet finish and the toppings are fresh and top of the line. Veggies are crisp and the cheese isn't too thick. The pizza is a testament to proper proportioning. You'll eat one more slice than you should have.
If you're in Henrietta and you're hungry, do yourself a favor and stop by. You're guaranteed the real deal.
Last night, the wife and I ordered up a pie (Grandpa's to be exact) and after one bite, we both agreed: These guys are doing something very right. In all honesty, this isn't the first time we've eaten there. We started going here as soon as it opened because I knew the guy running it was of the Pizza Stop cloth. So we knew what we were getting. Still, though, we were taken aback by the pizza. Even Joe was proud of it (as he opened the box and gawked at it along with me upon pickup). The guy simply cares about what he puts out the door. Name me another Rochester pizza staple that does that.
Getting technical: The sauce is spicy with a sweet finish and the toppings are fresh and top of the line. Veggies are crisp and the cheese isn't too thick. The pizza is a testament to proper proportioning. You'll eat one more slice than you should have.
If you're in Henrietta and you're hungry, do yourself a favor and stop by. You're guaranteed the real deal.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Juan & Maria's Empanada Stop
I wish I would have brought my camera to the Market with me today because we hit up Juan & Maria's Empanada Stop for breakfast. I had two Breakfast Empanadas and the Missus had a Veggie and a Cheese. (For the uninitiated, an empanada is basically deep fried dough filled with an assortment of meats, veggies and cheeses.. Think of a giant, deep fried perogie with meat instead of potatoes and you're getting close.)
We snagged the Spanish Mayonnaise and proceeded to not speak for the 10 minutes it took us to inhale our empanadas. I even made out with a sweet sticker:
We snagged the Spanish Mayonnaise and proceeded to not speak for the 10 minutes it took us to inhale our empanadas. I even made out with a sweet sticker:
I can't really say what I like best about Juan & Maria's.. The food or the street-vendor-in-a-foreign-land vibe I get from it. I guess it's the marriage of both. The hustle-and-bustle of the Market in the background certainly adds to the experience. In any case, the things are delicious and addictive. Eat them!
Dogtown Hots
"Where the best hotdogs live". Three hungry guests. Six specialty hotdogs and a side of onion rings. I sampled the Cincinnati Red Dog and the Southern Hound Dog as pictured above. The hotdog:bun:toppings ratio was perfect. I could not find a single crumb left in any one of our serving baskets. Dogtown does it right. It's the themed "doggie-style" menu with every combination of toppings imaginable. Surprisingly, the generous toppings do not overwhelm or mask the flavor of the quality hotdog. It's the walls of the restaurant that are graced with hundreds of photographs of patrons' pooches. It's the perfect French bread that each hot dog rests in. The bread is the secret that takes these dogs over the top!
Be sure to visit the Dogtown Hots website for a full menu.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
