Dish ROCHESTER FOOD & DRINK 2016
THE ESSENTIALS | 10 restaurants that define Rochester’s dining scene ART ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD
Meet the James Beard Award nominee who started a local farm-to-table trend
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THE SWEET LIFE | City went in search for the simple delights of dessert drinks page 12
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There’s no easy way to describe Rochester’s food scene. There are dining traditions attributed to the community of immigrants — German, Italian, Polish, Greek — who settled the city, and there are additions made by an influx of new immigrants. There are several dining institutions that have lasted for decades, and then there are the pop-up kitchens that might last only for a night. As the city steadily picks up on the latest trends, like farm-to-table cooking, prix fixe menus, and food trucks, there’s always something new to try. And of course, it’s all going to change within five years. In this guide: To give a snapshot of the city’s culinary community as it exists today, City Newspaper’s dining crew has compiled a list of its 10 essential Rochester restaurants. This round-up isn’t so much a “top 10” list as it is a way to learn more about what the city has to offer through 10 businesses that have left a lasting, influential mark. A Rochester trendsetter in his own right, Chef Art Rogers was a semifinalist for a prestigious James Beard Award in 2015 for his work with the farm-to-table restaurant Lento. Writer Leah Stacy profiled Rogers and his restaurant for a feature on page 10. Like a little cherry on top, we round out this year’s DISH with a round-up of dessert drinks in Rochester. Katie Libby takes a look at simple, coconut and chocolate infused pleasures — which are sometimes set on fire — on page 12. Want to join the conversation? Have something you disagree with? Leave a comment below these articles at rochestercitynewspaper.com.
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The essentials Ten restaurants that define Rochester’s dining scene
[ ROUND-UP ] BY DAVE BUDGAR, LAURA REBECCA KENYON, KATIE LIBBY, AND CHRIS LINDSTROM
Rochester’s culinary community has developed into a dynamic scene over the last 10 years. It may be impossible to fully define, but City Newspaper’s dining staff has set out to describe the area’s food landscape through its first list of 10 essential Rochester restaurants. This isn’t a traditional top 10 list: These aren’t necessarily the city’s “best,” “trendiest,” or “favorite” restaurants, although they are exceptional. We looked at cafes, take-out stands, restaurants, and food trucks, and focused on places that have longevity; introduced new ways of cooking or eating to the area; or hold an iconic role in Rochester culture. This list reflects the way, where, and how city residents are 4 CITY • DISH 2016
eating now — all of which will inevitably change in the near future. Deciding which restaurants define Rochester wasn’t easy. In some cases, we were strongly divided, and we imagine some readers will be, too. If we missed your favorite spot, or if you disagree with this list, leave a comment below this article online at rochestercitynewspaper.com.
Good Luck
In many ways, when you think about the modern restaurant scene in Rochester, you
have Good Luck to thank. When it opened in 2008, Good Luck was the definition of a trendsetter. From a decor perspective, the restaurant was a local pioneer in its use of exposed beams and Edison bulbs, no sign on the exterior, and an overall industrial yet rustic feel. The innovations continued with a craft cocktail menu that changed the game here, and the bar continues to be a standard for quality and a key host of events during the Rochester Cocktail Revival. The menu at Good Luck is based on sharing plates among the table, and is known for a massive, onepound, houseground burger. Served with a pile of perfectly cooked French fries, the dish is one of the best burgers in town. Good Luck has the best of both worlds: plenty of approachable dishes, and seasonal and creative options with consistently high execution. Good Luck is open Wednesday through Saturday, 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. 50 Anderson Avenue. 3406161; restaurantgoodluck.com.
Highland Park Diner
If the food weren’t so damn good, you might be tempted to dismiss the hip-kitsch factor of the Highland Park Diner as gimmicky, but the food — from breakfast through dinner — is solid and made from scratch. And the décor is anything but gimmicky; it’s the real deal. The Highland Park Diner, built by the Orleans Diner Company of Albion in 1948, is the only diner made by that firm still in
existence. Inside the gleaming diner car is shiny polished chrome, and sparkly green and white upholstered booths and counter stools. While the restaurant does serve diner food, it expands on that concept with astounding diversity and quality. The Highland Park Diner offers upwards of 15 kinds of salads, 15 varieties of burgers, more than 15 different deli sandwiches, 20 versions of eggs benedict, 30-plus omelet selections, French toast made with challah, Greek specialties, homemade corned beef hash, and the best and biggest kickass milkshake you’ll find for $5. While some places that try to do too much often do little of it well, the Highland Park Diner is an exception to that maxim. This is delicious upscale diner food with a comfortable down-home feel. Highland Park Diner is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 960 South Clinton Avenue. 461-5040; search for Highland Park Diner on Facebook.
The Kitchen
You’ll find many restaurants that are based around prix fixe menus in larger cities, but The Kitchen is one of only a meager handful in Rochester with this style. The restaurant has been open for little more than a year, and has made its mark on the dining scene in a serious way with its 5- and 9-course dinner offerings. The dedicated clientele is interested to see what Chef Joseph Cipolla has created on each new menu.
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A Chef Cipolla creation for his tasting menu at The Kitchen in Pittsford. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
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The experience at The Kitchen is refined, all the way from the decor to the service and the presentation. The food is artfully laid out on the plate to highlight the cooking techniques used on each dish’s produce and meats. And the seafood is sourced from Browne Trading Company, which sells hand-picked fish to some of the finest restaurants in the country. The Kitchen is a true dining experience; its techniques and presentation are modern in the best possible way. The Kitchen is open for a 6:30 p.m. seating
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on Wednesday and Thursday; and 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. seatings on Friday and Saturday. 5 South Main Street, Pittsford. 310-2467; cipollaromaine.com.
Nick Tahou Hots
Where to get the best Rochester plate is a popular debate in our city, but sometimes you have to pay homage to the original. Nick Tahou Hots is the reason that owners of every other restaurant that serves a plate thumbs through the thesaurus trying to come up with a synonym for “garbage” — Nick Tahou has the “garbage plate” name on lockdown. Like it or not, the plate is Rochester’s signature dish, and when you inevitably take someone from out of town to break their garbage plate cherry, you have to take them to where it all started. Let them gaze with wonder at the place that Nick Tahou first decided to place grilled meats on a glorious bed of mac salad and home fries, and then sprinkle with onions, mustard, and meat hot sauce, like some wizard — the patron saint of the hungover masses. Take them to church. Nick Tahou Hots is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to midnight. 320 West Main Street. 436-0184; garbageplate.com.
Nino’s Pizzeria
Walking into Nino’s Pizzeria is in many ways like taking a step back through time. The classic-style pizzeria has been open in its Culver Road location since 1974, and not much has changed since. The pies have their roots in recipes from the old country, and Giacomo Cardella and his son continue to make their pies the same as they always have. Nino’s has found a new audience the last few years through word of mouth, and because its thicker crust, pan-cooked pies 6 CITY • DISH 2016
don’t stick to the typical Rochester style. Multiple crust options and accompanying rustic sauces make up the base, and then the pies are generously topped with fresh ingredients. The crust comes up crunchy on
Nino’s thick crust pizza topped with mozzarella, sausage, peppers, and onions. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
the bottom with a hint of oil. The generous layer of cheeses (mozzarella and locatelli) are cooked on top of all the other ingredients. Near the counter is a newspaper article from 1979 espousing the virtues of the restaurant’s pizza, and after more than 40 years since opening, it’s still the finest takeout joint in the Flower City. Nino’s is open Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight. 1330 Culver Road. 482-2264; ninospizzeriarochester.com.
The Owl House
Located in a charming old home on Marshall Street, just a stone’s throw from downtown, The Owl House caters to herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores with equal opportunity and without pretension. Unlike many restaurants that offer (often uninspired) vegetarian options as an afterthought, The Owl House prepares delicious dishes from scratch for its concise seasonal menus. Some are vegan; some are vegetarian; some are gluten-free; and some are meat-centric. But all manifest culinary innovation. The Owl House has been locally sourcing many of its ingredients — meats from Seven Bridges Farm in Lima; cheeses from First Light Creamery in East Bethany; pasta from Flour City Pasta in Macedon; greens from Bolton Farms in Hilton; and roasted
coffee beans from Joe Bean Coffee Roasters —since 2010, before locavorism was cool. The restaurant takes as much pride in its bar creations as it does in its food. Expertly fashioned cocktails accentuate the dining experience, and a rotating selection of craft brews flow from 12 beer lines at the bar. In addition to lunch and dinner, The Owl House puts on a distinct Sunday brunch. And it is one of the few Rochester restaurants to serve chicken and waffles. (True to form, the restaurant synchronously offers a vegan tofu and waffles dish at brunch.) And the Bloody Marys are second to none. When the weather warms, The Owl House expands its seating with a cozy outdoor patio, surrounded by hops growing on trellises, behind the house. The Owl House is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 75 Marshall Street. 360-2920; owlhouserochester.com.
Le Petit Poutine
Because of Rochester’s proximity to Canada, ordering French fries with a side of gravy was commonplace even before establishments started serving Poutine, that heady combination of fries, gravy,
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Classic poutine from Le Petit Poutine. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
and cheese curds. Le Petit Poutine was at the forefront of the food truck scene in Rochester, and after they gained popularity, more and more food trucks started popping up around town. And its poutine is giving competitors, and our northern neighbors a run for their money. continues on page 8
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You can find the Le Petit Poutine food truck parked downtown for lunch, at public markets, or even outside of a bar providing nourishment to those with bellies full of beer. What sets Le Petit Poutine apart from other players in the Poutine game is the gravy. Both the vegan and meat gravy options stand out because they don’t overwhelm the dish, and the consistency is thin and able to coat the fries underneath perfectly. Even if you aren’t a vegetarian, try the vegan gravy, it’s that good. The combination of the crispy French fries, the soft cheese, the gravy, and the thyme work deliciously together. Le Petit Poutine is open at various locations and various times throughout the week. Follow the food truck on Twitter, @lepetitpoutine, for its daily location. lepetitpoutine.com.
Rocco
Walking into Rocco is a delicious assault on the senses as the dim lighting, the lull of conversation, and the smell of tomato and garlic enticingly mix together. Chef Mark Cupolo and his talented kitchen staff are sending out dishes like the Maiale Cotto a Fuoco Lento — slow-cooked pork that is so tender and flavorful it practically melts in your mouth. The Ricotta Fatta in Casa — housemade ricotta drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with fresh herbs, and served with charred bread — is a must “for the table.” And that Butterscotch Budino will get you every time, even if you walk in saying you will not be having dessert tonight. The staff is attentive and knowledgeable about both the menu and the carefully curated wine list. Once a year, Cupolo creates an entire garlic-themed menu for Rocco’s Garlic Fest that runs for a week. It is not to be missed. There’s love in this food. Rocco is open Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and for lunch on Friday, 11:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. 165 Monroe Avenue. 454-3510; roccorochester.com.
Swan Market
At one time, any northeastern American city featured communal gathering places for any of the myriad ethnic groups that comprised the lifeblood of the city. And often these places revolved around food.
Swan Market, in the same residential neighborhood on Rochester’s east side for more than 80 years, is a genuine throwback to those times. A German deli and a restaurant, Swan Market serves authentic dishes four days a week. If you stop in between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. any Wednesday through Saturday, you can partake in one of the city’s great lunch rituals: communal tables filled with invariably convivial diners enjoying anything from a sausage platter (Swan offers five varieties of wurst) to goulash, sauerbraten, jägerschnitzel, or rouladen. The hearty meals, which come with two sides and baskets of dense German rye bread, are ridiculously affordable at either $8.50 or $9.50. To complement and complete your lunch, there are German beers on tap, available for
Classic German beers on tap at Swan Market. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
the hearty spirit in liter-size steins. In addition to lunches, Swan Market is like a candy store for meat lovers. Owner Barry Fischer — who apprenticed with German master butchers — stocks his display case with handmade Germanstyle cold cuts, smoked hams, salamis, and sausages. Swan also provides live German music on the last Thursday and Friday of each month. Swan Market’s deli counter is open Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and is open for lunch on Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 231 Parsells Avenue. 288-5320; swanmarket.com.
Everybody dines at Jines
Voula’s Greek Sweets
It’s hard not to be smitten by Voula’s Greek Sweets. Warm and friendly, the café is decorated like your favorite great aunt’s kitchen, complete with well-loved furniture, mismatched dishes, and vintage knick-knacks. Owner Voula Katsetos-Stratton keeps things humming, overseeing the kitchen and the
for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a great Sunday brunch.
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Voula Katsetos-Stratton, the owner of Voula’s Greek Sweets. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
dining room while serving small cups of potent Greek coffee with a genuine smile. The centerpiece, though, is the deeply satisfying Greek food and desserts, which are also vegetarian (plus many vegan or glutenfree options). Voula’s spanakopita is delicious: crisp layers of filo, earthy spinach, and tangy feta make for an addictive lunch. The garlicky skordalia spread is so good on wedges of lagana bread, it’s hard to stop eating it — but then there wouldn’t be room for tender lemon potatoes, sprinkled with salt and oregano. Even when stuffed, there’s always room for one of the many desserts. Baklava is a standard, but there’s also Folitses, a pastry made with syrup-soaked shredded filo dough surrounding a core sweet nuts; Revani, a cake made with toothsome farina and flavored with orange zest; and Kariokes, dense half-moon shaped fudge bars scented with warm spices. A visit to Voula’s Greek Sweets never disappoints. It’s like coming home, if you’re lucky enough to have a loved one who’s a damned good Greek cook. Voula’s Greek Sweets is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Sunday; and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 439 Monroe Avenue. 242-0935; facebook.com/ voulasgreeksweets.
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Art Rogers’ neighborhood Meet the James Beard Award-nominee who started a local farm-to-table trend [ PROFILE ] BY LEAH STACY
Lento
274 NORTH GOODMAN STREET (INSIDE VILLAGE GATE SQUARE) BAR HOURS: MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, 4 P.M. TO END OF DINNER SERVICE DINNER HOURS: MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY, 5 P.M. TO 9 P.M.; TUESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY, 5 P.M. TO 10 P.M. LENTORESTAURANT.COM
Art Rogers is running late. It’s a Wednesday at noon, and the young man who answered the door at Lento, Rogers’ Village Gate restaurant, doesn’t know where the owner is, but says “he’ll be back; won’t you have a seat?” The restaurant is eerily quiet, and a dreary mid-April sky provides the only light. Stools are stacked on each high top table in the bar area, and a large chalkboard above the bar lists the previous day’s specials, including several Finger Lakes wines. In the corner, a young woman mops an already spotless floor.
Around 12:15 p.m., there’s a rush of wind from the door and Rogers walks in swiftly, his bulky dark coat swishing with each movement. “Sorry about that,” he says in a low tenor, his eyes apologetic behind round-rim glasses. Rogers has been in his car most of the morning, picking up fresh ingredients for the evening’s pairing dinner with Black Button Distilling. Lento, which opened in 2007, is widely considered Rochester’s first farm-to-table restaurant, and Rogers’ work garnered him a James Beard award nomination last year. Rogers, a Pittsford native, left home to attend the University of New Hampshire. He then worked under Chef Melissa Kelly — a two-time James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Northeast Award winner — at Primo in Rockland, Maine. The coastal restaurant maintains a 4.5-acre farm, from which most of the menu is sourced, and was farm-to-table before the term became used in culinary circles. As the story often goes with Rochesterians, Rogers wasn’t planning to return here, but in 2005 it “just sort of happened.” He spent two years working at popular spots like 2Vine and JoJo Bistro, where he was head chef. But he couldn’t stop thinking about his time in Maine. “There wasn’t this moment where I woke up and decided to open a restaurant,” Rogers says. He moved back expecting to find something comparable to Primo, “but there was nothing even remotely close. I didn’t want to take a step backward after working at a restaurant of that caliber, so I decided to try to do the farm-totable concept. That’s how I wanted to cook.” Lento was born. Rogers was barely 30 years old, and he and his wife had just started a family. It was risky, but he had a hunch the whole thing might work. It wasn’t easy at first. He found a lot of his produce at the Rochester Public Market (which he still sources from every day it’s open), and scoured the Internet to find local farmers he could approach about purchasing food for the restaurant. There was no Headwater Food Hub; there was no farm-to-table “wholesale” of any kind. At first, the farmers weren’t interested in working with Rogers. They’d tried providing to other restaurants, but due to factors like weather and crop growth, the produce needed for a menu that didn’t change seasonally wasn’t Lento’s Art Rogers: Farm-to-table is “how I wanted to cook.” PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
10 CITY • DISH 2016
available. Because of his experience at Primo, Rogers had a solution. “I went to the farms and I said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna change the menu based on what you have on hand. Meaning you tell me if you have heirloom tomatoes on hand,’” Rogers says. “No one had ever said that to them before.” Back then, Lento menus were printed almost every day (now, it’s more like two or three menus per week). And the menus were a little different, too. Listing the names of every farm partner on each printed menu was one of the things that first set Lento apart. Rogers was adamant about the information staying on the menus — even though family, friends, and even customers thought it was too confusing and wordy. “I never swayed from that. I was like, ‘That’s what we do,’” he says. “You see so many restaurants that say, ‘We support local,’ and then you’ll ask a server, ‘Where does this come from?” and they don’t know.’” Rogers didn’t want to have a generic answer. “If this is on here, not only are we helping to market the farm, but people know exactly that there’s no BS,” he says. In the wake of recent news about faux farm-to-table claims,
If anything, that’s what Rogers would change about Lento: the lack of local diners. It’s part of the reason for Wednesday pairing dinners. “Wednesdays tend to be tumbleweed nights” at Lento, he says, and the restaurant hopes to increase collaborations with local breweries, wineries, and distilleries like Black Button to draw midweek patrons. It’s also part of the reason he’s invited Finger Lakes wineries to hold wine tastings in the bar area (the most recent being a fleet of local rosé wines). Rogers believes, firmly, that Finger Lakes wines are world-class. How can local consumers be more educated? Can farm-to-table still mean something, when it’s used so widely? In a word, yes. “You’re supporting your community,” Rogers says. “These farmers are your neighbors. You’re not buying food from other states or countries. You’re keeping your money in Rochester, in Monroe and surrounding counties.” He understands money is a consideration for many diners, but emphasizes the value of local. “America is the land of McDonald’s and ‘How many calories can I get for the lowest
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Interior shots of Lento in Village Gate Square. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
the “no BS” commitment is refreshing. Each partner is also listed on the Lento website. Rogers’ pioneering ways caught the attention of the James Beard Foundation last year, and he became the first (and only) Rochester-area semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast. Though he didn’t win, Rogers credits the nomination for an influx of outof-towners. “People who have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the food world always find us,” he says. “The book is filled with out-of-town, non-585 numbers most nights.”
amount of money.’ That’s almost engrained in our DNA at this point,” he says. “When you go out to eat, you expect to be able to have lunch for the next day because of huge portions. I don’t know how to change people’s minds about that.” But he’s going to try. Local food “is going to cost more than mass-produced, factory farm food,” he says. “But food is essential, and if your body is a temple, then what you put in it should be of the highest quality.”
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The sweet life CITY went in search for the simple delights of dessert drinks
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250 [ DRINKS ] BY KATIE LIBBY
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CRAFT BEERS
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We’re living in a time of great innovation on the craft cocktail front, but this article is not about that. I’m here to talk about the simpler joys of dessert drinks; the sweet stuff, the candy drinks. Some call them “girl drinks” — although most of the women I know drink more vodka soda and shots of whiskey than pineapple juice with tiny umbrellas sticking out.
Bring on the blenders, the Blue Curacao, and the chocolate syrup, and maybe even set it all on fire; this is a safe space. City sought out what Rochester has to offer on the dessert drink front. Do you have a favorite sweet drink in town? Leave a comment below this article online at rochestercitynewspaper.com. When I think of dessert drinks, the first ingredient that pops into my head is milk or cream. The Revelry (1290 University Avenue) has a classic Brandy Alexander ($10) on its afterdinner menu. The drink is made from a mixture of brandy, cream, crème de Cacao, and grated nutmeg. It’s creamy, frothy, and delicious. The Brandy Alexander has been around for a long time — the printed recipe first showed up in the early 20th century — and is a play on the traditional Alexander cocktail, which is made with gin rather than cognac. You can’t talk about creamy drinks without talking about the White Russian, the Czar of them all. Bunga
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(Above) Chen Garden’s Mai Tai, made with light and dark rums, crème de almond, lime juice, and mixed fruit juice. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN (Left) The White Russian and Jesse James boozy milkshakes at Bunga Burger Bar. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
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Burger Bar (1370 Mount Hope Avenue) is serving a frozen version of the White Russian ($9) on its Adult Shakes menu. Vodka, Kahlua, and vanilla ice cream are blended together, and topped with whipped cream for a milkshake that you will not be sharing with the younger members of your party. The White Russian came to be in the 1960’s when someone — obviously a genius — decided to add cream to the already established Black Russian cocktail. Also on the Bunga Bar menu is The Jesse James ($9), which is made with bourbon, caramel, and vanilla ice cream. It’s hard not to imagine Garth from the movie “Wayne’s World,” and his giant, blue cocktail with what looks like several plants floating around in a comically sized glass bowl, whenever tiki drinks are mentioned. The US culture of tiki drinks started at Don the Beachcomber, a restaurant in Hollywood in the 1930’s. The owner, Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, spent time in the Caribbean and South Pacific, and made drinks inspired by
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his travels, using rum, flavored syrups, and fruit juices. Chen Garden’s (1750 Monroe Avenue) exotic drinks menu include tiki classics like the Mai Tai, made with light and dark rums, crème de almond, lime juice, and mixed fruit juice. The restaurant’s Pineapple Passion contains Bacardi Limon rum, Malibu rum, and pineapple juice, and is served in a glass pineapple with a removable lid. The Revelry is now hosting a Tiki Monday once a month, and its Scorpion Bowl ($30) is something to behold. The giant bowl of white rum, orange juice, brandy, orgeat, pineapple, and lemon serves 3 to 4 people, each with their own colorful straw. The piéce de résistance is a floater of alcohol in a volcano-shaped structure in the middle of the bowl that is set ablaze right before your eyes.
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