BITE-SIZED NEWS
In late May, Capone’s Italian Eatery opened at 1811 Penfield Road, which formerly housed Pontillo’s Pizza. The biz is a pizzeria-Italian deli hybrid, serving specialty ‘za ($21, cauliflower crust available for an upcharge), chicken cutlets, subs, pastas, fish frys, salads, deli meats, cold sides, and house made desserts. Capone’s is mostly geared toward takeout and delivery, as there are just a few indoor and outdoor seats on the premises. The spot opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and at 11 a.m. on weekends and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, at 11 p.m. Friday, and 2 a.m. Saturday. 267-7588, slicelife.com
Aguilera’s Authentic Mexican Food has opened at 521 Monroe Ave. where Sol Burrito previously operated. Owner-chef Fabiola Aquilera comes to Rochester from Sodus, where she ran her first restaurant, Made in Mexico, for five years. The menu is filled with traditional fare, including carne asada tacos, chicken flautas ($18 for five), sopes, huaraches, enchiladas verdes or rojas ($18 for five), burritos and the shareable (or not!) papas locas, which are french fries topped with refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and guac ($15). The tortillas are house-made fresh each day. Aguilera’s is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. 537-5705, instagram.com/aguilerasroc
There’s a new way to shop with an emphasis on sustainability and supporting small food businesses. Provisions, which opened at 1316 Culver Road in early June, is an old-time general store that aims to be a one-stop shop for locally made groceries and household items. Its owners are all small food business owners themselves: Jen Dondero creates artisanal bread, Ben Reiter grows microgreens and mushrooms, and Chad Flint is a purveyor of maple syrup and related goodies. Aside from those items, you will find meat, cheese, produce, pickles, honey and much more. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. provisions-jensartisan.square.site
Right next to Provisions at 1322 Culver Road is The Toast Factory, a new eatery that focuses on specialty French toast. After proving his concept at pop-ups around town since 2020, owner Keith Brown II opened a brick-and-mortar spot in tribute to his lifelong love of the carb-y comfort food. Varieties range from a simple Original French Toast, Vanilla Sensation and Banana Cream ($10 each), to Chicken French ($15) and the bougie Geechie, which comes with an 8 oz. steak ($25). The spot also offers breakfast sandwiches, fried fish and grits, breakfast combos, coffee, juice, tea, and breakfast cocktails. The Toast Factory is open for brunch and breakfast from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. 802-0264, thetoastfactory.net
Báhn mì and bubble tea joint Sea Me Go opened in mid-June at 1677 Mt Hope Ave. It offers a house bánh mì with juicy pork belly ($8) and a rotating series of specialty versions, including your choice of BBQ-style beef, chicken, or pork ($9). There’s also a variety of milk and fruit bubble teas (try the watermelon!), smoothies, Thai iced tea, lemonades, and desserts — don’t pass up the sweet rice with mango and custard ($6). Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, and menus are posted daily on Instagram. 355-4451, instagram.com/seamegoroc
— COMPILED BY REBECCA RAFFERTY, becca@rochester-citynews.com
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2023.
