Michael Pavone, Anthony Harlow, and
former Itacate owner Jose Abarca
recently opened a taqueria in Fairport along the Erie
Canal. Named after Jose’s wife, Lulu Taqueria is
located at The Box Factory, with dining room windows facing the waterway and
outdoor seating along the canal. During any season, the location of the
restaurant is a good excuse for city dwellers to stop for lunch before or after
work, and walk along the canal or visit Fairport’s quaint shops and water
views.
Before Lulu
opened, the owners had to figure out how to describe their food to customers.
“There were so many people who didn’t know what a taqueria
was or even how to say it,” Pavone says. “And then it
was: ‘You’re a taqueria but you have a chicken
sandwich on the menu.’ And we were like, yeah we do, because these are our LA
favorites that we want to share.” Pavone adds that he
finds the coolest part of being a chef is finding food you love all the way
across the country and getting to recreate it here in Rochester.
“The concept
had to fit in with Fairport’s locals,” Pavone says. The
menus offers both familiar items like the chicken sandwich and lengua (cow tongue) tacos for more adventurous guests. It’s
a special item that he and co-owner and Chef Anthony Harlow wanted to keep on
the menu because it’s a taco guests are less likely to find in the area.
The menu at
Lulu Taqueria focuses on LA street food, so it’s like
a translation of a translation of Mexican fare. “We definitely are not an
authentic Mexican restaurant,” Pavone says. “What’s
interesting, and what a lot of people don’t know, is that Mexican food in LA is
very different from what it is in Mexico.”
Because Lulu
Taqueria emphasizes LA-style tacos — and each one has
a specially paired (and house-made) salsa, aioli, or pico
de gallo — guests should be sure to order at least
one taco from the menu. A quarter of the options are vegetarian and more than
half are pescetarian.
The
cauliflower taco has sweet, spicy, and nutty flavors and a lot of crunch. This
is the only taco featuring the house-made honey roja
salsa, which it makes the dish especially fun. For those wanting to try the
seafood options, the smoked swordfish is actually two meaty tacos for only
$7.25 with a house-made salsa verde. But keep an eye
on the menu for new items as they occasionally switch it up.
At the bar,
Lulu accommodates the local clientele who expect to be able to order a light
lager and also offers brews from OSB Ciderworks as
well as Lord Hobo. And they have several mezcal and
tequila cocktails, all of which are under ten dollars. Most of the cocktails
have a refreshing, citrus flavor and right now and they are featuring a mango
margarita with cinnamon ($8), in theme of autumnal spices.
Pavone and Cure’s Sous Chef Kyle Shafer recently
collaborated on a French-Mexican fusion menu in November. They plan to host
another collaboration in December, so keep an eye on their next event.
Lulu
Taqueria is located at 6 North Main Street in Fairport,
and is open year-round. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner, and there is
also a “rapido! rapido!”
menu that accommodates the short, work-day lunch break. Hours are Tuesday
through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10
p.m., closed Sunday and Monday. 377-0410; luluroc.com.
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2018.
