CHOW HOUND: New face on an old place 

Rochester residents have seen 170 East Avenue go through many incarnations. From Milestones to High Fidelity, and then Easy on East, the space has been a destination for East Avenue bar hoppers and music lovers for decades. Now the space sits as Flour City Station, and the venue's current owners have added a menu created from locally-sourced ingredients, and offer the opportunity for local artists to showcase their work.

Flour City Station is run by the team of Dan McAndrew, Matt Green, Beth Sumner, and Evan Dulnik. McAndrew says he is a huge music fan and wanted to bring back the spirit of Milestones in the new place. "I used to go to Milestones all the time to see amazing shows," he says. "We wanted to turn this back into that kind of place — Rochester's premiere live music venue."

The layout of Flour City Station, which officially opened on September 6, has not changed much, although the place has been given a much-needed facelift. The stage is the focus in the main room, with a newly built bar and giant chalkboard wall behind it that lists the current cocktail offerings — $10 will buy you a drink off of its signature cocktail menu. The kitchen had not been in use for close to 10 years and was completely redone as well.

No matter what your spirit preference — vodka, bourbon, even moonshine — you should be able to find a cocktail that will suit your fancy. Flour City Station also has a draft beer selection that will change every few months and seasonally.

The menu is considered "upscale bar fare" — with a few unique items like the Buffalo Chicken Ravioli ($7 for 5 pieces): homemade pasta stuffed with chicken breast, cream cheese, and buffalo sauce which is then breaded and baked. A half dozen wings will cost you $6, and along with the standard mild, medium, and hot sauces, Flour City has a house sesame jalapeño and a Cajun barbeque sauce to choose from. An item to keep an eye on is the Chicken Pesto Flatbread ($9): a flatbread brushed with pesto, topped with grilled, marinated chicken, mixed field greens, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and a balsamic glaze. "Everything we make here is from scratch and the menu will be continually evolving and changing with new items we are experimenting with and seasonally," McAndrew says.

Flour City Station is located at 170 East Avenue. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. All menu items available until 10 p.m. and select menu items are available until 12 or 1 a.m. Menu prices range from $3.50 to $11. You can find more on its website at flourcitystation.com.

Quick Bites

The New York Wine and Culinary Center (800 South Main Street, Canandaigua) will hold the "New York on Tap" event on Friday, October 24, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Beer samples from a variety of New York State breweries and beer-inspired cuisine from Executive Chef Andrew Chambers will be available. Tickets are $45 (a limited amount of $60 VIP tickets are also available) and can be purchased by visiting nywcc.com/events/1407428578/ny-tap or by calling 394-7070.

The tasting room at Nedloh Brewing Company (6621 State Route 5 & 2) is now open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. For those hardcore beer nerds, there is a museum dedicated entirely to the history of local 19th century hops production. Visit the nedlohbrewing.com for more information.

Local brewery, Three Heads Brewing (3HB) has released an American Pale Ale called "Population Pale Ale." It's latest offering is designed to "appeal to a wide palette of tastes" and will soon be available at your favorite spot that serves Three Heads. Find Three Heads Brewing on Facebook for more information.

Openings

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar has opened a second location at 1500 West Ridge Road in Greece.

Chow Hound is a food and restaurant news column. Do you have a tip? Send it to [email protected].

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Milestones.