Harry’s Bar & Grill
Keywords: Pittsford
Farms Dairy|milk
Caption: A place for lost treasures, dreams: Pittsford Farms Dairy.
Text: Like
many, I have a love-hate relationship with Wegmans. On the one hand, it’s great
to have the World’s Greatest Supermarket 10 minutes away; fantastic to be able
to get everything from organic turnips to homeopathic medicine and bialys in
one place. The down side, as one friend said when talking about the Abundance
Food Market, is that “Wegmans eats stores that size for breakfast.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Of course, it isn’t just Wegmans.
The trend toward larger stores is probably irreversible, and isn’t entirely
evil. The Walmarts and Targets of the world make many products more affordable.
I find a wider variety of music at Best Buy than I do at any local record
store, and the discs are cheaper.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But there is also an enormous loss
in this trend. You can’t have a relationship with a Wegmans butcher like you
can with Barry Fischer at the Swann Market. Best Buy doesn’t have the Bop
Shop’s Tom Kohn to offer opinions and bring in eclectic acts. Gutenburg Books
has Martha Kelley and feel; Borders
and Barnes & Noble don’t.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Sadly, the small, specialized shops
are finding it hard to compete. The Balsam Market is gone now, and there really
isn’t anything else like it. Thank goodness for places like Malek’s, LDR Char
Pit, and Martusciello’s keeping that old-world feel somewhat alive.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One of the best examples is the
Pittsford Farms Dairy, in operation under two families since 1888. Charlie
Corby took over from his father-in-law, Ted Zorno, in the ’60s. Zorno bought it
from the Hawley family, the original owners. Now Corby’s son, Charles, helps
run things, and says he has no intention of quitting.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Pittsford Farms Dairy gave up
milking cows 15 years ago, and is now the only local milk processor other than
Upstate Farms. The differences are in the process and the product offerings.
Generally, milk is pasteurized at 170ยฐ to 180ยฐ, in pipes, for 16 seconds.
Pittsford Farms pasteurizes in vats at a much lower temperature (145ยฐ), for
much longer (30 minutes). It’s like slow-cooking using indirect heat. The milk
tastes different, markedly sweeter due to caramelization of sugars.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Another difference is that not all
Pittsford Farms milk is homogenized. Un-homogenized whole milk becomes
cream-top, which many believe is easier to digest. There’s just one place in
town to get it. There’s no reason to homogenize skim milk, but most processors
do it anyway; not Pittsford Farms.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย A third difference is that you can
get your milk in glass bottles (you pay a 60 cent deposit). Charles Corby
showed me their wonderful, old bottle washing machine (it brings to mind the
great milk-plant scene in the film version of The Borrowers). Beer, juice, milk… whatever, it tastes better in
glass than it does in plastic or metal.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The milk is better. Skim often
tastes like little more than chalky water, but at Pittsford Farms it’s sweet
and hints at creaminess (which should be impossible). You’ve never had
chocolate milk like this; made with homogenized milk, pure sugar, and Very
Expensive Cocoa, my girls pronounced it, “the best ever.” And don’t even get me
started on the seasonal egg nog (November to April); it’ll get you drunk
without the rum.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย So what do you pay for this
old-world style and excellence? A half-gallon of milk is $1.65 (any kind), as
compared to $1.19 at the Pittsford Wegmans or a bonus-card price of $0.79 at
the Brighton Tops (on July 3). Is it worth it? That depends on how you feel
about the product and supporting this type of business. I shop at butcher shops
and bakeries, but buy my CDs mostly at Best Buy; call me a hypocrite.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Moreover, Charlie and Charles fill
their store with an assortment of high-quality specialty items from small
producers. There’s Java Joe’s coffee, Chef K jellies, ice cream from Custard
and Candy, Reed’s ginger beer, Root 66 root beer, Waxon’s honey, fresh organic
eggs, and baked goods from Malek’s, Baker Street, and the Oven Door among
others. Yes, it’s like stepping back in time, but with a sharp contemporary
awareness brought to the set of offerings as well.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย If the traffic cooperates, it takes
about 15 minutes to get to Pittsford Farms from the center of the city. To me,
it’s worth the effort. Each time a Balsam Market disappears, something is
irretrievably lost. The only way to stem the tide is for consumers to
prioritize these special spots a bit over convenience. If you haven’t tried
Pittsford Farms, give it a shot. You might find yourself changing your
priorities.
Pittsford Farms Dairy,
44 North Main Street, Pittsford, 586-6610. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.
to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Food tip
Another gem has been added
to Rochester’s restaurant scene. Mamasan’s Noodle Caboodle opened at 2800
Monroe Avenue in mid-June, with sign, bench, and soon a patio railing by artist
Paul Knoblauch. You won’t believe it used to be a Denny’s. The new Mamasan’s is
open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (later on the weekend). The
original location remains open Monday through Saturday.
— Michael Warren
Thomas
Michael Warren Thomas
can be heard on WYSL 1040. Tune in on Saturdays for gardening, restaurants, and
travel from 9 to noon, and on Sundays for antiques and wine from 10 to noon.
Listen on the web at www.SavorLife.com.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2003.
