ANNUAL MANUAL ’10: Eating Around the World

 [
DINING ] BY SUSIE HUME

With budgets tighter than ever, it’s unlikely that most of us
will be filling our passports with too many new international stamps this year.
And yet, if you’ve long been wanting to travel the
globe to experience new cultures and — more importantly to this writer — new
cuisines, you’ll be glad to know that you can do so practically in your own
backyard, without the hassles or expenses of travel.

            Rochester
is lucky to have myriad ethnic restaurants that offer a range of authentic or
otherwise exotic dishes to suit even the most adventurous of palates. Below
find a sampler of some of our more notable restaurants that specialize in
foreign cuisine. Note that this is just a quick survey; the city is home to
hundreds of great restaurants. To discover more of them, check out the
Restaurant Guide at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

German

If German cuisine brings to mind deliciously fatty meats,
perfectly bitter sauerkraut, and steins overflowing with beer, then you won’t
be disappointed when visiting Rheinblick German Restaurant (224 S Main St,
Canandaigua; 905-0950). Here you will find the expected–bratwurst, sauerbraten,
and schnitzel–and some of the more hard-to-find authentic dishes, like the schweinshaxe (a beer-basted roasted pork shank) or the not-to-be-missedrouladen (rolled
steak stuffed with bacon, pickles, and Düsseldorfer
mustard, served with spätzle and red cabbage kraut).

            Also be sure
to try: Rohrbach Brewing Company (3859
Buffalo Rd; 594-9800), Swan Market (231
Parsells Ave; 288-5320),
and The Lamplighter Restaurant (831 Fetzner Rd; 225-2500).

Caribbean

Caribbean is sort of a vague term, since it can include
cuisines as diverse as Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Bahaman, Jamaican, and
more. Island Fresh Cuisine (382 Jefferson Rd;
424-2150) specializes in food of the Jamaican variety, including curried goat,
oxtails, Jamaican beef patties (or meatloaf patties, as the menu calls them)
and jerk chicken. It truly shines with the ackee and saltfish– Jamaica’s national dish, usually served for
breakfast– a dried and salted cod seasoned with peppers, tomatoes, and a
variety of spices cooked with ackee, a tree-borne
fruit that has a consistency somewhat akin to scrambled eggs when cooked. It
may sound off-putting, but the incomparable flavors will make you feel as if
you’re enjoying an island vacation.

            Also be sure
to try: Caribbean and Mexican Grill (1485 Dewey
Ave; 563-7624), El Sabor
de la Isla (1019 Norton St;
266-2200), Jerkers Original Take Out (651
Jefferson Ave; 436-9766), LJ’s (360
Thurston Rd; 527-0778), and Shirley’s Island
Cuisine (17 E. Main St;
454-0408).

Greek/Mediterranean

For a smaller city, Rochester
has quite a large number of Mediterranean and,
specifically, Greek restaurants–even many of our diners offer Greek cuisine.
That said, the quality and authenticity range greatly
and, being half-Greek myself, I have found few places that offer much more than
just gyros and souvlaki. Astoria (651 Monroe Ave; 271-4033)
is one of the area’s rare gems that has a huge Greek
menu with both the usual suspects and rarer finds. Particularly of note are the
saganaki (pan-fried kefalotiri
cheese served with pita) and anything that comes with the restaurant’s crisp,
tangy tzatziki. And don’t forget to save room for the
galaktouboureko, a dessert somewhat like baklava, but
much harder to find.

            Also be sure
to try: Aladdin’s Natural Eatery (646 Monroe Ave, 442-5000; 8 Schoen
Place, Pittsford, 264-9000), Gyromania (1205
Bay Rd, Webster; 671-1080), King David’s Restaurant (200 Park Point Dr;
424-7482), Sinbad’s Mediterranean Cuisine (719 Park Ave; 473-5655), and Olive’s
Greek Taverna (50 State St, Pittsford; 381-3990).

Italian

Trying to highlight just one Italian restaurant in Rochester
is a serious challenge — we are quite lucky to have such a huge assortment of
them. Yet fairly new addition Rocco (165 Monroe
Ave; 454-3510) is certainly worth mentioning.
Offering something for everyone, from pizzas (the mushroom, fontina,
and white truffle oil version is highly recommended) to pastas (the artisinal pasta and meatballs will make you forget the
version mom used to make) to salads (while the Caesar salad is not technically
Italian, Rocco’s version has the perfect ratio of leaf to dressing and a
richness that will defy you to think of salad as a health food ever again).

            Also be sure
to try: Too many to name, but a few standouts include Bacco’sRistorante (263 Park Ave; 442-5090), Dentico’s Italian Villa (2270 Culver Rd;
266-2120), La Bella Vita (1759 Empire Blvd; 671-7220), Mama Rosa (1733
Norton St; 544-4300), Mario’s (2740 Monroe Ave; 271-1111), and Pane Vino (175 N Water St; 232-6090).

Indian

When it comes to Indian food, Rochesterians
passionately disagree on which eatery makes it best, possibly more than with
any other cuisine. Part of the subjectivity may derive from the fact that
Indian food is such a broad-sweeping term that includes cuisines as diverse as
Punjabi, Bengali, and Saraswat, to name a few. Thali of India (3259 Winton Rd; 427-8030)
is of the Punjabi variety, and offers an array of choices as well as both a
lunch and dinner buffet that is almost always packed. It also offers many
vegetarian options — the paneerakbari
(cubed cheese cooked in a blend of tomato curry and spices) is particularly
flavorsome.

            Also be sure
to try: Bombay Chaat House (1475 E Henrietta
Rd; 292-0099), India House (998 S Clinton Ave; 461-0880), Mysore
Woodlands (1900 S Clinton Ave; 271-2100), Tandoor Flame (1855 Empire Blvd; 670-0009), and Taste of India (3047 W
Henrietta Rd; 475 -1111).

Vietnamese

To those who haven’t tasted it, pho may seem like an ordinary
bowl of soup. But to those in the know, a good bowl of pho can often be hard to
find. The one served up at SEA Restaurant (741
Monroe Ave; 473-8031) is one of those rare
discoveries, featuring a simple, yet flavorful broth with tender rare beef and
flawlessly cooked noodles, all served in a bowl large enough for two. It also
has extraordinary fried squid if you want to nosh on an appetizer before your
soup arrives.

            Also be sure
to try: DacHoa (230 Monroe Ave; 232-6038),
Pho Duong Dong (182 Otis St;
254-8120), and Vinh-HaoBanh
Mi Café (985 S Clinton Ave;
271-7250).

Thai

If you’re the type who has trouble ordering off a large menu,
you may have a problem at The King and I (1455
E Henrietta Rd; 427-8090). Offering Thai food to
suit every desire, it is a favorite of Rochesterians,
frequently selected in 
City Newspaper’s “Best of Rochester” readers’ poll. Of note are
the basil dishes, which feature the ideal amount of anise, and the pad Thai,
which some may dispute is not the most authentic version of the dish, but it is
still arguably one of the tastiest.

            Also be sure
to try: Esan (696 Park Ave; 271-2271), Ginger
Cove (3193 Chili Ave; 889-8448), Mamasan’s (2800 Monroe Ave; 461-3290), Pattaya Thai (1843 Penfield Rd; 383-6088), Sak’s Thai
Cuisine (7374 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd; 421-9010), and Thai Taste (1675
Mount Hope Ave; 461-4154).

Mexican

You can always spot a good Mexican restaurant by the quality
of the margaritas– they are perhaps even harder to perfect than the cuisine
itself. Blue Cactus Mexican Grille (5 LiftbridgeLn,
Fairport; 377-9590) offers a delicious and authentic margarita, as well as a
diverse menu of Mexican favorites and house specialties. Bold diners should try
the mole negro de Oaxaca, chicken poached in a sauce made up of a laundry list
of ingredients, including six types of chili peppers, nuts, seeds, spices, and
even chocolate; it is considered the most difficult mole to prepare. The
restaurant also occasionally offers all-you-can-eat tacos on Tuesday nights — a
special worth watching for.

            Also be sure
to try: Casa Azteca (6720 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd; 425-0393), Chilango’s (42 Nichols St, Spencerport; 349-3030), Dorado (690 Park Ave; 244-8560), John’s Tex-Mex Eatery (489 South Ave;
232-5830), Mex (295 Alexander St; 262-3060), Monte
Alban Mexican Grill (845 E Ridge Rd, 697-0615; 2245 Empire Blvd, 787-4700),
Rio Tomatlan (5 Beeman
St in Canandaigua; 394-9380) and Salena’s Mexican
Restaurant (274 N Goodman St; 256-5980).

Japanese

When it comes to making great sushi and sashimi, freshness is
of the utmost importance. Edoya(2131
Buffalo Rd; 247-4866), a family-run sushi
restaurant in Gates, serves one of the largest sushi/sashimi assortments in the
area, sure to tempt even those too cowardly to dream of eating raw fish. The
spider roll (fried soft-shelled crab) is especially tasty, as is the Edoya roll, which features crab and crispy flakes in a
spicy sauce, topped with shrimp. You can also pick up bento at Edoya, boxed meals of either California
rolls or tuna rolls with either miso soup or rice
ready to take for lunch or dinner.

            Also be sure
to try: Arigato Steak House (2720 W Henrietta Rd; 292-1111), California
Rollin’ (274 N Goodman St, 271-8990; 1000 N River St, 271-8920), Piranha
Sushi Bar (682 Park Ave; 360-2754), Plum Garden (3349 Monroe Ave;
381-8730), Sakura Home (2775 Monroe Ave; 288-8130), and Shiki (1054 S Clinton Ave; 271-2090).

Irish

When most people think of Irish cuisine, they probably
imagine a bar decked in green serving up a variety of pub food. And while
that’s not far off for many places, Mulconry’s Irish Pub (17 LiftbridgeLn, Fairport; 678-4516)
aims to offer more upscale Irish cuisine in more of a restaurant setting. The
inclusion of shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, and Guinness stew won’t
shock many, but the addition of toasties (the
equivalent of a grilled cheese in Ireland) and boxties
(stuffed Irish potato pancakes), both in several varieties, sets Mulconry’s apart from other restaurants.

            Also be sure
to try: McGinnity’s Restaurant (534
W Ridge Rd; 663-5810), Murphy’s Law (370
East Ave; 697-9001), and TP’s Irish Restaurant (916 Panorama Trail S; 385-4160).

Chinese

Dim sum is a light dish typically served with tea, and
traditionally served from the morning until noon
except in specialty restaurants. Cantonese House (3159
S Winton Rd; 272-9126) is akin to a traditional
dim-sum specialty restaurant, where the dim sum is served all day and, on
weekends, is brought around on carts that diners can pull appealing dishes
from. First-time “dim summers” can stick to safe choices like the pork buns and
potstickers, but those looking to be somewhat daring
should try the phoenix talons, or steamed chicken feet, which are of an
acquired taste and texture.

            Also be sure
to try: Too many to name, but a few worth noting are Chen Garden (1750
Monroe Ave; 241-3070), Golden Port (105 East Ave; 256-1780), Hong Wah Chinese Restaurant (1802 Penfield Rd; 385-2808), Ming’s
Noodles (1038 S Clinton Ave; 244-0985), and Wok With You (300 Park
Point Dr; 427-8383).

British

Since much American food has its roots in British food,
British cuisine can be an uncommon discovery other than of “fish and chips”
variety. Tap and Mallet (381 Gregory St;
473-0503) may seem to be of the pub variety, but the food is quite the
contrary. While it boasts one of Rochester’s
most diverse beer lists, it also offers a variety of traditional British dishes
alongside fusion options. Most noteworthy is the sausage and mash (often
referred to as bangers and mash in the UK),
which combines veal sausage with mashed potatoes, which is smothered in ale
gravy (instead of the traditional onion gravy) and served with stout mustard.

            Also be sure
to try: The Old Toad (277 Alexander St; 232-2626) or for English-style
tea try La-Tea-Da Tea Room and Parlour (258 Alexander St; 262-4450) or Hicks and McCarthy (23 S Main St,
Pittsford; 586-0938).

This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2010.