BY ERIC LACLAIR
Many cities or regions are identified by a special food or
dish. Philadelphia has its cheese
steaks. Chicago, deep-dish pizza. When it comes to Rochester,
the food most often associated with the area is the garbage plate, and the “hots” restaurant at which it is usually served. Whether you’re
hanging out downtown, or in one of the surrounding suburbs, chances are there
is a “hots” joint nearby. While every Rochesterian has his or her own opinion on which local
restaurant serves up the best “plate,” we can all agree that the spicy, greasy,
delicious concoctions are Rochester
staples.
First, some terminology for the non-natives. “Hots” in Rochester
refer to hot dogs, which here can come in red or white version. “Plates” are
available in many combinations. Standard ingredients are burgers, hot dogs,
sausage, grilled cheese, or eggs for a base. A selection of those is mixed with
sides like macaroni salad, home fries, French fries, beans, or potato salad.
However, some hots joints offer more combinations
than others.
But how did
the plate and hots restaurants come to their nearly
ubiquitous local status? The history of the Rochester
plate is a long and complicated one, and the seemingly simple dish has changed
considerably in its nearly 100-year history.
According to the Food Network show “Unwrapped,” the plate can be traced back to 1918,
when the Rochester metropolitan
area was bustling with nearly 300,000 residents. Many of those people were
blue-collar workers in the factories and mills downtown. How do you feed hungry
workers quickly and cheaply? With heaping plates of easily prepared food.
Cue the
original garbage plate. In its earliest incarnation, traditional plates
typically had a combination of potatoes, beans, and two red hots.
Early variants were known as “hots and po-tots,” and were available at a downtown restaurant named
Hots and Potatoes, located on Main
Street.
Over time,
the restaurant’s popularity grew, and it transformed into the hots forefather known today as Nick TahouHots. The hots and po-tots also gained popularity among area college students
who would ask for “the plate with all the garbage on it,” which led to the less-than-hygienic
name, which was eventually trademarked by Tahou’s in
1992.
The plate
has gone on to national fame/infamy, having been spotlighted on several
food-based television programs like “Man vs. Food.” And website health.com
named it the fattiest food in New York,
so we have that going for us.
But that assumes that all plates are created equal.
Each Rochester plate is different
in its own way. Here’s a walk along “hots” lane,
looking at some of the local hots restaurants that
have gained a reputation for their plates and more.
A favorite of
many younger Rochesterians, as well as residents
living east of the city, Penfield Hots (1794 Penfield
Road, Penfield, 586-4979) has a loyal fan base — just look at all of the
pictures of patrons lining the walls. Located in a small plaza next to
Penfield’s four corners, P-Hotsis
your standard hots joint. At Penfield you will find
the “rubbish plate,” along with a full menu of other grilled-up items: red hots, white hots, burgers,
sandwiches, and everything in between
However
there are plenty other hots restaurants on the east
side of the city including, but not limited, to Empire Hots
(2209 Empire Blvd., Webster, 787-2110), Fairport Hots
(1226 Fairport Road, Fairport, 586-4540), and Bill Gray’s (1650 Penfield Road,
Penfield, 385-3450).
If you are
west of Rochester, there are plenty
of fine establishments for your hots fix. Greece Hots (745 Maiden Lane, Greece,
663-5720) is, not surprisingly, a favorite of many in the Greece
area. Offering a nearly identical menu to P-Hots, G-Hotsis the popular place to pick
up a plate or some grilled goodness on the west side. Other west-side hots restaurants include Steve T. Hots
and Potatoes (2260 Lyell Ave.,
Gates, 429-6388), Chili Hots (3774
Chili Ave., Chili, 889-1770), and Jimmy Z’s (53
Main St., Brockport, 637-7060).
If you are
looking for the true Mecca of hots joints, downtown Rochester
is the place to be. Whether you dine at one of the various diners on Monroe
Avenue or the holy grail
on West Main Street,
downtown is the hots hot spot.
A favorite
amongst many city residents is a small building tucked in on Monroe
Avenue, Dogtown (691
Monroe Ave., 271-6620, dogtownhots.com). While the
dining area is slightly larger than the previous mentioned joints, Dogtown prides itself on its wide array of hot dogs, but
there are other options, including burgers, vegetarian-friendly meals, and of
course its own take on the plate, the “junkyard plate” with hot dog, burgers,
or even veggie dogs, and your choice of sides.
Just down
the road is another city favorite, Mark’s Texas Hots
(487 Monroe Ave., 473-1563).
Like the others, Mark’s offers traditional diner fare with an accent on grilled
items. Mark’s is especially popular in the wee hours of the morning after the
bars let out, as it is open 24/7.
Just a few
miles away is a diner offering a slightly classed-up version of the garbage
plate. James Brown’s Place (1356 Culver Road,
288-4250, jamesbrownsplace.net) has a large menu, but we are still focusing on hots and garbage plates, or in this case the “pig trough.” While
it offers many of the same items you would find at a hots
stop, James Brown’s uses homemade macaroni salad, and a different take on the
home fry rather than the deep-fried potato chunks featured in most plates.
James also offers some of the most flavorful and spicy hot sauce I have yet had
on a plate.
While there
a plenty of established hots restaurants [see
sidebar], this story would not be complete without a mention of the originator:
Nick TahouHots (320
W. Main St., 436-0184, garbageplate.com).
Ninety-four years ago, Tahou introduced us to the
garbage plate, and has been perfecting it ever since. You know he truly hit the
nail on the head when there are dozens of restaurants in our area offering their
take on your signature dish nearly a century later.
Additional hots restaurants
IrondequoitHots635 Titus Ave.,
Irondequoit, 266-6840
Henrietta Hots3553
W. Henrietta Road, Henrietta, 424-4687
RochesterHots196 Winton Road,
654-9606
Bill Gray’s Many area locations, billgrays.com
Tom Wahl’s Many area locations, tomwahls.com
GitsisTexasHots600 Monroe Ave.,
271-8260
Hungry’s Grill10 State St., Pittsford,
385-4031
Vic and Irv Refreshments4880
Culver Road, 544-7680
If we missed
any hots restaurants, please let us know by
commenting on this story at rochestercitynewspaper.com.
This article appears in Mar 14-21, 2012.
