Pollsters tell us that more than 90 percent of Americans eat pizza at least once a month, and statistically we consume some 350 slices of pizza per second. Pizza is probably as universally popular a food as there is in this great land of ours. The vast majority of that pizza is baked in gas […]
Rochester Restaurants
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Go slow
Syracuse native Caleb Piron had been practicing law in Manhattan for a little while before he made the choice to move his legal career to the back burner. “It was just an itch I had to scratch,” the self-described “food nerd” says of his decision to trade pocket squares for side towels and dive into […]
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CHOW HOUND: The Revelry, events and openings
You’ve no doubt encountered representations of pineapples in seemingly strange places, whether forged in brass for a door knocker or carved in the wood of an old home’s staircase. The pineapple has actually long been a symbol of friendship and welcome, with major prevalence in the American South. That’s why you’ll also find a large, […]
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CHOW HOUND: Wylie Chayote and more
“This is so far removed from Flour City Diner cooking,” says chef Jerry Manley, who recently put his popular comfort-food repertoire on the back burner in order to try his mano at Mexican cuisine, which involves a bevy of ingredients that Manley hadn’t worked with professionally… until now. Lucky for us, the results of this […]
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CHOW HOUND: The ol’ College Town try
Well, a crucial chunk of the Inner Loop is off-limits for the next few months, traffic circles are apparently the new cupcake, and where Mount Hope and Elmwood avenues meet is being hacked to bits so that College Town may rise. But no amount of minor inconvenience is going to keep a true Rochesterian from […]
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CHOW HOUND: Mother’s Day brunch
“Every day is Kid’s Day!” Mom would no doubt reply when you wondered where your designated holiday was. And now that you’re big, you know she was right. Hopefully you’re able to spoil your mother on a regular basis, but the second Sunday in May is the day that businesses set aside to be especially […]
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CHOW HOUND: Urban renewal
“I’d been looking for a spot in the South Wedge or Park Avenue,” says Shema Sushi chef Su Holmes of her decision to move her popular eatery from the location on West Main Street in Webster that it had occupied since 2007. Shema recently opened the doors to its new home on Alexander Street’s Restaurant […]
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CHOW HOUND: Tip Jar
Until cloning becomes more affordable, I can’t be everywhere at once. That’s why I rely upon a stealthy network of well-placed informants for food intel, along with intriguing tidbits submitted by hungry readers like you. But reporting on the recent avalanche of new restaurants has left little room for me to empty the ol’ tip […]
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DINING REVIEW: Banzai Sushi & Cocktail Bar
The South Wedge is quickly becoming my go-to place for just about anything I might need. Craft beer? The Tap & Mallet fills that niche admirably. A reliable place to take your girlfriend and her parents for dinner? Zeppa Bistro’s a great choice. Jamaican for lunch? Peppa Pot. A dive bar to suck down PBRs […]
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Thai with training wheels
The first time I set foot in Mao Seng and VilaySysavath’s Viet Thai Restaurant in Irondequoit a couple of weeks ago, I had a strange feeling of dรฉjร vu. It wasn’t because the place is similar to the couple’s popular pho and noodle restaurant SEA on Monroe Avenue — it’s not. There was something about […]
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Fill up your tank
Chile rellenos, golden brown outside, bursting with beans, shredded pork, and queso fresco, and slathered in salsa roja. Consomme-clear chicken broth garnished with bits of fried tortillas, avocado, and a dusting of queso fresco. Frijoles — refried beans — a deceptively mundane-looking study in brown, stoked with garlic and just enough chipotle pepper to make […]
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Pork barrel
One recent morning I was on South Clinton Avenue heading toward downtown when I noticed a sign tacked up on the side of a nondescript building just past Goodman Street: “Georgie’s Bakery makes the best Cuban Sandwich in Rochester.” Liz Ruiz, who has owned Georgie’s along with her husband, George, since 2005, was against putting […]
