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‘Rochester’ Category

  1. La-Tea-Da

    November 6, 2011 by Nina

    We were trying to find Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe when we stumbled upon this tearoom. We sort of assumed it would be sad and going out of business, as many tearooms are, but it was hopping. Older woman were sitting around sipping tea. It was adorable. We took a menu, and decided to come back tomorrow (we had just eaten). The tearoom and cupcake company actually share a space, one using it in the daytime and the other in the evening. We were welcomed by a very cheerful man—Nippie—usher us into a wildly decorated room, just as you might imagine a tearoom to be, with old hats everywhere, flowered teacups and sauces, pictures of fancy old woman, etc. He told us that we can, and should, try on some hats to really get into the spirit of things. We wore some ridiculous hats, and it was so fun. He told us that we should ring the bell whenever we need him. I had the brunch assortment, which comes with a Crustless Quiche, Double Baked French Toast, Fresh Fruit, Oven Roasted Potato Wedges, Homemade Scone with Devonshire Cream and Jam, and a Bottomless Pot of Tea (we had the Cherry Rose Festival Sencha). Our pot of tea was served in a Betty Boop teapot. I thought that my meal seemed like it had been sitting a long time, as it was not that warm, but overall was pretty good. The scone was absolutely heavenly. It came out warm with powdered sugar. Julian had the Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, which was divine. We both said it was the best we’ve ever had. Overall the experience was a lot of fun. We enjoyed making funny voices (mostly me), relaxing, and sipping tea. I would definitely come here if I had a grandmother or kids, or just for a fun time!

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    La Tea Da Tea Room & Parlour
    258 Alexander St
    Rochester, NY 14607
    Phone: 585.262.4450
    http://www.la-tea-da.net/
    minilogo La Tea Da


  2. New Taj Indian Cuisine

    June 30, 2011 by Nina

    As far as Indian food goes, this restaurant was fairly standard, but the decor was most unusual. My guess was that the chalk drawings of waitresses in tight clothing was left-over from the previous owner, but Julian pointed out that mango lassi and other traditional Indian specialties were a part of the drawings. So who knows, but the decor is a trip. Like I said, the food wasn’t particularly memorable, but I would go here again if I was in Rochester.

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    New Taj Indian Cuisine
    298 Exchange Boulevard
    Rochester, NY 14608

    Phone:585.546.7775
    http://www.newtajindia.net/
    minilogo New Taj Indian Cuisine


  3. Open Face

    April 11, 2011 by Nina

    This tiny cafe-like restaurant features the most unique sounding sandwiches. They are open-faced (meaning only one slice of bread) and absolutely wonderful! I am not a sandwich person, but I love these! Also, they have lots of vegetarian and vegan friendly options. I also love how you can get 1/2 sandwich and 1/2 soup or 1/2 of one sandwich and 1/2 of another. My favorite sandwiches are: the corn mash (sounds weird, but is the best), black bean, goat cheese (flavored with rosemary and cracked pepper with mixed greens and drizzled in olive oil on baguette), and soft brie (brie spread with a sweet apricot preserve, topped with sliced pear, on baguette). I can’t wait to go here again.

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    Update: Julian and I went here again with my cousins from Germany and we loved it. The food really is spectacular here. It’s definitely one of my favorite restaurants. And the people that work here are so kind and accommodating.

    Open Face
    651 South Ave
    Rochester, NY 14620
    Phone: 585.232.3050
    http://openfacesandwicheatery.com/
    minilogo Open Face

    Hint: They close early on saturdays!


  4. Tapas One Seventy Seven

    March 1, 2011 by Nina

    When you walk into Tapas 171, you walk into a bar and it’s a bit confusing where you’re supposed to eat, but it turns out the restaurant is in the basement. It was dimly lit and romantic. We sat in a cute cove in the corner. We looked at the menu and were again confused because the dishes were between 10-15 dollars, which is not the usual price of tapas. So we thought maybe they weren’t tapas sized (which they actually aren’t, more like appitzers-sized). We asked the (rude) waitress who said people typically order two or three each. This seemed expensive, but we did so anyway. This is the point where we should have left. I ordered the Naan pizza and spring rolls, and Julian ordered the deep fried pepper and bean burger. I will review the orders from best to worst. The spring rolls were fresh and came with a wonderful (and warm!) peanut sauce, the bean burger was small, but delicious with taziki sauce, the fried pepper was bar food quality at best, and the naan pizza was plain and with a chicken/shrimp-like inedible topping. Overall, stay away. The dishes are both  inconsistently sized and so unbelievably overpriced. I’ve never felt more ripped-off.

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    Tapas One Seventy Seven
    177 Saint Paul St
    Rochester, NY 14604
    Phone: (585) 262-2090
    minilogo Tapas One Seventy Seven


  5. The Owl House

    February 18, 2011 by Nina

    I took Julian to The Owl House over the weekend. We had the Sweet Potato Fries with blue cheese as an appetizer. The fries were a bit soggier than I usually like, but the melted blue cheese was great. I had the Matty’s Moustache (Warm Brie, Apple, Pear, Red Onion, Baby Arugula, Housemade Dijon on Grilled Sourdough) and Julian had the Lentil Burger (Housemade Lentil Burger, Tomato, Red Onion, Sprouts, Half Sour Pickles, Roasted Garlic Vegenaise on an Onion Roll). Both of us were a little disappointed with our entrees. I think the problem with the lentil burger was that it was pretty dry. But overall, it was average for a vegetarian restaurant.

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    The Owl House
    75 Marshall Street
    Rochester, NY 14607
    http://www.owlhouserochester.com/
    minilogo The Owl House