Living in Rochester

Prime Steakhouse Restaurant Review

2010-01-20T20:33:00.006-05:00

42 E. Main Street
Webster NY, 14580
(585) 265-4777

Webster really needs a restaurant like Prime Steakhouse. Development in the last decade has brought a slew of chain restaurants – Moe’s Southwest Grill, Red Robin, Five Guys, Uno Grill, Monte Alban’s. With the opening of Prime, Webster finally has a fine dining option, open year-round. (Hedges, which is only open seasonally, doesn’t count!)

The reservation system, if it can be called that, needs to get some bugs worked out. We called during normal business hours on a Wednesday and ended up having to leave a message about a reservation for Friday. No one called back until the next night. That didn’t seem terribly professional, but at least we had a reservation.

The décor is upscale urban steakhouse - dark wood tables, pendant lighting, red bench seating along the walls. Enough light to read the menu – always a plus. However, it is noisy, especially the bar area. Why do restaurateurs designing a new space not take the noise factor into consideration? If it’s too loud to have a conversation, I don’t want to go there! Fortunately, the eating area wasn’t quite as bad as the bar. Conversation was possible without shouting, and the further away from the bar, the better.

We were served a basket of two rolls (one wheat, and one sesame) with triangles of butter, which seemed a bit stingy, but the waitress quickly refilled the basket with an even better combination of a warm popover and a warm poppyseed roll when we inhaled the first two.

I ordered the crab cake appetizer, which was quite large and not overly bready, although the crab was of the shredded variety rather than the chunks of lump meat that mark an awesome crab cake. But the accompanying oranges were sweet, and the remoulade nicely flavored. All in all, it was a better-than-average crab cake. My dining companion ordered the iceberg wedge with bacon and an over-abundance of blue cheese dressing. Both appetizers were decent, but not exceptional.

For my entrée, I ordered salmon – yes, in spite of going to a steak house, I can’t pass up Nova Scotia salmon over warm lentils. It was a huge piece of fish, crispy on the outside, and served with some sautéed Swiss chard, along with a massive pile of lentils. It was delicious.

My dining companion’s filet, which he ordered with Béarnaise sauce, won effusive praise, of the mm…mmmm..mmmmm! variety. Although the items listed in the “entrée” section of the menu come with some accompaniment of vegetables or potatoes, the steak and chop dishes do not. So he also ordered a side of fries ($5), a huge plate big enough for two or three to share. They were a bit salty, but still tasted good even when they cooled off.

All the desserts are home-made, according to our waitress, so in the interest of the blog, we wrapped half our meals so we’d have room for dessert. The ice cream selection of coffee, chocolate gelato and vanilla bean sounded delicious, and it was. High fat content, I suspect. The vanilla crème brulée, served with a chocolate-dipped biscotti along with a raspberry and a mint leaf, was both lovely to look at, and lovely to eat! No leftovers there.

Service was attentive enough, but a bit unpolished. There was some confusion when we ordered wine and a lack of knowledge about desserts, but in general service was efficient and friendly.

We will definitely give Prime another try – next time I vow to try steak for a change.

Bistro 135 Restaurant Review

2009-06-28T19:20:00.009-04:00

135 West Commercial St.
East Rochester, NY
(585) 662-5555

Bistro 135 is back! We used to like this restaurant a lot, but with various changes in ownership and the kitchen, it seemed a bit off the last few times we dined there. But after reading that a new chef had recently joined the staff, we gave it another try.

The verdict? The food was great, the service was a little lax. But it is definitely a place we will visit again.

We ate in a side dining room away from the jazz band, which has in the past been too loud for the venue. There is a nice courtyard for outdoor dining, and a number of people were enjoying the rare sunny summer weather outside.

Even though we sampled the tasty fresh bread, served with a dish of spiced olive oil, we couldn't pass up trying an appetizer. Three of us split an order of the Parmesan and herbes pommes frites- French fries to us English-speakers. But these were not your typical fast-food French fries. Thin strips of potato were coated with a delicious, crunchy Parmesan coating. The accompanying spiked ketchup was too spicy for me, but the garlic aioli was the perfect - if high-calorie- accompaniment. It was a huge plate - plenty even for three to share.

Meals also come with salad, which was the only not-so-good course. The sizable plates included a mass of field greens, tomato wedges, cucumbers and croutons. Next time I will order dressing on the side, as even the balsamic dressing was on the thick side, and definitely over-abundant.

Our favorite college student ordered the pecan chicken, a choice that has been on the menu through various staff and ownership changes. It is served with a bourbon cream sauce over a bed of spinach, and a castle of crispy French-fried onion strings. The substitution of garlic smashed potatoes for the usual sweet potato mash was easily accommodated.

Tim ordered the strip steak, which the menu describes as being served with "crispy onion rings and garlic smashed potatoes and vegetables." He was expecting the same onion rings that accompanied Laura's dish, but alas, two rather ordinary battered and fried onion rings topped his plate. The steak was seared, flavorful and cooked as ordered, but perhaps could have used a little more trimming.

I had the drunken pork kebabs - tender morsels of pork tenderloin alternating with onions over a delicous corn and bacon creamy mixture. (Good thing they don't post calorie counts on the menu!) I also substituted the garlic smashed for the sweet potato mash. A few tastes of our meals and we were ready to wrap everything for lunch the next day.

But not without sampling a dessert - in the interest of all our faithful blog readers, of course. We sampled what I think was called an "apple roll-up" -- pastry wrapped over a chunky apple filling, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and served with ice cream and whipped cream. How can you go wrong with a combination like that?

More visits are in our future, if only to try out the Parmesancrusted oven roasted Chilean sea bass and the Kobe burger smothered in Montery Jack and caramelized onions. Mmmm!

Bamba Bistro Restaurant Review

2009-03-14T10:49:00.013-04:00

282 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY
(585) 244-8680

We recently dined at Bamba Bistro to celebrate our anniversary, and had a great experience. The valet parking initially turned me off, as it seemed a leftover from its previous incarnation as the very high-end, formal Rio Bamba. But inside, the atmosphere is casually elegant, with efficient and professional service. It can be a bit noisy - too many hard surfaces and high ceilings. But great food!

Make no mistake, in spite of its name, the Bamba Bistro is still a fine dining establishment, where you can order, if you so desire, a $170 bottle of wine, and entrees well into the $30 range. But there are also less expensive entree choices like the Bistro burger for $12, and veggie fettuccini for $16. The decor is classy with dark wood trim, arched ceiling and large, dramatic floral arrangements. And best of all, it's bright enough to read a menu, a plus for us middle-aged, visually challenged diners!

This being a special occasion, we went all out. Tim ordered the Artichokes Bamba appetizer, similar to the ubiquitous Artichokes French in many Rochester restaurants, but prepared with a subtle blend of lemon and garlic, and a light touch to the breading. Perfectly cooked, lovely presentation. I ordered the pineapple almond salad, which was served as a block of watercress and frisee greens. It was a nice mix of sweet, salty, and tangy, with a light touch to the dressing as well.

For entrees, I chose the Australian rack of lamb over spring vegetables, which this night included Brussels sprouts, carrots, beans and spinach. The four small chops were perfectly cooked and aromatic. Tim had his usual filet, which was also cooked to perfection (medium-rare, as ordered), served with a very tasty Bearnaise sauce - not too much or too heavy - along with potato puree.

We had to sample dessert - it was a special occasion after all. Tim, the lemon fan, tried the lemon curd tartlet, which was served with lavender chantilly cream (whatever that is!). It was pronounced delicious. I tried a sampling of the ice creams and sorbets, with two little scoops of peppermint ice cream and two of chocolate sorbet. They were truly yummy.

The meal was nicely paced for a special night out, although the multitude of waiters for different courses was disconcerting. We will definitely return for other special occasions - like perhaps, Friday night!

Label 7 Restaurant Review

2009-02-28T14:53:00.011-05:00

50 State St.
Pittsford, NY
(585) 267-7500

Label 7 has become one of our favorite restaurants. Not too noisy, not too dim, good food, nicely presented. And with its pretty location on the canal in Pittsford, it is a great spot for outdoor summer dining, if summer ever comes! What more could you want?

The decor is casually elegant, with rattan chairs, white butcher paper over white tablecloths, and artsy flower arrangements and lighting fixtures. Vines, greenery, trellises, wicker, and wood floors give the dining area an open, airy feel. There are a few spots that are dimmer than others; if you're visually challenged by the combination of restaurant menus and dim light, avoid the area that is noticeably darker.

Service is leisurely but efficient. The waiter was able to easily answer all our questions about the menu, and did not write anything down when he took our order, which to me is an unnecessary and risky policy, but there were no fumbled orders.

We have tried a number of appetizers. Most of them are somewhat pricey. Note that there is no bread served with meals, although there is a choice of an artisan bread "small plate" for $4, served with tapenade and herb butter. On one occasion, my dining companion and I split the whole roasted garlic, which was indeed a whole bulb of surprisingly mild roasted garlic, served with caramelized brie and a massive plate of bread. It was enough for four people to split, really, but the two of us managed.

Another favorite "small plate" has been the beggar's purse pasta, which are small pouches of pasta filled with a cheese and pear mixture, and served with Gorgonzola cream, caramelized onions and pancetta. For $12, and the probably extraordinary calorie count, you're better off splitting that one too!

The menu also lists a number of "green plates," i.e. salads. We've sampled the Caesar ($6) , a mix of nice, crisp greens, a reasonable, that is, not too heavy, dose of garlicky dressing, served with a Parmesan crisp - I love that. On one recent visit, the grilled salad ($8) included fennel and Granny Smith apples, dressed lightly with a honey balsamic dressing. It was tasty and different. The wheat berry salad ($10) was a mound of wheat berries, vegetables and pancetta served along side a heaping pile of lightly dressed greens.

One of our favorites entrees is the lobster mac and cheese ($24), chunks of lobster meat baked with creamy tortiglioni - decadent. The last time I ordered it, someone at a nearby table saw it, and said, I want that! Another winner is the filet sampler ($29), tenderloin medallions served three ways: au piovre, Oscar (with asparagus and crab) , and Wellington (with pastry). We have also tried various specials that have been well-prepared, imaginative, and tasty.

Desserts are all made in-house, and they seem to change regularly. I thought the baked chocolate moussse served warm with a crusty edge and covered with whipped cream was great; my companion thought it missed the mark. We've also had an awesome (and generously-sized) pumpkin cheesecake served with cinnamon-sprinkled whipped cream and an almond creme brulee served with biscotti and whipped cream.

The economic times don't seem to have lessened the crowds at Label7. It continues to be a busy place, at least on weekend nights.

Creating a personalized cookbook

2008-12-29T09:48:00.015-05:00

In our house, we love to eat, and we love to cook.

As the kids have grown up and moved off on their own, I frequently get requests for recipes. About a year ago, I started thinking that I should put together a cookbook for them, with all their favorites. So whenever I made one of the cookbook-worthy recipes, I tried to remember to take a picture of the finished dish, thinking that someday I would get my act together and create a recipe book for them.

It turns out there are several options besides a laser-printer, a 3-hole punch and a binder. The first website I discovered is lulu.com which enables you to self-publish virtually anything. There is a specialized cookbook option, which allows you to choose from three different layouts. There are also pictures available to use at a small charge (for example, $.30 to use as an interior image). There was a lot of flexibility in this approach, and the price was good - $25.95 for a hardcover book of up to 120 pages or $15.95 for a softcover book of up to 250 pages. But with flexibility comes complexity, and I was looking for simplicity.

When I discovered tastebook.com I found simplicity.

Tastebook.com allows you to select a cover, customize the title and dedication page, and to easily upload recipes from various partner sites like Cooking Light and Better Homes & Gardens. You can also create recipe pages of your own by typing into the interface provided, or cutting-and-pasting the ingredients and directions from a word document. Each recipe can include a title, description, yield, prep time, total time, and a note. It’s easy to load your own imagery and the images are resized appropriately. Pricing starts at $19.95 for 25 recipes, which includes a hardcover binder that holds up to 100 pages.For $29.95 you get up to 50 recipes. The pages are punched to fit the binder, and you can order additional pages for your cookbook later. If, for example, you create a book with 30 recipes (which I did), you have to purchase the 50-recipe option, but you get credits for 20 recipes to use later.

The easiest option is to find recipes from various companion websites, import them to your tastebook, and voila, you have a perfectly formatted cookbook, with imagery included. I never do anything that easy! I spent more time than I should have deciding which of my own recipes were book-worthy, endlessly editing, cropping and re-touching photos, and proofreading. In the end I submitted the order on December 6th, well before the December 12 deadline to use UPS ground shipping and still get the order by Christmas Eve. Everything went perfectly, and the order arrived December 18th. The only slight wrinkle wss that the recipe pages are all inserted at the end of the book, and I had to organize them myself into the various tabbed sections. The book also arrived gift-wrapped, which was a surprise.

All in all, it was worth the effort. And all those recipe credits? Guess what's in the works for next Christmas?

Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

2008-12-27T10:52:00.008-05:00

Ten years ago, I weighed 60 pounds more than I do today. Two years ago, I decided to lose 25 of those pounds. And today, I am at the one-year mark for being at my goal weight and staying within 2 pounds of that weight.

How did I do it?

It was surprisingly simple. No weekly meetings, no fees, no fad diet, no forbidden foods, no rules about grams of carbs and fat and protein. Not even any calorie counting.

My number one strategy was motivation. I was tired of weight being an issue, of being self-conscious whenever I met someone for the first time, of dreading shopping for clothes, of lacking confidence. Was my excess weight the root cause of these problems? I wanted to take my weight out of the equation once and for all. Once you're motivated, truly motivated, the rest is easy.

Now for the tactics. I needed an eating plan for life, not a diet for the short-term. I had some good habits that I had developed over the years - a healthy breakfast, a healthy lunch 5 days a week, regular exercise - but some bad ones too. Eating at night, or really, a dinner that didn't really end until I went to bed. Dessert that often consisted of a big bowl of ice cream. Snacking on things like cheese and crackers, and popcorn (and not the low-fat, low-salt version). Derailing my progress during the week with blow-out weekends.

Here's what I did, and continue to do:

Eat dinner and then stop eating, ideally by 7 PM. Find something else to occupy your time. In good weather, I take a walk after dinner every night. It seems to turn off my appetite.
Eat a healthy breakfast. If you're one of those people who isn't hungry at breakfast, you may find that if you stop eating by 7:00 the night before, you are hungry for breakfast.
Exercise, and plan on making exercise a part of your life. Once you adjust, you'll find that you won't want to miss a day. If you don't exercise at all, start walking. Get a pedometer so you can track your progress. If you already exercise, ramp it up. Start lifting weights, or increase your time or your intensity. I started working out on an arc trainer , which according to the calorie readout, burns calories at a rate of 600+ per hour. I also consulted a personal trainer at my gym (Kevin Glor at Midtown Athletic Club), which gave me some added motivation. But you can easily do this on your own without a trainer.
Fit movement in whenever you can. I never take elevators if I can take stairs. Take a spot at the back of every parking lot.
Be conscious of how many calories you are REALLY consuming. If you're not losing weight it's because you are consuming as many calories as you are burning. I never got into the regular habit of counting calories, but I was conscious of the fact that thick, multigrain "healthy" bread can have 120 calories per slice - that's 240 calories for a sandwich before you've added anything else!
Drink lots of water. Really, it helps.
Eat like a naturally slender person. That means you can go out to eat, you can have dessert, you can have things like chocolate and butter and real mayonnaise. Just not all the time, and in small quantities. Be aware of your body's signals that you have had enough to eat.
Enjoy meals out - occasionally. Plan on bringing half your dinner home from a restaurant meal. Order something you like that is still a treat, but steer towards the healthier options - broiled instead of fried, salad dressing on the side. During my weight loss phase, I ate out every Friday night.
Enjoy the foods you love - in moderation. There is a place in life for dark chocolate, brown butter sauce, and ice cream. You don't have to turn into a food Nazi or the diet police. Thee's nothing more boring than talking to a person on a diet about what they eat and don't eat.
Go for the healthy eating option. I started eating whole wheat pasta instead of regular, and gourmet sorbet (I highly recommend Wegman's premium pink grapefruit) instead of full-fat ice cream.
If there is something you just can't resist, don't bring it into the house. For me, I can't eat just one piece of dark chocolate. So my husband would buy a bag of Hershey's kisses and hide them from me!
Be patient. It took me about a year to lose 25 pounds, but it hasn't really been difficult to keep it off.
Be vigilant. I weigh myself almost every day. It is natural to go up and down 2 or maybe even 3 pounds on a daily basis, depending on what you've eaten, when you've exercised, how much water you've had. If you weigh yourself once a week, you may not see the general downward trend. If you start to see an upward trend, it's time to take a look at your calories in vs. your calories out or whether the special occasion treats are turning into daily events.
Get support. It's a lot easier to avoid eating at night if everyone in the family buys into it. If you can motivate other family members to change their habits too, it will be a lot easier to stick with the plan. At the time we embarked on this plan, my husband was trying to lose weight too, and we were enjoying an empty nest.
Forgive yourself. If you blow it, and eat 3 slices of pizza, or overindulge at the office goodie day - or both - it's not the end of the world. Just forgive yourself and go back to being the naturally slender person that you are.

Good Luck Restaurant Review

2008-09-13T16:19:00.008-04:00

(585) 340-6161
50 Anderson Ave.
Rochester, NY

We're always on the look out for new restaurants, so when a colleague told me about the great experience he had at the newly opened Good Luck Restaurant, we had to try it.

Good Luck is in the former Fabrics & Findings location on Anderson Avenue, near Village Gate. The old factory ambiance has been preserved, with exposed brick walls, distressed wood floor, paint peeling from wooden beams, exposed pipes, and an eclectic mix of seating. Beyond that, the decor is urban eclectic chic, I would call it. Glass window panes separate the bar from the dining area. Floral arrangements of sunflowers and bird of paradise are scattered throughout. The walls that aren't original brick are painted a dark blue-gray. Very nice.

But the one thing that struck us the most, unfortunately, was the noise level. When you can hear the din from the parking lot across the street, you know it won't be an evening of relaxed conversation. If you want to carry on a conversation without straining your vocal chords, a weekday night might be a better option.

The wait staff was of the overly-friendly, let-me-crouch-down-next-to-you sort, but possibly that was because otherwise we wouldn't have been able to hear her over the din. The concept here is that you order various small plates, food is delivered to your table as it is ready, and you order more if you're still hungry. The biggest downside to this approach is that it just requires way too many decisions, over and over again, when all I want to do is relax and eat.

The food was, for the most part, awesome, and as it was too noisy to carry on much of a conversation, we focused on eating. The menu has an in-season, local food flavor to it, and many of the items on the menu have changed since we visited last month. We had a cheese plate, a leek dish, and goat cheese gnocchi to share. The food was nicely presented, certainly not over-abundant in portion size, but adequate. Everything tasted great. For dessert (yes we had room), we ordered another selection of cheeses (for Tim) and peach cobbler for me. But they were served as though we had ordered two more separate courses. The peach cobbler was just ok. It was way too hot, and could have used a dollop of whipped cream or a little scoop of ice cream.

If you want to try some different, well-prepared and tasty food, give this place a try. Just don't expect to talk about the experience while you're eating!

Finger Lakes Winery Tour - Seneca Lake

2008-08-03T19:02:00.005-04:00

My sister Eileen (sommelier-wannabe) and her friend Laurie visited us recently from Boston. We hired our favorite college student as a designated driver, and after some online research, decided to focus on the east side of Seneca Lake for a day-long winery tour. We are not wine connoisseurs, but we like dry wine, generally prefer red to white, and have long had a bias toward Californian, Australian or Chilean - but not New York wines (way too sweet we thought).

The day of our tour was the same day as the annual Finger Lakes Wine Festival in Watkins Glen, which we thought might keep crowds at bay. We left Rochester armed with Mapquest directions, a list of potential wineries, and a vague plan for starting at the southern end of the lake and working our way back towards the Thruway. The first thing we learned: forget the Mapquest directions, and just take exit 41 off the Thruway to Rte 414, and head south to the wineries. Mapquest may have had a shorter route, but the roads were not all that well marked, and there were some easy-to miss-twists and turns.

Our stops in order:
Red Newt Wine Cellars - 3675 Tichenor Rd., Hector NY. Eileen had visited this winery on a previous trip and recommended it. Here we found a great deal - a $12 passport that offered wine flights at 28 participating wineries. We each bought one, in lieu of the 5 for $20 tasting or the $1 per taste. The passport is also good all summer, although the chances for a repeat visit for us are pretty low. There was a pretty view of the lake, knowledgeable staff and not many people. We ended up buying a Sauvignon Blanc. And the 2006 Reserve Riesling (for an extra $1) was quite potable.

Leidenfrost Vineyards - 5677 Route 414, Hector NY. A short distance up the road from Red Newt, this was another pretty stop on the lake, with a German look and timber-frame tasting room. It is a very small, friendly place, with peanuts as a palate-cleanser. We skipped tasting the Riesling (which the sommelier-wannabe said was too sweet with 2% residual sugar) and tried the Gewurtztraminer instead, which was surprisingly good. We also liked the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Merlot, which we purchased.

Penguin Bay Winery - 6075 Route 414, Hector, NY. This place had wine AND champagne, a definite plus for the three champagne-lovers. In addition to its own label, it offers tastes of wines from both Swedish Hill and Goose Watch wineries. This place was somewhat bigger and a little more commercial, and looked like it was set up to handle pretty big crowds. The wine festival was definitely working in our favor. First vote went to the Swedish Hill 2002 Brut Champagne. Tasting sizes were generous. We liked the 2006 Pinot Noir and bought a bottle of Maroon Four, a "dry, barrel-aged Shiraz-style blend," along with a bottle of the champagne.

Standing Stone Winery - 9934 Route 414, Hector, NY. We arrived here to see the wine trolley, which shuttles people from some of the local hotels to some of the local winereies, parked outside the entrance. Not a good sign. Sure enough, there were a fair number of people already lined up for tastings, and the winery didn't accept the passport. They offered a choice of 4 wines plus 1 dessert wine for a $3 fee, and a $3 discount on any bottle of wine. There was no air-conditioning, which was not so nice on such a hot and humid day. The offered bread cubes with dipping sauces and, a nice touch, free iced tea for designated drivers. We liked the reserve chardonnay, and used our coupon to purchase a bottle.

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars - 9244 Route 414, Lodi, NY. Another pretty spot on the lake. This was a small place, with a nice staff. They had a nice Pinot Noir, and another surpise for us - a Pinot Noir rose which was quite good. We bought a bottle.

We stopped for lunch at the Ginny Lee Restaurant, which is associated with Wagner Vineyards next door. We had a decent, filling reasonably priced lunch ($60 for five of us to eat). There was no inside seating due to a wedding later in the day, but the outdoor deck with a lovely view of the lake was open. In spite of a passing shower, we had a nice break here, and fueled up for the lattter part of the afternoon.

Wagner Vineyards - 9322 Route 414, Lodi, NY. Even if you go to the Ginny Lee Restaurant, and it's convenient to try Wagner, skip it. It was the one awful stop for the day. Highly commerical, lots of schlocky merchandise, crowds, no air conditioning, and the whole place had a conveyor belt atmosphere. And the wine wasn't good either. They do have a beer tasting option, but I can't imagine the ambience is any better for beer than for wine.

Cowlick Farm - 8865 Rte. 414 • Lodi, NY. In deference to our designated driver, we stopped for a cheese-tasting and gelato at Cowlick Farm, just up the road from Wagner. If you live in wine country, and you don't grow grapes, why not attract the tourists with a cheese tasting? That's Cowlick Farm, which is actually a 4-cow microcreamery. We were the only people there in the tiny shop, but we tried some tasty and unusual artisan cheeses, bought a few to take home, and also had some great-tasting gelato.

Ventosa Vineyards - 3440 Route 96A · Geneva, NY. Our last stop of the day was another place that seemed set up to handle big crowds. A player piano provided background music, and there was a nice deck overlooking the lake, where we waited while a dozen or so people finished up. A young high-school kid poured wine and answered questions, even though he was clearly underage. It was conveniently open until 6:00, so we weren't rushed at all. Nothing seemed extraordinary, so we didn't buy anything, but that may be more a statement about our fatigue rather than the quality of the wine.

A final note: we also brought our guests to Century Wine in Pittsford Plaza the next day, which has an extensive supply of New York State wines. While not all the wineries we visited were represented in the store, they did have some, and at a lower price than the wineries! Buyers, beware.

Bocaccini's

2008-06-20T08:38:00.011-04:00

6720 Pittsford-Palmyra Road,
Fairport NY, 14450
585 421 8200
website

Located in Perinton Hills Plaza, Bocaccini's is a moderately priced Italian restaurant with lots of choices, good food, and a helpful, attentive staff.

We dined there recently with our frequent dining companions. Liz was particularly impressed with the bar's ability to deliver on her order for a tall gimlet, light on the gin, and Tim was impressed by the waitress's knowledge of various vodkas and her advice discouraging him from ordering a particularly awful-tasting (her opinion) brand.

The decor, with dark red walls and modern Andy Warhol-like prints, is not your typical Italian restaurant look. An open kitchen area is visible from the dining area, and fabric panels separate dining tables from the bar area behind it. It was a bit noisier than we would have liked. At times it was hard to hear each other across the table, although as the restaurant started clearing out (by 9ish) there was less of a din.

The food was right-priced and good. In my attempt to try crab cakes at every restaurnat that offers them, I tried the Bocaccini's version. It was okay, more of the high bread-crumb filler variety, but it was redemmed by the grilled asparagus accompaniment. Our dining companions raved about the chopped salad, which along with the usual ingredients included white beans and crispy proscioutto.

Everyone was happy with their entrees. Liz ordered the pasta with oil and garlic, which was accompanied with grilled chicken, asparagus and artichoke hearts. It came as ordered - light on the garlic- and at $11.95 was easily enough for two meals. Gene had the chicken limone, one of the "plates of the house" --
pan seared chicken with lemon, capers, and chopped tomatoes served in a creamy, white wine and Parmesan sauce. For $13.95, it too, was plenty for a second meal.

The veal saltimbocca menu item ($14.95) appealed to Tim, with its description of prosciutto, kalamata olives, escarole, and Port Wine demi-glaze, topped with fresh mozzarella, but preferred chicken to veal. No problem to substitute, which was nice. I ordered my usual salmon. Thee was a regular menu entree, but I chose a special ($15.95)which was pan-seared, served over wild mushroom ravioli and topped with crunchy prosciutto. It was delightful, although obviously not meatless. I actually could have eaten all of it, but I had to save room for dessert (in the interest of the blog, of course!), so I too brought home half my meal.

Two desserts in particular were intriguing - the homemade tiramisu at $4.95 which is described on the menu as "Sweet Italian Mascarpone Cheese & Kahlua Custard Between Layers of Espresso & Rum Laced Lady Fingers Topped with Imported Cocoa." That sounded good, as did the homemade cappuccino crunch cake for the same price: "Espresso Chocolate Brownie Crust Layered with Heath Bar Crunch, Cappuccino Mousse,
Topped with Whipped Cream." hmmm... which one to order. I went for the crunch cake, thinking I could sample the tiramisu Tim ordered, but it was gone before I got a chance.

Overall a good choice for value and taste.

LaSalle's Steak and Crab Restaurant Review (updated)

2008-05-26T20:53:00.012-04:00

1300 Empire Blvd
Penfield NY
(585) 482-5740
(no website available)

With all the opportunities we have for dining in Rochester, we usually don't give a restaurant a second chance if we have a mediocre experience. We had gone to LaSalle's last fall (see the first review); the food was decent but the service was at best distracted, and we had not gone back since then. But with summer weather beckoning, we gave it another try and checked out the view for future outdoor dining occasions.

A nice patio overlooks the bay. The bar also has a window with a bay view, but the dining area's view is limited to Empire Boulevard traffic. I'm not sure if LaSalle's is trying to go high-end or not. The pale yellow walls, black-and-white photographs of local landmarks, dark wood chairs and white tablecloths lend an elegant air; the 3-inch high plastic daffodils that graced every table -- not so much.

At our age, we're starting to notice noise levels, I hate to admit, and the room we were in was a tad noisy, although the dining room was not full. The service was much better than at our last visit. Our waitress was informative, attentive and professional - no complaints there.

The food, once again, was decent. We had the Caribbean blue crab cake appetizer, as at our last visit. It was not particularly crab-heavy, but the mango took the place of the more familiar breadcrumb filler, and gave it a tangy taste and interesting texture. The appetizer menu is heavy on seafood dishes, but the choices of entrees include steaks, pasta, chicken, along with seafood entrees, and included several specials. Choices range from fried chicken and mashed potatoes to slow-roasted prime rib and, for $36, a pound of Alaskan king crab legs. Crab or lobster can also be added to any entree. There is really something for everyone here, and we saw young couples, older couples, and families with children dining here.

On this visit, I had the shrimp tossed with penne and spinach in a whiskey cream sauce, which came with four giant shrimp. I brought half of it home so I could save room for dessert, but it was good, and I could have eaten all of it! Tim couldn't pass up the idea of surf & turf, and ordered the small (14 oz.) prime rib with a 1/2 pound portion of crab legs, served with drawn butter. I tasted the crab, and had to agree it was great.

Desserts were ok. There was quite a selection of cheesecakes and several Oreo-crusted pies, but I opted for the strange sounding maple walnut candied bacon ice cream, just because it sounded like something you might see on Top Chef. Served with a strip of crispy bacon inserted like a candle, it was quite different. A few spoonfuls would have been enough, really, but I ate the entire three scoops. Tim tried the white and chocolate mousse in the Oreo crust, which was just ok.

We will probably come back on a warmer summer night when we can dine (or at least have a glass of wine) outside.

Lento's Restaurant Review

2008-05-18T20:42:00.013-04:00

274 N. Goodman Street
Rochester, NY 14607
(585)271-3470
website

Lento's Restaurant, located in Village Gate in the space formerly occupied by Mykonos Restaurant and Fetachini's, has an earthy, natural, and relaxed ambiance, totally in keeping with its locavore menu. Photographs of fresh food and local farms are displayed on the earth-tone walls, and exposed brick walls and candles add to the rustic feel. The menu details not only the ingredients, but their source - such as Freshwise Farm in Penfield.

Given the other reviews we had read, we were expecting a pricey meal, but it was no more expensive than other high-end restaurants. The bread delivered before our meal was clearly home-made, with a dense, coarse texture, served with a dish of olive oil with salt and fresh (of course) ground pepper. We started with two appetizers, Verdura Mista, a mix of lightly tempura-like batter-fried spring vegetables served with a honey-balsamic dipping sauce, and grilled asparagus topped with a warm chopped eggs and chives. Both were imaginative, a little different, and both were excellent.

There is an extensive wine list, and a very knowledgeable wine steward (who I suspect is also the manager) who was quite willing to talk wine with us, give recommendations, and even give us tastes before we ordered. We may go back if only to learn more about wine.

The menu is changed daily, depending on availability of ingredients, although it seems that many of the menu items appear regularly. On this particular Friday in early May, my favorite salmon was on the menu, served with grilled asparagus. My dining companion, feeling adventurous, ordered something he rarely orders - duck. On this particular day it was served grilled, with fingerling potatoes and braised Swiss chard (local of course). Both were perfectly flavored, cooked to perfection. If this is local food, give me more of it.

We had half our meals boxed up so we could manage dessert. I couldn't resist the cardamom ice cream, described by the waitress as "kind of gingery-cinnamony," and of course, home-made with cream provided by a Pittsford creamery. My companion ordered the blueberry-flavored creme brulee, which was a bit different from the typical creme brulee.

All in all, it was a great dinner. We will definitely go back to see what summer brings to the menu, when strawberries and tomatoes and melon come into season!

Business Dining in Rochester NY

2008-05-18T19:19:00.002-04:00

Business dinners require not only good food and service, but also an atmosphere condusive to conversation. I've scanned through our list of dining favorites and listed those restaurants that I'd recommend to anyone looking for for a place to entertain clients. These all have been reliably good in quality, and have the right noise level and enough privacy for conversation.

Park Avenue Pub
Rooney's
Tournedo's / Inn on Broadway
Lento's
Sienna Grill and Bar
Richardson's Canal House (not near downtown)
Tastings (the Wegman's restaurant - a little different experience)

Some of these are reviewed in detail in the blog, and click on this link for the full list of restaurants we frequent if you're looking for something a little more casual.

Restaurant Snapshot - Dining in Rochester

2008-05-18T12:52:00.004-04:00

Even though we haven't done a post in a long time, we've still been dutifully gathering data for future restaurant reviews. Until we get to those full reviews, here's a quick update of where we've been eating

Park Avenue Pub - several times, and always good. You just can't go wrong here when you're in the mood for a nicer night out. Still not warm enough to sit outside, but you get a good view of the traffic on Park Ave even from the inside.

Rooney's - another repeat location when we're celebrating something (even if it's just the end of the week). Interesting food, good service - not cheap, but reliably good

Lento's - Kathy chose this recently for our weekly selection. Tucked away in the Village Gate, in the old Mykenos / Fetachini location I think. Very nice interior, good food and service. Higher end on the price scale, but a nice treat

Sienna's - downtown. A first visit in a long time, but an enjoyable one. I used to go here frequently with business guests staying downtown.

For more moderate evenings, we've also had some very enjoyable meals at

Perlo's - in East Rochester. Revised menu with plenty of good choices for reasonable prices. Went here a few weeks ago, and would definitely go back.

Hick's and McCarthy in Pittsford - reasonably priced, great fish-fry among all their other meals on Fridays, and tasty crackers and spread served while you review the menu

New Zealand Visit

2008-05-18T12:35:00.005-04:00

Our daughter is doing a semester abroad in Australia, and had her spring break week in April. Since we had visited Australia a couple years ago when another daughter spent a semester in Sydney, we decided to go to meet her for a week in New Zealand instead.

A week is a very short time to get a feel for a country as diverse as New Zealand, but with the help of Fran Kramer (DePrez travel) and Swain Tours, we put together a 4-city express tour that showed us the highlights of Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown and Christchurch. New Zealand is a beautiful country with such a wide variety of scenery. If we can ever make it back to that part of the world again, New Zealand would be on the list for a second visit. A great mix of things to see, thrills, and friendly people.

And yes, we did Bungy jump.

Click here to link to the online photos

Way behind on posting

2008-05-18T12:32:00.003-04:00

Keeping up with the blog has been a time challenge lately - so we're way behind on postings. That doesn't mean we haven't been doing interesting things, or still managing to have some nice dinners though! So a few abbreviated entries follow just to get things current.

Beale St. Cafe - Webster Restaurant Review

2008-02-20T11:58:00.006-05:00

1930 Empire Blvd.
Webster NY 14580
(585) 216 1070
website

The Beale St. Cafe in Webster may not have the cachet or the eclectic charm of the South Wedge location, but we were pleasantly surprised and pleased at our recent dining experience there. They don't take reservations, but their call-ahead seating process actually works, unlike some other restaurants. We were seated very quickly on a busy Friday night, ahead of the hordes of people waiting in the entrance way. We had an extremely attentive waitress, who we noticed checking on us from afar, and was at our table the instant we appeared to need anything. And then there was the food. It's basic barbecue food with a Cajun accent, and we weren't expecting great food. But some of it WAS great! The pork tenderloin (often a dried-out affair) was moist, tender and flavorful. The jambalya was extremely meaty, and that was without the extra chicken or shrimp menu option. And the cornbread side was just sweet enough and a perfect complement to the Cajun spice. We'll definitely go here again.

Rooney's Restaurant Review

2008-02-16T08:45:00.014-05:00

90 Henrietta St
Rochester, NY 14620
(585) 442-0444
www.rooneysrestaurant.com

Rooney's is without a doubt one of Rochester's best restaurants. The kind of place you take out-of-town guests when you want to prove that yes, Rochester has nice restaurants too. The kind of place you go to splurge on a special occasion. Or, if you're like us, the kind of place you go on a Friday night when you want really good food.

We've been to Rooney's twice in the last few months. With a fireplace in the exposed brick wall, brass railings, and oil paintings gracing the walls, the atmosphere is elegant yet relaxed. The menu changes regularly, but the service is consistent: unobtrusive, friendly, professional. On our most recent visit, we arrived with our favorite dining companions, Liz and Gene, after an RPO Symphony 101 concert, at around 9:00 PM, a time when many Rochester restaurants are starting to shut down. The dining room wasn't full by any means, but there were a number of other tables still occupied.

We started with appetizers. Liz ordered the Bibb salad, served with oranges, maytag blue cheese and pistachios. Gene ordered the house-made green peppercorn sausage served with Dijon mustard, which we all pronounced perfect. We split the panko crusted crabcake appetizer, served with roasted red paepper mayonnaise and a tangy roasted red pepper and onion salad. Instead of serving it on one plate with two forks, it was thoughtfully served split in half, on two separate plates, another sign of the gracious customer service.

For entrees, Tim was torn between the strip steak and the fillet and shrimp combination, but when he mentioned to the waiter that he wasn't crazy about the idea of the advertised mushrooms with the fillet and shrimp, the waiter offered up the option of ordering it with any of the other sauces on the menu. So he ordered the fillet and shrimp served with an an artichoke-pepper demiglace. A gourmet might have pronounced the sauce a bit overpowering for the delicate-flavored shrimp, but the size of the leftovers (none!) was indicative of how it tasted. Gene ordered the wood-grilled strip served also with the afore-mentioned demiglace, medium-rare. The meat was perfectly seasoned, and would have been cooked perfectly, too, if it had been ordered medium. It was just a tad overcooked for medium rare.

I ordered the blackened swordfish with shrimp butter and mashed potatoes, which was so good I tried to eat as slowly as possible to make it last. Moist, flavorful, heavenly. I had to work really hard to force myself to stop eating so I could take some leftovers home. All the entrees were served with a delightful melange of broccoli, carrots and yellow squash, seasoned with something that made them test infinitely better than anything I cook at home.

Liz, the one with willpower, ordered her favorite Rooney's appetizer as her main meal. The smoked seafood plate came with mussels, salmon, scallops and cod and was attractively presented on a bed of greens and horseradish cream. She pronounced it perfect.

By the time we finished our meals, the restaurant was empty, but we never felt rushed. In fact we stayed on for coffee and dessert. Between the four of us, we sampled the chocolate oblivion (just what it sounds like - rich chocolate dessert coated with more chocolate), the warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, and the sorbet sampler, which that night included coconut, and blueberry-raspberry- margarita as flavors. A perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Charley Brown's Restaurant Review

2008-01-12T16:04:00.000-05:00

1675 Penfield Rd
Rochester, NY
(585) 385 9202

Charley Brown’s restaurant in Penfield seems a throwback to American-style dining of another era. Not only does the menu that include pasta, seafood, veal, steak and chicken, but with additional selections like calves’ liver and clams casino, there’s something for everyone. Unfortunately, while the menu includes such updated entrees as eggplant and portobello lasagna, and artichoke stuffed spinach raviolis, it does not include a website. So on the way out, we grabbed a printed menu and posted it here as a public service.

The wood-paneled walls, flowered wallpaper, Tiffany-style lamps and multiple dining rooms lend a comfortable, homey atmosphere to the restaurant. Service was attentive, prompt and professional on a busy Friday night. There is a fairly extensive, affordable wine list, with many by-the-glass choices. The requested martini with olives was pronounced perfectly made by the frequent martini tester companion. Warm bread served with the traditional chilled butter also arrived quickly as we pondered the menu.

We ordered artichokes French (the favorite of our college student dining companion) to split as an appetizer ($7.95). They were delicious -- breaded and served in a lemon sherry sauce with flecks of carrot and parsley in the sauce. The classic "French" is a popular menu item here, with chicken, haddock, and veal French also on the menu.

The frequent meat eater ordered the 8-ounce fillet ($23.95) served with button mushrooms and Bearnaise sauce. All meals are served with salad and choice of potato or pasta, and much to the dining companion's joy, one of the choices is pasta with oil and garlic. The steak was tender and juicy, served on a toast point, and the sauce was a perfect accompaniment. The pasta was good, but a notch below the all-time favorite at Rizzi's (and see other blog entries on Rizzi's).

I ordered a special - pan-seared halibut with an Asiago bread crumb crust over broccoli rabe and spinach, served with a melange of sauteed tomatoes and onion rings. The portion was massive, and it tasted great. Likewise, Laura's chicken ortellano ($15.95)- sauteed with spinach, artichokes, and tomatoes in a wine garlic herb sauce over angel hair pasta -- was at least two meals' worth, and the sauce served well as a dipping sauce for more warm bread.

We really shouldn't have ordered dessert, but Tim can't pass up an offer of any kind of rhubarb pie, especially unusual in January, so the choice of rhubarb berry pie was too good to miss. And who can eat dessert alone? So Laura and I split a chocolate chambord mousse. I had no idea what chambord was, but if I had I wouldn't have ordered it. (It's black raspberry liqueur, and in my opinion, raspberries have no business interfering with chocolate.) Given the circumstances, the mousse still tasted pretty good, although I had to pick off the accompanying rasperries and scoop off the whipped cream that was tainted with raspberry sauce. The rhubarb pie had a nice, strong taste of rhubarb which is surprisingly rare with many rhubard pies.

All in all, a thumbs up experience for a local favorite!

Tim's Note: We also have to give credit to our favorite dining companions Liz and Gene for re-introducing Charley Browns to us. We visited with them in November ath their suggestion, had a great meal, but have been woefully late in writing up the details.

The Ravioli Shop

2007-12-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

260 Winton Rd N
Rochester NY 14610
(585) 288 6420
www.theraviolishop.com

We recently discovered the Ravoli Shop after a friend's recommendation. My daughter stopped by just prior to Christmas, and got me two kinds of ravioli (frozen) as a gift. Earlier this week we tried the first one - broccoli feta - with an oil and garlic sauce and loved it. I stopped in to see the place two days ago, and ended up leaving with a great loaf of Ciabatta bread for the soup we were having that night. Last night, we tried the other ravioli - artichoke - with their signature vodka source. I'm not normally a fan of vodka sauce, something about cream and tomato that strikes me as wrong, but this tasted pretty good. One of the owners who was there the day I bought the sauce says he has a lot of converts. We also picked up a loaf of Rosemary and seasalt Focaccia to have with the ravioli, and ended up buying a box of the Roasted Vegetable ravioli for a future meal.

The ravioli is available either frozen or fresh, and there's plenty of sauces available in various sizes. On our two visits so far, there's been a variety of breads available - enough that I need to stop by a few more times to try more. Definitely worth a stop.

Tasting's Restaurant Review

2007-12-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

3195 Monroe Avenue
Rochester NY 14618
(585) 381 1881
website

We recently joined our two favorite dining companions, Liz and Gene, for a dinner at Tastings, Wegman’s foray into fine dining next to its flagship Pittsford store.

Early as always, we sat in the small but comfortable area and admired the Christmas decorations while we waited. Tastings has an extensive wine list, with 18 wines available by the glass. We sampled two pinot noirs – Paraiso Pinot Noir from Monterey, California and Joseph Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir from France. We agreed that despite the lower price tag ($9 vs. $11) the Californian was the winner.

A few things had changed since the last time we ate at Tastings. The flight menus were gone, which is too bad. We had enjoyed the multiple small glasses of different wines, and the food flights, like multiple varieties of salmon or blue cheese. A varied sushi menu is available now, which we did not sample.

The dining room is an interesting mix of casual but well-appointed décor, with a number of seating options. Some tables are located near the kitchen, where one can gaze upon the hectic atmosphere of a busy restaurant. -- a bit like Iron Chef, with less drama! No matter where you sit, it is somewhat noisy, and some of the tables seem a bit too close for comfort.

We always order the zucchini fries as an appetizer, and our companions did the same. They are not low-in calories or fat, I’m sure, but they are too good to pass up. The slender sticks of zucchini are dusted with a cayenne-spiked cornmeal, delicately fried and served in a paper cone with a Parmesan mayonnaise on the side. They defy a description that does them justice.

Liz ordered a salad – iceberg wedge with blue cheese -- and an appetizer -- Potato chive soup with chopped salmon -- instead of an entrée, and pronounced both of them excellent. The staff seemed just a bit confused about how to handle this order in combination with our other entrees. Gene ordered the Grilled “12-Hour Brined” Pork Loin, which we all sampled. While flavorful, it was a little tough. Tim had the Pan-Seared Alaskan Wild Salmon which was served with roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes and glazed carrots. He was in bliss. I passed up my normal seafood selection in favor of the Crispy Rendered Chicken “Two-Ways”, which was a combination of crispy chicken breast with thigh and leg fricassee, served with broccoli and mashed potato, all in a juicy sauce. Mmmm.

No matter how much we eat, we can never pass up dessert. I like the way you can order up to 4 different small scoops of ice cream or sorbet. I sampled the coffee, chocolate and vanilla bean, and Tim tried the warm apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. We also tried the dark chocolate tart served with vanilla bean ice cream, and the pumpkin genoise roll with mascarpone filling, accompanied by candied pecans and cranberry marmalade. No leftover's there!

Jasmine's Asian Fusion Restaurant Review

2007-12-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

657 Ridge Rd
Webster NY 14580
(585) 216-1290
www.jasminesasianfusion.com

Just before Christmas, we dined at Jasmine’s Asian Fusion in Webster with our 19-year old daughter, recently home from college.

This restaurant has a lot going for it. The staff is friendly and anxious to please. The décor is a step up from a typical Chinese restaurant. With dark red walls, high black ceilings and pendant lights, the ambience is sophisticated yet relaxed. The menu has an unusual mix of Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes.

We didn’t get off to a great start, with slow service, and a change in waitresses mid-meal. Apparently there was also an inexperienced bartender working and the martini Tim ordered came perhaps with gin instead of vodka, or perhaps the wrong ingredients altogether. The new waitress happily came back with a fresh martini, but the second one wasn’t any better.

The fried noodles that finally arrived, however, were delicately fried, light as air, and served with a spicy/sweet dipping sauce that was great. Our pan-fried dumpling appetizer was also excellent.

Tim and Laura absolutely loved their entrees. Tim ordered the roasted lamb shank with Tom Yum sauce ($18.25), along with jasmine rice, and pronounced it wonderful. Laura, after surreptitiously eyeing the awesome looking grilled ribeye at a neighboring table decided instead to order the crispy chicken with sesame and garlic ($12.95), which was listed as a spicy dish – with a1-chili pepper ranking on the menu. The waitress said she could request it mildly hot, and it came as described. Laura said it was the best food she ever had!

I ordered the stir-fried prawn and scallop with green peppercorn ($18.95), which did not look at all as it was described on the menu. Instead it was more like a seafood stew, with peppers, zucchini and carrots in a spicy broth. I liked the sticky rice it came with, but it was not at all what I expected. The dish was OK, with a nice amount of spiciness, and it tasted great when I had it for lunch the next day. But I do prefer menu descriptions that match what you get.

If you decide to go, skip the desserts. We sampled the green tea and taro ice cream ($4.25) , and the banana dessert - slices of banana deep-fried in a spring roll wrapper and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The presentation was FoodTV-worthy, but they just weren’t worth the extra calories.

With a little work – better service, a more descriptive menu, and an experienced bartender -- Jasmine’s can be a great restaurant and a welcome addition to the choice-challenged Webster area.

What did you do this weekend? Germany and back in two days.

2007-12-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you who pay attention to your frequent flier programs - OK, maybe a little TOO much attention to them - you'll recognize this as a year-end "mileage run" used to obtain or maintain program status. The following is a recap of a VERY quick "vacation" I took a couple of weekends ago.

My business travel has dropped off dramatically, and it's tough to see the higher levels of United and USAir frequent flier program status fade away, along with all the travel perks that went along with them. So being just shy of maintaining a minimal level with USAir, I couldn't resist any longer when an email promotion for a 10% discount and extra bonus miles arrived. With a few keystrokes, and a little agonizing over which European destination would make most sense, I was booked on my weekend mileage run to Frankfurt.

My travel begins in Rochester Saturday morning. Of course the weather for all the weekends up till now had been fine for travel. But fortunately a little snow doesn't bother Rochester. Off to Philadephia, on-time, just before noon.

I intentionally booked a generous layover in Philadelphia. This whole trip falls apart if I miss my overseas flight. So after a leisurely lunch in the food court, I proceed to the gate for the 4:15 flight to Frankfurt. The plane is already being loaded - great start. Until the mechanical problem was announced...

No problem - we were moved to another gate, and another plane. We didn't quite make it out at 5:00 - closer to 5:45, but that was OK. I still would have plenty of time in Frankfurt.

The flight over was surprisingly full. Due to the early hour, I couldn't really sleep on the plane, but I picked this flight partly because of the good inflight video system. I also had a nice conversation with a young German guy who has a business importing Ford Mustangs for resale.

The flight arrives around 6:30am in Frankfurt. With no baggage to worry about. I'm through immigration and customs in just a few minutes. On to the train station beneath the airport for a quick S-bahn ride into Frankfurt.

Not too much open that time of day, but I did have coffee and a cheese and cucumber sandwich (on one of those thick rolls) that I had been looking forward to for breakfast. And there were a few ICE high speed trains to look at.

Then back to the display board to find a train back to the airport. I was hoping to find a shower at the airport to freshen up before the flight home. Did a little shopping in the airport stores, but couldn't find a shower facility as I had remembered. Tried the United Red Carpet lounge (using that frequent flier perk), but showers were reserved for business class or better. However they suggested the Lufthansa lounge, which I could also get into, and they had showers to use as well. As it turns out, the waiting list was a little longer than I wanted, but I did have a nice second breakfast in the Lufthansa lounge.

Finally, time for the flight home. My return flight was due out at 12:35, and it left pretty much ontime. This flight was far less crowded, so I had an empty seat open next to me. Much more comfortable, and a good thing too since the flight back is an hour longer. A short snooze, lunch (yes, more food) and finished the first of two books I had brought.

Well ... the weather had not been cooperating in my absense. Storms in Philadelphia and the northeast were causing all sorts of problems with flights (not that Philly doesn't have problems even in perfect weather). When I first got through customs, I saw that the earlier flights to Rochester still hadn't left, so I raced over to the commuter terminal to try to catch one of those. Unfortunately all full. Then the cancellations started. Finally my 6:44 replacement flight left at 11:30, getting me back to Rochester around 1am. So a little longer weekend that I had planned, but lots of miles, and certainly more active than usual!

Lars and the Real Girl at the Little Theatre

2007-11-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

This is my first movie review, so forgive the lack of sophistication. Since we are not frequent movie goers, we tend to be selective when with what we see. We had seen the trailer for this movie when we saw Death at a Funeral a few weeks ago (that movie was pretty good as well) and it seemed like it would be good.

If you haven't heard about this movie, which is likely due to its independent distribution, it's worth a visit. The story is about a shy, socially awkward man (Ryan Gosling) who sorts through the problems in his life through Bianca, a life-size doll he orders online and treats as real person. Guided by the town doctor and psychologist, his brother and sister-in-law join the in the delusion, and in time are joined by the rest of the town. The movie is at times hilarious and poignant. I'm still chuckling over a particular scene where Lars (Ryan) had some free time because Bianca had been elected to the school board, and had to attend a meeting.

The writing and performances were low-key enough to make you believe all this could happen. Definitely an enjoyable movie, and since this makes two good movies we've seen at the Little Theatre recently, it makes me also want to recommend people support this theatre and the types of movies it brings to Rochester.

Pomodoro's Grill and Wine Bar Visit

2007-11-03T22:37:00.000-04:00

A quick update on Pomodoro's. We've been stopping in after downtown events recently, and found it to be a nice place for a drink or two. There's a good selection of wines by the glass, including two Pinot Noirs, which is our standard order. Sometimes our will is weak and we order something to eat as well - the pizza's hit the spot nicely. On the weekends, there's usually a jazz group playing. This time, the group was very good, but a little too loud - even for our aging ears. We like it when the music is in the background and can have a conversation, not so loud that it has to be the focus of your visit. Unfortunately that was the case tonight. But that's not always been the case, so it's still worth a visit.

LaSalle's Steak and Crab Restaurant Review

2007-10-12T21:10:00.002-04:00

1300 Empire Blvd
Penfield NY
(585) 482-5740

(also see review from more recent visit)

This was our first visit to LaSalle's after watching its renovation over several months during the summer. I had wanted to visit during the warmer times since they have an outdoor seating area that looks over the bay, but I have to confess this particular visit was prompted by a coupon.

The restaurant has a nice seating area around a glassed-in kitchen, and is more impressive than the exterior would infer. Slightly noisy, but understandable given the small area. The menu had a good selection of steak and seafood and was upscale but reasonably priced. We started by sharing a Caribbean crab cake appetizer. Two sizable crab cakes arrived that were tangy, loaded with blue crab, and mixed with a mango, bell pepper and onion jerk. Very good, although provisions for sharing weren't provided as in some restaurants. Warm rolls and butter were served as well.

An unfortunate negative point was that our Caesar salads, ordered as an addition to our entree, did not arrive. While I know our waitress did write down our order correctly, I think she was a little distracted during our meal as she seemed to be orchestrating other activities in the dining area. This would probably explain why we also had to ask what the specials were (we heard another waitress mentioning them to another party).

For our main course, I had the Kansas City Strip steak which was actually quite good. It was served with jasmine rice and vegetables, and cooked as ordered. My wife had the scallops and andouille sausage, and thought it was quite good. The accompanying cheddar cheese grits and sweet potatoes were better than expected (since she didn't think she'd like grits or sweet potatoes).

Since we didn't get our salads, we had an appetite for desert, but the selections were limited. Of the cannoli (which they had run out of), cheesecake, mouse and ice cream, my wife had the mouse and I took the vanilla ice cream. The mouse was a combination of white and dark chocolate served on an oreo crust, but interestingly my wife didn't finish it. My ice cream was pedestrian at best.

The drinks were good, and a reasonable wine list by the glass and bottle.

So overall, our experience was less than we had hoped for. The restaurant has potential, but needs to pay more attention to service, and could stand a more interesting desert menu. We had read the D&C review, and noted she didn't mention anything about desert - perhaps for good reason. We'll try it again sometime after its had a chance to fine tune.

Park Avenue Pub Restaurant Review

2007-10-06T13:43:00.001-04:00

650 Park Ave
Rochester NY 14607
585 461 4140
website

We had another great experience at Park Avenue Pub last night. I think we've been there about 3 times since the summer, so I've been negligent in not writing a review sooner. The food and service is consistently outstanding.

Last night we were there with our friends who have nobly taken up the cause with us to sample the dining establishments in Rochester. It's a tough job, so it's nice to have company -- and it's great to compare additional menu choices.

The tone for the evening was set early by the restaurant host when our friends, who had arrived first, were seated at a table looking out on Park Ave. He informed them that the special duties of anyone sitting by the window were to look like they were having fun. When we were seated, he came by and made sure we'd gotten the message too. We had no problem upholding our duties - it was a great night. If you haven't been to this restaurant, the inside is a formal white tablecloth type of seating, but with interesting lights and mirror-mobiles hanging from the ceiling that make it a little more whimsical. There's also a few tables outside for the warmer nights.

After the warm bread, we each enjoyed our appetizers: two blue cheese wedge salads, a red pepper bisque with shrimp, and a bib salad with apples and walnuts. As a side note, we've had some very interesting greens-and-fruit salads here in earlier visits that have prompted us to try them at home as well. Check out their menu online to get an idea of the standard offerings, but there are specials each night as well.

For entrees, we tried the mahi mahi with citrus glaze (one of the specials), fettucine carbonara, and two rib-eye steaks. All got high marks. As an interesting note, we all had difficulty making our selections due to the number of appetizing choices on the menu. Park Avenue Pub is a place that stands out because the staff can really help you make a choice. Scott, our waiter last night and Jay, who we've had in the past, both offered informed and honest opinions about the possibilities we agonized over. Three of us managed deserts, including a tiramisu (best ever, according to my wife), a tasty cheesecake with blueberries, and my usual sorbet (raspberry this time). As a note to chocaholics, there weren't any all-chocolate choices on the menu. Athough we're serious chocolate lovers, we've learned that lightening up on the deserts after a big meal pays off later, so this was no issue for us. In our earlier visits, we've had their swordfish special, which we'd rate as outstanding. In fact it's a tough choice between the steaks, which they are known for, and their seafood. Guess we'll just have to keep going back for more.

The restaurant has a nice wine selection by the glass, which is the way we went last night, but we've gone the bottle route also. There's a wide choice of bottles, ranging from reasonable to serious business expense account types.

In summary, a consistently good choice for meat, pasta or seafood, with interesting specials and knowledgable and experienced waitstaff. Suitable for a night nice out with friends, yet quiet/private enough for business dinners as well. Very highly recommended.

Proietti's Italian Restaurant Review - Updated

2007-10-03T15:55:00.000-04:00

As a follow-up to my earlier review, I want to let everyone know that we have been to Proietti's two more times since our first visit. Both times were with a group, and both times the service and food were excellent. I particularly enjoy the chicken saltimboca, but my family and guests have enjoyed several fish dishes, the ravioli, and the chicken parmesan. I think our first experience was just an off night, and we happened to be seated in the side room with a larger group. We'll be back again, I'm sure.

Richardson's Canal House Restaurant Review

2007-09-12T20:14:00.000-04:00

For a recent birthday celebration, as the warm weather was drawing to a close, we chose Richardson's Canal House in Pittsford, primarily because of the outdoor seating in a pretty setting next to the canal. There is a special grill menu, served from a different kitchen, although we were told if the entire table agreed, you could order from the regular menu. The menu had some good choices, and what could be better than eating grilled food outside?

We started with appetizers, with the agreement being that we'd each eat half of both. The crabcake was one of the best I've ever had. It rivals Tournedo's for my favorite. It was made up of virtually all crab, with little filler or breadcrumbs as you find with most restaurants. Nicely crisp on the outside - yum! I really wanted to keep it to myself! My husband ordered the caprese salad, which was a little bit different from the usual: heirloom yellow, red and green tomatoes with lots of basil, olive oil and balsamic, and a few other greens. It was excellent, but the crab was even better.

I had the grilled swordfish - a 2-inch thick steak served with an interesting, flavorful peach/poblano/corn salsa. It was a tad overcooked on one side, but the rest was melt-in-your-mouth perfect.

A sign of a really good restaurant is how they handle complaints. My husband ordered steak medium rare, but it arrived more to the tune of medium-well. The server took it back without any problem at all, and was quite apologetic. The manager even came by to explain that because of the marinade, the meat would probably look more well-done than it actually was. (Tim's add-on: the manager was right. After tasting the second steak, which was cooked less, it was apparent the coloring was throwing off my judgement. The first steak was probably cooked correctly, but kudo's to the manager for being very gracious about it.)

We splurged on dessert - it was a birthday celebration after all! The strawberry shortcake was a delicious sweet biscuit with lots and lots of juicy strawberries. The creme brulee was amazing - probably one of the best in Rochester.

All in all, the ambience was just what we ordered. Torches came on unobtrusively as it got dark, we could see canal traffic from our table, and it may be the last time this summer we are able to dine outside.

A Moving Experience - UHaul vs Budget vs Penske

2007-08-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

Our oldest daughter recently graduated from Nazareth College with a master's degree in Secondary Ed (Social Studies) and Special Ed. She decided to flee New York and accepted an offer for a teaching position in Greensboro, North Carolina.

So how to move an apartment's worth of furniture from here to there? Originally our plan was to use a cargo van rented from Enterprise. Since another daughter works for Enterprise, we were able to take advantage of the employee discount, which was quite a savings. Enterprise doesn't do one-way rentals for these vans, so we'd be driving it there and back. As the date got closer, I went to the local Enterprise office and did some measuring. Unfortunately, the queen size mattress and box spring wouldn't be able to stand up or lie flat in the van ... it looked like it would fit flat in the middle of the van, but this would reduce how much additional furniture we could fit in. So on to the truck rental alternatives.

I estimated that a 10' truck would hold the beds and the furniture, along with miscellaneous boxes. I also liked the idea of the smaller profile for ease of driving. Having used UHaul before, I went to their site and booked the truck for a pretty good rate. I had done a quick comparison with Penske, which even with a AAA discount, still came out more expensive than UHaul. After making the booking, I heard a horror story from a friend about their experience with UHaul, and began to get concerned. Apparently a "reservation" with UHaul is only a request, and it's not until the day before that you really find out what you're going to get and where. Our friend , who was originally told there was nothing available the day of their rental, ended up driving over 60 miles to pick up a truck from another city that they found on their own. As I thought back on my previous UHaul experience, I remembered that I got a larger truck than I had asked for, but since my rental was a local (picked up and returned to the same location), I think they were more aware of their own inventory. A little googling of UHaul led me to several articles including a recent one by the LA Times, confirming problems with their ability to provide rentals, and more worrisome, questions about the maintenance of their equipment. Since we'd be driving about 750 miles, and on a strict timetable for move-in, I wanted reliability.

In my googling, I saw that not only was Penske a competitor, but also Budget, which I hadn't realized offered truck rentals. Both companies had much better fleet replacement rates, meaning generally newer trucks for rental, as well as more stringent requirements on the capabilities of their rental dealers. I got online quotes from both, and went with the Budget truck as it was less expensive than Penske. Actually since the rental was now less than a week away, the rates were not as good as my earlier reservations, with the Penske reservation up at least $200 over their earlier one.

An interesting note on the Penske web site and their lead follow-up process ... as part of your request, and prior to getting your quote, you have the option of entering email and telephone information so that you can be informed of deals. Apparently they monitor quotes that don't result in a booking, and follow-up. I got a call from a very helpful rep trying to get me a better deal. She indicated the rates can vary greatly if I have some flexibility in the pickup or dropoff locations. After a little checking, she was able to provide a rate about 1/2 of what my budget rental would cost if I could return the truck to a town in Virginia about 42 miles from my real destination. I thought about this for a little bit, but decided that after 12 hours of driving and then unpacking, another hour drive to the dropoff and then back might not be worth it. But it was interesting that the rates could vary so much.

A few days before the rental, the local Budget truck rental office called to say it would be difficult to get a 10' truck, and would I mind a larger one? Hmmm... shades of UHaul again? But she assured me that she had a 16' truck, but 10' ones were hard to come by in this area. The day before pickup she called again and said no luck on the 10' truck [apparently August is one of the busiest months]. But at least I got the feeling she had really tried to locate one for me. As it turns out, the 16' truck was probably a better choice anyway. It had the pull-out ramp in the back, which made loading and unloading easier, and we didn't have to worry about filling all the vertical space in the truck.

We split the drive down into two segments, stopping overnight in Beckley, WV, which apparently is a hotspot for something. Much busier area than we were expecting. The next day we made it to Greensboro, and with the aid of a few kids in the new apartment complex, got the truck unloaded very quickly. The return location was close by, and unlike the hours listed on the web site indicated, was actually open saturday afternoon for a checkin.

So what lessons did I learn from this?

1) It's definitely worth booking a reservation early - the rates DO go up as you get closer to your date.

2) I would use Budget again, but Penske also seemed good - and we noticed a lot of new looking Penske trucks on the road during our drive.

3) Be sure to use any and all discounts possible. Each site offered discounts up to 15% for using different types of credit cards, AAA memberships, etc

4) Talk to a human being. If we had a little more time, I would have taken up the Penske offer to return a van 42 miles away and saved several hundred dollars. I didn't see any way to find attractive alternatives like this via the web site only, so I think you need to call the customer service group to ask, or in the case of Penske, let them contact you!

Rizzi's Restaurant and Bar Review

2007-08-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

411 Merchants Rd
Rochester NY 14609
585 288 8220

Rizzi's has long been one of our favorite casual restaurants. Family run, with long-term staff that recognizes you when you come in, makes this a friendly and relaxing place to enjoy finer Italian cuisine. The menu features a wide variety of pasta, chicken, veal, seafood and steak entrees, complemented by interesting specials, all with reasonable prices.

Of particular note are their greens and beans, and garlic-and-oil pasta that can be ordered as a side to most entrees. I think these are some of the best in Rochester - especially if you're a garlic lover. The pasta is cooked perfectly, with the right amount of oil. And the large portions make for a nice lunch the next day!

We go to Rizzi's often enough to know their specials well, and frequently order them. Among our favorites are the Swordfish with tomato coulis, crab-stuffed tenderloin, and baked salmon. Rizzi's is one of the first restaurants we're aware of that started a weekly email of their weekend specials, which is a great idea to get you thinking about dinner each week. The email usually includes a discount coupon, so it's worth getting on their mailing list. The regular menu items are excellent as well - I think we've tried all the chicken dishes (with frequent repeats), the scampis and steaks. There's also the more traditional Italian pasta and sauce dishes, but their finer dining choices are just too good to pass up.

Meals start with a basket of bread and dipping oil. The wine list is small but adequate, and includes several Pinot Noirs, our usual choice. The accompanying salads are typical house salads and most meals come some combination of pasta, vegetables or potatoes. The staff is very flexible on substitutions, and can recommend what's particularly good that evening. Rizzi's has recently added home-made deserts including tiramisu and peanut butter pie - worth a try (or maybe one to share). Between leftover appetizers and entrees, you're going to have a nice doggy bag for the next day anyway, so why not enjoy a desert?

Even though the restaurant is located in a residential city neighborhood, they have managed to create a nice outdoor seating area to enjoy the warmer summer nights. Too bad summer is so short in Rochester!

Rizzi's has been a dependable favorite for good food, friendly service, and a reasonable price. It can be a little busy on weekends, so reservations are recommended for the peak hours.

Proietti's Italian Restaurant Review

2007-08-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

980 Ridge Rd, Webster NY 14580
585 872 2330

Proietti's has been a family-run Webster institution for many years, and in spite of living in the Webster area for over 25 years, we'd only been there once for a group function. We expected pizza, spaghetti and a lot of red sauce, but were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of the dishes.

We had a reservation for four on a busy friday night. Seating was immediate, however we ended up sitting in the side room used for banquets, and I think this was the cause of somewhat slow and spotty service. Various servers brought water, took drink orders, brought menus, and served our meals - our table seeming a little like it was not on anyone's main path.

The menu was fairly extensive, with entrees ranging from traditional dishes like lasagna and baked ziti, to pesto with sundried tomatoes and artichokes. The specials were also interesting. When presented with a number of attractive choices, we like it when the server can help the decision with informed recommendations. When we asked our server to compare a few choices, we were a little disappointed that we could only get explanation of what the dishes were, not comments on which might be better that night.

However the four of us all ended up enjoying our choices. My wife really liked her scampi with lots of garlic, olive oil and tender chunks of chicken. Two of our kids were with us and they enjoyed the ravioli and one of the pasta specials.

All in all, Proetti's serves great casual Italian food with a modern flair, and has a wide variety of choices for varied tastes. Except for the service, the experience was on par with another of our favorite family-run restaurants, Rizzi's. We'll give it another try and see if sitting in the main dining room improves the service.

(Note: Please be sure to read more recent review for a better experience)

Tauck Tour to Malta, Sicily, and the Amalfi Coast

2007-07-20T22:12:00.000-04:00

June 2007

We went on our first cruise in style with a Tauck Tour, and the wonderful Le Ponant. Le Ponant is a sixty passenger ship (crew of 30) that is small enough to get into the smaller ports, but big enough to smoothly sail on the open seas. Tauck Tours are known for their excellent itineraries and handling of all the details. The combination worked very well.

Our journey started in Malta, with a tour of the island and its history. Our only bad weather during the trip was in Malta, where we experienced "the first rain they've had in 5 months". It was quite a downpour. That night, we boarded the ship and set sail for Sicily, where we would spend the next 3-4 days, with stops in Syracuse, Toarmina, Palermo and Trapani.

After Sicily, we went on to Lipari, sailed around the Stomboli volcano, and then on to the Amalfi Coast, with an interesting excursion to the hill top Ravello. The cruise portion of the tour ended in Naples, where we visited a very interesting Pompeii exhibition in the museum, and sampled true Neapolitan style pizza. From Naples, it was on to Rome for a final day of sightseeing, including a tour of the Vatican.

Most of the meals were served on the ship, with occasional lunches and dinners in special restaurants in the area we were visiting. With a very friendly French crew, the food and service on the boat were always enjoyable. In Rome and Malta, the restaurants were very good quality as well.

Overall a very enjoyable experience, and a cruise experience that will make it tough to ever try a large ship. The personal touch of the small ship, and the ability to get to know your fellow travelers was a real plus. Not to mention swimming in the Mediterranean off the back of the boat!

This is a picture of Le Ponant, our ship. Click on the picture to link to a web album with other photo highlights of the trip.

Tauck operates many tours on land and sea, in all parts of the world. Click here to visit their web site.

Phoenix, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon

2007-07-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

March 2007

Earlier this year, when the snow decided to catch up for what had been a mild winter, I scheduled a quick vacation for my wife and I to someplace warm. Looking to see where I could use my frequent flier miles and hotel points, we decided on Arizona. Not too hot yet, but warm enough to visit Sedona. I got a great deal on first class seats on USAir, and was able to use Marriott points to book the Camelback Resort. There wasn't any Marriott property in Sedona, so we searched all the internet sites for recommendations. Finally settled on the Southwest Inn, which is located just on the outskirts of town. They seemed extremely friendly and helpful in my email correspondence.

The stay at the Camelback Resort was great. We had a large room in one of the clusters near the pool. The staff seemed to be in for training from various locations within the Marriott organization, and were very helpful. We enjoyed a few meals there, as well as Bandera's in Old Town and Z Tejas, as recommended by the conceirge. Since we were trying to be active, we brought our hiking shoes and climbed Squaw Peak (see views in the photo album). Temperature was perfect for a morning hike, and an afternoon relaxing by the hotel pool. Beside the pool were large urns of ice cold water and chopped lemons and limes for refreshment. Another morning we took a hike higher up into the hills behind the resort, and saw some of the nice real estate in the area.

After a few days it was on to Sedona. It was a couple hour drive, with some very interesting scenery along the way, and a few degrees cooler than Phoenix. Our room at the Southwest Inn was nice, had a view of some of the Red Rocks, and turned out to be very convenient to nice restaurants. The concierges there were very helpful in selecting trails to hike, and restaurants to enjoy. We enjoyed meals at Savannah's, Judi's, and the Heartline Cafe. We were a little surprised that Sedona seemed to roll up the streets at night. We're used to eating early, but it's not often that we find a town that seems to cater to that. The scenery in Sedona was indeed impressive, and we took advantage of several of the hiking trails to see it (check out the photos).

We had also booked a Grand Canyon tour through Redstone Tours. Lisa, the driver and tour guide, was extremely knowledgable and passionate about the geology in the area. It made for a interesting and educational drive. Unfortunately, we happened to hit the Grand Canyon on a day where the clouds and fog never lifted. Coming from NY, where safety is highly legislated, we were somewhat amazed how easy it would have been to walk right off the edge without knowing it. The fog was literally that thick that you couldn't see the canyon at all. Again -- check the pictures in the album. The ones that look like clouds and fog are actually the panoramic views of the Grand Canyon! We'll have to try that again sometime. In any case, the guide tried several outlook locations to get us some kind of view, but ended up having to resort to the IMAX theatre. Still a good tour, and we appreciated her efforts to make the best of it.

The back on to Phoenix to catch the flight back to Rochester. USAir came through on both the outbound and return with no problems whatsoever. It's going to be rough when I lose all my FF status on that airline.

Black and Blue Steak and Crab Restaurant Review

2007-07-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

3349 Monroe Ave, Rochester NY 14618
585 421-8111

We had dinner last month at Black and Blue with friends. Black and Blue is an upscale steak and seafood (emphasis on crab) restaurant in Pittsford Plaza. The interior is interesting and contemporary, with several different seating areas. Check out their website for photos and menu.

This was the third time we've had dinner there, and each time we've sat in a different area. The first time we sat in quiet backroom area with a fireplace that made you forget you were in a large restaurant. The second time we had a table upstairs, which was actually kind of nice. It was still quiet, but you could overlook the dinners in the main area. For the most recent visit, we sat in the main area, which was the busiest and noisiest of the locations. If you ever go with business associates or older people, I'd recommend an upstairs table if you can get it. I think the restaurant has been full every time we've been there, so noise can be an issue.

On to the food. The first time we went, I ordered a filet. While cooked to the right doneness, it wasn't the best piece of meat I've ever had, which surprised me given the restaurant's focus and prices. The service was good, and we enjoyed the quiet back room and fireplace on a winter evening, but that turned me off to the restaurant initially. So it was some time before we tried it again, but as dedicated diners, we went back to try the seafood. My wife had ordered the seafood the first time and didn't think it was too bad.

This time we sat upstairs, and everything seemed a little better. Maybe it was just that the restaurant had been open a little longer, or the particular server we had. Service was very friendly and efficient. The crab cake appetizers were very good, and this time I ordered crab instead of steak for my entree. Much better result. A nice wine selection, good deserts and coffee rounded out the meal. This time our impression was much better.

The most recent visit was with friends, and I ordered the crab again, as did our friends (mine was the blue crab, they both had the King Crab). My wife had one of the fish specials. All the meals were good. I had a few bites of the King Crab, which was very sweet and moist. I'd try that in the future. The rest of the meal was equally good as was the service. The only negative was the table location being less intimate. Oh and a minor point about the bar where we had a drink while waiting for everyone to arrive -- I guess you need to tell bartenders who are used to making the frothy martini-style drinks that real martinis aren't supposed to be shaken to death before serving.

Overall I'd say Black and Blue is good, but not one of the best considering it's on the higher price side. Good food, especially the seafood, nice presentation, nice wine selections, good service. We'd still go back ... and maybe reserve a table upstairs.

Menopause The Musical at Geva Theatre

2007-07-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

We went to see Menopause the Musical at the Geva Theatre last saturday night and had great time. As the program describes, the show is a little different than the usual Geva productions in that it's hosting a traveling production rather than their usual locally cast and produced shows. The experience and talent of the cast is evident.

The show takes place entirely in Bloomingdale's, and is based on the interaction of four shoppers with different personalities and backgrounds, all going through menopause. The story progresses through a mix of dialog and well known songs with modified lyrics to fit the topic.

Yes, the majority of the crowd was female. And it was clear there were a lot of groups of women out for the evening. But there were plenty of men there too, and everyone shared some real belly laughs. The play runs till August 26.

CSI Miami Endless One Liners

2007-07-19T15:40:00.001-04:00

This is just a little aside ... I found this on YouTube and got a chuckle out of it. I really can't stand David Caruso

Iyengar Yoga at Midtown Tennis Club

2007-07-18T20:58:00.000-04:00

In my previous post about Midtown, I neglected to mention one of the other classes I take that has been very beneficial to my physical and mental fitness. So let me add that I highly recommend Jeffery Young's Iyengar Yoga class.

From my novice's perspective, I would say Iyengar yoga is different from the typical yoga classes in that more time is spent preparing for and maintaining the postures. Of the 1 1/2 hour class, roughly the first hour is spent on preparatory positions that help you work your way into the final posture. Along the way, you stretch and work on positions for minutes rather seconds. It's not the typical "flow from one posture to another" type of yoga. Compared with the Hatha and Kundalini yoga I've taken, I find this style works better for me. I even use some of the techniques to relax my mind and body when I'm having trouble getting to sleep.

The class is enjoyable, and Jeffery is very personable and helpful. There's beginner and more advanced versions, and if you're not a Midtown member, Jeffery offers other classes around town as well.

Joey B's Restaurant Review

2007-07-18T19:58:00.000-04:00

400 Packetts Landing, Fairport NY 14450
(585) 377-9030

We have been long time fans of Joey B's restaurant. Originally located on Whitney Road, they moved a couple years ago to a larger location in Packetts Landing. On nice summer nights, you can sit outside on their back deck and look out over the canal and the all the activity. With the large windows, whether you sit inside or out, the view of the canal is a nice backdrop to dinner.

It's hard to fit the restaurant into a specific category. The food is upscale and yet has "comfort food" touches as well. The service is always friendly, casual and efficient. It wasn't long after we started dining there years back that the hostess and co-owner would recognize us when we arrived, even though we weren't regulars by any means. It's a place where you feel welcome.

But that's not to take anything away from the food. This particular visit, we both started with their salad with wasabi cucumber dressing. Light, but with a nice bite to it. We skipped the appetizer deferring to a later desert, even though I was tempted by the walnut baked brie. The menu has some interesting choices. For instance, one of the appetizers is escargot, which I'm not a fan of, but find interesting that it would be available. For the main course, my wife had one of the nightly specials, the grilled mako shark with lime butter and scallops, and rice pilaf. I had the same thing I get almost every time: the filet mignon with blue cheese. Instead of the rice, I chose the scalloped potatoes. We both had the zucchini/summer squash slices that we always look forward to. Both meals were excellent, and with the portions, made nice lunches the next day. For wine, we chose one of the NY wines from their selection - a Salmon Run Pinot Noir. Warm rolls and butter are also served with the meal.

The desert menu has a mix of unusual and typical choices, so there's something for just about everyone. My wife enjoyed her creme brulee, and I was pleased with my seasonal fruit flan.

The prices are reasonable. As much as I love Tournedos for special occasions, we can have the filet at Joey B's [which I think is on par with Tournedos], salads, vegetables, desert, wine and coffee and get away at about half the price. Certainly there are differences in the service and presentation, but if you're looking for a fine meal in a more casual atmosphere, you can't go wrong with Joey B's.

Car Shopping

2007-07-13T15:08:00.000-04:00

I've had the dubious pleasure of shopping for 3 cars so far this year. Hopefully that will be the end of it. Two were for my kids, and one for my wife. Each had different needs, wants, and budgets, so it's not surprising that the choices were quite different.

Car 1 - Replacement for a 1998 Cavalier

This car was being driven by one of my kids. Between travel to school at Geneseo, and occasionally to Eastview Mall for work at Wet Seal, the car was getting a lot of miles on it. We had purchased this as a used car a few years ago, and it had held up pretty well for the price. But now the engine needed more work, so do you sink even more into it, or put the money towards a new car? We opted for a new car, and then the choice came down to newer or new? While the budget was really more in line with a newer car, I thought it would be worth the extra to get a reliable new car. I wanted to avoid the urgent (or late night) calls when the car won't start, or is making a strange noise. We did look into the newer cars briefly, and in the process learned about Auction Direct, which I have to say I was impressed with. I'd definitely check them again. Also drove a few nice used Toyotas at Dorschel. So we set out to look at new cars like the Kia Rio, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and others in that size and price range. We were surprised by how generally nice they were to drive. The prices were in the same range, with the Honda probably running a little more, but likely due to Honda's reliability ratings. As an aside, we've had several Hondas in the family and always with good results. In the end, we ended up with a Nissan Versa from Vision Nissan in Webster. My daughter liked the look of this car the best, and it has an amazing amount of interior space, especially in the back. You don't hear about it much in the press - not sure why, as it's a nice little car - but it does have the claim to fame of being Hiro's car on the Heroes TV show. After 6 months, the car has been running like a champ with no problems. And yes, she's making the extra payments on the car to bridge the budget gap.

Car 2 - Replacement for a 1988 VW Cabriolet

Yes, a 1988 VW. Another daughter, also in school, had picked this car up for $800 a couple years ago. It had been pretty reliable for a car that age, and the things that went wrong were generally fixable for a reasonable cost. Cars were simpler to work on then I guess. But when 5th gear went, it was going to be time for a more sizable investment. This daughter did NOT want to worry about having a new car, so we stayed with the under $5000 used selection. Unfortunately, this was under the target zone of Auction Direct, so we looked at the many smaller dealers that specialize in this price range car. With the reliability of Hondas in the back of our minds, we focused on older Civics and Accords, but also looked at Toyotas and Mazdas. Ended up with a recently traded-in Toyota Corolla with about 100K miles on it. Nicely maintained, a manual transmission, and lots more comfort features than the VW had. After having the car checked by a local garage, we made the deal. The car has been running fine since, including a long trip to North Carolina.

Car 3 - Replacement for a 2001 Nissan Maxima

This had been my wife's car. We had originally purchased this as a one-month old used car, and it came loaded with all the options. The original owner had gotten a new job that came with a company car, or so we were told by the dealership, so that's why it was already back for sale. Aside from nagging problems in the gas and exhaust system that kept triggering the check engine light, it had been a pretty reliable car. The desire in this shopping experience was for reliability, comfort, and a little smaller size. A key feature that my wife (and I) have grown to love are heated seats, so this was a critical factor in the new choices. In fact, if we could have found cars with a heated steering wheel (I guess there are some out there, but not in our price range), that would have been even better. Initial candidates were Mazdas, Subarus, Hondas, but the choice eventually came down to either a Volvo S40 or a Toyota Prius. Apples and Oranges. I used to drive a Volvo S60, and found it to be comfortable, reliable, safe, and good in the winter -- plus it had the heated seats. The S40 is a smaller version, but equally nice inside and out. The Prius was a surprise entry, but is actually a neat car. My wife had thought about a Prius a while back when they first came out, and the newer ones have improved over the years. The only thing missing was the heated seats - not an option with the Prius. However the dealer recommended several places that could install them afterwards. I checked this out further and it turned out to be a reasonably priced upgrade. So after much agonizing - how do you compare two cars that are so different? - she decided on the Prius. The folks at Hoselton Toyota were very helpful on price, and locating one with the colors and options we wanted. Also a recommendation for Best Volvo, who I've always found to be an easy dealership to work with. The Prius has been a great car, and we've enjoyed using all the gadgets and displays in it. We've taken it on a couple longer trips, and aside from its controls, you'd never know it's a hybrid car. At this point I think we're averaging about 48mpg overall. Not bad.

So, three quite different experiences and results. Hopefully that's it for a while. At least until my lease is up.

Blue Marlin Seafood Grille Review

2007-07-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

Blue Marlin is one of our favorites for a great seafood dinner. We weren't sure what to expect the first time we went, as the place still has a little of the look of the Italian restaurant it used to be. However the quality of the food blew us away. An interesting menu, geared towards seafood but with some choices for the non-seafood people, with changing specials. The chef is a CIA [that's culinary institute of America] graduate, and can be seen chatting with patrons during the evening. The owner makes frequent rounds to be sure you're having a good time, and the barstaff is friendly too. We've often visited later in the evening for drinks and one of the appetizers. I really recommend the hot dips. There's often a band playing too - not too loud, and the type of music that draws a nice friendly crowd.

Midtown Tennis Club

2007-07-09T09:38:00.000-04:00

I've been a member of Midtown Tennis Club for a few years now, and have to give them some kudos. I originally joined when I got a little tired of Bally's Fitness, and my previous tennis club in Webster was going through some changes in focus [seems like several tennis places have replaced their inside courts with artificial turf for more lucrative soccer space].

On the tennis side, there's 10 indoor courts, and 2 ball machines, although the planned expansion will increase this and add outdoor courts as well. I happen to be a fan of the indoor courts year-round, since my game doesn't need the additional variables of weather and inconsistent backgrounds to track the ball against. I've taken advantage of several of the leagues there, and have met many friendly and compatible players for ongoing matches. Did I say indoor court time in the summer is free? I also need to give a strong recommendation to pro Steve Keller who continues to improve my game and boost my ego in spite of my plateau-ing capabilities. Actually I'm impressed with all the pros there.

On the fitness side, there's a wide variety of weights and aerobic equipement available. Plenty even during the busy after-work hours, although I now have the luxury of going during quieter times of the day. It's very easy to spend a long time on the cardio equipment since each piece has its own flatscreen TV with cable channels. Although it can be counterproductive to be exercising while watching the food channel I suppose. The exercise floor and lockerrooms are always very clean, which I haven't found to be the case at other clubs.

And finally, and very strong recommendation to my personal trainer Kevin Glor. I started working with Kevin in September last year with the goal of working off a little of the flab that had accumulated from too many business dinners, and strenghtening the stomach muscles to help [hopefully] my tennis game. Within 4 months, I had lost 20 pounds, and 2" on my waist. As a side benefit, a recent physical showed quite a drop in cholesterol. Thank you Kevin!

Ellison Park and Dogs

2007-07-08T17:14:00.001-04:00

This is our dog, Zoe. We got her from Lollypop Farms the same day she was dropped off as a pup 8 years ago. According to the paperwork, she's a border collie / husky mix. That seems to fit her looks and temperment. Very smart, and prone to herding people together.

We're frequent walkers in Ellison Park (in the background of the picture), which I highly recommend if you have a dog that needs some exercise. A nice mix of flat areas, trails and hills. There's also the creek that runs through the park on its way to Irondequoit Bay, which provides a great place for the dogs to get a drink and swim. The Labs and Retrievers love this part. There's a nice mix of breeds that frequent the park, and the owners all seem to be friendly as well.

The park is open year round, and is an interesting place in all seasons. Generally in the spring, or after a heavy rain, the area can get somewhat flooded, so don't wear good clothes. The hills provide nice trails through heavily wooded areas that the dogs love, and are a great workout for their human companions.

I've been impressed by the number of people at the park who have adopted rescued dogs. That takes a special person. From what I understand, shelters in some of the other states don't hang on to their dogs and cats very long, and these nice people will come to their rescue. Many adopt from our own local shelters help as well.

Pomodoro Grill and Wine Bar Review

2007-07-08T12:51:00.000-04:00

It's a shame to waste a nice summer evening by being indoors, so we decided to go to Pomodoro's with hopes of being able to sit outside for a drink. When we arrived, we were told it would be over an hour wait for table outside, so we decided on the bar indoors. Pomodoro's has a nice selection of wines by the glass, and that's what we were in the mood for. After a while, we realized that the wait for an outside table meant the dining tables, so we did manage to get a table by the outside bar. The breeze was nice, and so was the band. We were surprised how late people were still being seated for meals ... 10:00 is late for the normal Rochester crowd!

We've been to Pomodoro's many times over the years. A few years back, I have to admit I wasn't that impressed with the food, but in the recent dinners, I've been very pleased. Not sure if there's a new chef or new menu, but would definitely add this to my recommended list. And with the very pleasant outdoor seating area, it's definitely on the list of places to consider for warm summer nights.

Boeing Plane Lineup

2007-07-08T12:44:00.000-04:00

Having always been interested in flying and planes, I found the attached story and pictures about Boeing's leadup to the 787 introduction by having a parade of all the preceding 7x7 planes interesting. Click here for story

Tournedos Restaurant Review

2007-07-07T12:59:00.000-04:00

We had another enjoyable experience at Tournedos restaurant last night. This is one of our favorites for special occasions, as it's a little on the expensive side for frequent dinners. However the food and service have always been exceptional. I've also been there a few times for business dinners, and my guests have been impressed as well.

For last night's meal, we started by splitting a crab cake appetizer. This crab cake is truly one of the best in Rochester - huge chunks of crab, with only a little crumb, and a nice tangy sauce. We've made it a point since first trying the crab cake here to sample them at other restaurants, and Tournedos' stands out. After salads we had the tenderloin and a fish special, along with the special vegetable and potato. All very good. And of course desert. I like their sorbets, since we're typically pretty full by this point.

Today for lunch I had my leftovers - even good reheated.