Rochester Restaurants (Spencerport, Spencer, Charlotte: house, neighborhoods, live in)

[Lax]

It may not be everywhere but i is still a chain, meaning the quality will be lesser (not to mention that it takes away from the identity of the local area). Much of the food is bought in bulk, making it of a lesser quality. Many things that are "prepared" were frozen and thawed which is apparent in the boring taste. I never knew Aladin's was a chain but that would explain the bland food.
I can't disagree more about some chain places being good. I have never eaten an impressive meal at a chain restaurant. When you start to branch out, quality suffers.
I guess I'm a little more critical about places like this since I have spent time in Hampton Roads VA, a cultural hellhole. I don't want to see the upstate cities end up like Hampton Roads.

[Lax]

I checked up on Alidan's. They have 4 locations. The ones outside Rochester are different fom eachother according to prople that have eaten at them. This is not the same thing as a restaurant with well over 100 locations that follows an exact business model.

[igadget]

Originally Posted by Lax

It may not be everywhere but i is still a chain, meaning the quality will be lesser (not to mention that it takes away from the identity of the local area). Much of the food is bought in bulk, making it of a lesser quality. Many things that are "prepared" were frozen and thawed which is apparent in the boring taste. I never knew Aladin's was a chain but that would explain the bland food.

I can't disagree more about some chain places being good. I have never eaten an impressive meal at a chain restaurant. When you start to branch out, quality suffers.

Are you the food critic at the D&C? I find I disagree with them as much as you.

According to your reasoning, any resturant owner who expands beyond the initial location, dispite demand is a chain. This makes DiBella's and Abbott's chains as well. I haven't noticed any loss in their quality execpt for a lack of selection at some much smaller locations. I only have a passing experience on the production side with places that produce more than an evening meal for a single family but I think you are being unreasonable.

How else would you recomend a resturant which needs to feed a couple hundred potential people per night, purchase food in other than bulk quantities? They don't run out the local Weg-gies or Tops for an order like that. Note that bulk doesn't require frozen. Would your palete be able to tell the difference between frozen and cooled to just above freezing, say 35F?

Perhaps if you want real home cooking, you stay home and cook. You can have your own garden, you can hand slaughter your choice of meats for every meal. Keep that fishing pole handy. Everything you eat will be fresh and in season.

Originally Posted by Lax

I guess I'm a little more critical about places like this since I have spent time in Hampton Roads VA, a cultural hellhole. I don't want to see the upstate cities end up like Hampton Roads.

It is unfortunate that you had a bad experience in Virginia, and though it may be a "cultural hell hole" as far as your sophisticated NY standards are concerened, not every place is for everybody. I'm guessing they are glad you are not visiting too often so they can share their own style of local places with the friends they care to.

I have only been in Rochester for a short 6 years, I'm sure there are places here that I do not know about. I'm sure there are places here I wish I didn't know about...avoid "Fast Chineese Resturant". I am also sure that if I have pre-conceived notions about a place prior to entering it, that I'm more likely have a bad experience. I wish you a good evening, I will no longer respond to the forum on this as we basicly disagree and I doubt
either will change the other, be welcome to the last word should you so desire.

PS: I have a reqirement that ABBOTT'S continues to freeze their products as long as they are in business.

[Lax]

Originally Posted by igadget

According to your reasoning, any resturant owner who expands beyond the initial location, dispite demand is a chain. This makes DiBella's and Abbott's chains as well. I haven't noticed any loss in their quality execpt for a lack of selection at some much smaller locations. I only have a passing experience on the production side with places that produce more than an evening meal for a single family but I think you are being unreasonable.

Expanding to a handfull of locations is one thing. You can still keep quality high (abbott's). Once you start to open dozens of locations, it does not become economical to the company to buy high quality fresh foods. You have to buy bulk frozen foods that sit there for a long period of time which takes away from taste (some mom and pop places are guilty of this i've noticed). Even Dibella's is not the same since Wegman's started to carry their subs. The meats and veggies are not as good as they used to be.

Originally Posted by igadget

How else would you recomend a resturant which needs to feed a couple hundred potential people per night, purchase food in other than bulk quantities? They don't run out the local Weg-gies or Tops for an order like that. Note that bulk doesn't require frozen. Would your palete be able to tell the difference between frozen and cooled to just above freezing, say 35F?

They should purchase foods several times per week from a local vendor rather than get shipments from some wharehouse. You can tell when something has been frozen for a while rather than just chilled for a short amount of time.

Originally Posted by igadget

I'm guessing they are glad you are not visiting too often so they can share their own style of local places with the friends they care to.

Thats the thing. They don't have their own local style. Its just miles and miles of ugly strip malls (with a handfull of exceptions). Each chain place that opens up in upstate takes it one step closer to the blandness of a place like Hampton Roads.

This is not a personal attack on you. I just don't agree with your choice of restaurants.

[JOHNNYCOUNTRY]

The one thing I really like about the greater Rochester area when I go up there to visit my Grandparents is the food. I dont really like fancy places to eat just good food. I really liked Sullivans hamburger joint..Kronys Pizza..all the local sub shops are real good..I also liked this one place I think it was called Nick Tahoes they serve the garbage plate. Heck but my favorite food up there was sitting by the campfire eating Zweigles hots and drinking cold genny beer. I would love to open up a southern style BBQ up there someday possibly on Ridge Road somewhere.

[garmin239]

Johnny, have you ever had Dinosaur bbq, Sticky Lipps or Beale street in Roch? How are those places compared to southern places? I'm assuming everything in the south would be much better for bbq.

[JOHNNYCOUNTRY]

Originally Posted by garmin239

Johnny, have you ever had Dinosaur bbq, Sticky Lipps or Beale street in Roch? How are those places compared to southern places? I'm assuming everything in the south would be much better for bbq.

No I havent but im heading up in may ill definetly check those places out. The BBQ is pretty dang good down here in certain places. A lot of people love coming over when I BBQ. I usually do brisket and ribs and of course smoked chicken its a lot of fun it just takes a lot of time to get it right. But Im gonna go up there and ill hit those places up. Those Zweigles hot dogs up there are awesome and I like the fact its a western New York thing and thats were you have to get them. I order them online sometimes and its worth every buck. The Rochester area is really unique and has a cool community vibe about it I love visiting there.

[beachbyrd]

Nick Tahoe's and the Garbage Plate were just on the Food Network! I am out of state and I was calling my husband in the room to come see the show. It was on "Unwrapped".

I bet they probably featured it on the news there...

[melkat]

Originally Posted by garmin239

Johnny, have you ever had Dinosaur bbq, Sticky Lipps or Beale street in Roch? How are those places compared to southern places? I'm assuming everything in the south would be much better for bbq.

Dinosaur BBQ (and sticky lips) are much better BBQ than we have in Charlotte that is for sure! We have finally found one place here that is similar to Dinosaur in quality. I think that Charlotte just doesn't have good BBQ Luckily we have the Dinosaur cookbook

[Muggy]

In the Tampa Bay Area there are quite a few BBQ joints. I've never stopped at the drive-thru type places, but I do love eating at Selmon's which has more "Southern" offerings than Dinosaur. In terms of meat and preparation, as well as main course dining items, they are similar. I guess the difference is in the sauce and veggies, which doesn't necessarily qualify or disqualify either as "more legit BBQ." It just makes them different.

Dinosaur catered a wedding I went to a few years back. There were attendees from all over the country and they were surprised (even blown away) by Dinosaur.

I ate at Sticky Lips right after they opened. How could I resist? "I sank my life savings into this restaurant!" Anyway, I was unimpressed and my food was cold. It sounds like they're still going, which is good because they must have turned it around.

The only thing I have found to be true regarding regional cuisine is that wings are way better in the Buffalo-Rochester area than anywhere else. And yes, the only real plate is at Nick's. I analyzed a garbage plate for a nutrition class in college. It's basically like sky-diving without a parachute.

Here are some of my other fav's:
Sinbad's - Mediterranean
Gitsis - late night grease
King and I - Thai
Pittsford Pub - American
Aladdin's - Mediterranean
Thali - Indian