Rochester is OK!

The Tap and Mallet rolled out their spring menu this past week. A lot of old favorites return, but there’s plenty of new to sample.  For an appetizer, I had the Crab, Corn, and Red Pepper dip, which is a thick flavorful dip with pita bread. It was fantastic. I almost filled up on, but left enough room to try out their new Reuben sandwich, which is served open face. I’m a big fan of Reubens and I try to eat them wherever they’re served, and the Tap and Mallet’s is excellent.

I’ll probably be back in the next week or so to keep trying new stuff.

Also note that they will be closed this Saturday for a wedding (congratulations to Jeana and John).

You can check out their new menu on the web, or if you have an Android phone or an iPhone, you can get the menu app for either, which will allow you to keep tabs of their ever revolving beer taps from anywhere.

Gluten free food. This may be a term you’re familiar with, or at the very least heard it in passing maybe more than once in recent years. Gluten is a composite of proteins found some grass related grains, such as rye, barley, and especially wheat. It seems that there are more and more people who have a sensitivity to Gluten based products, or full blown Coeliac disease, which as an auto-immune reaction to gluten. The intolerance can manifest in different ways in different people, from a gastro intestinal reaction, akin to irritable bowel syndrome, or to a skin reaction in the form of eczema. It often is misdiagnosed for other things, and one of the only real ways of diagnosing it is an elimination diet. An elimination diet means nothing with gluten in it, and when you try to do that your options become very very limited. Go to Wegmans and start reading labels. You will see gluten is in a lot more than you realized. If you want to do an elimination diet, that means no pasta, no bread, no cookies, some cold cuts have gluten in them as a binding ingredient, etc, etc. If you have coeliac (which is rarer than a basic intolerance), you need to really careful and really check your labels.

Over the years though, there are a lot of companies who have come out with gluten free products for this market. Rice noodles make a decent substitute for wheat flour noodles. There are gluten free breads, and cookies, and all sorts of stuff. The problem with a lot of them is that most of them are pretty awful. I couldn’t understand why these companies couldn’t at least put out something that tasted good and was gluten free.

And then Eco Bella opened up down the street from me. Now, I only have a mild intolerance for gluten products. I deal with it as I hate having my diet limited, but if I can get something in gluten free that is equal to what I’m already used to, then bring it on. I was skeptical at first when I walked into Eco Bella, which is a tiny store front at 732 South Ave. There are a multitude of things in their display cases, but what I was most interested in, and most hopeful for, was finding a gluten free brownie that actually tasted good. The first thing I ordered was a brownie with chocolate frosting. It was awesome. It actually tasted like a normal brownie. It was chocolaty and rich and the texture was spot on. Cooking without gluten is one thing, but Eco Bella is also vegan. I’m not a vegan, but I do enjoy vegan and vegetarian food just as much as anything else, and vegan food can be a lot like some gluten free things can be; bland and weird. Eco Bella dodges this bullet as well, because I always seem to forget that I’m eating something that’s not just gluten free, but also vegan. I don’t know how they do it, but they do it pretty awesome and I recommend that you definitely check them out.

So if you have issues with gluten,  or are a vegan, or perhaps both, this is your new dessert mainstay. Eco Bella Bakery is again located at 732 South Avenue. They have a website that has their hours on it, as well as their menu and prices. You can check that out here, at http://www.ecobellabakery.com.

I love barbecue. I love pulled pork. I love brisket. I love ribs. Lucky for us, we have some good local options when it comes to barbecue.

The Beale Street Cafe has two locations, one in Webster, and one at 689 South Ave. in the city of Rochester. I’ve personally never been to the Webster location, but I dine at the South Ave. quite often. My standard restaurant routine for places I go to often is to try something I’ve never had before on the menu each time. Unless a place has a rotating menu, after awhile you’ve eventually had everything on there. I can almost safely say that I’ve had just about everything on the Beale Street menu at least once. On my most recent trip, which would be this past Thursday, I had the Piedmont Pork dinner, which was their pulled pork marinated in vinegar and topped with coleslaw, with sides of cajun fries (go cajun or go home!) and their macaroni salad. The dinner special is larger than the sandwich meal, almost to the tune of twice the amount of pork you’d get from a sandwich. It is a lot of food, and I ate every bit of it. The vinegar gives the pork a bit of a tangy kick, but it doesn’t over power the flavor of the pork. For some reason coleslaw goes really well with pulled pork, as evidence by one of their other sandwiches called The Pittsburgh, which is pulled pork, topped with coleslaw and french fries on French Bread. The Pittsburgh is my staple meal. If I’m not feeling adventurous or in the mood to experiment, this is what I order, and it is awesome. I’d also recommend making sure the fries are cajun, as it gives the sandwich an extra spicy kick.

I’m a big fan of Brisket and I love trying Brisket where ever I go, because it’s always different, but it’s not always good. Honestly, Beale Street has some of the best brisket I’ve ever had. I recommend the dinner of the sandwich, because the bigger the pile of brisket, the happier you’ll be. It’s sweet, moist, and smoked to perfection.

And of course it wouldn’t be a barbecue place without ribs, and their ribs are definitely notable. Their barbecue sauces are what really makes all their food stand out from other places, especially their ribs. Like any good rib should be, they’re sweet and moist and are easily pulled off the bone.

Beale Street also has a full bar, if you’re just in the mood for having a cocktail. Heidi makes a killer Mojito. They have live music Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday.

The Beale Street cafe is located at 689 South Ave. on the corner of Gregory and South. Parking is on the street, but it’s usually not too hard to find a spot on a Friday night. Menu and directions are available on their website at http://www.bealestreetcafe.com.

That my friends is a burrito. Keep in mind that the plate is a standard large dinner sized plate. This is no fast food hastily put together burrito, this is a football of flavor.

On my way home from the gym, I drive by this place. I go there often, but not often enough. I’d probably eat out every single night if it was economical. Bianca was going to be in class till 9. I didn’t feel like cooking myself anything, and the left overs in the fridge weren’t really what I was craving. I wanted a burrito.

The place is John’s Tex Mex, and it’s located at 489 South Avenue, on the corner of South and Alexander. John’s Tex Mex features eat in or take out, and last night I opted for take out. I got myself a giant burrito, and Bianca a taco and chips and salsa to wait for her when she got out of class.

I love these burritos. I’ve had a lot of the other stuff on their menu. I’ve tried most of the tacos, and everything is great, but the burrito really stands out. You have a choice of meats (chicken, beef, etc.) and between black beans and re-fried beans, as well as 4 extras. I chose cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and salsa, with beef as my meat, and black beans. It is awesome. You know it’s going to be awesome when they first hand you the bag with your food in it, and it feels like they’re handing you a small baby. And then you take the burrito out of the bag, and it’s wrapped in tin foil, and I didn’t weigh it, but it definitely feels like a couple pounds. You can choose to attack your burrito any way you like. You can pick it up and try to shove it in your face, but most of the time, the epic force of the monster burrito will win over you, and whatever you’re wearing. I recommend forking it. And fork it you shall, as every bite is an explosion of flavor. The seasoned beef melts in your mouth, it’s garlicy, but not overpoweringly so, and man, it’s heaven.

If you haven’t been here yet, check it out. They have seating in doors, and in the warmer months, they have a little patio to eat out on. You may want to call ahead and see if they have any room inside if you plan on eating there, as they get pretty crowded during the dinner rush and on weekends. Take out is available, so either way, you won’t have an excuse to miss out on their excellent menu. They also have a web presence with their full menu available online.

Check it out, and tell them Rochester is OK sent you.

John’s Tex Mex

489 South Avenue

http://www.johnstexmex.com/

I wish I had a better picture, but sometimes I don’t feel it’s appropriate to whip out a camera with a flash in a public place. It’s distracting to the other folks around me, so my trusty iPhone’s camera gets the job done. What you see on the left is a glass of Magner’s Irish Cider at the Tap and Mallet, located at 381 Gregory Street, between South Ave and South Clinton. I apologize to the Tap and Mallet now, as my iPhone’s camera isn’t doing it the justice it deserves. I met up with a few friends last night, and decided it was time to profile another one of my favorite spots.

The Tap and Mallet, in my opinion, serves two important markets. The first is in regard to their beer selection, which is the finest in the city. If you want it, they probably have it. On tap. If not on tap, they have it in a bottle. Not into beer? They have a decent selection of ciders and fancy soda’s. Their beer selection is constantly revolving, evolving, changing. Taps and casks are changed almost weekly, and their menu is constantly being updated. If you really want to stay on top of it, their website is always up to date. If you’re really hardcore, they even have an iPhone app, which encompasses their website in an easy to read format. If you want to delve more into the beer aspects, my friends over at Beercraft are far more qualified than I am. My favorite aspect of going there is that I’m able to try something new each time. Their bar staff is very knowledgeable of the products they peddle, and can make a great recommendation depending on your mood. Crisp lager? Fruity ale? Chocolatey stout? Let them know what you’re feeling, and they’ll pour you a glass of happiness.

Their second market is definitely for the foodie. Their menu is fantastic. This isn’t simple bar food by any means. although they do supply the staples (wings and chicken fingers), and they are awesome. Most of my eating there has been exploring the revolving sandwich menu. I’m not 100% sure of how often things are rotated on and off, but there’s always something new to try, or something I may not have noticed the last time I was there. I believe the last several times I went for the Steak Chimichurri and the Tuna Wasabi, both of which were absolutely to die for.

Typically, I walk there, but if you’re not from the neighborhood, there’s parking in the back, and plenty of street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods. They have streetside tables in the summer, and a deck in the back for outdoor dining and beer enjoyment.

If you’ve never been and love beer, check it out. If you’ve never been and love good food, check it out. If you love both as much as I do, it will definitely be one of your top places to visit.

Tap and Mallet

381 Gregory Street
Rochester, NY 14620
(585) 473-0503

http://www.tapandmallet.com/