DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines

2540 Ridgeway Avenue, Greece
Visited April 3, 2010
Written by Drew



Being a group of college-aged guys, there is almost nothing more exciting than going to a professional athletic event.

The night before Easter Sunday, Chad, Tyler and I attended the Rochester Knighthawks indoor lacrosse game. And as always the question arose, ‘where can we get a meal on our way to the game?’ DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines was the answer.

DiBella’s originated in the city of Rochester, but now has 16 locations scattered throughout the Northeast United States. Seven are in the Rochester area, with three each in the Buffalo and Cleveland areas, two near Pittsburgh and one in Ann Arbor, Mich.

However, the only one definitely considered Rochester’s “west side” is on Ridgeway Avenue in Greece.

Walking into the restaurant itself was an experience. As soon as you open the door, the aroma of the fresh bread and the grilled sandwiches punches you right in the face (in a most pleasing way, of course).

You are then greeted by music from the 1930s and ‘40s and old New York deli décor on the wall. And finally, regardless of how busy it is, the words “Welcome to DiBella’s” aren’t far behind. It truly is like walking into an old-fashioned New York submarine shop.

So now let’s talk about the submarines themselves.

DiBella’s has two different meal deals available, the small and the medium. Each of these deals comes with a drink and a bag of chip. Being a big guy myself, the small meal deal is just the right amount of food. Another bite or two would be overkill.

If you choose, you could substitute your bag of chips for one of Grandma DiBella’s famous cookies. You can choose from two different varieties; chocolate chip with nuts or without nuts. It is suggested that you finish your meal with one of these freshly baked cookies.

I have been a huge fan of DiBella's submarines for as long as I can remember. Nine times out of 10 I will order my “go-to sub” which is fairly simple: seeded roll, turkey, mayo, and American cheese. The explanation for my order is just as simple as the order itself. The seeded bread is the original bread of the sub shop, the mayo and turkey mix well together, and the American cheese because of Uncle Sam.

So on our visit, I ordered my usual, which was great as always, and Chad ordered a Chicken Philly Supreme without cheese. The sandwich included a hefty serving of grilled chicken pieces, peppers, onions and added a sweet Rochester kick with Boss Sauce.

When asked about his sandwich Chad simply responds, “Excellent,” and when asked if he would order it again he said, “I sure would.”

Tyler didn’t order anything because he had just eaten a huge meal, but said he thought Chad’s Chicken Philly (which the restaurant seemed to be hyping at the time) looked delicious and, having a love for chicken like he does, should probably try one soon.

Tyler has eaten at DiBella’s before, however, and said his Hot Turkey and Ham on Multigrain bread he had last summer was one of the best subs he ever ate in his life.
Both the City Newspaper and the Democrat and Chronicle agree with us when it comes to our satisfaction with DiBella’s, which has been voted “Rochester’s Best Sub” for the last eight years and counting. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if it wins that title again.

Aside from its 16 locations, DiBella’s seems to be in a partnership with Wegmans. Many Wegmans stores I have been in have the “Old Fashion Submarine” moniker and have very similar subs to DiBella’s.

I visited Subway about a week after my visit to DiBella’s. I paid roughly the same price for the same amount of food, and I was amazed how much DiBella’s ruins Subway for me. There just isn’t a fair comparison.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Very quick service, always fairly full, more than enough people behind the counter to speed up the process. It seems like you walk back into time when you walk in.

Food: Always the best of quality. I have never had a bad meal here.

Value: Great food with reasonable prices, plus good portion sizes.

Overall: There is a reason it was voted the best subs in Rochester for the last eight years.

Grade: A-

Return to General Hoock's

Written by Tyler

General Hoock’s (1308 Buffalo Road, Gates) was the first restaurant we reviewed back in February. In the months that have followed, we have continued to spread the word of this unheralded gem to our friends and family and have made several return visits, bringing along new faces each time.

We like it more and more and seem to discover or try a new item each time we go back, while it maintains the ‘A’ grade we gave it.

To recap some of our recent discoveries, we’ll start with our friend Chad, who we successfully ‘Hoocked.’ He has been back several times since we first brought him along in March.

Chad’s go-to dish is the Curly Bomber, a sandwich with shaved steak, hamburger and curly fries piled on between a delicious homemade roll.

Our friend Ryan apparently didn’t believe us when we told him the portion sizes were enormous, so he went ahead and purchased the $11 Raging Bull Bomber, which is like the Curly Bomber… except about 10 sizes larger (basically on a full-size loaf of bread) and includes onion rings (rather than curly fries), cheese and sweet “Stiggy” sauce.


Ryan said it was a great sandwich, but, needless to say, he could barely scarf down half of it.


Our friend Greg is an eating machine, who once (back in the day) randomly downed three hot dogs wrapped in turkey shortly before a football workout. He also once jokingly ordered the entire kids menu at a restaurant, but anyway, Greg ordered the Plate X-M on this, his first visit to Hoock’s.

A big fan of garbage plates, Greg enjoyed and downed what was essentially a breakfast garbage plate. It took him longer than expected, but you can always count on Greg to stomach an entire family’s worth of food.


As for me, I’ve really become a fan of General Hoock’s pizza – er, Magik Bread Pie. In an unconventional move, I have twice ordered a small pizza topped with grilled chicken, but without cheese.


The plethora of grilled chicken replaces what the cheese would be. I just like chicken so much I order it instead of cheese (which, again, is a topping here). But the ingredients on this pizza complement each other so well – the crust is baked to a perfect balance between soft and crisp, and there is the perfect amount of sauce –I can’t relent from ordering this.

In another new development, the last few times we’ve gone, proprietor Shawn Hoock has had some family members helping him out around the restaurant, rather than doing it all himself. His two young sons were even in there during one visit and drew us pictures while we waited.

Ah, General Hoock’s just keeps getting better and better and I find myself daydreaming about a cheeseless pizza again.

The Arlington Restaurant

4 Main Street, Hilton
Visited April 5, 2010
Written by Tyler




The Arlington has been a staple of Hilton’s Main Street for over a century, since opening in 1897. The Arlington Hotel closed in 1966, giving way to a restaurant and full bar in a new building nearby (the hotel was demolished shortly thereafter).

Ownership, which some of my family was a part of at one point, has changed hands a few times before becoming a restaurant. The Edelman family has owned the restaurant for the majority of its run – and still operates the adjoining liquor store – but sold ownership of the restaurant a few years ago.

My family has raved about the Friday Fish Fry at The Arlington for years. My grandpa still goes for lunch most days, and more recently my grandma has been bringing family and friends to the Tuesday Gourmet Pasta Bar.

I went to lunch with my grandma at The Arlington the day after Easter. It wasn’t very crowded, but it was still a good atmosphere, as antiques celebrating Hilton’s heritage of apple farms adorned the wall.

The menu seems to have something for just about everyone, but we each decided on sandwiches this day. My grandma enjoyed her Chicken Caesar Sandwich, topped with Caesar salad and served between garlic toast.

As for myself, I opted for the Turkey Ham Club. This was one large sandwich, but I eventually settled on a ‘divide and conquer’ attack plan. All the typical components of a club sandwich mixed well on this sandwich. The hot and cold ingredients complemented each other nicely, but the crisp bacon really made the sandwich stand out.

The Arlington is probably the closest there is thing to fine dining in Hilton, but it still has a rather casual atmosphere.

The Arlington’s weekly specials also include Monday Steak Night and Saturday Prime Rib, in addition to a diverse menu which includes a decent-sized selection of fried appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and pastas.

There are a few premium entrees like New York Strip, Filet Mignon and Chicken Parmesan, among others. Also featured are a few barbecue options, as well as “Home Style Favorites” like chicken pot pie and meat loaf.

The Arlington, which is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, has good food and a fancy yet casual and friendly small-town atmosphere that make it a good place to stop for a night out when in Hilton.

Ratings:
Service/Atmosphere: Efficient and friendly service added to the quaint, small-town atmosphere.
Food: No complaints and a good selection.
Value: Not quite cheap enough to be casual, but not expensive enough to be considered fine dining. You get your money’s worth.
Overall: Great small-town atmosphere and good food; easy to see why my family has enjoyed it for years. I’ve heard a lot of praise, especially about the weekly specials.
Grade: B-