Redwood Restaurant

6 Cohocton Street, Naples

Visited Aug. 7, 2010

Written by Tyler

There isn’t much commercial civilization to speak of on the back-road trek from Watkins Glen to Prattsburg, let alone places to eat, but we had to eat somewhere on our way to Chad’s camp from a day of NASCAR action at the Glen.

We decided to bypass both potential restaurants in Hammondsport and Prattsburg, and extend our trip a few miles north to Naples. Chad had previously suggested Redwood, telling us it was a family-diner-type place, which we always enjoy.

The place looks kind of like a red barn on the outside, but is just like a typical family diner on the inside, with a dining room and sit-down bar, plus a relatively upscale larger dining room as well. According to Chad, the ‘fancy’ dining room’s menu charges $1 more for everything. The menu featured standard diner fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I went with my usual grilled chicken sandwich, plus a side of home fries. The chicken and its marinade (which wasn’t too strong) were decent, though it could have used a little dipping sauce, and the roll was a little different than usual, in that it was powdered on top. In all it was pretty good; slightly above average.

The home fries were also decent, but not quite as crispy as they appeared. In fact, they were somewhat soggy and greasy. They didn’t meet Hilton Family Restaurant’s (HFR’s) standard for home fries, but they were still good enough for me to scarf them down without hesitation.

Drew also went the chicken route, opting for a (fried) chicken fillet sandwich, or in cafeteria terms, a chicken patty. He said it wasn’t anything different from comparable restaurants, but still good because it was moist. He also had a chocolate milkshake, which did the trick in refreshing him after a hot day at the track.

Chad was also pleased with his meal; a simple bacon burger with fries.

The service was very welcoming and friendly. Not particularly quick, but nothing to complain about either. The booths were a little tight, and this wasn’t one of the cleanest places we have been to either – especially the sketchy bathroom – but nothing that severely hindered our experience.

I ordered cornbread as well, but it was unavailable because the person who usually makes it was out of town. I was disappointed I couldn’t try it – because I figured if they have a designated cornbread maker, it must be good – but they had a legitimate excuse. If I’m ever at Redwood again I’ll definitely try it.

As for our overall experience at Redwood, Chad put it best, saying, “The food is decent; there

are better and there are worse (places). The lack of competition makes them better.”

Like we said there aren’t many places to choose from in this area, but Redwood appears to fill its niche as a family diner in Naples.

“It’s very good, but not HFR level,” Chad said, to which we agreed.

If we’re at Chad’s camp, we know there’s a satisfying hometown diner available. Although Naples is nowhere close to the west side, it’s not a place you hear about in the news often, so we made an exception. We figured we were there, it was decent, it’s similar to other places we’ve reviewed, so we might as well give the Redwood its due.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: The service was generally pretty good, and the restaurant had a classic small-town, family-diner feel.

Food: Nothing that blows you away, though not quite generic.

Value: The prices were good and we left with full bellies after sitting in the sun all day at the track.

Overall: Another pleasing family diner. There’s not much competition around, so there’s a good chance we’ll be back next time we head to Chad’s camp.

Grade: C+

Hilton Fireman's Carnival

137 South Avenue, Hilton
July 28-31, 2010
Written by Tyler and Drew

(Image courtesy of hiltonfd.org)

Every time the last weekend of July rolls around, numerous tractor trailers come rolling into the village of Hilton. For four crazy nights, the Hilton Firemen’s Carnival takes center stage and puts a little livelihood in to an otherwise-quiet village.

Drew lives within a mile of the fairgrounds, and for those few nights, it is very difficult to do anything due to the screaming kids, uncharacteristically busy streets, and loud music blasting from the carnival. Some of the behavior of many carnival goers, particularly teenagers, is less than exemplary, but you can’t beat some of the food available at the carnival.

Thursday after work, the two of us walked down to grab a bite just as the carnival was opening around 6 p.m. We ordered all of our food, then went back to Drew’s house to enjoy our meal.

We both decided to try the beef on wick sandwich. The one thing that stood out about the sandwich was the roll – or wick, in this case – which was pleasantly salty and dipped in some sort of au jus. Other than the roll though, the sandwich was just like any other typical festival sandwich. The beef was a bit dry and generic, but there was plenty of it and the roll definitely helped out. All in all, it was worth the $5 it cost.

After ordering his sandwich from one of the many Hilton Fire Department (HFD) concession stands, Drew walked over to the Walker Fire Department’s clam stand and ordered a side of salt potatoes. For $1.50, he received five larger-than-golf-ball-sized salt potatoes. The potatoes were perfectly cooked through and were pretty decent considering how cheap they were. They were also served with a small cup of what looked like melted butter, but it looked strange and he ended up just throwing it out.

Tyler always has to order at least one bag of popcorn every year.

“It is the best popcorn,” he said. “(It) wasn't obnoxiously buttery like movie popcorn. It melts in your mouth… (it’s) just perfect”.

For $1.50 ($2 for a large) he got an overflowing sandwich bag of fresh-from-the-popper Pickett’s Popcorn, a Hilton carnival staple. It was not overly buttery, salty, or oily, Tyler explained, but a perfect balance of all the components that make up good popcorn. He even went by himself to the carnival Wednesday to get a bag of popcorn as his main course for dinner that night.

We also tried some sugar waffles from the HFD. Drew was first introduced to these very tasty treats at last year’s carnival and said he could only wish he knew about these saucer-sized waffles, dipped into and fully covered with powder sugar, a long time ago. There is no easy or clean way to eat these things.

“Personally, I just pick at it and couldn’t care less about how much powder ends up in my shirt, mainly because the taste is that good,” Drew said.

These waffles cost 75 cents each and usually two or three of them is more than enough for a while. They are fried up and then stuck in to a heat box, so in a single order can provide a wide variation of doneness of waffles. In our first order of four, there were two perfectly golden ones, one undercooked and one overcooked waffle. Undercooked ones are rather chewy and hard to eat, overcooked ones are fine, just a little more crisp, and the perfectly done ones are outstanding and melt in your mouth. The powdered-sugar coating doesn’t come in obnoxious amounts either; rather it sticks to the waffles and created a pleasant glaze of sorts.

On his return visits Friday and Saturday, Drew tried a slice of pizza. The HFD’s pizza is made fresh in its own oven, but the pizza definitely doesn’t stand out over any of the pizzerias in town. The crust is very crunchy and everything else is very mediocre. For $2 a slice, or $11 for a whole pizza, you will definitely get a meal that will fill you up, but the pizza is average.

Tyler was fortunate enough to sample some HFD fried dough. He had to settle for lukewarm dough, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, which had been sitting in the microwave overnight. He said it still tasted good – soft and sweet, yet not too greasy – much to his surprise. He said he could only imagine how great it would taste fresh out of the fryer.

Word on the street is the hamburgers, which we didn’t have the pleasure of trying this year, were outstanding at the HFD burger stand. Apparently they sold out and had to wait several hours on Saturday for more burgers to come in because they were selling like crazy.

Another interesting note about the hamburgers; the HFD has never sold cheeseburgers at the carnival, dating back to 1983. The aprons the HFD workers wear even say, "We still don’t do cheese."

The HFD has a relatively low number of choices, also including hot dogs, Italian sausage and French fries, notably. The menu pretty much never changes from year to year, though the prices occasionally creep up. Tyler was disappointed by the lack of chicken selections, but has become used to it over the years of annually attending the carnival multiple nights. For him, the popcorn suffices.

For being carnival food being made by people associated with the HFD, rather than trained chefs, this is as good as it gets. The food is tasty, filling and reasonably priced, and was by far the highlight of our carnival experience this year.

Are we looking forward to next year’s carnival? For the food, yes; for the commotion that comes with it, not so much.

Rohrbach Brewing Company

3859 Buffalo Road, Gates
Visited July 24, 2010
Written by Tyler




Even though Rohrbach’s is famous around the area for its in-house microbrewery, winning a Rochester’s Choice Award for best local beer six times. Of course, I should add, none of us are 21 yet anyway, so we can’t provide any insight on the homemade beverages, but we’ve found ourselves returning for its food frequently in the last year.

Located on a relatively quiet stretch of Buffalo Road near the three-town border of Gates, Ogden and Chili, Rohrbach’s is one of very few restaurants in the Rochester area that has a German-based menu, and its interior appearance is designed like a German bar, providing what seems like an authentic experience.

I jumped on the Rohrbach’s bandwagon after my first visit with my parents, four years ago. It took me a while to return, but I’ve been back five times in the last year.

Because of Greg’s obvious German heritage, like me, I know he’d love Rohrbach’s. After his first visit, last summer, it instantly vaulted toward the top of his favorites.

On this visit I opted for the Railroad Street Ham & Cheese; smoked ham with melted Swiss cheese on pretzel bread with a side of honey mustard. As I said in the Krony’s review, I love pretzel bread, which is hard to find around here. It made my decision not to get a giant Munich Pretzel, which I often get at Rohrbach’s, much easier.

The sandwich seemed a little bit drier than the last time I had it, but the delicious honey mustard cured any semblance of a problem there. The price ($6.95) seemed kind of steep, although it did come with a choice of a side.

For my side dish, I opted to drop an extra $2 on my obligatory cup of White Chicken Chili. This is, without a doubt, the best chili I’ve ever eaten, and I get it every time I go to Rohrbach’s. It’s perfectly hearty – with chunks of chicken, plenty of white beans, plus bell peppers, onions, shredded cheese and tortilla chips – perfectly creamy and has a nice, sinus-clearing kick to it.

I let my mom – who had tried a few different white chili recipes at home, to no avail – have a taste of it last time I was here. Blown away by its tastiness, she immediately asked, “Why can’t I make mine like this?”

Greg was also amazed by the white chili the first time he tried it, and has become a regular consumer of it as well.

“The chili was excellent as always,” Greg said. “Creamy, full of flavor, laden with ingredients… my standard for white chili.”

For his entrée, Greg had the Park Ave. Panini, with roasted turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce and cranberry mayo on hot-pressed Panini bread, along with a side of fries.

“The bread was excellent, cooked just right in my opinion; crispy, but not crunchy,” he said. “The cranberry dressing was delicious with the turkey, and it was pretty filling. The fries I liked, too. They were battered, which is always nice.”

Chad ordered the most authentic German meal of all us, opting for grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut and German potato salad. He said the bratwurst was very tasty and spiced to perfection; clearly much more than a generic Johnsonville brat.

Drew ordered the Swillburg Pork Sammie, a pulled pork sandwich, which is his usual meal at Rohrbach’s. Clearly, he enjoys Rohrbach’s pulled pork; even more so because it came on a Martusciello’s roll, arguably the best in Rochester. The sandwich came with fries, which, like Greg, Drew enjoyed because they were battered and crispy.

He also got a cup of Cheddar Highland Soup; made from sharp cheddar, Rohrbach’s own Highland Lager and smoked bacon bits. Drew isn’t much of a soup guy, but he like this because it was so unique.

Joe and Tim also enjoyed their meals; Railroad Street Ham & Cheese and a Bourbon Burger (pictured), respectively.

Rohrbach’s is a bit pricier than most restaurants we have reviewed, with decent portion sizes, but it never seems to bother us.

“My meal … was just over $10 and it was well worth it,” Greg said. “(It was) quite filling. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad value by any means.

“I’m not sure there is a menu item I wouldn’t eat. The food brings me back.”

We unanimously agreed that the service was outstanding. Our server was friendly, informative, quick, and even remembered all our orders without writing them down. We also had a relatively short wait for our food to arrive.

The atmosphere was enjoyable as well. It primarily has a German feel, with its bar and décor, but also has some sports-bar and casual elements.

“It’s just good, reasonable, and it’s a relaxing place to eat a meal,” Greg said.

It must be good, based on our standards, because there are very few places we have returned to as often recently.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: The service is phenomenal, among the best we’ve had, and the comfortable atmosphere goes a long way toward making this one of our favorites.

Food: German centered, but diverse overall. All the food is great, nonetheless. There aren’t many other places around where you can get authentic German food, like Chad’s bratwurst.

Value: “A tad pricey, but you get what you pay for,” Greg said, which I agree with. Like I said, we keep coming back, so price obviously isn’t much of a hindrance.

Overall: Food is very good, including many authentic choices. Outstanding service and great atmosphere. Given how often we return, we can comfortably say it’s one of our top favorites.

Grade: A-

Joe's Brooklyn Pizza

1100 Jefferson Road, Henrietta
Visited July 31, 2010
Written by Drew



Five (of us) guys headed to Marketplace Mall Saturday afternoon and figured we should cross another place off the list, even if it is in the gray area. Despite our chance at acting out a pun by all going to Five Guys Burgers and Fries (a national chain, mind you), Tyler, Jake and I filed in to neighboring Joe’s Brooklyn Pizza, while Joe and Greg went to Five Guys.

Joe’s, Five Guys and Moe’s Southwestern Grill (also a chain) share one building in the front of the parking lot to Henrietta Plaza on Jefferson Road, across the street from the Doubletree Hotel. I heard good things about Five Guys and really wanted to go there, but looking back on it I was glad I went to grab a few slices of pizza instead.

As we walked into the restaurant, we passed a couple, with one of them holding her stomach saying ‘that wasn’t a good thing to do,’ so right off the bat I was nervous about what I was getting into.

We went in the afternoon, so it wasn’t busy at all. We went right up to the counter and looked at the pizzas they had out to order slices from. After placing our order, we only had to wait about two minutes for our slices to come out of the oven.

I ordered two slices of Brooklyn-style pizza; one pepperoni and the other Buffalo chicken. Both slices were fairly large in size; if I had eaten breakfast that morning, I don’t know if I would have been able to finish them.

I am personally a huge fan of Brooklyn and/or New York-style pizza. As I always say, I prefer my food folded over. If I can fold it I will be much happier. And that is exactly what I did. After taking my first bite, something stood out that I haven’t really experienced too much with pizza before: the bottom of the pizza was perfectly golden in color and didn’t have corn meal or flour on it, just very small air bubbles. The bottom was so thin and crisp it was almost like biting into a tortilla chip. The crust was just the same way, perfectly crisp, and very enjoyable to eat.

Tyler went a different route and ordered a Sicilian (thick)-style cheese slice. Joe’s carries the Brooklyn-style crust in medium and large pizzas and the Sicilian in sheet pizzas. Tyler had a middle piece of a sheet pizza, so he didn’t get the pleasure to sampling the outer crust.

“My slice here was thick and reheated to a pleasant crisp,” he described. “The sauce was good and the interior was soft enough, with a perfect crisp on the outside.” He also grabbed a cinnamon knot for 75 cents, which he explained that it was better than it looked and was similar to the pizza crust he tried.

Jake also ordered a slice of Brooklyn-style Buffalo chicken pizza and enjoyed it as well. Jake said his Buffalo slice was tastier than any similar slice he's had before, and he gets Buffalo chicken pizza often. He added the sauce had a slightly sweet taste that made it stand out, and it was crispy and not too thick, but not too thin either.

There was one last thing that stood out when we were in there. The menu was relatively small; Brooklyn-style pizza, Sicilian –style pizza, six types of specialty pizza, chicken wings (in regular or Buffalo hot only) and calzones.

“The small menu shows they probably put a lot of focus in to their pizza,” Tyler explained, and I think he couldn’t be more right. I didn’t mind the small selection, but I did think it was kind of pricey. My meal, which consisted of two slices of pizza, a cup of blue cheese and bottle of water cost $8. But you pay for what you get, and it was really good.

Tyler had read a lot of reviews of Joe’s online prior to our visit. Many of them raved about it, but complained about rude service. We experienced none of that. The service was friendly and very quick. The atmosphere was pleasant as well; it didn’t replicate a Brooklyn feel outside, which is difficult to do, even in overdeveloped Henrietta, but had a fitting New York feel on the inside.

We all raved about our respective slices, and were all especially pleased with the crispiness of them. Much of the crispiness on our slices was due to them being reheated, so we are interested to see what a fresh pizza from Joe’s is like. I’d imagine it would still be crispy enough, and the fresh taste would probably make it even better than the great slices we already had. If the other reviews are right, it should be among the best pizza in Rochester.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Very neat restaurant with friendly and quick service. You can actually see the food before you order it, so you can actually ordered what you want.

Food: The individual slices were good, but both Tyler and I would like to go back and order a fresh, full-sized pizza.

Value: Relatively pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for.

Overall: One of the best pizza slices around.

Grade: B+