Jack'ss BBQ & Pizza

3055 Buffalo Road, Gates
Visited Aug. 2, 2011
Written by Tyler




One evening while cruising the Gates-Chili restaurantopolis, Drew and I discovered an intriguing combination of cuisines – pizza and barbecue – that just about stopped us dead in our tracks.

Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I at least did a double-take upon seeing the sign for Jack’ss. We knew we had to make the trip back out there soon and get involved, so we brought Greg along two weeks later to test it out.

It’s difficult for most small restaurants – especially brand new ones – to truly specialize in more than one general group of food, so we didn’t expect too much from Jack’ss.

We entered and ordered at the counter. No one else was in there at the time, but we were still surprised at how quickly our food was ready.

One interesting note about Jack’ss is that you can order any topping(s) you like on a pizza slice, unlike most places where the slices are premade and sitting in a warmer with no work left to be done until they are eaten.

I took advantage of that and got a slice with ham. The slice had a great balance of crust-cheese-sauce. It was piping hot, but tasted good thanks to the sauce.

The thin ham didn’t add a ton of flavor, but the crust was done perfectly. It was thick and crisp, without being too toasty or crunchy, and I thought it was decent pizza overall.

Greg opted for a steak-and-eggs sub with peppers, onions, mozzarella and hot sauce. Sadly, the sandwich came without the hot sauce (unless of course Greg just didn’t notice it, but I’ll take his word for it).

Amid his mild disappointment, Greg said he was surprised at how well-constructed the steaming-hot sandwich was and how good its roll was. But despite the hearty hoagie’s appearance, Greg said the flavor was bland.

“The steak was hardly seasoned – not even a hint of salt or pepper – and the same could be said for the veggies on it,” he said. A little more cheese would have been a perfect amount, and I'm sure the hot sauce, had they remembered it, would have taken it up a notch.”

On a positive note, Greg continued by raving about the roll.

“A crisp but not burnt exterior, fluffy but fully cooked interior, that was neither too soft that it became soggy and fell apart nor too hard that it was hard to bite,” he said. “It had a somewhat wheaty flavor that I really enjoyed, too. A real classic roll.”

Drew was the only one who sampled the barbecue selection, ordering his usual pulled pork sandwich. He also agreed the roll was very good, especially because it was toasted.

As for the meat itself, he noted it was slightly better than the typical pulled pork sandwich at similar restaurants.

"Usually when you order a pulled pork sandwich at a family restaurant or diner, it’s usually about the same stuff – pulled pork they froze and microwaved,” Drew said. “(This was) obviously not Dinosaur pulled pork you’re getting, but it’s better than the average family restaurant’s."

From my own observations I was pleased to see that Jack’ss had actually put some thought in to Greg’s and Drew’s sandwiches, rather than serving up generics.

The rest of the menu included several specialty pizzas and salads available, along with common grill and fryer items, subs (including a separate steak-specific section), and a few pastas and calzones.

The barbecue menu isn’t particularly extensive, and I was disappointed by the lack of sides available, but it includes several variations of both ribs and chicken.

We all agreed the service was good and the menu had some things that stood out a bit. Jack’ss was nothing that blew us away, but we were somewhat pleasantly surprised by it.

It’s nothing we would go out of our way for, but if we’re nearby we know we can stop by Jack’ss for a reliable meal.

Ratings

Service/Atmosphere: Very clean restaurant with quick service in a quiet location.

Food: Unique variety, slightly above average. We were fans of the dough used in the sandwich rolls and pizza crust.

Value: Overall it seemed the prices matched the quality and portion size of the food.

Overall: Nothing spectacular, but we were pleasantly surprised. It’s a brand new restaurant with potential if it can attract a following.

Grade: B-

Philly Steakout

1595 Long Pond Road, Greece
Visited Oct. 11, 2010
Written by Tyler



There aren’t many places you can find Philly cheese steaks in the Rochester area, but Philly Steakout in Greece does its best to serve up a slice of the City of Brotherly Love.

Located on Long Pond Road near its intersection with Ridgeway Avenue, Philly Steakout is a no-frills place that specializes in quality subs.

My dad has brought home Philly’s satisfying hoagies several times over the last few years, and it was about time I went for myself – and brought along some of the guys, as we celebrated Joe’s birthday.


Philly has an unassuming facade despite its busy location just past The Mall at Greece Ridge and Unity Hospital. The relatively small building is fairly clean inside, with a decent amount of seating.


“I was pleasantly surprised when we walked into the place, as the interior was much more welcoming than the outside of the building,” Greg said. “It was much more spacious inside than its exterior dimensions would belie, and there was plenty of seating. I liked how the walls were adorned with authentic Philadelphia cheese steak memorabilia.”


I opted for a Chicken Cordon Bleu sub, which is the one my dad always gets me. It includes a generous portion of chopped grilled chicken, ham and Swiss cheese (which I opted not to get); but Philly’s sweet dijonaise has always been what makes this sub one of our all-time favorites.

The chicken and ham are pleasing, the bread is just alright, but the dijonaise brings it all together.

There are only two sizes of subs here: regular and large. I ordered a regular for $5.32, and it was a pleasing portion. There were only a couple of workers behind the counter, and only one line, but it wasn’t busy at all and our food was ready in a matter of minutes.

Joe, Greg and Tim all gravitated toward large Buffalo Chicken subs, which included grilled chicken, fried onions, bleu cheese, American cheese and Philly’s wing sauce. The subs truly were large, and the guys all seemed to like their subs. Joe, who was reluctant to go at first (wanting to try DiBella’s), said he was glad we went to Philly Steakout.


“Even though I didn’t get a Philly cheese steak, the Buffalo chicken sandwich was very tasty,” Joe said. “It wasn’t as hot as I would have wanted it to be, but tasted good nonetheless.”

Even though food connoisseur Greg downed his sub and said he was pleased, he said there was still room for improvement.

“Ordering was very easy and our food was prepared unexpectedly fast,” he said. “(The sub) had my mouth watering just thinking about it. It looked delicious, but was a little bland in color. While the sandwich was still served hot, and was nevertheless quite tasty, there was almost no Buffalo flavor to be found in it. The sauce was more of a teriyaki/sweat-and-sour combo, which was very disappointing.

“When I ordered a Buffalo chicken sandwich, I expected a hot mess of savory chicken slathered in peppery hot Buffalo wing sauce that would leave my mouth agape with fiery acidity. This was not the case. If they had labeled the sandwich something different, my opinion of my visit would likewise be better, but because of this misunderstanding, my experience at Philly Steakout was thus a Buffalo-sized disappointment.”

The rest of us didn’t quite agree with Greg, as we were rather pleased with our subs. The thing I like best about Philly Steakout – aside from the dijonaise – is the chicken selections available, particularly of the grilled variety. As you may know by now, I’m a big chicken fan. This is a chicken and sub lover’s haven.

Other sub choices include Chicken Cheese Steak, Chicken Classic, Buffalo Steak, Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, Hickory Chickory, Veggie Philly and Chicken Finger.

Most subs range from around $5 to just under $9. There are also a few wraps, salads, kids’ items and typical fryer items – including some good sweet potato fries – but the focus is on subs.

The Philly steak isn’t generic, frozen shaved steak purchased from a grocery store either; there were real steaks visible behind the counter.

Ironically, no one got an original Philly cheese steak. Just another reason to go back, I guess. We hope to do so very soon.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Surprisingly comfortable inside, while still feeling like a traditional sub joint. The service was very quick and to the point.

Food: Not a ton of variety, but far from a basic sub menu. A lot of chicken options to choose from. The subs are consistently good.

Value: The prices are reasonable, but with relatively few choices there is relatively no variety in price (in other words, there’s no dollar menu). But the portions are large and the subs are well worth their prices.

Overall: Consistently pleasing, in both taste and portion size. A gem if you notice it in its busy location. It’s right near a DiBella’s, but the two shops specialize in different types of subs. Go here if you want to try something a little different or get a taste of Philadelphia.

Grade: B+