Nick Tahou Hots

320 West Main Street, Downtown Rochester
Visited June 2, 2011
Written by Greg




Last Thursday, after catching a game at Frontier Field, we decided to eat at the Main Street Nick Tahou’s – the original building and place where the culinary Holy Grail known as the Garbage Plate was born.

The place looks pretty run down from the outside. Pulling up, there were only two cars in the parking lot behind the building, and it wasn’t obvious that the place was open. But it was, and upon entering we were somewhat surprised that there were only two other people dining there.

There wasn’t any food on the grill, so they must not do a whole lot of business on weekday evenings. That, or people just don’t go there anymore because of the negative gossip surrounding this particular location.

Nevertheless, our group of 10 or so ordered, and the kid running the grill quickly slapped burgers and red hots on for us. It took longer than usual (compared to Steve T.’s, that is) for our food to be prepared, but it looked delicious when we finally got it.

We should note that the ingredients used to construct the Garbage Plate are by no means impressive. They’re very basic burgers and red hots, very basic home fries, and very basic macaroni salad and beans. The burgers are typical quarter-pounders; the home fries are thoroughly cooked to a good balance – not too soft, nor uniformly brown and crispy. The mac salad is fairly creamy, but doesn’t have a whole lot going on besides the basic macaroni plus a few other diced ingredients. There’s very little, if any, seasoning on the individual ingredients (other than salt and pepper, maybe) but that’s not really the identity the Plate chooses to take on.

However, it’s the combination of these elements, and the addition of condiments such as onions, mustard, ketchup and the world-famous meaty hot sauce that makes the Garbage Plate the irresistible mound of greasy oral pleasure that it is. The plates we had there were very comparable to those found at Steve T.’s, however I was a little put off by the fact there was no Frank’s Red Hot dispenser (only ketchup and mustard), as there is at its Lyell Avenue cousin.

The inside was surprisingly clean, compared to the outside of the building and what I was expecting. There is plenty of seating, and the booths and table tops were very clean, and the whole place very orderly.

The menu there is actually decently extensive I’d say – and Tyler says a basic Tahou’s cheeseburger is actually quite tasty – but you pretty much only go there for a Garbage Plate. Ordering something else would be like asking da Vinci to do the calligraphy for your wedding invitations. Yeah he can do it, but so can the old lady across the street. It’d be a waste of his talent.

Burgers or hots are the most commonly ordered varieties, but Tahou’s also offers Italian sausage, chicken, fish, veggie burger and grilled cheese plates, as well as a few breakfast options. Of course, Tyler ordered a chicken plate, which only includes one (frozen/breaded) piece.

As noted, Tahou’s is somewhat related to Steve T.’s in Gates, and there is a second Tahou’s location – with Chad says he’s very impressed with – on West Henrietta Road.

Anywho, we were generally pleased with our experience at the original location. It was a lot cleaner and quieter than we were expecting (and safer, with the exception of Joe being swindled out of $0.50 by a well-dressed gentlemen who stuck his head in the door looking for bus money), and the food was on par with our expectations.

If we hadn’t already been downtown we probably wouldn’t have gone there, as it’s not in the greatest of neighborhoods, but now we can all check it off our respective bucket lists or whatever.

Ratings

Service/Atmosphere: The service wasn’t very fast, but, to be fair, we had a big group. The location is sketchy, to say the least.

Food: Not the best quality, but the finished product is incredible.

Value: Plates range from $6.50-8.50. You get what you pay for. It’s a large meal.

Overall: What it lacks in aesthetic pleasure, it makes up for in taste and novelty. Eating a Garbage Plate is essentially a rite of passage for Rochesterians. Just don’t eat one every day.

Grade: B+

Two Brothers Family Restaurant

6515 Brockport Spencerport Road, Brockport
Visited Jan. 30 and Feb. 26, 2011
Written by Drew



As mentioned in previous reviews, since I spend most of my time out in Brockport, I have been trying to get to as many places out here and review them for you.

One Saturday, my roommate Josh, his friend Cody and I jumped into my car and headed to the Brockport USA Diner, just to find it absolutely swarmed with people. I then turned the car around and we headed towards Two Brothers.

We walked right in, sat right down and ordered our drinks, then started digesting the menu. Our drinks came right out and the waitress asked us if we were ready, which we weren’t. There were so many items on their menu, it was nearly impossible to make a decision. The waitress came back and we ordered our food. It would be a wait of about five minutes before our food came out. I was shocked how quickly we were served.

Even though there were numerous things on their menu that sounded appetizing to me, I was drawn to one sandwich in particular, the Hickory Chicken Sandwich. This sandwich was composed of a piece of grilled chicken topped with cheese, sliced deli ham and barbecue sauce on a hard roll, along with a large helping of fries.

The sandwich didn’t end up as great as I thought it would be. The barbecue sauce had little, if any flavor to it, and was weird in color. I also imagined the ham-chicken combo would of worked out better than it actually was, but the two meats just clashed in taste.

I ate about two-thirds of the sandwich and fries, and left the rest on my plate. My meal came with a cup of soup, which I have started to enjoy as of late. However, there was a slim selection of soups; just split pea and bean. I chose the split pea and only ate the crackers that came with it.

Josh ordered breakfast in the middle of the afternoon, opting for the 2-2-2, which consists of two pancakes, two eggs, and two pieces of bacon. Also available in the larger 3-3-3 size, this menu item is perfect for the breakfast fanatic.

The pancakes were average in diameter, but thicker than normal pancakes. Josh explained that his meal was good, (although it looked to me like one of the most generic breakfast meals ever), and better than breakfast here in the dining hall (which isn’t saying that much). He ate the 2-2-2 in its entirety, and in reality an average hungry person could put a serious dent in the 3-3-3.

Cody, like I, went for lunch. He ordered the Chicken Salad Club sandwich. His sandwich’s bottom layer was made up of chicken salad and bacon, with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on top.

His initial response was that the sandwich was too tall to fit in his mouth. Throughout the meal he reiterated that point by saying the layer of lettuce was unnecessarily large. His meal also came with a side of fries, and a cup of soup. The club sandwich looked generic, and didn’t leave the must have again-factor that we would of hoped.

Following this meal, I called Tyler up to discuss what we should do about this restaurant, and he suggested holding off about writing it and revisiting it with him when he came back home for mid-semester break. I agreed, and we went back.

Tyler was quite curious about how I described the barbecue sauce to him. He made it a point to order something from the menu which he could sample the strange barbecue sauce I told him about. He ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with the barbecue sauce and an order of home fries on the side.

He immediately noted the chicken breast was larger than that of most other restaurants, and had a pleasant hint of seasoning visible. He said the chicken was tasty – much better than what he ate from BBQ Fred the night before.

As for the barbecue sauce, it had an orange hue to it that we can’t quite determine a cause for (though the hostess couldn’t, either), but he liked it much more than I did. He agreed the flavor wasn’t too strong, but the taste it did have was good and complemented the chicken well.

He enjoyed his sandwich, and downed his home fries. He said they were among the top half of home fries he’s had; pretty tasty and a little crisp, but a bit too greasy to get them to HFR level. Overall he was pleased with his meal.


I decided to get breakfast so I can see if Josh’s opinion on things were accurate or not, opting for a short stack of pancakes with a side of sausage patties.

The sausage would have to be the best part of my entire meal. The patties were the first thing to disappear off of my plate. When I made my way to the pancakes, I noticed they were a little darker than the typical pancake. So I poked at it with my finger and realized they were a little overdone. I started to eat them, and my previous observation was verified.

The inside of the pancake was dry and kind of heavy. I finished about one-and-a-third pancakes, and left the rest on my plate. Tyler sampled a piece of my scraps, and agreed that they were overdone and, as previously alluded to, quite generic; perhaps even frozen elsewhere and reheated in the kitchen.

With my breakfast, I ordered a glass of chocolate milk. I was very pleased when they brought out a glass of what I believe was Byrne Dairy chocolate milk.

After our meal, Tyler and I talked about how we would assess Two Brothers, and came to this conclusion: Two Brother’s Family Restaurant was better than I originally said it was, and fit perfectly in the B- category with other diners we have been to that are the typical, run-of-the-mill family restaurants that we enjoy.


Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Typical family restaurant with speedy service.

Food: A lot to choose from. The breakfast was generic, but there are some interesting concoctions (including the orange-ish barbecues sauce) worth a look.

Value: Pretty standard for a family diner, with good portion sizes.

Overall: If you haven’t caught on yet, this is a typical family diner… but we tend to enjoy those types of restaurants more so than others.

Grade: B-

Olympia Neighborhood Restaurant and Lounge

1100 Flynn Road, North Greece
Visited Feb. 1, 2011
Written by Drew



On this particular Tuesday evening, I traveled out to Greece Athena High School to watch my brother play basketball. After the game, my Mom and I went out to grab a bite at a place we have visited before, the Olympia Neighborhood Restaurant and Lounge, on the corner of Flynn and Latta roads in North Greece.

I was hesitant a bit the first time I went, but it obviously didn’t bother me that much, seeing as we returned. They say you learn something new every day, and I’m glad we ended up here because I learned they have a second location, out in Gates.

My mom and I walked right in and sat right down. Even though we were eating at prime dinner time, roughly 6 p.m., we expected little to no wait due to a winter storm that was supposed to hit the area within a few hours, and ended up being one of maybe five parties dining at the time. After walking in from the parking lot, I was cold. I sat down with the intention of getting a cup of soup with my meal.

I mixed it up a little bit, and instead of going with a chicken meal or a burger, I focused my attention on their 10 special sandwiches section on the menu. One that stood out to me was the roast beef au jus. This sandwich was probably eight inches in length, but was almost too tall to fit into my mouth.

The roast beef wasn’t overly cooked or dry at all. The sandwich was perfect when dipped into the au jus, and definitely filling. I was able to finish all but one bite of my sandwich, and brought the rest of the beef home.

My sandwich came with a large helping of steak fries, which were good, as well as a cup of soup. I was given the options of three or four different soups, but I ordered the Chicken Florentine, which ended up as a good move.

My mom ordered the Spanakopita. When she told me what she was going to ordered, I responded, “Excuse you,” because I wasn’t sure what language she was speaking. From my understanding, it was like a quiche with egg and spinach filling. Her meal came with soup and salad, as well as a side of different fruits and vegetables. She also ordered the Chicken Florentine, which she was also satisfied with.

Our meal came with a basket of bread and crackers, and good service. The location is very convenient because it is near both Athena and Arcadia High Schools. I will probably return, but would be interested in going to different places near it as well.

Tyler has been to Olympia before as well, though not in a few years, and said they have a good breakfast. He said he remembers having excellent Italian-bread toast, which came in large slices, and added the home fries were solid. Greg has also voiced interest in trying Olympia because he heard they have good gyros.

Looks like we’ll be making another stop in the near future.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Very friendly service, felt like home.

Food: Very good soup. The sandwich was average, but definitely filling.

Value: The meal my mother and I had came out to be about $20, which is a little pricey considering we both ordered ice water as our beverages.

Overall: Not a bad meal. I didn’t find much wrong with this place, as the meals I had were good, but nothing that stood out as a ‘must-return.’

Grade: B

Slayton Place

54 Slayton Avenue, Spencerport
Visited multiple times
Writen by Drew



Last May, Tyler and I happened to be traveling through Spencerport and decided to stop to grab a bite to eat. We stopped at the Slayton Place. Little did I know, that would be the last time I would eat in their previous, run-down location.

Tops Friendly Markets bought Slayton’s old building so they could install a gas station there, and the restaurant moved across the way, in to the plaza. Now at a nicely renovated spot, I have returned to the Slayton Place several times.

The first time I went, I ordered Slayton’s version of a garbage plate. The plate was very generic, however the meat hot sauce really stood out from the rest. Since the time Tyler and I went, I have returned numerous times with my family.

The first time I went to the new location was for a retirement party for one of my mom’s co-workers. The new location has a party-room area that can seat about 40 people comfortably. For that meal, we had a pasta dish with meatballs and chicken parmesan with, of course, a side salad.

On other trips back to the Slayton Place, I usually order a cheeseburger with a side of the hot sauce. Their burgers also come with a side of their double-fried French fries, which are typically a fan favorite on the diner scene.

Both of my parents typically order Reuben sandwiches. According to both of them, they are one of the better Rueben sandwiches around. The corned beef is always thin cut and juicy, and, all compiled, the sandwich is very thick. My Dad will always order that when he goes, and my Mom will either order that or the fish fry.

On my most recent trip there I went with my mother. She ordered a beer-battered fish fry with French fries and coleslaw.


“They do their fish fry every day which is a nice thing,” my Mom explained.

The fish wasn’t too fishy at all (not being the biggest fan of seafood myself , I guess that is a good thing). She enjoyed her French fries, but realized halfway home that she was never given her side of coleslaw or the side of rolls that usually comes with every meal.

I mixed it up a little bit and ordered their Chicken Finger Dinner. The meal came with six large chicken fingers and two sides. Not knowing I had to choose two sides, I ordered French fries and also, in a panic, home fries. For a dipping sauce I ordered the honey mustard sauce, so I could more closely compare the meal to Tully’s. I couldn’t even come close to finishing the whole meal. The four chicken fingers I ate were very good and juicy. The honey mustard was a little watery, but still very good.

The chicken itself cannot compare to the quality that Tully’s serves, but that’s more or less a universal truth. The French fries, as previously mentioned, were very good.

I only picked at the home fries because I didn’t really have that much room for them. They looked kind of crsipy - strikingly similar to those at Hilton Family Restaurant, which has the best home fries on Earth - but a bit undercooked. But anything that appears close to HFR's home fries is probably something we should actually try sometime.

Every time I walk out of the Slayton Place, I feel satisfied with what I just ate. It is one of the restaurants my family will frequent if we are in the area. However, with Krony’s just down the road, we don’t go to Slayton quite as often.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: In our most recent meal, two sides were missing. But usually they are very quick to refill your drink or to bring your food out to you.

Food: Fish fries every day of the week and one of the best Ruben Sandwiches around.

Value: Prices are very typical of the diner scene. Relatively large portions.

Overall: A typical family diner and one of the better restaurants Spencerport can offer.

Grade: B-

Golden Eagle Family Restaurant

4820 Lake Road South, Brockport
Visited Aug. 24, 2010
Written by Drew





Now that I go to school in Brockport, the title of Rochester Westside Grub has been invading different places there. I can pretty much guarantee, by the time I graduate from SUNY Brockport in 2014, our site will cover all local grub spots in the area. And where better to start out than the Golden Eagle Family Restaurant.


Our buddies from high school, Jay, Ryan and Matt, moved into their new off-campus apartment in Brockport. After a hectic weekend of moving in, Tyler and I went out there and picked these guys up for some grub.

I’ve been here a couple of times before, including a few years back when my aunt and uncle came up from North Carolina. Every time they come north, they have to grab a fish fry. My dad received a scoop about this restaurant from work. “The best fish fry on the west side,” so he was told. From what they remember, it wasn’t the best fish fry they ever had, but definitely not the worst.

I tagged along to this fish fry Friday trip and ordered a Golden Eagle Platter (their variation of a garbage plate). Just like their fish fries, it was an average plate. Their home fries were fried potatoes, not deep fried, and their hot sauce was similar to Coach Tony’s (a hot sauce sold in local grocery stores).

On this late summer evening, the five of us loaded up the car and traveled to the intersection of routes 19 and 31 to grab a bite. Going in, I knew I wasn’t going to try the Golden Eagle Platter again. My attention was grabbed very quickly by Burger Stadium, the burger section on the menu. Numerous professional sports teams, all of which in the state of New York, had different burgers named after them; the Buffalo Sabres, New York Giants and New York Yankees, to name a few.


Both Ryan and I ordered the New York Giants Burger (half pound-beef patty, with a slice a of cheese) Both of us finished the burger fairly quickly due how hungry we were. The burger itself was generic, along with the average roll. The price is something that stood out though, $4.95 for a burger. We both thought that this was a very reasonable price for a burger this size. Something to note, however, some of their burgers do not come with a choice of potato. This one did not. Ryan didn’t order a side of French fries and he definitely regretted it. Fortunately Matt had more than enough fries to share with Ryan.


Matt also ordered a burger. The moment I heard the tone of voice when started to place his order, I knew exactly what he was going to get, the New York Yankees burger (editor’s note: Matt is a Red Sox fan). This burger comprised of a beef patty with cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, bacon and grilled onions all on French bread instead of a roll.

“It was so good,” Matt explained. “Only if it wasn’t called (the Yankees Burger) it would have been better.”

Tyler “pulled a Tyler” and ate breakfast, which he will normally do as long as it is offered to him. He was originally upset because they didn’t carry sweet potato pancakes, which was a menu item last time he went there. He instead he ordered an egg, home fries, ham, and toast.


Seeing the sweet potato pancakes on the menu in February is the main reason he wanted to come back. But, the meal he ended up getting sufficed.

He enjoyed the ham, and said the egg, home fries and toast got the job done, but was nothing spectacular.


He noted it was nice the home fries were more like pan-fried slices rather than deep fried, but weren’t up to HFR’s standard, though not bad. He added he still hopes to try the sweet potato pancakes some day, as they are back on the menu now.

Jay also tagged along with us, and ordered a BLT.


“The bacon was crispy, the toast was toasted well,” he said. “If I had to rate the BLT itself, I’d give it a B+. It didn’t knock me over, but it was good.”


Jay also had an order of macaroni salad, which he said was very good despite lagging a bit in egg. He said our seats were a little hot because the blinds were open and the sun was shining right on him, but overall he had a pleasant experience.

“Their hostesses are generally attractive. They kept the drinks coming, which is nice. I never ran out of Pepsi.”

Anyway, I have a car on campus and have been bringing my suitemates and new friends to a few of the local grub spots. My roommate Josh and I traveled back to the Golden Eagle this past weekend to grab breakfast.


I ordered a tall stack of the peanut butter and chocolate chip pancakes with a side of home fries. This order came out to be way too much food for one person to put down.

The pancakes were large (probably 10” in diameter) and filling. Definitely a good meal.


Josh ordered the tall stack (six half pieces) of Texas French Toast with a side of scrambled eggs and toast.

“The French toast was delicious, the eggs were great, and the toast was crisp,” he said.

It doesn’t blow you away, but the Golden Eagle and its interesting variety of selections make for a consistent and serviceable stop, especially for breakfast.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Seated quickly, served even quicker. Matt’s fries were spilled on the floor and the waitress brought out a nice helping at no cost to us. It feels like a typical family restaurant, which is nice.

Food: The have several different types of specialty burgers and breakfast foods that isn’t on most diner menus. No complaints.

Value: Cheap-ish pricing, the food is not the best, but definitely far from the worst in the college town. But a half-pound Cheeseburger for $4.95... that’s a deal for college kids.

Overall: One of the better breakfast places I’ve been to in the Brockport area, a potential stop back for another breakfast sometime in the near future.

Grade: B-

North Chili Family Restaurant

4405 Buffalo Road, North Chili
Visited July 9, 2010
Written by Drew


(Image courtesy of rochester.metromix.com)

The week after Tyler’s birthday, Team Stealth celebrated my 18th birthday by traveling to previously uncharted territory for Rochester Westside Grub, as we headed to North Chili, just a few miles east of Churchville near the corner of routes 259 and 33.

A month or two ago, my family and I was in the area for my brother’s soccer game. We decided to stop before the game and get a bite to eat at the North Chili Family Restaurant, a Greek family-diner type. After eating my first meal there I definitely wanted to revisit it with the boys.

Team Stealth and friends are avid fans of the Hilton Family Restaurant (HFR), so going into our visit we were expecting much of the same from the NCFR.

We went on a Friday evening, the conclusion of the first week of work for Tyler, Ryan and I. I couldn’t think of a better way to end a week.

We pulled in to the parking lot and barely could find a spot. Unknowingly, we walked in on Fish Fry Friday. Even though the parking lot was almost full, we walked in and sat right now, taking the last open booth in the whole place.

After being seated, we were waited on by a nice waitress, who was very prompt considering the full dining room. She brought our drinks right out, and later complimentary baskets of warm rolls and butter, which were anything but the dry, boring bread many restaurants give out.

Looking at the very extensive menu, I had no idea what to order. Joe and Ryan ended up ordering NCFR’s version of garbage plates.

Tyler and I both ordered the grilled chicken dinner, consisting of one large grilled chicken breast (Tyler's looked like two separate medium-sized ones) along with two sides. I ordered French fries and home fries. Tyler also ordered the home fries but got applesauce also.

My piece of chicken was very good. Just the right amount of marinade. The chicken itself cut well and was juicy. It was one of the better pieces of meat I have had at a family restaurant.

Tyler said his was decent, but not spectacular. He said the marinade was different and was pleased by the portion size. He gobbled down the applesauce and was quite impressed by the home fries, saying NCFR’s version was right on par with HFR’s and were the best home fries he’s ever eaten outside of Hilton.

He added he was surprised breakfast wasn’t available when we went (or at least no breakfast items were on our menus), but was pleased grilled chicken was available, along with getting to sample to home fries.

As for the plates that Ryan and Joe ordered, there was a lot of food. These plates were HUGE, and the food was just piled up, with a very large piece of garlic bread on the side. Both had cheeseburger plates, with a side of home fries. As for their second side, Ryan got a side of French fries, and Joe went the more traditional route and ordered macaroni salad. They both agreed NCFR’s plates were among the best plates they have had.

“That plate I had was one of the better ratios of home fry to meat,” Ryan explained.

Joe ordered a strawberry milkshake, which he enjoyed because of its thickness.

Anyway, just to recap, all four of us ordered a side of home fries. In my opinion they were very good; it was almost unnecessary to add salt and pepper to them. They had great flavor, with a good balance of crisp and soft throughout. We agreed they were very comparable to our favorite home fries, those of HFR.

All in all it was a pleasant surprise; a great place to go out and eat. We will probably stop at NCFR again if we’re in the Churchville-Chili area.

Ratings:
Service/Atmosphere: This place was PACKED! Despite this, we didn’t have to wait long to be waited on, and our food came out easily five minutes faster than we thought it would. Very convenient location if you are headed down 259 or 33. NCFR makes you feel at home, which is exactly what you want from a ‘family restaurant.’

Food: Standard diner fare, for the most part. One of the better chicken dinners I have had. Joe and Ryan were quite pleased with their plates. The baskets of warm rolls were a great compliment.

Value: The prices were very low and the portions were large. You can’t go wrong with ordering from any type of family restaurant.

Overall: A pleasant surprise. Before we left, I had very little doubt that we would have a lot of stuff to talk about for the restaurant. Upon leaving, I was very glad we spent my birthday weekend at a very decent restaurant, where waitressing made the meal.

Grade: B