Panzari’s Italian Bistro, Rochester, NY

Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Meet and Greet
We were immediately greeted upon entry. The hosting area was quite small, one could see the entire establishment from the host station. It immediately appeared to be a small, intimate eatery. We were drawn in by the homely interior design and seating arrangement.

We were asked if we had a reservation. It seems reservations are recommended, but not required. Entering on a Saturday night, a little past peak hour, a few tables were free. Though our table was near the entrance/exit, we did not breeze or bothered by people coming in or out.

Mise en Scène
The interiors were nice, cozy and intimate. Though tables were close to each other, we did not feel crowded in or overwhelmed by the full house of guests.

**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!

Choosing a Veggie Treat
We were impressed by the number of already set vegetarian options mentioned on the menu. (Find the menu through clicking on their main page- panzaris.com.) Though it is easy to get some vegetarian items at Italian eateries, most often we have to ask to have (meat) ingredients excluded. This was not the case here. There were so many ready made vegetarian options that we couldn’t decide!

When talking to our waitress (who I am sorry I forget her name), she asked us specific questions about the type of vegetarian food we wanted- with or without egg, cheese, dairy, etc. This was one of the most memorable restaurant experiences in a long time because most of the waitresses we encounter really have no idea what being vegetarian means, and even after requesting something like ‘no meatballs,’ we get some anyhow! Of course, we later found out our waitress used to follow a vegan diet (without meat and dairy) and currently follows a vegetarian diet. Because of this, she appreciated when we opted out of the minestrone soup, though packed with vegetables is based in a chicken broth.

So, after all the wonderful conversation and debate, we ordered the greens and beans as an appetizer, and for the main course, I ordered the mushroom ravioli and Krishna ordered a three cheese stromboli.

Our opinion on the greens and beans: It was the tastiest greens and beans ever (Whole Foods recipe reference). Though the two main ingredients in this dish, cannellini beans and escarole, are bland on their own, along with the mix of Italian spices, it was one dish we savored to the last drop. It was best enjoyed with the small slices of complementary bread dipped in the juice. (The complementary bread was initially served with complementary olive oil mixed with freshly grated parmesan cheese. This was a new sight as we have seen the olive oil served with either crushed red pepper or fresh grated black pepper. We do actually prefer the pepper over the cheese.)

My opinion on the mushroom ravioli: I loved it. It was tasty and the texture of the mushrooms pureed inside each piece was appreciated. I would like to compare this dish to the mushroom ravoli I usually have at Olive Garden.

Olive Garden: About nine or ten raviolis are placed in a single layer covered in an white cheese sauce. The insides of the pasta appear to be more natural pieces of mushroom. The portion size always leaves one wanting more. Menu description taken from site: (source)

Ravioli di Portobello
Portobello mushroom-filled ravioli in a creamy smoked cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce. 11.95

Panzari’s: The more than ten (though exact count, I am unsure) ravolis are layered in the bowl drenched in the tomato based sauce. The mushroom inside the pasta is pureed and has an inviting texture. The portion size is very healty and one would find it very easy to pack some to-go. Menu description taken from site: (source)

Ravioli Calabria
Sautéed spinach, roasted red peppers and artichokes in a tomato basil cream sauce with portabella filled ravioli. 16.95

Krishna’s impression of the three cheese stromboli: a little too big and heavy. Crust was good and cheese was tasty, but it was too heavy. It would be nice if there was something else mixed in the filling, like vegetables as it can get monotonous.

Checking In
The service was top notch. Because we had a waitress that understood the intricacies of a vegetarian diet, that made our visit more memorable. We did leave a healthy tip.

See you later
This part of the visit, like all others, went smoothly and without any issue.
Pay Scale
$21-25 per person (Actually it was a bit more and would have went over $30 with desert, which we opted out of. Though one of the more costly eateries on this blog, it was worth every penny.)
Tips 15-20% - service overall from wait and kitchen staff was phenomenal
Star System 4.5/5

To find/Contact
Panzari's Italian Bistro
panzaris.com
321 Exchange Blvd (Corn Hill Area)
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 546-7990
Get directions

Review based on October 2008 visit.

This review is linked on outside.in.

Have you eaten at Panzari’s Italian Bistro? If so, please share your thoughts below.

Thank you for reading!

Patria, Salamanca, NY

Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Meet and Greet
Soon as we entered on a Monday evening around 7pm, we were quickly greeted and sat at a nice table. The interesting thing I found about the seating process was being sat across from each other in the chairs closer to the wall. It was cozy, in fact. (Photo of Fried Ravioli, left,by Jennifer Kumar.)

Mise en Scène
The place was amazingly nice, and in some senses lavish being in a casino. Just outside the entry to the restaurant (which is on the fourth floor) is a lighting decoration on the ceiling that changes color every few minutes. (Keep tuned into my husband’s photos to see photos of this display.) It is a semi-upscale restaurant, but I don’t believe there is a dress code.

**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!

Choosing a Veggie Treat
Being that Patria was touted as an Italian eatery, we rested assured to get some good vegetarian food here. There were at least three appetizers that were vegetarian. We ordered the eggplant/ sundried tomato dip that reminded us of hummus made with sundried tomatoes added. (Photo by Jennifer Kumar.) It was very tasty. The other appetizer was fried ravioli. The ravioli was filled with ricotta cheese. They are dipped in some kind of breading then deep fried. They smell a little like ‘Chinese’ fried food of some kind. They were served with something that looked like pesto. It was not only very tasty, but unique to our palate. There were a few pasta dishes on the menu, but when we tried to order the chicken vegetable medley without chicken, our waitress actually offered to go and ask the chef to make us something vegetarian with a garlic olive oil sauce! We did request to split the dish, and was told by our waitress there would be a dish splitting fee of $6 if done in the kitchen. To avoid this charge, she would bring out the main course and an extra plate, and we’d split it ourselves! We were genuinely impressed, especially being the night before at Hotel Manor and the bad experience with our waitress there. When this dish was presented to us, we were awestruck. The taste was amazing! It had red bell peppers, artichokes, cipollini onions, and capers with an olive oil garlic sauce. Unlike other pasta dishes, it did not feel like an endless black hole of the same old-same old. It was full of variety and taste! This was the first time we both had capers and they give a slightly bitter taste along with a different, much needed slight crunch.

Checking In
Our waitress leaves us speechless! In fact, her service was the most thoughtful and thorough that we have experienced in a long, long time. She was friendly, attentive and creative. I say creative because she only offered to ask the chef to make us a vegetarian plate rather than minus chicken to save us money. I say creative because she asked us more detailed questions about our diet to assure we weren’t vegans (ex. Do you eat pasta with eggs in it?). I say creative as she offered us a separate plate to split our own meal to save us money. Of course all her creativity inspired us to give her a hefty tip.

See you later
Everything went smoothly and timely. Nothing could be better!

Pay Scale
$16-20 per person (We had 2 appetizers and 1 main dish all split between us was more than enough to fill us.)
Tips: We left 15%
Star System 4.5/5

To find/Contact

Seneca Allegheny Casino
Patria Restaurant
777 Seneca Allegany Blvd
Salamanca, New York14779
(716) 945-3767

Notes: We chose this place as it happened to be the last ‘tourist spot’ on our Pennsylvania Adventure Trip.” Do check the hours on their site before you go as they are generally open in evenings, not for lunch and completely closed for two days during the week.

Have you eaten at Patria? If so, please share your thoughts below.

Thank you for reading.

Red Newt Bistro, Hector, NY

Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Meet and Greet

On Mother’s day we entered the door of Red Newt Bistro and were immediately sat at a table that we had made reservations for the day before. I suggest, however, if you want to attend Mother’s day brunch at this location to make your reservations as sooner than we did. We were lucky to get the last reservation of the day calling 24 hours in advance.

(Photo: Toasting to Mother’s Day at Red Newt)

Mise en Scène

Sitting down next to the window, we had a nice view of the greenery and valleys surrounding Seneca Lake. There is a winery attached to the eatery, and if we had come earlier than our reservation, a wine tasting may have been a nice activity before food. Seating is all tables with metal backed chairs. It is very comfortable. The dining area is tastefully and simply decorated. There was no overt dress code; we saw people dressed semi-formally to formally. I am also guessing since it was Sunday, some may have come straight from church to the brunch, arriving in their ‘Sunday best.’ Though the weather outside was warm, we opted to eat inside. Eating out on the verandah would be a nice touch for our next visit.

We did use the restrooms. They were clean and inviting.

Choosing a Veggie Treat

When planning our Finger Lakes Mother’s Day tour, I did a lot of research on finding a nice place that had a good balance of vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices (as my mom likes to eat meat). Red Newt not only had unique menu items I have not seen in any other eatery, but had good prices. I also thought it might be a nice touch to take my mom to a winery for a meal because there would be a choice of wines to try. Though we are not wine drinkers, after asking questions to our waitress about our preferences, we decided to try the Blue Newt White. The fruity, juicy taste was quite refreshing. Mothers on this day could also choose from one of three glasses of special brews. My mom decided to try the champagne.

Choosing a veggie meal was not difficult because of checking the internet the night before. However, as we had the last reservation of the day, the veggie dish I had been dreaming of all day – the handmade ravioli was all sold out. It was a sad moment, but while listening to the description of the fettuccini dish, my feelings about the ravioli were put on hold. The non-vegetarian dishes ordered by others were savored slowly. Since we did not get appetizers, we had plenty of room for desert, chocolate torte and almond roulade (pictured to the right). (See the slide show below for more photos.)

Checking In

Wait staff checked on us on regular intervals. Drinks were refilled as required. Service was friendly and helpful. Everything was great.

See you later

We were given the bill in a leisurely fashion and payment also collected leisurely. Since we were in no big hurry to pay and leave as we were enjoying ourselves here, it’s all the better!

Pay Scale
$21-25 per person (main course, meal and a bottle of wine)
Tips – 15% or more of bill because the service and everything is fabulous!
Star System 4.5/5
(I still am a bit upset my original menu choice was not available. I am also optimistic I can up this to 5/5 when we make the next visit.)

To find/Contact:
Red Newt Cellars Inc
3675 Tichenor Rd
Hector, NY 14841
(607) 546-4100
Get directions
More Reviews at Google

Photos in this post taken by Jennifer Kumar.

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