Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
We initially had a hard time finding the building. Arriving from the south on North Washington Street, there was no clear signs or lighting to locate the building easily. Coming back around the block, we noticed Perlo’s on the corner of Walnut and North Washington. Visiting this place two days before Christmas, we were surprised to see the parking lot overflowing onto the side streets. It seemed impossible to find a parking spot. After locating one on the north side of the building, we noticed a Perlo’s sign board that could be spotted if driving from the north on North Washington. The entrance greets you in the bar lounge, which was just jam packed full of people. Though it appeared chaotic, and there did not seem to be a localized area where guests were greeted, a hostess found us within a few minutes and we were seated in one of the two tables open.
Mise en Scène
It was crowded, chaotic and a bit cramped inside. We were not sure if this was a typical weekday crowd or a holiday rush. Tables were clean and orderly, but tables were crowded into the space making it hard for wait staff and guests to maneuver in between.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
We decided to come here as I had found out about this place through a Google search a few months back. At that time, I noticed a unique dish called Baked Potato Chips with exotic cheese toppings. For our appetizers we did order the chips and the “East Rochester Stuffed Escarole” without the pancetta (a cured meat). For our main dish, we ordered the special of the night, stuffed rigatoni (without the meat) accompanied by a side salad.
Our thoughts on the menu items:
Complementary bread and butter: Nothing special about the bread. Either the bread could have been warmer or the butter, softer to make it easier to spread.
Side salad: It was impressive, not your typical side salad with a lot of lettuce, carrots and a piece of tomato. In fact, no carrots or tomato included! There was some lettuce, topped with diced red onions, blue cheese and a rich Italian dressing. It was one of the tastiest salads I have had in a long time. We liked the combination of the dressing and blue cheese, as they complemented each other well. We would have liked more onions, but other than that, we enjoyed it.
Baked Potato Chips: The only other place we have had a similar dish was at Chat-a-Whyle Family Restaurant, Bath, NY. We deduced though, that Perlo’s offering was more unique (due to the exotic cheese topping) and fresher than Chat-a-Whyle’s. Perlo’s freshness came from the use of super fresh oil. We definitely recommend this appetizer to any and all who visit.
Stuffed Escarole: We prefer to call this menu item, Italian Upma as the look, feel and texture was reminiscent of an Indian breakfast item we enjoy, Upma. When I read the description, I had thought it would be long leaves of escarole with the remainder of ingredients as a topping. When we got it though, it was more like porridge of ingredients. It seems it is the bread pieces, when cooked in, fluff up and give the dish a porridge look and feel, similar to the Upma dishes made in India with sooji (cream of wheat) or other similar ingredients. (I also make this dish with quinoa.)
Stuffed Rigatoni: Again an unexpected delight encountered us in this main menu specialty. When hearing the description, I thought the ingredients, would all be stuffed into the rigatoni. However, only ricotta cheese was stuffed in the rigatoni noodles and all other ingredients were in the tomato sauce smothered on top. I prefer this preparation style as it makes it easier to make this dish vegetarian. It was indeed not only a unique menu item, but full of fresh taste. The tomato sauce used had a nice texture and simple taste. It was the accompanying spinach and other toppings that added variety and interest.
Checking In
Maybe it was because it was so busy, or because our waiter was on his second day of the job, or maybe it was it was because it was super crowded inside, or maybe a combination of these and other factors that led to a leisurely wait time. We may have been inside for 1.5-2 hours total. Since it was the holidays and we were in a leisurely mood, we did not worry much. We were impressed by the individualized service- our menu items were made to order as two were ordered with (meat) ingredients omitted. We are delighted with the attention to menu details, but timeliness in receiving our orders (food and coffee) was below our normal expectation. Some establishments pride themselves on long wait times, leisurely service and friendly atmosphere. We are not sure if this is their normal course, or the holiday rush caused this lag. We’d have to come again to find that out. The one aspect of the service that was impressive was in addition to the waiter, there was a helper (not sure of correct title) who would come, clear off the plates and pack to-go boxes.
See you later
This part of the process did take a little longer than expected but no issues or concerns.
Pay Scale
$16-20 per person (Two appetizers, two coffees and 1 main dish split)
Tips 10-15%
Star System 2.5/5
Though Perlo’s offered a limited number of vegetarian options (2.5/5), the cook appeared flexible to omitting meat ingredients to accommodate us. That is a big plus as some Italian eateries we have been to are not this flexible. Our waiter was slow and our food came at a leisurely pace, the food was warm and tasty; made to our requirements. I have coupled the service with ambiance as I think in this instance they factor together. The environment was chaotic, noisy and crowded, because of this; I give 2.5/5 and wonder if my opinion would improve if we go outside holiday hours. In fact, some others may enjoy this environment for an outside dining experience, but our personal preference is more quiet, intimate and ‘homely.’ Because there were few unique menu options, food was made to our requirements and we had such healthy portions we have a meal for tomorrow, the value for money is descent (2.5/5).
To find/Contact
Perlo's Restaurant
http://www.perlosrestaurant.com/
202 N Washington St
East Rochester, NY 14445
(585) 248-5060
Get directions
Review based on December 2008 visit.
Have you eaten at Perlo’s? If so, please share your thoughts below.
Related Posts/Sites:
Perlo's Online Menu
Chat-a-Whyle Family Restaurant, Bath, NY
Quinoa Upma Recipe (aka Indian stuffed escarole variety!)
Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Perlo’s Italian Grille, East Rochester, NY
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Tasteology, Rochester, NY
Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
We visited for a late Saturday lunch. Arriving about 1pm, there were not many other occupied tables. We were sat at a table near the front to the left of the front doors. It is a nice place to sit, close to the windows. The booth was nice and spacious. The one thing we did not bargain for in this seating arrangement was feeling cold. Because the booth is diagonal the front doors, whenever they open and close a breeze hits patrons at this table directly. Keep this in mind if you come here on a cold day.
Mise en Scène 
The interior is nice, spacious and decorated with nice art by local artists. The chandelier near the front seemed to be made out of old champagne glasses, very unique. I was sitting facing the window, not the interior, so I did not really get a good view of the whole place, though at a glance it seems warm, inviting and more open than most restaurants I have been to.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
I had hoped to find a lot of vegetarian options as I had viewed the menu online before coming. However, after arriving, perusing the menu, we realized the recently changed from the summer to winter menu. It seemed the winter menu had fewer vegetarian options than the summer. There were one or two full pasta meals, in addition to veggie wraps, veggie burgers, and veggie appetizers and soup. The featured soup was a butternut squash soup, which sounded tasty but one ingredient that was in it seemed a bit odd. It was a sweet ingredient, which I can’t remember now what it was, but to me upon reading that was just a little too innovative for me. I had opted for the other soup on the menu (My friend who ate with us believes the name was 'ten vegetables' soup). I also ordered a brushetta like dish to accompany the soup, listed under appetizers. Hubby opted for the veggie burger.
It must be said that all the food was very tasty. The bruschetta was very nice. The soup, though tasty, was nothing I’d try again. I hope they come up with some other vegetarian option. The veggie burger was tasty and, according to hubby, was not like other restaurant veggie burgers. Usually restaurants have some frozen and fried variety with pieces of vegetables in them that don’t warm/cook thoroughly leaving a weird crunchiness when eaten. This veggie burger did not have that texture, and appeared to be one where the ingredients are pureed and made into a patty then baked/fried. (Similar to my baked falafel recipe here.) Because the portion size is not too big, and we had more room to spare, we did try desserts also. They sell small ‘bite size’ desserts in tiny ‘shot glasses’. I tried the key lime pie, which was ravishing, and hubby had the chocolate pie, which was also pretty good.
Checking In
The waiter visited our table in regular intervals. We did not have a problem with our waiter, but it also wasn’t the best service ever received, also.
See you later
This came in due course, without issue. Since we actually visited in a party of four, they happily split the bill in half after calculating it.
Pay Scale
$11-15 per person
Tips
10% was sufficient
Star System 1-5? 2.5/5
I really struggle on the rating for this place. Though I was happy with the variety of vegetarian options (more than most local places), the exotic quality of some dishes was just a little too adventurous for us. I do want to return, but not too eager to also. When it happens, it will happen. I found that though the portion sizes were just perfect, the price was a little high. Maybe the price was high because of the gourmet appearance of the presentation. It is different than other places, and it does look appetizing when set in front of you. I also don’t think I really tried all the items I would like to try. I also know they hold ethnic cooking classes here and am very curious to know more about that. They also host different events, interested to know more about that as well.
(**Before posting review I was to put 3/5, but I contacted them by e-mail on their site a week before posting this to ask some questions, and to get the name of the soup I ate. A week has passed and no one e-mailed me back. Customer service should be 360- if you have a place on your website for feedback, but don’t respond, please remove that feature.)
To find/Contact
Tasteology
www.tasteology.net
(585) 385-0580
Get directions
Review based on October 2008 visit.
Have you eaten at Tasteology in Pittsford (Rochester), NY? If so, please share your thoughts below.
Other reviews:
Rachel's Restaurant Review 11-07. Interesting to note how much change has occurred between her two visits and ours! Interesting to note one thing has not changed, portion size.
RocWiki. Many reviews posted over the past one year.
See the interior on youtube as video taped about a year ago. There are interior design changes since.
Thank you for reading!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Bellini's, Victor, NY
Vegetarian
Meet and Greet
Upon entering on a Sunday evening at 7:30, we were instantly greeted and sat down. The parking lot and the dining room were quite empty, so seating was not a problem.
Mise en Scène
The interior is divided into smaller areas by which from one area you may not see people in other areas. Where we were sat was in a booth, next to the booth was a window on one side you could see to the other side of the dining room. The window was slightly frosted to provide some privacy. The window and wall surrounding extended ceiling to floor, providing a sound barrier as well. Since there were not many other guests in the area we dined in, can’t comment much on the guest profile. It is a semi-upscale eatery, so dressing in nice pant and shirt or dress is sufficient. I went in nice pants and t-shirt which was a little dressed down.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
We visited this location maybe two years ago, just after it became Bellini’s (previously, Houlihan’s). At that time we remember it was difficult or close to impossible to choose a vegetarian main dish, though we do remember having amazing appetizers back then. Today, we faced a similar quandary. Don’t remember what we got two years ago, but seemed there were less options for appetizers today than at that time. There were two options, an eggplant dish and bruschetta. We opted for bruschetta, which I call the ‘Italian chutney’ or ‘Italian salsa’. This was very tasty. When it was time to have our main dish, the waitress explained that any dish could be made to order as things are freshly prepared. This stood true possibly for the pasta dishes, but of course, not the soup selections, neither of which were vegetarian. Regarding the pasta dishes, I think one was fully vegetarian, all others had meat, but it could be left off. The dishes were a bit pricy though if you take the meat out. We had not asked if there is a reduced price once meat is removed as we opted for the margherita pizza and the prodotto salad. The salad was very good. It had a little of each of the five tastes and different textures- greens, crisp pear slices, carmelized walnuts, red onions, blue cheese, dried berries and dressing. Though this salad was tasty, it doesn’t beat the one I had in
Both dishes were worth trying (once) and trying to bring home the leftovers.
Menus Lunch • Dinner • Intermezzo • Bar Bites
Checking In
Waitress checked on us in regular intervals and was very attentive and friendly.
See you later
Bill was given and payment taken in a timely fashion.
Pay Scale
$21-25 per person (including tip)
Tips- 10% or a little more is sufficient
Star System 2/5
For lack of good pure vegetarian options at an Italian eatery*
To find/Contact
Bellini’s
10 Square Drive
Victor,
585.223.4680
Map / Directions
*Pure vegetarian in this case doesn’t mean eggless or dairy free, but simply a lack of menu options without meat already included in the descriptions.
Have you eaten at Bellini's? If so, please share your thoughts below.
Thank you for reading!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Hawthorne’s, Rochester, NY
Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
As we entered on a Friday night about 7pm, it was quiet. There were no lines and no waiting. I had called for a reservation a few hours previous, though I was told reservations are not required. That was very true on this night, because besides us there were only three other tables occupied inside and about 4-5 occupied for outside dining.
Mise en Scène
Driving to this place, one may miss it unless you are observant. It is located on
Inside it was nice and serene. The area was spacious and tastefully decorated. I think I remember seeing a fireplace inside, but not quite sure. Past our room was a room with French doors where they served a buffet or brunch. It was not open for dinnertime.
Wearing casual or semi-formal dress is sufficient. Though looking around, it seemed we were the youngsters in the house as most others were older or elderly. The party next to us, comprised of about 12, was throwing a birthday party for a cute baby turning 1. But, beside the baby at the table, all others appeared to be older than us.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
Before making the reservation, I checked the menu on their website. I was surprised to find a few interesting vegetarian options, such as the Raspberry Brie appetizer and the Eggplant, Tomato and Goat cheese stack. (We went for the Raspberry Brie, pictured in the beginning of this review, which was very tasty indeed!) And, for the main menu items, few items seemed very intriguing in addition to the pasta dishes which can usually easily be made vegetarian if required.
For main course, I chose the “Eggplant and Asparagus Roulades Grilled marinated eggplant,
Boursin cheese and asparagus roll ups with fire roasted red pepper sauce.” I tried to snap a picture of it, the best I got is shown below. I liked the presentation- very artistically done, but somehow the taste of the dish was very confusing. The asparagus was wrapped in grilled eggplant. The inner roll of this was smothered with some creamy sauce (I guess the Boursin cheese) and the ‘fire roasted red pepper sauce’ was on the outside of the roll. The Boursin cheese sauce was very creamy and too much a contrast with the red pepper sauce. I think one sauce would have sufficed- preferably the red pepper sauce. The price for the dish seemed to be a bit steep, but the presentation itself takes some labor and patience, I suppose. Above and beyond the main course, the sides of mashed potatoes and steamed zucchini were amazingly fresh and tasty!The other dish on the menu that seemed intriguing was the “Mixed Field Greens with Pear and Blue Cheese.” Somehow I like the thought of these contrasting flavors- semi-sweet pears with bitter blue cheese. It was a chilly day that day and I felt the blue cheese and pears would make me feel too cool. The eggplant and red pepper sauce really warmed me up.
Checking In
We were attended to in regular and prompt intervals. Service was very good.
See you later
I remember waiting for the bill and waiting for it to be paid was seamless. By the time we paid, we were one of the last customers left in the building at 9pm. Seems they close very early for a Friday night.
Pay Scale
$16-20 per person / $21-25 per person
This location can be slightly too very pricy depending on your eating habits.
If you eat like us, by sharing an appetizer and having your own entrée, it’s possible to exit for as low as $20 a person (about our costs).
If you come here for a four course meal, enjoying an appetizers, salad, entrée, and desert, it would be very pricy (most likely from $40-$60 per person).
Tips
10-12% was sufficient.
Star System 2.5/3
Though we have no overt complaints, this location just does not fall within our typical taste buds or price range. It is a nice place to come to try exotic western dishes that I would not attempt to make at home and it’s a nice place to come to relax and eat, no doubt. We may come again to try the brunch/buffet and possibly for that pear salad!
To find/Contact
Hawthorne's Restaurant
(585) 385-4959
Get directions
Chilango’s, Spencerport, NY
Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
Soon as we walked in, we were greeted by two different hostesses who were eager to seat us.
Mise en Scène
It was a small establishment. Inside was space for maybe 40 guests, and outside was a patio with 4 tables. The walls were painted with dark red on the bottom half and a golden hue on the top, similar to the color scheme of their website. There were tasteful decorations on the walls. Guests seemed to be dressed casually. Very few were dressed semi-formally. We came in after a bike ride, and we felt comfortable in our jeans, shorts and t-shirts.
Choosing a Veggie Treat
Compared to other Mexican restaurants in the
Upon seeing the salad of cactus pieces, I wasn’t sure if I’d get past the aesthetics of the dish to experience the taste. When looking at it, it could look like very thick spinach pasta- maybe linguine. It definitely has an exotic look which many may not be able to pass. However, it is not just passing the looks of it that makes you hardcore! You must past the taste test too! I think if you’re a fan of slightly bitter and spicy dishes you’d really like this. The cactus pieces seemed to be soaking in a jalapeño type juice which gave them an unexpected kick. But, since I am used to eating and cooking a lot of Indian food at home, to me it did not seem at all spicy or hot. It was a kick to keep me interested in eating more. However, I admit, eating half of the dish became hard (mostly because it’s monotonous) and I ended up packing the rest and taking it home.
Checking In
Our waitress checked on us in regular intervals and refilled our coffee promptly.
See you later
Receiving the bill took a little longer than usual (compared to other places). Waiting for the bill to be returned with credit receipts was average time.
Pay Scale
$11-15 per person
(Our totals are skewed as the cactus salad I got is listed as an appetizer, and I did not choose a meal. The dinner plates ranged from $10.50-$13. Personally for Mexican vegetarian I find this rate a bit high, but for non-vegetarian items it may be a good deal. For the non-vegetarian eater, they had a variety of chorizo dishes, which seems to be a Mexican non-veg favorite that not all Mexican eateries provide.)
Tips
10% was sufficient
Star System 2.5/5 (A low rating has been given mostly due to no fault of their own besides distance from our house. The service, friendliness and promptness of the staff was impressive.)
To find/Contact
Chilango's Mexican Restaurant
www.chilangosmexicanrestaurant.com
42 Nichols St (Behind McDonald’s on Route 31 near 31 & 259 intersection)
Spencerport, NY 14559
(585) 349-3030
Get directions
September 14, 2008 update.
We visited this location last week. It was after viewing the menu, I remembered why I gave such a low rating, though others in my group like this place a lot. There are very few if any vegetarian options and for many menu items substitutions do not make sense from a taste perspective as well as a financial one. The waitress also mentioned the rice side dish also has chicken broth in it. Shocking for a Mexican eatery how few vegetarian options are on the menu. I think I got a burrito. We both had an odd feeling of fullness afterwards. THe plus point of this location was on a Sunday evening when we showed up about 8pm, there were no lines and no waiting and the waitstaff were knowledgeable about the menu, prompt and friendly.
tags: 2.5 stars, mexican, spencerport ny, restaurant review,"restaurant review",“Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester, New York Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester, NY Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester Restaurant Reviews”," Rochester NY Mexican”,” Mexican Food Rochester NY”
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Ponderosa, Cortland, NY
Meet and Greet
Upon entering, the host stands at the check in desk. Here they ask how many in the party and you pay at this point itself. Since you pay before you experience the service, you can decide to pay the tip at this point itself or leave cash on the table on your way out. If you opt for the second choice, remember to take cash with you. When we entered, there was a special promo going on. For each receipt from a fast food restaurant, the buffet would be only $5 (I think it’s usually $7-8). I handed over one Dunkin Donuts receipt, which covered the two of us at $5 each. Drinks are not included in the buffet price, so it was an extra couple dollars per person for the drinks.
Scenery inside is typical of any buffet restaurant or diner. It was clean and inviting. The buffet was well stocked and, for the most part, clean. Each buffet item had its own spoon. This can be an issue for me being a vegetarian because I don’t want meat mixed in with my items. But, this is a hazard of any buffet (outside most Indian restaurants) in
I did use the restrooms. They were clean and fresh. But, the people inside were quite interesting. Out of the four of us inside, I was the only one that washed hands with soap and water after using the toilet. Of the other three, two did not wash at all, but casually left the room, and the other lady stuck her fingertips under the water and wiped her wet hands on her dress! Yuck! It may seem good these ladies were not on staff, but these ladies would go back and take food from buffet, touching their hands to serving spoons, plates, etc. YUCK!!!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
I was impressed by the number of veggie items I could eat on the buffet. I used to visit this restaurant on a regular basis as a child with my family, and remember at that time a menu heavily meat based. Maybe I remember it that way because I was a meat eater back then. That being the case, they have updated the menu and there were enough non-meat items on the buffet that allowed me to make a few trips up to enjoy the American fare (ex. Macaroni and cheese, pasta, boiled veggies, buns, vegetable salads, etc.). It’s nice from time to time to eat such foods without a lot of spices, and a bland taste as compared to Indian foods. It cleans my palate!! There were also a few tasty deserts to enjoy after the meal.
Checking In
Wait staff refilled our drinks and cleared our plates in a timely way.
See you later
Because you pay when you enter, there is no need to wait for the bill or paying for the bill. On the way out the host at the front desk will thank you for coming.
Pay Scale
$6-10 per person (May be more without promo, or if you order off the menu.)
Tips 10% of bill seemed to be sufficient
Star System 2.5/5(Entering this place would not be my first choice in that area. My first choice would be Garcia’s Mexican, followed by Applebee’s if it were for lunch. For me, most American buffets would get such a rating unless the service and cleanliness were of a lower standard only because for vegetarians like me who like a spicier fare, this was quite bland. And, being no fault of the establishment, but I did not like what I saw in the restrooms. It grossed me out.)
To find/Contact
Ponderosa Steakhouse
Route 13 and
(607) 756-2383
www.ponderosasteakhouses.com
Directions to Ponderosa Steakhouses, Cortland, NY
**Noted that Google Maps seem to have Ponderosa in two locations in
**This review is based on our visit in April 2008.
