Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
We approached this eatery on a Sunday evening around 7:30pm. The location of the building is a little tricky to find in the dark, but we managed to get off the fast moving 332 to enter the establishment’s parking lot. We were a little wary at first to enter because there was only one car in the lot. We were a little confused why it was so empty, but we ventured inside. Immediately upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly, smiling waitress who immediately sat us down and took our drink orders.
Mise en Scène
It is a large establishment, with booths and tables. We were sat in booths near to the kitchen area. Though we were the only customers in the house, that did not stop the eager workers of the establishment from keeping busy. The one car out front was a real trick to our senses as there must have been maybe 4-6 workers in the establishment at the time. Because of their work ethic, it goes without saying that the dining area also was spotless. Tables, chairs, benches, floors, all very clean. In addition to this, there was pleasing Spanish ambient music playing and a Spanish television program on the television in the far corner.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
We were impressed by the number of vegetarian options outlined on the menu. There was a vegetarian section specifically for combination plates. Also within the list of “non-vegetarian” combination plates were plenty of choices for vegetarians as replacing meat with beans is something the staff is happy to do. (This is a stark opposite of Chilango’s in Spencerport which had very few vegetarian menu options on the menu, and making non-vegetarian menu options vegetarian was not easy.) Our order consisted of:
Appetizer: Beans Dip
The nachos accompanying this dish came toasty hot, a much needed small touch that we have not experienced before. The bean dip was tasty, and though it was coated with more cojito cheese than anticipated, it was devoured by us in no time flat!
Krishna ordered: Vegetarian combination of cheese enchalada, burrito and tostada.
Tostada is the large, round tortilla chip with beans and salad on top. Krishna liked it but wished the salad pieces were chopped finer. Though the dish looks like it has a lot of cheese, because it was the cojito cheese, it was not noticed much. Overall the taste was amazing and it was finished off very quickly.
I ordered: Non-vegetarian combo substituted with beans: beans, rice, burrito and chile releno
This combination plate was actually not listed under vegetarian options, so the burrito was with beans substituted for meat. Chile rellano is a stuffed poblano chile. This can come vegetarian or non-vegetarian (check your menu for filling), but here I got it with cheese inside. This is one of my favorite dishes as I love the taste of the chile warmed up, it’s texture, smell and spice level in this state is fantastic. It is not overly hot and spicy for those used to eating spicy, especially Indian food, it can be considered mild. It has it’s special kick, that is why I like it.
Checking In
We were waited on in regular intervals and all our needs were attended to. In fact, for Krishna the memorable part of the service was when our main dish was ordered and we were offered a refill of hot, toasty nachos without asking.
See you later
Everything went seemlessly in getting and paying for the order.
Pay Scale
$11-15 per person including appitizer
Tips
10-15%, we left something in between 10-15%
Star System 4/5
To find/Contact
El Pacifico
1680 Rochester Rd.
Farmington, NY 14425
Directions to El Pacifico, Farmington, NY
Phone: (585) 398-0310
Notes: This is not our first visit here. This may be our third visit. With each visit we appreciate this place more and more for a few reasons. The first reason is as El Tomatlan in Canandaigua has let us down over the last year or so (reviews here); we needed to find another good Mexican eatery. The second is as we have come, each time it has gotten better here at El Pacifico. The food, the service and the ambiance is really suitable to our tastes. We would like to see more people frequent this establishment, though as each time we have gone, it was quite empty.
tags: "comparison of Mexica eateries",farmington ny, mexican, 4 stars, comparison, great service
Saturday, November 22, 2008
El Pacifico, Farmington, NY
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Texas Lunch, Lock Haven, PA
Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet 
This is another seat yourself diner. We did not know that when we walked in and the waitress let us know we could choose our own seats. Within minutes of sitting, we were served coffee and menus.
Mise en Scène
Seems this place is a 50s theme restaurant in décor. Waitresses and staff though are not dressed in 50s garb. Some booths have art work next to them. Next to our booth was a painting called “Game of Chance.” In this paining Jimmy Dean was getting ready to shoot pool. On the other end of the table was Marilyn Monroe while Humphrey Bogart was chalking his cue. While all this was going on, Larry, Curly and Moe were standing in the corner (right side of drawing) laughing or talking. We could not figure out what tied together all these people in the ‘Game of Chance.’ Do you know?
I liked the décor inside, with the fire engine red vinyl seats; white table tops with red designs on it, and the black and white checker board floor and neon signs within. We had sat across from the open air kitchen. We could see the cook’s heads and also see our reflection in the wall partition that was covered in a metal decoration that showed us our broken reflections. The setting of the restaurant outside on Main Street is also scenic with mountain and river views. (Photo right: Lock Haven's fancy parking meters. Can't beat the look and price of parking!)
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
I guess breakfast treats for vegetarians that eat eggs are the extent of veggie treats offered. I say this though I haven’t studied the lunch or dinner menus, but I say this as Texas Lunch is the ‘home of the growler,” a chili dog- which I think is a hot dog covered with beef chili. Knowing this I had made a fatal mistake in my own ordering. I had decided to try the Greek Eggs which were scrambled eggs with few vegetables and chili. Somehow when I read this, I thought chili meant ‘chili peppers’ and not beef chili. Though I thought it was odd Greek themed eggs would have chili peppers, I did not question this. When our order came, I gave a surprised look and commented to the waitress that it wasn’t what I expected. When I told her I was a vegetarian and thought chili meant ‘chili peppers,’ she immediately took it back without hesitation and asked me what else I wanted. Though my husband offered many times to take it and exchange his vegetable (Spanish) omelet with me, the waitress said, “The Spanish omelet is what you wanted, this is not what she wanted. You choose something else you want.” I opted for the Greek Omelet, which was different- stuffed with feta and olives.
The one thing I noticed about the omelets was the egg whites were visible in the omelet. For us, seeing egg whites is not only tempting but told me they are using real eggs. Often times (especially at Denny’s), I get the feeling some kind of egg batter is used rather than fresh eggs cracked on the grill. The eggs were not only very tasty, slightly browned but the contents of both the Spanish and Greek (feta and olives) omelets were perfectly proportioned. With the Spanish, we had a side of well done breakfast potatoes, while mine was done regular style. There was a difference. The well done ones were indeed well done, browned and crispy on the outside. These potatoes also tasted ‘real’ rather than the processed ones that we get in other locations that are perfectly shaped and deep fried.
The other memorable food item here was actually the drinks- we ordered coffee. Here they actually served coffee with real milk in a metal container. We were in heaven, especially since up to this point coffee had been served along with coffeemate which we abhor.
Checking In
Our waitress was fantastic. She was flexible and friendly. Offering us another dish without hesitation was refreshing, and quite memorable. Our waitress checked on us in regular intervals and made sure our coffee cups were always filled to the brim.
See you later
We got the bill within the time of finishing our meal. We decided to pay with cash. We had thought of leaving the money on the table and leaving. Instead, I decided to pay at the counter. There was a little wait to do so, but that was no problem.
Pay Scale
$6-10 per person
Tips We left 20%. The service was fantastic and the food was good value for the money.
Star System 4/5
I would have to study the menu for vegetarian options for lunch and dinner to adjust the rating. Being known for chili dogs, one may think it’s a typical ‘greasy spoon’ establishment, where all foods are dripping with grease. Not true! This is one aspect of the experience that ups the rating for me!
To find/Contact
Lock
Phone: (570) 748-3522
Get Directions: To here - From here
Have you eaten at Texas Lunch? If so, please share your thoughts below.
Thank you for reading!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Mysore Woodlands, Rochester, NY
Meet and Greet
We were excited to eat at the first South Indian restaurant in
Mise en Scène
This location recently was bought out and renamed. Just previous to these owners, it was called
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
Mysore Woodlands bases their menu items on a region of
Among the tempting vegetarian options, we ordered the sambar vada and aloo bonda for appetizers and the Mysore Masala dosa and bisi bele bath for main courses.
Sambar vada was very tasty. The accompanying coconut chutney was nothing to write home about. The vadas were nice and very large. In fact the two vadas soaked in this dish of sambar were bigger than the ones we had at Palace of Dosas and also a meal in themselves. The sambar that accompanied the sambar vada was tasty, with a thick consistency. I make a Mysore sambar for Pongal celebrations. My feeling is the specialty of Mysore Sambar is the fact that the dhal is boiled separately then rather than just placed in the sambar, it is blended into a paste along with other spices before putting into the sambar broth. This gives the sambar an overall thick consistency. I had hardly any room for the other food after eating this. The aloo bonda was ok, but then again aloo bonda is a North Indian treat and not so typical of Udipi or South Indian cuisine. The Mysore Masala dosa is a lentil crepe filled with mildly spicy potato filling. The dosa itself is also coated with a layer of masala (spice) – which is a mix of spiced ground and mixed in oil and lightly spread on the inside of the dosa. This was very tasty. The bisi bele bath was not on the menu. What was on the menu was bangala bath. I am still not sure what that is. When asking the waiter what it was, I asked if it was like bisi bele bath, which is a rice dish with veggies and spices. He said not really and offered me the bisi bele bath. I have to say I haven’t had bisi bele bath since I left Chennai in 2001 and it was so tasty and amazing. It had a spicy tasty but not hot spicy but a blend of wonderful tastes. The dish was accompanied by lemon ginger pickle. Unlike the lemon pickle I make at home, this one was made with oil as there were mustard seeds in it. However, the lemon ginger pickle had an amazing flavor as again though it did have some chili taste it was not too spicy and complemented the bisi bele bath very nicely.
Checking In
We were waited on in regular intervals by either waiter on staff. Service was courteous and prompt.
See you later
Bill was given in reasonable time and collected back quite timely. When paying the bill, they had packed my left over bisi bele bath. When I looked in the bag later, I noticed they packed the pickle in a separate container which was impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that they had given extra pickle than what was in the original helping. Thanks! (Incidentally, I had taken the leftovers for work the next day, eating the bisi bele bath with the pickle and potato chips, it was very tasty. In fact, it made me wonder why the bisi bele bath is not served with papad – Indian chips.)
Pay Scale
$11-15 per person (one vegetarian appetizer and main course per person)
Tips 10-15%
Star System 4For an Indian restaurant it was good and quick service. Also liked the fact they gave me something not listed on the menu. Food is value for money as it was very filling and in comparison to other South Indian restaurants, somewhat cheaper.
To find/Contact
Located in
(Near back left corner where mall makes a turn)
Phone: unsure
Get Directions
Notes: If you want to come to Rochester to visit the Hindu temple and then go for some great South Indian food, here are the directions from the Temple to Mysore Woodlands!
View Larger Map
**As of the posting date, the old sign (
Related Links: My recipe for Mysore Sambar My recipe for vada Pongal Celebrations- What is Pongal and how I celebrated it in a remote Tamil village Palace of Dosas, Buffalo, NY
tags:4 stars, rochester-ny, indian, south-indian, economical, restaurant review,
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Lodge at Woodcliff, Fairport, NY
Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
Walking into the Woodcliff Lodge is always an amazing experience. I always feel larger than life when I enter this place because it is so shiny, grand and full of well-dressed business men and elegant ladies. This occasion has to be the third or fourth visit we have made to this restaurant. With each visit, the staff always greets us with a smile; seat us without reservations (though I think they recommend reservations).
Mise en Scène
The lodge sits on the side of a hill, where looking to the North and West, one can experience the views of Rochester. Though window seats are preferable, most tables in the restaurant will offer a good view. However, this time we were placed at a prime location for a viewing of the setting sun. Luminous dark blues, purples, yellows and oranges encompassed us as we ate our anniversary meal.
On a side note, we joke that ‘Mr. Sun’ is always teasing us. Whenever we plan to meet him setting or rising with camera in tow, he doesn’t shine or show his face to us. However, on these occasions when we don’t have a camera, there is Mr. Sun full, bright and eager to show off to us! The beauty of the sun only is shown to us when we can actually experience it eye to eye and not through the eye of a camera!
Looking around the restaurant, one will see the well dressed business men and graceful women in elegant dresses. Though it is true it’s best to dress to impress, we have seen people wear semi-formal and business casual while enjoying their time here. I would not recommend wearing jeans and a t-shirt here. I don’t think they would turn you away, but one may feel out of place dressed down. A bar is attached to this restaurant, where I believe the dress code is a bit more lax. In fact, one has to enter the restaurant through the bar only.
Sitting down, the table is set for a three course meal full with different size of wine glasses. Since we aren’t wine drinkers, we still have yet to figure out why there are different size wine glasses. In any case, the waitress finds out we want coffee (which is one of the tastiest cups in the area), and quickly clears the wine glasses.
Upon desert time, the waiter will bring a plate of deserts so you can see what they look like. Up close and personal, who can deny themselves? Because of this, on several occasions visiting this location, we have had a “backwards meal” (having dessert first, main course, followed by appetizer).
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
They have updated their menu from the one on their website. The new, improved menu has small tags saying ‘veggie’ next to them if they are vegetarian. There were at least 4-5 veggie appetizers and one veggie entrée.
For appetizers, we got a corn flan and black bean spicy cakes. Both were nice and tasty. I usually don’t like flan, but since I had never seen flan for anything but a dessert item, I chose that. It turned out to be nice. It has its own taste, which was very smooth. But, we liked the spicy black bean cakes better as they were like small spicy handmade veggie burgers.
Since there was only one veggie entrée, we chose the spicy Udon noodles. We were told that this menu item was not available and were given other options that would have been handcrafted just for us by the chef. These choices were mainly other types of pasta dishes. Luckily, for the Udon dish the only thing missing was the actually Udon noodles, but the veggies and sauce was available. So, we got the same dish but substituted the Udon noodles with linguine. We had ordered only one serving and asked to share it. When it was served, it was served to us on two different plates, ready to eat. The taste was amazing. We savored it to the last drop of sauce.
For dessert we got a banana bread/ice cream dish and a peanut butter mouse type of dessert. Both were very good. In fact, I was impressed by the smoothness of the peanut butter. The only problem I had with the peanut butter dessert was the size. I am not sure who could eat that much peanut butter at one sitting. It was truly a shame to have left some behind, though.
Checking In
One of the reasons we return on subsequent visits to this location is because of the prompt, friendly and individualized service. It is truly the service that makes the higher price of this location an afterthought.
See you later
Receiving the bill and waiting for payment to return is timely.
Pay Scale
$6-10 per person for appetizers each and desserts
$15-25 per person for the entrée
**We spilt the main course. I think they charged us a fee of about $4 to split it. They did serve the entrée split in half on two plates.
Tips
15-20% is recommended due to superior service. Service is always great.
Star System: 4 or 5 out of 5. 4 out of 5 if this above your budget because it is pricy.
5 out of 5 if it falls within your budget or you can save up and have a nice night out.
To find/Contact
Horizons Restaurant
199 Woodcliff Dr
Fairport, NY 14450
(585) 248-4825
Mapquest location map
Other reviews at Google.
Have you eaten at The Lodge at Woodcliff? If so, please share your thoughts below.
Thank you for reading!
tags: 4 stars, 5 stars, "Fairport NY"," great views", "reservations recommended", "great service", "individualized sevice", "backwards meal", "hilltop dining", "restaurant in a hotel", "restaurant review",“Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester, New York Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester, NY Restaurant Reviews”,” Rochester Restaurant Reviews”
Friday, June 20, 2008
White Water Grill, Charleston, West Virginia
Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
We had come for a Sunday Brunch to meet some of my mom’s classmates for their 40th high school reunion. Because of this, we did not have to wait in line. This was a good thing because the wait seemed to be more than 30 minutes at 11am.
Soon as we sat down the waitress offered us a choice of menu or buffet and offered us a choice of drinks. Within minutes coffee was served.
Also, as more people were added to our party, the wait staff was efficient in adding on to our table by moving in more tables and chairs.
Mise en Scène
Nice and spacious eatery. Dress seemed to be casual to semi-formal. Many people were in jeans and t-shirts. The areas were very clean and in order. The buffet was also well stocked and very clean. We were seated in a small room off the side of the main dining hall. It was nice and private. Besides, our party (about 15 members) only few other couples were seated in this room, which had easy access to the buffet.
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
Looking at the menu there would have been several interested veggie omelets (I do eat eggs). But, as the majority of us looked through the items on the buffet, we decided to have the buffet. The buffet had breakfast items (a create your own omelet bar, fresh made pancakes and waffles station, fresh fruit, cereal, milk, and other hot breakfast items), lunch items (pasta, plain steamed vegetables, soups, and a few meat dishes), and deserts. Overall, I was impressed by the number of vegetarian options on the buffet. It was easy to find something to eat, and eat a lot!
Checking In
Wait staff came by frequently to clear plates and offer more drinks as we emptied our glass. No complaints. In fact, it was the most courteous, efficient wait staff I have interacted with in a long time!
See you later
The wait staff had given us the bill as she noticed we were finishing up. The bill with the credit card was collected as soon as it was ready. We had left the tip on the table in cash, so I had altered the staff as the room was empty and wanted to assure the tips got into the right hands. Even on our way out, the line was going strong. People seem to really like this buffet. I can understand why this place is busy- (1) friendly and efficient wait staff, (2) clean buffet with a lot of choices, (3) clean atmosphere, (4) price is economical for variety.
Pay Scale
$6-10 per person ($7.95 Bruch for Kids – price includes drinks)
$11-15 per person ($14.95 Brunch for Adults – price includes drinks)
Tips: We left $10.00 (over 10% of total)
Star System 4/5
I would definitely go back again!
To find/contact
White Water Grill
Charleston
(304) 353-3636
Whitewater Grille at Marriott Website
**This eatery is located inside the Marriott hotel in downtown
Directions TO White Water Grill
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Bellacino’s, Charleston, West Virginia
Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.
Meet and Greet
We were wandering around downtown 
(1am!) to being on a trip there recently, and we were hungry. Being from
Mise en Scène
Upon walking in, we were happy to see it was well lit and clean. Yes, it was the only eatery in the area we could see that was open catering to the clubbers, so few drunks came it. That’s meant to happen, I suppose. But most of the people were lively, friendly and not drunk! Of course, because of this, the dress code is comfy and casual. No need for hi-fi dressing here!
**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!
Choosing a Veggie Treat
There were several vegetarian options on the menu- including pizza, cold subs, and toasted subs. (Here they called subs, grinders.) Basically, in these choices you get the same fillings but either on pizza or in bread toasted or untoasted. They did have a taco salad and taco toasted sub, but they had beef on it – no beans. I think they could consider adding refried beans or soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo) so vegetarians can enjoy this option.
Actually we loved the presentation of the sub. The sub was packed in a cardb
oard box
that seemed to be eco-friendly. Once the box was open, it folded fully open, flat. The sub itself was amazing. “It was simple and tasty.” Vegetables were sliced thin, but were still crunchy. The bread was toasted on the outside, buttered on the inside but the bread was soft on the inside. This is what we liked. In fact, we had not expected our first order (sub and fries) to be as good as up to this point food had not been a highlight. But, because it was so amazing and tasty, we stayed longer and ordered an additional one!
Checking In
Because this was not a restaurant where you needed to be waited on, no comments required.
See you later
We paid at the counter, which makes it easy to get up and leave as soon as you’re done eating. The lady who waited on us was standing at the door when we walked out and she said bye to us.
Pay Scale: $5-10 per person
Tips: Not required
Star System: 4/5
To find/Contact
Bellacino's
(304) 343-0911
bellacinos.com
Directions to Bellacino's
Photos in this post taken by Jennifer Kumar.
