Siam Thai Rochester, NY

Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Update July 7, 2009
We visited on July 4, 2007. We, again sat outside. It was a pleasant day.

We were impressed as when we asked about different menu items that were not vegetarian or vegan, they were willing to make it vegan, by substituting tofu or vegetables. They also made the pad thai vegan by taking out the egg and using a non-meat based peanut sauce (I never realized it had meat or fish products in it...).

We really enjoyed our meal of fresh veggie rolls with peanut sauce, Tom Kah veggie soup (which, we were told by our Malayalee cousin, reminded him of Olan, a coconut based potato dish in Kerala), and together we three shared a dish of pad thai.

We were impressed with the service, flexibility of menu ingredients an service. We actually believe the customer service has much improved and gained a stronger personality as this establishment now is evolving it's own identity. We will surely visit again.

Originial Review date - April 26, 2008
Today we went to Siam Thai in Corn Hill near to the courthouse in downtown Rochester, New York.

The buildings that house the restaurant are in a new community- apartments on the top and businesses on the ground floor. There are few other eateries and some small shops on the ground floor. Many places, including Siam open only 11 or after. Parking can also be challenging in this area, though as we were coming at a down time (around 1pm), parking was ample.

It's interesting that 1pm on a Saturday is a downtime, but it seems working day hours (9a-5p Mon-Fri) are more crowded. But the good news is that the weather was perfect, again, and we were able to be seated outside with a view of the Genesee River and the walking trail.

For appetisers, we ordered the Papaya Madness Salad and Tofu with Peanut Sauce. The Papaya Madness salad was VERY tasty, bursting of many flavors, spicy, colorful and good to the last drop, but I did not see one papaya in it! The tofu and peanut sauce was equally tasty in a different way.

Our main courses, however, left a desire for something different. Unlike the salad bursting of taste, the Pad Thai and Pad See Eau left our palates wondering where did all the taste go? The presentation of the Pad Thai in itself was not appetizing. The noodles were a hue of a weird orange color, with little tofu and few peanuts. Where was the peanut sauce? In fact, where was the taste? With additional green chili water and soy sauce, there still was absolutely no taste. The Pad See Eau was better in the sense that there was a variety of vegetables in it, but there was still no taste to be found even with added condiments.

In the middle of our meal, it started raining heavily. We moved to an empty table with an umbrella. We moved and the waitress came to help us only 10-15 minutes after the move and the rain calmed down. What's up with the service? We left minimal tip.

We may be tempted to go back to try the appetisers and soups, but would stay clear of main dishes. We did like the ambiance- sitting outside on the Gennesee River. We did not like the service or the price. For our two appetisers, one Thai Iced Tea (which had that same weird orange hue as the Pad Thai) and two main dishes with tip it came to $40.00. We know of another restaurant in Webster (Rochester suburbs) where a good Thai lunch with appetisers and main meals come to less than $20 with tip.

Two side notes:

1. The bathrooms inside were very clean and modern.

2. I have another comment. The first Pad Thai I ever at was at a restaurant in Boston- actually the suburbs of Boston. I have measured every Pad Thai to date based on that Pad Thai and nothing has measured up. If only I could remember the name of the restaurant....

To visit/contact
Siam Fine Thai Cuisine
280 Exchange Blvd
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 232-7426
Directions to Siam Fine Thai Cuisine

Bellini's, Victor, NY

Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

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 Albany maybe 5 years ago somewhere on or near Wolf Road. That salad had all five tastes, with sweet being juicy, red strawberries. The dressing on Bellini’s salad was also very heavy- too much was poured on. I, though am not like a lot of people I know who like a lot of dressing (They would ask ‘Can I have some salad to go with that dressing? And not “Can I have some dressing to go with that salad?”).

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, New York 14564
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!

Cheesecake Factory, Pittsford NY

Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Today is our second visit to this eatery.

First time we came during afternoon, around 3pm to avoid rush. We had corn cakes- which were very good. I had eggplant burger, which was not what I expected it to be and would not want it again. I forgot what hubby had.

Today we went for Sunday Brunch. I had California Omelet. He had Joe's special. We both had baguette and breakfast potatoes as sides. The potatoes were good, but interestingly sitting in a puddle of oil. We were both surprised how much oil was left on the plate while and after eating the potatoes. His egg was scrambled, mine was omelet style with the items folded in (not added in the egg batter). My egg was very very yellow. It almost blinded me. Some people prefer this yellow color, I do not. It kind of freaked me out. The inside ingredients were OK. I could eat only half. (I should admit about an hour after leaving, I realized that one ingredient was supposed to be avocado, and that was missing from my omelet altogether). We had coffee for drinks and the coffee unfortunately also is not all that great.

The service was good. The place is very clean. The place most likely will be better for meat eaters and not minority vegetarians. I am also not very happy with pricing. The portions are big, but not worth the price tag. I have been to other eateries in our area with similar portion size, and the price was $2-3 or more less per plate. We may not go to Cheesecake Factory again because of overall dissatisfaction with taste and price, but if we do, we have made a pact that we will share the plate! (We may go back for the corn cakes which were the best thing since French bread.)

P.S. The portions are so big that each time we had no room for the cheesecake. And anyhow I am not too keen on cheesecake (is that unAmerican to admit?).

To find:
Cheesecake Factory
3349 Monroe Ave
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 381-8681
www.cheesecakefactory.com
Directions to Cheesecake Factory, Rochester, NY