I finally switched it up and ordered a calzone, something I’ve considered doing for ages.  I was not disappointed with the pepperoni and cheese one that I ordered – it was very tasty, and MASSIVE!  It could have easily served as two meals, although I went crazy and devoured the whole thing.  Calzones often come in generous portions, but this one could have blocked out the sun had I held it in the right position.

Lonnie also got adventurous, and ordered a Philly Cheesesteak with onions.  I previously made a big deal elsewhere on this blog about eating cheesesteaks and other treats in Philly, which was great fun.  But Lonnie said that this one beat all the ones she tried there!  Oh boy, that’s an argument waiting to happen!

The broccoli was cooked just right, the garlic was just the right amount, and there was a generous portion of ricotta.  We both thought it was another winner.  Best of all, it was a beautiful day, so we were able to have it for one of our first front porch meals of the season.

And wait, that’s not all!  Gianni had been touting his Dart Wings on our previous visit, and I was in a fairly gluttonous mood, so I decided to augment our order with some of these.  He had described them as spicy, and they were, but not like the level of really hot wings, just a nice little snap of heat.  The flavor was round, quite savory, and a bit sweet.  I really went for it.  Lonnie liked the flavor, too, but is not quite as fond of sweetness in wing sauce as I am.  In any case, they will go into our short list of local excellent wings; these are the first ones in awhile that I think can compete in tastiness with OIP’s char-grilled ones.

I should point out that for me, places get bonus points for varying from the classic Buffalo Wing formula, lots of butter, Frank’s Hot Sauce, etc.  I like that type of wings, too, and there are a number of places near here that do them very well, such as the Change of Pace.  Come to think of it, I have no idea what Dart Wings are, exactly, except that they taste great!  I’ll have to ask Gianni for details next time I’m there.  Go visit Gianni’s here on Burnet Ave.

The decor is pleasant and new.  They were doing a brisk business the Wednesday night we were there.  The service was polite and attentive, yet the staff seemed to be rookies.  If it’s true that the restaurant’s forbear is Samrat up on the SU hill, I wonder if they are actually grad students.  They did well enough, and I’m sure they’ll be on a more firm footing soon.

The arrival of food was a tad slow, but just as we were beginning to wonder if they were “in the weeds”, the food arrived.  We were very hungry, and they didn’t disappoint!  When eating Indian, I often opt for lamb, because I don’t tend to regularly find it in restaurants.  I chose the Lamb Seekh Kabob Masala, medium heat level, and it was delicious, with succulent chunks of lamb kabob in a tomato-based savory sauce that was fairly spicy and mouth-watering.

Lonnie had Lamb Shahi Korma, another favorite of mine, and it was also fragrant and delicious.  She likes a lower heat level than I do, but some spice, and they dialed it back just enough.    The portions were quite large, plenty of rice was provided, and we also got some complimentary naan (bread).  Before the meal, our waitress had asked if we wanted some naan, and we had declined, although I believe that refusing bread in an Indian restaurant isn’t very Indian, and may even be déclassé.  Perhaps a real order of naan is larger – we weren’t quite sure.  But it was very good; Lonnie said it was the best naan she could recall.

Prices were pretty reasonable, in the general neighborhood of $9-$11 per entree.  With the tasty food and handy location, we will be going here a lot, I think.  This will also give me more motivation to cook Indian, which I have started doing more lately.  We like the Sahota Palace in Liverpool a lot, but with their handy location and tasty food, I think the Taj will give them some real competition, especially if their waitstaff gets a bit more experienced.  Check them out!  Yes, this is April Fool’s Day, but I’m not kidding!

We were enjoying a sunny day off last Monday in Rochester and were heading out for breakfast at the popular Highland Diner, but had talked about trying to find locally roasted coffee.  Purely by chance, I happened to notice the Boulder Cafe on Alexander St. as we drove by.  It looked as though it was good-sized, and its sign and decor seemed to indicate a good product and atmosphere, so we decided to stop.

The decor was the characteristically youthful and funky style you tend to find in city cafes, splashy paintings, posters, ironic paraphenelia from the second-hand store, you know the drill.  It was very spacious, with plenty of comfortable seating.  Then the fun ended.  We went to the counter to order, and were greeted with “what do you want?” by a young white brown-haired woman.  We were both brought up short by this noticeable brusqueness, but ordered anyway.  I’ve written elsewhere about some cafe staff being distracted and apparently resentful of having a menial job, but at least they usually manage to force out a “can I help you?” or “what can I get for you?”  Maybe rudeness is the new assertiveness, a way of sticking it to the Man.

By contrast, when our coffee was served, it was very good.  We sat down to enjoy it.  They have a large sound system there, and the music was pretty loud for a cafe.  I enjoyed some of it, such as Regina Spektor, but much of the other music was standard-issue angry indie dreck, which actually went well with the personality of our tough little barista.  We finished fairly quickly and left, instead of our planned leisurely sipping, reading, and snacking.

One could easily, and rightfully, say that everyone has a bad day, other staff are friendly, the music is normally not so loud in the daytime, and so on.  But as any restaurant or cafe owner knows, you only get one chance for a first impression, and we will not be going back.  If it had been something like an honest mistake, as opposed to deliberate rudeness, we might have been willing to try again another time.  Hey, if you like very good coffee and have no need for friendly staff or tasteful music volume, this could be your place!

We went on to have a nice breakfast at the Highland, and decided to go to our usual favorite cafe, The Spot.  Although the music was pleasant and the atmosphere good as usual, even they managed a couple missteps.  We nearly always order the pie there, which is delicious and served in generous portions.  There was none this time, so we opted for a couple of fruit tortes.  These looked nice, but proved to be very dry.  We turned them back in, and the staff member was kind enough to substitute lemon tarts, which were much better.  She said that they bring in the tortes every other day, but even two-days-old tortes should be in better shape than that.

The other thing was the men’s room, which smelled really nasty, and definitely needed a cleaning.  They had the door propped open, which may have been an attempt to air it out until some male staff member arrived?  Ouch.  So I wonder if they are starting to deteriorate, or maybe are undergoing cost-cutting measures.

Our search for a really great cafe in Rochester will continue on our next visit – with all the ones they have, there has to be one!

We made our way over to Michael Angelo’s on a very cold night recently.  As some already know, the owner was previously a very longstanding chef at Antonio’s, and some favorite recipes from that former hotspot came along with him.  I went for the Riggies to cut the winter chill.  This Utica-styled pasta favorite was appropriately spicy, the sauce was good, and the portion was quite massive.  Lonnie opted for the fish sandwich, and we were both impressed with the flavor and how refined and delicate the breaded coating was.  Our server was very pleasant and friendly.

It’s a small, modest place, not comparable to somewhere like Antonio’s, a fairly fancy restaurant.  The new decor is tasteful, though.  It’s almost surreal to have seen such a long sequence of decor changes in that building.  We’ll see how they make out – they don’t appear to be doing a lot of advertising, so I’m guessing that their success will depend on whether they can attract former fans of Antonio’s who might enjoy a somewhat more modest meal price.