(Credit: Matt Wittmeyer)
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2 people, 1 restaurant, 25 bucks
Meals for people with big appetites and small wallets
Meals for people with big appetites and small wallets
At Good Luck Restaurant, executive chef and co-owner Dan Martello draws inspiration for his shared-food-style menu based on what's fresh, healthy and locally available. His latest seasonal addition is Asparagus Salad with Organic Egg. This crisp and refreshing dish features fresh blanched green and white asparagus tossed with lime juice, truffle oil, shallot, thyme and rice wine vinaigrette, then topped with hard-boiled organic eggs and served with crusty baguette. Tangy, crisp and delightfully full of summer in every bite.
Good Luck, 50 Anderson Ave., Rochester. 585-340-6161. – Laura Keeney
Fresh ramps and rare morel mushrooms bring a distinct (and bright green!) flair to the latest menu addition at Max Chophouse. Executive chef Seth Lindahl pairs pan-seared halibut with local organic asparagus, delicate and rare morel mushrooms, pungent ramps and a dijon nage for a snappy explosion of flavor and freshness. The Chophouse also makes a strawberry-rhubarb daiquiri that uses fresh local produce, with a tangy, sunny taste that lets you know summer has officially arrived.
Max Chophouse, 1456 Monroe Ave., Rochester. 585-271-3510. – Laura Keeney
The smoky flavors of grilled beef tenderloin mingle with the fresh tastes of Greek cuisine in this new item at Tapas 177. The tenderloin, garnished with flavorful mesclun greens, is perfectly complemented by a tangy Greek salsa of ripe red tomatoes, juicy cucumbers and fresh herbs (all purchased from Rochester's Public Market), kalamata olives, roasted red peppers and feta cheese, finished with a basil-oil-and-cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce. It's a true team effort: Co-owner Chris Ziogas looked to his Greek heritage in conceptualizing the dish, then executive chef Tim Mayo and sous chef Dmitriy Ruzhanskiy refined it.
Tapas 177, 177 St. Paul St., Rochester. 585-262-2090. – Laura Keeney
You're bound to see the ubiquitous Insalata Caprese in many restaurants this summer. What you won't see anywhere but the Coppergrass Bistro is Ryan Jennings's baked heirloom tomato and smoked mozzarella soufflés with basil and balsamic apricot vinaigrette. Gilding the lily? Maybe so — but you deserve it. Jennings gets the majority of his seasonal produce from Full Moon Farm of Ontario, N.Y., which grows more than 70 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.
Coppergrass Bistro, 3349 Monroe Ave., Rochester. 585-662-5579. – Adam Wilcox
At Horizons Restaurant, chef Steve Wilkinson has whipped up a fabulous zucchini and feta terrine with bell pepper emulsion, toasted New York walnuts, dill pollen and micro beets. Wow. "It's real fresh, seasonal, nothing-to-mask flavors," says Wilkinson. He gives a shout-out to Ellsworth Farm in Fairport, the source of some of his zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and—later in the year—pumpkins.
Horizons at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 199 Woodcliff Drive, Fairport. 585-381-4000. – Adam Wilcox
Rooney's co-chef John Bardeschewski offers up pan-seared mahi mahi with a potato rosti in a tomato-basil broth. "Tomato and basil mark the beginning of summer," Bardeschewski says, "and the sauce is light and brothy—doesn't sit heavy in your stomach." He says the owner gets all their summer produce at Rochester's Public Market, and why not? Much of their produce, including the potatoes in this dish, will likely come from Kevin at Abe Datthyn Farms of Sodus.
Rooney's, 90 Henrietta St., Rochester. 585-442-0444. – Adam Wilcox
Chef Art Rogers' philosophy: Keep it as local, fresh and organic as possible. His inspired menu at Lento is filled with culinary magic based on what's available at local farms using sustainable practices. His summer creation: soft shell crabs. Each Chesapeake Bay crab is coated with beer batter made from local Genesee Brewery ale, sautéed and coupled with a green garlic aioli and then served over a salad of fresh baby romaine, English cucumber and heirloom radishes, all locally grown. Homemade lemon vinaigrette ties it all together.
Lento, 274 N. Goodman St., Rochester. 585-271-3470. – Laura Keeney
Earl Young at PaRe whipped up a chilled strawberry soup with cinnamon-infused whipped cream. And with those tastes properly preparing your palate, you might consider moving on to their grilled vegetable Napoleon. Young gets his ingredients from Ben Giambrone and Co., which deals with many local farmers.
PaRe , 2833 Monroe Ave., Rochester. 585-244-4890. – Adam Wilcox
Label 7 chef Keith King gives us southwestern ricotta corn cakes with grilled shrimp and pico de gallo, which will be a regular special on the menu this season. The produce in the dish will come from local sources. What could say summer in Rochester better than corn and tomatoes?
Label 7, 50 State St., Pittsford. 585-267-7500. – Adam Wilcox
Chef Chris Brandt of Tastings says, "Most of the locally grown produce that I use is coming right from Wegmans' 'Locally Grown' program." That's the source of tomatoes for his heirloom tomato salad with fresh marinated New Jersey mozzarella bocconcini, cucumber, micro-greens, balsamic vinaigrette and broken crostini. The micro-greens are grown for Brandt at the Wegmans Research Farm in Canandaigua, where he'll also get tomatoes later in the summer.
Tastings, 3195 Monroe Ave., Rochester. 585-381-1881. – Adam Wilcox
Edibles' executive chef and owner Jason Herbert is a smart, smart man. While we shivered through winter, Herbert visited his homeland — Perth, Australia — basking in their summer sun and gathering inspiration. Fusion cuisine is a huge trend in Australia, and Herbert is sharing with us the best of what he ate on his trip, including: Moroccan Lamb, pairing a spice-rubbed rack of lamb with Greek-tinged sun-dried tomato and kalamata olive chilled orzo salad featuring fresh feta cheese made locally by Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken. The result? Spicy, sweet, succulent and oh-so-delicious.
Edibles, 704 University Ave., Rochester. 585-271-4910. – Laura Keeney
Don't let the name fool you: The menu at the Park Avenue Pub is far from pub fare. The gourmet offerings change depending on what's fresh and in season, yet there are several mainstays that have become signature items — the popular Crab Cake Salad among them. Succulent jumbo lump crab is hand-formed into cakes, pan sautéed and then served over an oversized salad of mixed baby greens. A spicy Asian aioli ties it all together. Simple, healthy and fresh.
Park Avenue Pub, 650 Park Ave., Rochester. 585-461-4140. – Laura Keeney
Restaurant 2 Vine proudly uses locally sourced foods in 90 percent of what it serves, changing the weekly menu based on what's available fresh. The first summer squash of the season brings a gorgeous fresh offering from Chef Gino Ruggiero's grill to your plate. Crisply blanched zucchini and summer squash are paired with grape tomatoes and the zesty flavors of fresh basil, parsley, mint, lemon and lime. Succulent grilled fresh salmon sits on top, along with a ladle full of tangy tomato cucumber gazpacho. It's sunshine on a plate.
Restaurant 2 Vine, 24 Winthrop St., Rochester. 585-454-6020. – Laura Keeney
A unique appetizer on the menu this summer at Virtu draws inspiration from across the pond. Chef Nicholas Willemsen's take on the classic British dish "Mushrooms and Toast" features fresh local asparagus, wild mushrooms and truffles. This eclectic combination is paired with egg, but with a twist: The egg is first poached, then quick-fried for a delicate crisp outer layer. All is lovingly placed on warm toast for a delicious dish that surprises with its complexity of flavors.
Virtu, 284 Exchange Blvd., Rochester. 585-454-6050. – Laura Keeney
The Social serves up tapas-style dishes with a focus on fresh and locally grown ingredients. For a seasonal addition to the menu, chef Jeremy Lawrence combines the best of several local farms' bountiful veggie harvest — much of it organic. Fresh arugula greens, brown sugar, lemon carrots, toasted pine nuts and roasted red peppers are sprinkled with bacon and crumbled goat cheese, then topped with a lemongrass vinaigrette. The combination is tangy, sweet and smoky, yet light and refreshing.
The Social, 330 East Ave., Rochester. 585-325-2010. – Laura Keeney
