NYC - Oh! Taisho

Made another trip to New York City this time with my friend Michael to visit a few of our friends who moved there recently (aka after graduation). 

I'm staying with my friend Zoe and for dinner tonight she decided on Japanese (because my list for NYC is quite short - but its better that way; more exploring!). We headed to St. Marks Place in Manhattan and walked up and down the street while Karie was on her way. We ended up chosing a little restaurant called Oh! Taisho that Zoe's been to before and said was good. It was. 

LOCATION: 9 SAINT MARKS PL, NEW YORK, NY 10003

We ordered Party Plate A as an appetizer aka skewers of 5 different types of meat (chicken which was a little dry, gizzards, pork skin, pork belly, and beef). I think that was right... Then we ordered a plate of duck to share which was fresh and the perfect amount of fatty and just mouth watering. And then we each ordered a bowl of ramen. Karie and I got the house ramen while Zoe got the version that was the house plus more spicy-ness.  

I only managed a pic of the ramen. The mean platters weren't too impressive looking and we were too hungry for me to attempt at a shot of it. Sometimes eating is more important. 

And boy do we eat. I swear the three of us together results in someone being hungry at all times. We walk around as the three petite little asians that people don't really know what to expect but man do we pack it in. Zoe and I slammed our parts of the meal down really quick. Karie takes time to catch up but she always ends up on par so it works out. Separately we are all super conscious about how much we eat and trying to stay healthy but together, no food is safe. 

ROC - Return to ButaPub

LOCATION: 315 GREGORY ST, ROCHESTER, NY 14620

I mentioned that I would be going back to ButaPub for dinner and that I did!! 

Sophia and I are honestly a little obsessed with this place now and may or may not continue to go back for lunch dates. 

Dinner was delicious. I got a text mid day from Sophia saying she looked at the dinner menu and was beyond psyched. That made two of us. Our friend Julia also came with us  and was less than amused. She said from now on we should just come to ButaPub without her. Apparently this place is very hit or miss. Opinions, opinions. 

We sat down and after looking over the drinks menu all three of us decided on the "Yulia". Partly because it sounded really good and partly because it was named after Julia. What an easy choice. It had tequila, solemo blood orange, amaretto, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, and was topped with a lemon peal. Super tart and citrus-y. Go tequila! 

For dinner I got to have my Oyako poutine - meant as a side dish to share but no one gets between me and my potatoes so YOLO it's dinner. This was a really good poutine. Fries with a chicken confit, kimchi, melty cheese curds, gravy, and of course a wonderful fried egg on top. My egg could have been runnier but overall it all mixed well together. Again, quite salty, which seems to be the tradition for ButaPub but worth it. Drink. More. Water!!

Sophia went the complete opposite direction than me and got a healthy bowl of quinoa with and egg (hers was actually nicely runny) avocado, tofu, and whatever healthy stuff you wanna throw on that. She was in love and in all honestly I really want to try that next time because the bowl looked so good. Next time ButaPub.. Next time.. 

Julia ordered Korean BBQ Bulgogi Tacos. They looked pretty cute and good. Not her favorite but it's pretty clear her tastes are different than mine so I might give that a shot on day.

Looks like ButaPub may be the place to frequent. At least for me and Sophia!  

ROC - Pizzeria Favo

That's right.. I spent all of yesterday eating pizza. And I feel gross yet satisfied. Don't worry, I went for a run last night. Pizza overload.

My little baby cousins are in town from Long Island so yesterday after work I went and met them for a movie with my Rochester cousin Kristie. We saw Inside Out, went to the playground, then they previously planned to get pizza for dinner. But I had pizza for lunch. I had the biggest slice of pizza for lunch. Failure. 

LOCATION: 3400 MONROE AVE, PITTSFORD, NY 14618

Still, the four of us ended up at Pizzeria Favo in Pittsford. This pizza, was quality. They roll out the dough fresh right in front of you, brush on the sauce, and add your toppings then cook it in the brick oven right there. Perfect. Kristie got a pesto pizza with extra veggies (because veggies are unlimited apparently!), we let the two little kids split a pizza half pepperoni, half cheese, and I got the Vodka Sauce Pizza. It was amazing. I've never thought to throw Vodka Sauce on pizza before even though I'm a fan of it on pasta. Stealing the idea. My pizza had mozzarella cheese, mini meatballs, mushrooms, and peas. My mouth is watering. It was such a great little personal pizza for a pretty good price. The girl making my pizza skimped out on one side of my pizza and ended up putting all the toppings on very lop-sidedly. I'm fairly certain she was new because the other girls making pizza kept trying to make the pizzas before she could get to it. That's okay! The pizza was still good so no harm, no foul. Would definitely come back to this place. It's like Chipotle for pizza! What's not to love. 

ROC - Jitter's Cafe

LOCATION: 3333 WEST HENRIETTA RD, ROCHESTER, NY 14623

For several years I've been meaning to get to this coffee shop around the corner from RIT all for a slice of pizza. Second year of school, my then boyfriend sent me a picture of a slice of pizza one late night. But this was no ordinary pizza (okay well maybe it was but not completely). He calmly send me this picture of a slice of pizza that was a fair bit larger than his already big hands. I had to try it. What place makes an average round pizza that produces slices bigger than your head?? 

Apparently Jitter's does. This place has been on my food list ever since I got that picture from then boyfriend and two-ish years later I finally made it! It was not easy either. Their hours have changed but no one told the internet because I kept showing up when it was supposedly open and the place was closed and I had no idea what was going on. It happens. But today was a super solo lunch day (so happy to have Jon come back tomorrow! Buddies are nice). So I quickly swung by Jitter's, got a slice of cheese pizza to go, and was set for lunch. This was a no joke kinda pizza either. I'm glad to say two years later, a slice of this pizza is still bigger than my head. I'm pretty happy. In terms of flavor it wasn't anything too special. Super crispy thin crust pizza but the size is what makes it a little more special. I'm happy I finally go to go! 

ROC - Nox.

LOCATION:  302 N GOODMAN STREET, ROCHESTER, NY 14607

My friend Victoria just turned 22 and for her birthday she invited a handful of us still in town to get drinks last night at a bar called Nox. Already this should be a tip off that this a pretty interesting bar because it's referencing Harry Potter. The nerd in me is geeking out. 

Victoria told me about this bar when I went to see her over spring break and it was a pretty awesome concept. This bar just references tons of book/movie series with geeky fan followings. The bar is made up of a wall that resembles a giant wooden bookshelf - including sliding ladder. There a photographs and images on the wall that reference doctor who and the front vestibule area has a victorian wall that is set up in the style of BBC's Sherlock. The whole menu is like this too, with drinks and snacks titled after famous quotes and geeky references to so many things. 

Honestly most of the references went over my head, showing that I'm really not that huge of a geek, but that's okay. There's a little something for everyone. I ended up ordering a drink called the Hufflepuff. It had a winter wheat vodka, peach liqueur, gentiane aperitif, ginger liqueur, fresh lemon, and fresh muddles blueberries. It was kinda tangy and sharp but overall a pretty good drink. Looking at this menu took a lot of brainpower for me. Every drink is hand crafted and super complex. Then throw a reference on top of it and honestly I probably could've had a night long conversation with everyone just about the cocktails menu alone. 

One of the guys there last night also ordered some poutine that he very kindly shared. Of course it was called 'It's a Trap' which I just enjoyed on it's own. The fact that it was poutine just made it perfect and I'm glad he ordered it. It was an order of amazing hand cut fries that were the perfect texture and had an incredible seasoning to it, a smoked gouda cream sauce, and of course bacon on top. Good food.

Honestly, I liked the feel of this place and with good company it's always a win. The menu is just a little bit too complicated for me and kind of a level of hipster/underground/geeky that I cannot keep up with. The drinks are very much like that and while they are really cool and specially made, I think I'm happy drinking a little more simply. Great bar and awesome concept though. I'm glad I got to try it out.