ROC - Aunt Rosie's Cafe and Bistro

Megan is back in town!!!! And this means I have a lunch buddy even when my regular lunch buddies are away or busy. So, she agreed to have lunch with me and I gave her my list to see if she liked anything and she chose Aunt Rosie's! 

LOCATION: 350 EAST MAIN ST. ROCHESTER, NY 14606

Aunt Rosie's is this cute place right in the middle of the city which a clean open feel and great space. Of course we got there and the whole place was full of business professionals on their lunch breaks which was slightly hilarious to us, but I supposed for the day I am one of them! 

First off I ordered the daily aranchini as an appetizer for the two of us to share. For being a fried rice ball, it was super light and fresh. They made it with citrus and fresh herbs, topped lightly with cheese. It was a fantastic combination and the flavor was super clean and mild which was actually really cool. As a main course Megan ordered a chicken panino and I got wild mushrooms in polenta with parmesan topped with a fried egg. I swear - anything topped with a fried runny egg is my kind of dish. It was beautiful. The flavors were so fresh and clean and I loved the rich wild mushroom flavor. I'm not sure that I've ever tried polenta so this was my chance and it has a pretty neutral flavor but a slightly grainy texture. Honestly, I'm feeling I'm more of a mashed potatoes texture kinda person. At least I tried! 

Megan and I both agreed - cute place, good food, go us. Proud of our decision!  

ROC - Vive!

LOCATION: 130 EAST AVE, ROCHESTER, NY 14604  

Totally vegetarian, organic, no preservatives, house made everything. This is Vive. This week for lunch Sophia agreed to head to Vive with me and try it out. A little farther than we usually venture for lunch but that's okay! Sophia is always super excited to go out no matter where I choose to eat so getting a text every week that the menu looks delicious is wonderful.

The place was a little empty when we arrived. Lots of tables and pretty decor. Service was iffy with the absent hostess at first but once we got their attention and were seated, everything was smooth sailing. They have special lemon/lime infused water thats complementary for the day but we go with normal water and feel just as refreshed! 

I ordered a garden veggie socca pissa aka a chickpea crust pizza with a fantastic tomato sauce, spinach with a parmesan spread, and fried zucchini on top. Great flavors but the crust tasted a little overcooked to me and while the tomato sauce was flavorful and kept the crust moist, the end crust was pretty dry and super crispy. Overall it was an alright pizza and I'm glad I tried the chickpea crust! Pretty cool. 

Sophia get a salad called the forager that was a crazy combo of mushrooms that looked pretty incredible though a little small (says the girl who only ate half of the personal pizza anyways). 

Overall, a pretty cute, nice place to eat. Great if your a vegetarian because there's so many interesting choices. I'm not a huge fan in the end. Not sure I would make a second trip back if it was up to me, but I also wouldn't mind going back if someone else wanted to. I supposed this place left me feeling pretty neutral but don't worry ButaPub, you're still our current favorite.  

Pa-Ner-AAAAAAAAAA

Apparently I'm a grown up and I like salad now. Who knew! But Megan just mentioned that there is an awesome Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad that was around for the summer and that she loved. Of course these things are like a challenge to me. I had to try it. I had the day off and I was just running errands so I made Panera a stop and picked up a half salad with a baguette. It was awesome. This salad had everything; chicken, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and  pecans, on romaine lettuce with the poppyseed lettuce. I'm a major fruit kid and love almost all fruits so this salad was a home run. Definitely going to make Panera one of my stops again.

Also, funny side note - I got my salad to go and ate it at home and right as I sit down a Panera commercial comes onto the TV. Great timing Panera but I'm one step ahead of you!   

ROC - Mise en Place

Sophia is my wonderful summer lunch buddy 2015 because we had yet another lunch together. It's becoming a weekly thing, which I love. 

LOCATION: 683 SOUTH AVE, ROCHESTER, NY 14620

This week we went to a little market/shop/cafe called Mise en Place. Her mom took her there and Sophia enjoyed it so I had to give it a try with her. It was great. I was super pumped because they have a Jumbo Roasted Beet Salad and I haven't had beets in forever. A craving I didn't realize I had. 

So I ordered the beet salad which has roasted beets, mixed greens, goat cheese, walnuts, and an herb vinaigrette. I added chicken on top for a little extra and it was all wonderful. I was stuffed in the end but there were so many beets I could've died of a beet overdose. Perfection. I would go back just for the salad. 

Sophia got a Jalapeno Pepper burger that she was eyeing when she came with her mom and was equally satisfied. I like this little place. A lot. 

UPDATE: It's Wednesday and Jon has kindly told me (at 12:15) that I'm on my own for lunch. No buddies to eat with me this last minute but Mise en Place will be my friend. I drove over and ordered tempura battered vegetables. Best last minutes decision ever. I'm so happy right now just munching away. Mise en Place is becoming a lifesaver.

Not too heavy or greasy, I'm finding myself digging around for the carrots because they haven't fallen apart quite as much as the zucchini. Broccoli is pretty good but not my favorite. This dipping sauce, awesome - though I'm wishing I didn't sqeeze so much lemon on top because it's becoming overwhelming on all the light veggie tastes. Now I know! 

NYC - Ichabod's

This was our last night in NYC before the drive home tomorrow morning so Seth decided we should have a nice dinner out together. He, Fernando, Karie, Zoe, and I all wandered around Union Square and looked for a good place to eat. Seth narrowed it down and said he wanted an American restaurant for some steak. Solid. And this we ended up at Ichabod's.

LOCATION: 15 IRVING PL, NEW YORK, NY 10003 

Seth and Fernando each got the steak. Zoe ordered fried oysters to start and then a pork shoulder dish as her main, and Karie and I each got the special Squid Ink Pasta with shrimp, squid, and scallops. 

It. Was. Incredible. I've always wanted to try a squid ink pasta but have never had the guts to do it. Turns out it doesn't taste too different. The pasta was slightly saltier...maybe... and it was a little softer but that's about it. The seafood in this dish was perfect. The shrimp wasn't over cooked, the squid wasn't too chewy, and the scallops (which were my favorite part) had this incredible flavor to them. I'm so happy we ended up here and that this was their special. Here's to trying new dishes. It's basically my motto anyways isn't it?