ROC - PI Craft

LOCATION: 100 MARKETPLACE DRIVE, ROCHESTER, NY 14623

Much like Pizzeria Favo, this place makes your own custom pizza right in front of you. They form your dough, add your toppings, and bake it in the oven right there! This place is pretty great tho. Cool atmosphere, fun graphics on the signs, and unlimited toppings which I'm totally down for! 

I decide on the Pi size which is a 13" x 6" pizza as opposed to their 12" round pizza. Then the toppings. I'm feeling like a veggie day so I just throw them all on. Pesto for my sauce, mozzarella cheese, artichokes, spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini. I miss the sign for arugula, and almost go for bacon or prosciutto but turns out they both cost extra and in the heat of the moment I chicken out on the extra couple of bucks.. I know.. I'm lame.. next time! They drizzle balsamic on top after they pull it from the rotating oven and this thing is great! Perfection if you ask me. 

Pretty happy for the pizza, love the unlimited toppings and all the choices. Clean and fun. Go Pi Craft! 

ROC - Eat. Drink. Roam.

My friends Jay and Chris love this place (probably because Chris' uncle owns it!) but because of them I've been dying to try it. What happens is, Rob decides he wants to go out to dinner again and likes to help me out by knocking things off my list so he takes a look and picks Roam Cafe.

Yes. 

LOCATION: 262 PARK AVE., ROCHESTER, NY 14607

We get there and this is a great space. Cosy decor and nice light. The bar is small but for park ave. it works well and the dining area is pretty grand. We get seated and our orders are taken and then they come. 

Turns out a wedding party is taking place there the night we decide to check it out. Three long tables full of people dressed quite nicely. Perfect for people watching. Only I'm kinda dumb and pick the seat that faces the wall. Smooth. 

Regardless, I talk Rob into splitting an arancini with me to start and then for dinner I get the full grilled beet and feta salad (with the addition of steak). After trying the arancini at Aunt Rosie's I'm kind of hooked. This one comes in, super hot, and covered in a red sauce. We cut into it to split and strings of hot cheese just pull everywhere. It's incredible. The rice gets a little crispy and sticky on the outside and I feel bits of it stuck to my teeth but that's something I get live with because this arancini is so good. Really happy for the order. The beet salad however, slightly fails to deliver. It's a dark salad when it comes out. Steak a little chewy for medium rare and not enough sunflower seeds in my opinion. The feta is a nice touch and the red wine tarragon vinaigrette is a nice touch but I'm not feeling it. The beets get kind of buried and it does grow on me a little as I near the end but I suppose my expectations were a little high and Roam kinda failed to deliver. The menu looks great with vegetarian dishes and paleo options but the food itself had minor issues that took away from the whole experience. Rob dislikes the ambiance and finds the place a little loud but what can you do with three tables of wedding party in the room. Would go back if I was asked but not on my list of high recommendations. We walked away giving it a 6.5. The owner was great and super nice, I just couldn't say I fell in love with this place.  

VA - Eden

On our family vacation to Virginia we decided to make a few stops on the way back. We basically splitting the trip into two days and are staying in Philadelphia for the night before trekking back home tomorrow, but on the way to Philly, my parents made sure to take a stop in this little asian shopping center in Virginia. Way too many jewelry stores but restaurant are on point and there was a giant grocery store dad was dying to get in to. 

First, we eat! We wander around and dad swears theres a restaurant his friend recommends that is supposed to be good but we can't find it so we wander into this place called VietRoyale.

LOCATION: 6767 WILSON BLVD., FALLS CHURCH, VA 22044

I was feeling like noodles but I'd had my traditional pho for the trip so I ordered a vermicelli noodles with beef and a fried spring roll. Such good flavors and the noodles hit the spot. The plate was just slightly sweet across the board which I wasn't a huge fan of. The beef was sweet, and once I mixed the noodles with the pickled carrots and radishes it was super sweet. Would've liked the meat to be a little more savory but the plate was still great. Good random find, but then again it always is. 

VA - Lynchburg, Virginia

Our adventure begins on a warm Wednesday morning; 9am.. so really it's a pretty late start for a road trip. My parents have a mutual friend they lost contact with about 15 or so years ago. He found them again after all this time, asked for some help with his new restaurant, and we were on our way. 10 hours later (the estimated time of traveling was 8.5hours...) we finally arrive in Lynchburg, Virginia. Cue the restaurant!

LOCATION: 20722 TIMBERLAKE RD, LYNCHBURG, VA 24502

Saigon Palace has been going pretty strong for about 2 years (or so that's what I've been told). The owner is my mom's 'foster brother' from their childhood days back in Vietnam. He's my late uncle's best friend, sharing the same name and I'm sure the same trouble making history. Turns out this guy is also the reason my parents met. Without him, I literally wouldn't be born. Thanks dude. 

10 hours in a car with my mom who likes to drive 62mph in a 65 zone the whole way, while my dad insists that the gps and lying - all over the sound of Vietnamese music blasting in the background. We arrive to salvation (kind of) and 'Uncle' Hung, as I call him, gives each of us a bowl of Pho Bo, or beef noodle soup. Now I'm more of a chicken soup kinda kid but I'm not one to complain, and pho is good no matter what protein is in it so I'm good to go. 

Obviously, I'm biased - but to me, this is a damn good bowl of pho; and I grew up eating pho quite often. Salvation in a bowl that fills you up every single time. This is home in a bowl.