ROC - ORBS

After several recommendations and begging about 90% of my Rochester friends to go, I finally made it to ORBS: Restaurant and Bar. It was delicious. 

LOCATION: 758 SOUTH AVE., ROCHESTER, NY 14620

Caitlyn is moving out of Rochester with her parents but she was in town for the night and asked if I wanted to go bouldering. Of course I agreed with the condition that we go out to dinner first. She agreed and we ended up at ORBS.

To start we ordered Bits and Pieces which was the sample appetizer plate. Nine 1oz meatballs of three varieties: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, Asian Beef Meatball, and Veggie Meatballs (Falafel, Kale, Chimichurri, and Tahini). I think Caitlyn and I both liked the buffalo chicken meatballs the most but it was a great plate to start. 

For the main course Caitlyn and I each got the Orbs Bowl which is 4meatballs with sauce and focaccia. We decided that we would get two different types of meatballs and share. Caitlyn ordered the Angus Beef in Marinara and I ordered the Chicken and Rice in Mushroom Gravy! We both had a great time and the food was wonderful. The marinara flavor was pretty strong which covered the flavor of the beef but I really enjoyed the chicken and rice meatballs. This place was so good and fun with good portions. We were starving so we ended up eating everything and it was perfect.  

CINCI - Hometown Adventures

Yesterday turned out to be the day I got a mini tour of Cincinnati: Cameron edition. I love that every time I'm here I stay with someone different because I keep getting shown completely different places which is just wonderful. 

Breakfast was TASTE OF BELGIUM, with a chill day at the house, then adventures with Cam to a quick drive by of Eden Park (an amazing view of the city even if I only got to see it from a distance in a slow moving vehicle), a day time drive through Mt.Adams, then the dinner stop at ELI'S BBQ.

LOCATION:  3313 RIVERSIDE DR., CINCINNATI, OH 45226.

One of the places Cam said he really wanted to take me because the bbq is just THAT good. We ended up at this little beat up place with a great atmosphere. A record player going on in the background playing Queen and all the walls lined with incredible drawings for sale. (I'm talking Ron Swanson and Yoda. SOLD!). The line moves pretty well through the warm day and we get to the two registers and the wonderful chalk board menu. Love. 

I order the pulled pork and cheesy macaroni per Cam's suggestion and throw in mashed potatoes as my second side, because once again, the potatoes always have me. 

The only downside to this place is that it's an hour wait for our food but believe me, its worth it. In the meantime we go outside where picnic benches are scattered around and we hang out and talk while we wait. People everywhere play cards, KAN JAM, toss footballs around, and frisbees fly in all directions. A couple sitting in my line of sight have a cooler for their bottle of red wine and the cutest dog chewing on a stick twice her size. Not even a little mad. 

Eventually, Cam gets hungry and heads over to the serving tent to check on our order and comes back with two baskets of food. 

It's wonderful. The cheesy mac is his favorite and when they say cheesy, they mean cheesy. I end up only eating about half of mine and giving him the rest because I happily overload on my tastebuds quota of cheese quickly. The mashed potatoes are fantastic and while they're crisp on top (which adds great flavor) the rest of it is the most perfect texture with tiny potato chunks hidden around. Now, the pulled pork is not even trying to cooperate with me and is a mess when I try to pick it up. Then I look up and Cam is there cutting into it with his fork and that's game over because in 30 seconds that pulled pork is in my belly making me warm and happy. I end up not being able to finish and having leftovers to bring home, but I'm not complaining because this is quality food made in a traditional homey way that I love. 

It's these little places that make me love trying food. I'm so happy to have a native show me where the good secret spots are because there's no way I would've known on my own! 

CINCI: Taste of Belgium

Here I am again in Cincinnati. Doing a college visit because I am that nerd that never wants to stop learning and I'm less than 4 months out of school and I'm wondering why I'm not in class right now. Masters Degree it is. 

So I'm here checking out schools and all of the guys I'm staying with unanimously decided that today, we are eating at the TASTE OF BELGIUM.

LOCATION: 1133-1135 VINE ST, CINCINNATI, OH 45202 (OTR)

Square because I'm a white girl that left her iPhone on the square setting without realizing it because I'm too obsessed with Instagram. 

We don't have this place in Rochester and the guys all say I HAVE to try the WAFFLE & CHICKEN. Which turns out to be this place's specialty. I've never had chicken and waffles before but I know its a big deal. I've seen it on menus but I've never had the desire to try it before. It was great. 

Cute little side salad, perfect little waffle with just enough maple syrup, and this perfectly fried piece of chicken with enough hot sauce to lightly coat most of the top. The waffle was crispy and cut-able with a fork, and honestly, this piece of chicken has to be one of the best pieces of chicken I've had in a while. Crispy on the outside, not too dry, and more than enough to satisfy me. Wonderful. 

Turns out Guy Fieri from Food Network has been here too because theres this cool little sign that he autographed right by the door. I'm a Food Network junkie easily too, and while Guy may not be my favorite, I'm sure he knows good food. So I'm pretty excited I've gotten to try this place. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza!

I finally tried it! I made my own cauliflower crust pizza and it turned out better than I thought. Jon gave me a recipe from Cooking Light magazine that he thought would work out well and I tried it and it was great. 

I only used half a head of cauliflower for the crust (thought the recipe called for a whole head) and put that in a food processor until it was the consistency of rice. I put that on parchment paper and baked it at 375F for about 25 minutes until it was golden brown stirring once during baking. While that was in the oven I sauted about a cup of mushrooms. When the cauliflower was done I combined it with about a teaspoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of basil, a pinch of pepper and salt, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 ounces of mozzarella cheese, 2 egg whites, and about a half a cup of shredded parmesan. I pressed the crust into a circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment and baked the crust at 450F for 25minutes or until it was browned. I took the pan out of the oven and topped with with my mushrooms, about half a tomato, a handful of spinach, 1/4 cup of basil, and a few slices of mozzarella. I baked it for about 10more minutes and voila! It was great. The crust held up pretty well and I think it could've been crispier if I flipped the crust while it was baking the first time to make sure more moisture was pulled from it but overall successful. 

It looked just like a pizza and was almost as satisfying without all the calories. Not that I'm going to replace actual pizza with this but it was a fun substitute for the night!  

ROC - The Red Fern

LOCATION: 283 OXFORD ST, ROCHESTER, NY 14607

Right on the corner of Oxford and Park, this restaurant is super cute with cross sections of tree stumps decorating the walls and a wrap around counter that fills the front half of this space. 

Sophia and I finally made the trip there and on a nice cool day like today, we decided to sit outside. Starting off, for a vegan restaurant, this place has a delicious looking menu that makes choosing very difficult. Both of us were stuck between a few choices (always good) and in the end Sophia ordered the Warrior Wrap and I got the Tofu Egg Sandwich!

My beautiful lunch date - still looking good with a semi full mouth!

Still not a fan of tofu but this sandwich was calling me and I couldn't say no to trying it. I was not disappointed. This sandwich has seasoned tofu, scallion cream cheese, roasted tomatoes, and balsamic field greens on focaccia. I'm also a chubby butt and added tempeh bacon and avocado spread. I'm glad I did. I got a side of field greens which also tasted awesome and in the end I was stuffed. Amazing. I would love to go back and try more off the menu, everything was pretty impressive and for being vegan, tasted completely not healthy for me (not that it was SUPER healthy in the end with all of my additions). 

Super excited to go back again one day. 

UPDATE 8/28/15 : 

Apparently 'one day' is soon because 3 days later I manage to drag Jon to Red Fern for my last lunch as his intern/assistant. We can't decide where to go for lunch, and Jon just throws out that he's looking for a salad - difficult because everywhere has salads. Red Fern is still on my mind so I throw it out there and attempt to be helpful for the first time this summer and he agrees - thought slightly reluctant. 

We come in around 1:30 and its still busy, quite a few full tables and people bustling around this little space. We get a seat and I say that we can share or not share but I AM DEFINITELY ordering the Pesto Zucchini Linguini (PZL). Jon wants to try it so he orders the Avocado Bacon Lettuce Tomato (ABLT) Sandwich and we share both. Adorable. The ABLT is great! Avocado spread, tempeh bacon, balsamic field greens, and roasted cherry tomatoes with a lemon 'vegenaise' on toasted sourdough. We inhale it. But the PZL.. this is where the magic is. Zucchini noodles that make Jon double check "There's no pasta in here?", a great pesto, roasted tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and kale parmesan. We eat while discussing how they manage to make zucchini noodles. They're round in diameter not flat.. french fry devices of sorts? But they spiral... a conundrum we are very interested in. 

It's a hit. Jon says he HAS to bring his wife back and he demands I be a good daughter and bring my mom because he thinks she'll love it, not that he's spent more than 5 minutes with my mom at a time. I'll run it by her. Maybe she'll go with me. 

I'm glad my last lunch with him was such a success. Perfect way to end the summer.