ROC - La Casa

While La Casa wasn't on my list (not saying all restaurants I frequent need to be) this place has been recommended to me several times by various people and I've finally made it. 

Sophia has been trying new places lately and in turn has been recommending them to me, aka giving me a reason (and a buddy) to go with. So while Julia was in town for the weekend, Sophia and I decided it was about time we had a meal with the three of us together like old times. Then we decided that it was about time that Julia met Sophia's new boy Tyler so might as well make it a party at La Casa. 

LOCATION: 93 ALEXANDER ST., ROCHESTER, NY 14620

La Casa is a cute little house turned into a restaurant per Rochester style. It's bright and colorful on the outside making it super cute and fun. We were also seated next to this big cliche buffalo like skull on the wall. (Is that the right animal? What roamed the deserts of America?) 

Anyhow, Julia and I arrive first and of course they bring out a bowl of warm chips and salsa for us to start while we wait and look over menus. When Sophia and Tyler arrive, we've already decided the homemade guacamole to start is a must. I personally thought it was a great guac but Julia mentioned that it was a little too citrus-y and she's one of those people that thinks cilantro taste like soap so.. not so bueno. 

We all order and it turns out Tyler and I have similar taste because we both order the Tres Puercos Tacos but of course, before I can get too excited about us being lunch buddies and ordering the same thing he goes and spoils it by being a boy (I forget what he said but it negated our lunch buddy-ness and I'm just now continuing speaking terms with him :P) This is a plate of two tacos of carnitas, chorizo, and bacon - all things I can get behind - with caramelized onions and cheese on a corn tortilla. It came with a little side salad of dressed lettuce and tomatoes and whatnot which were really really good. I only managed to eat half of the plate but Tyler ate all of his and we were both pretty happy with the choice in the end. 

ROC - Victoire (and Poutine)

LOCATION: 120 EAST AVE, ROCHESTER, NY 14604

I have returned to Victoire with Uly on our quest for poutine. Poutine is our bonding food and Uly is in town for a few days so this trip is a long time coming. I typed poutine into Yelp and Victoire was the list so off we go! 

First off Uly is pretty excited about the draft list and while I place the order for the duck confit poutine right away he scans the list and ends up with something to do with a golden monkey of sorts. Aight. After this is all out of the way, we decide to split calamari only Victoire has run out of calamari so instead we venture into the sandwich part of the lunch menu and decide to split the Bison Meatloaf sandwich. He's never had bison, I've never had bison, lets go. 

First off, the poutine is great. I think I miss out on any traces of actual duck but I'm not that sad because the cheese curds, the green onions, and the gravy they use is on point today. I also still love the texture and flavor of the french fries at Victoire and was not upset that the Bison Meatloaf Sandwich came with a side of fries.

The sandwich was pretty solid. Bison is pretty meaty and tasted fairly lean. It came with lettuce, tomato, and was glazed with dijon on sourdough bread which I love and was a good choice. Perfect amount of food for the two of us, reasonable price, mellow atmosphere, a great choice in the end. 

Buckeyes!!!

Buckeyes have been a new dessert for me but I suppose with as much traveling as Ive done to Cincinnati this year (especially for someone who has no family or SO in Ohio) this was bound to happen. For those of you who don't know, a buckeye dessert is basically a peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate. It's that simple.

For 'friendsgiving' I've decided that buckeyes would be the perfect contribution to a night of eating and drinking with friends because they're such a crown pleaser and super easy to make! (Also, a wonderful gluten free choice for a party where the host herself is gluten intolerant and guests have mild ciliacs.)

I've never made these suckers before but my last visit to Cinci, Megan made some for her work's cookie exchange, and seeing how simple the process was, I decided to take on the task myself! I looked up a couple of online recipes and made some personal modifications and got to work.

In a large bowl, I softened 2 sticks of butter then added in 1.5 cups of peanut butter along with a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and slowly stirred in about 3 cups of powdered sugar. I used additional powdered sugar to keep the mixture from sticking to my hands or my spoon and scooped and rolled 1tbsp worth of the peanut butter mixure into a ball and placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They went into the freezer for about an hour then I pulled them out and began dipping them in chocolate. I melted about a cup of chocolate at a time and went through a 12oz bag of chocolate for maybe around 30 or so buckeyes (I forgot to actually count..sorry!!) I picked up each peanut butter ball with a toothpick and swirled them around in the chocolate, put them back in the freezer for another 40 minutes while I got ready and tried to wash the smell of peanut butter off my hands and put them in a container for the party! 

These are a big hit and easy for everyone to eat. Simple to make with few ingredients and fun if you don't mind getting a little peanut buttery. These may just be my go to treat to share for awhile!  

CINCI - Terry's Turf Club

Here I am again in Cincinnati. It's slowly becoming another home to me. My new NYC. I'm visiting my friend Megan and I brought her boyfriend up with me and we're having an adventure. Spring Break part 2 plus Jeff. 

Well Megan's step-mom asked if we wanted to meet up wit the grown ups for dinner tonight because she wanted to try out Terry's Turf Club. We agreed. Today was Cincinnati Museum Center day so at 5 we met up for dinner. 

First off let me say that this place is not difficult to spot. We were following the gps looking for this place and we round the curb and immediately know that we've arrived.

LOCATION: 4618 EASTERN AVE, CINCINNATI, OH 45226

This place is completely covered in neon signs inside and out so you can spot it from a mile away which is kind of perfect. Sitting inside is like being at a carnival, lights everywhere and signs from older days where root beer cost a dime and you could get pie for 40cents. Cozy on the inside and packed with people, you can tell this is a popular semi locals kinda place and that's kind of what I love about it the most. 

In terms of food, this place isn't anything incredible. Peanuts on the table and the floor lined with a coat of peanut shells. Burgers are the specialty so we make our move. I actually order the same thing as Megan's step-mom making my ordering processes easy ('I'll have what she's having'). I end up with a burger with a portobello mushroom, lettuce, swiss cheese, and burgundy wine with wild mushroom and truffle sauce and a side of french fries. The fries are a little too salty, and the burgundy wine sauce is strong. The portobello mushroom just soaked in all the wine. The bread is a ciabatta type bread and the mushroom/swiss cheese combo just makes it slip right out of the bread. Let's just say it's not a super clean meal and I was definitely not cute eating it but it was a good time. 

Overall, it's a good meal. It's filling but nothing completely out of the ordinary. A good burger for a good price in a really cool, fun looking place. So in terms of quality its average, but in terms of setting and ambiance it gets an A when it comes to quirky-ness. I love the look and feel of this place which is the whole point of checking it out and I'm pretty happy we got to go. 

ROC - Voula's Greek Sweets

Voula's is one of the small hidden gems of Rochester that everyone recommends to me but I've never been to, until now that is! 

LOCATIONS: 439 MONROE AVE, ROCHESTER, NY 14607

Sophia texted me recently and demanded that we go because she'd gone and it was great and I'm not one to turn down a lunch date especially when I've never been to the restaurant before. Thus, we venture around Monroe Ave turning into an unmarked side street/driveway that leads to Voula's.

This place is semi-busy which is to be expected around lunch time on this street but we're seated almost immediately. Sophia and I decide what we want and I end up ordering Spanakopita with a side of Lemon Potatoes. 

Now before I discuss the food, I will say that it took an exorbitant amount of time for the food to get to us and the waitress wasn't the best at checking back. We sat there quite hungry and slightly neglected for 40 or so minutes until Sophia overheard the waitress tell a nearby table that there was a slight problem with the oven but that food would be ready in about 10 more minutes. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't have to get back to work and that Sophia didn't have a time sensitive test running back at the lab. 

Anyhow, the food finally came after almost an hour and I will say that it was extremely delicious food. The spanakopita was flakey and crisp with a nice warm filling and the most super flakey crust I've ever had. The filling was a little heavy but I ate the whole thing without batting an eye lash. Of course, I'm a huge potato fan so I was pretty excited about these lemon potatoes because I've actually never had potatoes prepared with lemon juice and I was pleasantly surprised. Of course I love lemons too so the tart flavor mixed with the starchiness of the potatoes was a great combination for me. Sophia tried one but generally isn't a potato person and concluded that they were alright which was fine by me. On top of the spanakopita I couldn't quite finish everything but I was pretty close. 

The only thing was that we were both so full we didn't have room for one of the delicious looking deserts in the case so we'll have to make a trip back (darn! :P). Overall, great food, okay service. Maybe next time we'll stop for a small snack and have better luck with time.