SYR - Il Limone

We’ve made it to the end of the semester! And to celebrate, a bunch of us went out for a semester holiday lunch at Il Limone.

LOCATION: 7421 OSWEGO RD, LIVERPOOL, NY 13090

This is a super cute restaurant in a strip mall (makes perfect sense for central New York) that I’ve been told is a gem of an Italian restaurant. It’s not too big, family owned vibes, and it feels fun and casual. This was a great spot for our group and I’m never one to turn down pasta, even at lunch.

I decided to get the Chicken Riggies, a classic for the area and never a bad time. I’m not a huge fan of bell peppers, but luckily for me, this had huge chunks that were super easy to eat around. This portion was huge and I had enough leftover as well, even though it was de-licious! I don’t know that I would say that this felt like a super special - must stop restaurant, but if you’re in the area and want some solid Italian food, this is an easy win.

ROC - Taichi - Snowflake

I’m back and town at a trusty spot for a new menu item!

LOCATION: 1367 MT. HOPE AVE., ROCHESTER, NY 14620

Taichi is basically a Rochester staple at this point. I love that it started here and because of that, we get to try all the new menu items that they’re testing before they hit other markets including the new Snowflake which is basically a bingsoo style shaved ice. I’m in.

I’ve met up with bestie Julia for a dinner/dessert catch up and trying this new menu item was the key. As always, I’ve been keeping an eye on socials and saw that taichi is testing this out and I’ve never seen bingsoo anywhere in Rochester so I was pumped.

Julia and I each ordered our own snowflakes since they’re so customizable and we have different tastes for dessert. I got a coconut ‘snow flavor’ base with strawberry, mango, blueberry, and crystal boba. They offer up to 6 toppings included per order and I didn’t want to go too overboard or mix too many flavors so I went all fruit with the crystal bobas because I haven’t had it before and was really interested to try. I also got a condensed milk ‘dressing’ on top to add a little extra sweetness.

This dessert came out much bigger than we expected! This was the size of a full cereal/soup bowl - not one of those little guys you get at a froyo shop. We probably could’ve just shared one but snowflake is just shaved ice so it’s light and fluffy right? Let’s just say were were there for a while and more of it melted than necessary but it was a fun discovery.

Overall, I love having a new option to try and mixing and matching toppings always makes for a good time for everyone. Not sure that I’d eat an order solo again and I can’t say that I love a crystal boba, but for Rochester’s first bingsoo spot, I’m in.

SYR - The Halal Shack

I’m back a few weeks later to make good on my goal to try some new protein!

LOCATION: 303 UNIVERSITY PL, SYRACUSE, NY 13210

SCHINE STUDENT CENTER

Not the most groundbreaking development, but I did realize that I could order a half chicken/half beef combo and I think this is the one. Along with my standard rice bowl toppings from last time (rice, chickpeas, lettuce, red onions, cucumbers, mozzarella cheese, and the halal classic white sauce) I’ve tried the half and half and it was pretty solid. I do think the varying sizes between the chicken and beef is throwing me off a little but the beef itself is pretty salty so I think the addition of chicken helps mellow out that sodium content a little. Plus, it always feels better to me to have some variety so I don’t get tired of eating the same bite over and over.

Now, there aren’t a ton of other options for protein but I think there are a couple more to add into the mix if I feel like I need a switch up in the future - crispy chicken, hot bbq chicken (probably not the option for me), falafel, etc. so this could be a nice little side journey I have here behind the scenes but what I do know is, I’ll be back for sure.

The Halal Shack doesn’t feel heavy or greasy and I get two lunches out of it with the amount of scoops they’re giving here. I love an affordable, semi-healthy option for lunch (that’s not straight up salad - sorry to all my salad lovers out there) and I can’t deny that the proximity to my desk isn’t a factor in this either. Convenience really gets you far sometimes.

SYR - The Halal Shack

I’m getting settled in to my new position here at Syracuse University, and with a new job and a new work environment comes new places to eat! Cue The Halal Shack!

LOCATION: 303 UNIVERSITY PL, SYRACUSE, NY 13210

SCHINE STUDENT CENTER

Of course, I’ve eaten at The Halal Guys back in New York City as well as Chicago, so I was pretty excited to find The Halal Shack here right in the same building as my new desk. Of course, this isn’t the same franchise, but close is close enough, no complaints here - at least not until I give The Halal Shack a shot!

I had to do a build your our rice bowl of course, and I decided to go with chicken today along with chickpeas, lettuce, red onions, cucumbers, mozzarella cheese, and the halal classic white sauce. This is a pretty standard bowl for me with everything that I want and nothing extra (sorry tomatoes but you don’t quite make the cut) and I wasn’t disappointed.

I can’t say that this is a good as The Halal Guys but this isn’t a bad substitute for a college campus in central New York. I’m excited to go back and try a few other protein combos - I don’t know that chicken hits for me every time - but I think the rice bowl is my order and I’m super pumped that this meal is a stone throw away from my office. Things are looking up here in Syracuse!

ROC - Mochinut

ROC - Mochinut

I’ve been DYING to go here since I heard of their opening back in March and I’ve finally made it!

LOCATION: 544 JEFFERSON RD., ROCHESTER, NY 14623

I’ve been really wanting to try a Korean corndog and while I’ve been able to find frozen varieties, none of them come with outer toppings like potatoes which is key to this experience. I’ve also been so excited to try a mochi donut as I’ve seen them online and in youtube videos but haven’t seen a place that actually offers them in Rochester before this. Of course I’ve been to Rochester a few times since this place opened but I was initially waiting for the hype to die down a little because I’ve seen them all over social media and everyone has been saying the lines are super long and wrap around the building outside (granted it’s not a huge space indoors but still, that’s a lot of hype!) I’ve also been in Rochester with Caleb and he’s not a fan of hotdog/corndogs so I feel bad dragging him to a place where he can’t eat. However, this weekend is a solo trip and I’ve called in reinforcements to finally hit up Mochinut!

Julia has already scoped the place out with her husband Dan and told me she wanted to come back with me so we’ve started our adventure! We decided to get to Mochinut right at 11am to try to beat the rush. We ended up arriving a little early and there was already another car in the parking lot also waiting for them to open but aside from that, we were set to get in there as soon as the clock struck. We actually noticed a gentleman go in then the car next to us with two older women got out and entered right around 11 so we took that as our cue to go! I took a quick look at the case as they filled in the fresh donut flavors and Julia convinced me to get 1 donut, 1 ‘corn’ dog, AND a bubble tea. She is my true supporter to indulge and try it all. I love her. Thus, my plan was laid to get one of each item. I decided to go with the Milk (fruity) Pebble mochi donut, my classic Mango Fruit Tea with boba, and a Potato half & half hotdog. Go big or go home.

I was given my donut right away but there was a wait for my bubble tea and hotdog so after Julia finished her simpler order at the digital kiosk we went to sit down at one of the tables for the adjoining Seafood Harbor restaurant that’s currently under construction. It’s kind of a weird set up that there’s a full restaurant thats connected to Mochinut. I feel like it’ll be a little bit of an issue once the restaurant is open since Mochinut doesn’t really have seating for patrons. As soon as we ordered the line was already cramped up against the door too so it was a quick fill that I foresee being problematic.

Anyways, Julia convinced me that I should at least try my mochi donut while we were waiting. It might as well be a sweet starter to begin brunch. I took one bite and it was really sweet. It was a little oily which was disappointing and it honestly just tasted like a soggy funnel cake with frosting. The fruity pebbles helped give it more texture but I only managed a couple bites before needing a break from the sweetness. I understand why Julia didn’t order one and why her husband might not have wanted to come with us. She mentioned they had a couple when the went for the first time and made the same funnel cake comparison. It wasn’t really noticeably chewier than a funnel cake type of thing but it was more oily than I expected.

Not long after I tried my donut we got our drinks which came in a cute plastic ‘can’ with their logo stickered on and even had that can tab opening. Very fun in design but the opening of a can is barely enough room to fit a bubble tea straw through. Julia also lucked out with the kiosk and substituted her boba for lychee jelly which is honestly what I really wanted. Tips for next time, the kiosk leads to greater customization. This was a standard bubble tea and it wasn’t terribly special but satisfies the bubble tea craving.

A little later we got called up to get our hot dogs, the who reason for the trip! I was super excited and it came in a cute little box with a slot for the corndog stick. Julia wanted to come back with me so she could try the flaming hot cheetos corn dog and I convinced her to also go with the half & half so we could really have the whole experience of variety. This was a mistake. Important Lesson: don’t take menu advice from someone who’s never eaten at the establishment. We were already disappointed that these Korean corndogs aren’t coated in sugar like the original versions are but I’m just happy this isn’t a cornbread batter because I’m not a fan of cornbread in general. Instead, they’re typically made with a rice flour batter giving it a different texture and of course a different flavor. Unfortunately, the corndog was also very oily and my potatoes, while crispy, were also oil logged and so sad. The top of the corndog, the cheese half, was SO HARD to get through because the heavy combination of oil and dairy. Julia and I both hit a wall before we even made it to the hotdog half of our corndogs and were considering giving up. Instead, we took a small break just to talk and digest a little while trying to wash the oil down with our bubble tea. Eventually, we got back to the second half of our corndogs and it was a much better balance. Still oily but the meatiness of the hot dog halves made them much more enjoyable to finish off which made us realize that it would’ve been a better decision to just get a full hotdog. So many lessons learned for the future.

All in all, I’m not even sure I would go back. While there’s a great variety of flavors on their menu, everything was so heavy and oily it wasn’t enjoyable. I felt sick from the amount of sugar when I ate less than half of my mochi donut, and it was a battle to finish the Korean corndog. It was disappointing and while I’m not sworn off either of these foods, I don’t think this place represented either menu item well at all. After the excitement I felt in getting to try both of these things for the first time, it was such a let down. The only good thing about going was getting to spend time with one of my best friends. Fingers crossed for future trials of these things, somewhere else.