Ciao Ling

Cool! She actually ranks Assumption Abbey as #1, though she does write that Gethsemani is her favourite (and is also the fruitcake of her childhood, so that could, in part, be why it's her favourite). I like that she even tried Hickory Farms fruitcake. Now that's dedication! She ranks Our Lady of Guadalupe above Collins Street. My mother says, so it seems they might have similar tastes. Next year I'll have to do Assumption Abbey, Gethsemani, and Holy Cross Abbey--the three of which are ranked above OLG and CS. Jaymes--I loved your writing! And I love that your grandmother added even more alcohol to an already alcohol-laden fruitcake! I think your grandmother and my mother would get along famously! ← I read a blurb on Chowhound about a non-profit group in North Carolin: "Women Helping Other Women" which makes fruitcakes. Their Website shows the cakes which appear more fruit laden and less nutty- a little less traditional. They all sound appealing. I am will be giving them a try: the Berries N Cherries N Nuts and The Chocolate Berries cakes. Nothing like eating fruitcake for a good cause!

There is a fruitcake blog on the web that has quite a number of reviews and pictures of the cakes already mentioned called Mondofruitcake. She seems to like Gethsemani the best.

Owen, thanks for the Syracuse tips. I will be sure to try them.

People have mentioned both Seoul Garden and Korea House and I have enjoyed both. I just read on the Rochester Wiki of Young's. It says the head chef of Seoul Garden opened his own place. Have any egulleters tried it? On to a different ethnic cuisine, I recently saw a Food Network Bobby Flay throwdown of Cuban Roast Pork. The Mojo marinated pigs were roasted in a Caja China. Sometimes one gets a hankering for crispy pig skin and dam the lipid profile. Occasionally I'll get Chinese roast pork at Dac Hoa when I need a crispy pig skin fix. Any places in Rochester for the Cuban variety short of hosting your own pig roast?

Not really Upstate NY- but pretty close (just across the border in Canada), my wife and I had a lovely lunch at Treadwell Cuisine in Old Port Dalhousie. Just under a 2 hour trip west from Rochester. I posted the visit on a specific Treadwell thread:Treadwell Farm to Table

My wife and I stopped at Treadwell for lunch on the way to Inn on the Twenty in Jordan for a weekend trip out of Rochester, NY. I checked egullet when we got back and I agree with all your posts. We only went for lunch but it was fabulous. I took a couple of quick pics which best do justice: We shared the House Made Gnocchi appetizer: "Walpole's" Cabernet flour gnocchi with fall mushrooms, truffle oil, Ermite Bleu. My wife had the Chips & Fish: Cream ale battered whitefish & hand-cut Yukon chips, bearnaise sauce. Some people don't care for mackerel. I am not one of those and the Treadwell preparation was excellent. Pan fried mackerel filet with warm potato salad & "Koslik's" triple crunch mustard. The unctuousness from the runny yolk of the poached egg atop the filet was spot on. The winelist is essentially of Ontario wines with which I have little experience. I have not been a great fan of most Fingerlakes wines except for the rieslings and the occasional ice wine. Because of the similar climates, I didn't expect much from the Ontario vinifera attempts. The sommelier is very knowlegeable. My wife had an niagara viognier & I a local pinot, both of which were quite well done. The location in Old Port Dalhousie on a canal off of Lake Ontario was enchanting. The service was also attentive. They have a nice small lounge with leather chairs opposite the bar where you can also have small plates. Well worth a drive from Rochester for a future visit!

I have been reading with great interest how it's not just the gin, but premium tonics that can make a great G&T with tastings of Fever Tree, Q Tonic, and Stirrings, comparing to the old stand-by Schweppes or even Canada Dry. I am in upstate New York and read that Fever Tree was just only getting to the coasts. I checked on-line and Bevmo has it out of stock. Well I couldn't believe it when I saw it on the shelf at our local grocery store Wegman's! Tonight I had G&T with Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength and Fever Tree tonic ($:1 ratio)- I can certainly say they make a great marriage.

PIZZA tonight. While in Rochester, Veneto is probably one of the best places for a good wood fired pie (although for eating-in the waits can sometimes be horrendous), but for eat-in or take out pizza on the east side of Rochester, I suggest trying <a href="http://www.sliceofnapa.com/">Slice of Napa</a> in Victor. My wife and I hadn't gone there since they changed over to a wood fired oven instead of the rotisserie commercial oven they used to have. The pizza was good then but not necessarily worth the drive time. Since the wood fired oven, the pizza definitely has taken a step up in quality since the last time we were here. The pizzas are thin crust with a slight chew. You can fold it like a Neo-Neopolitan pie, not as crisp a crust as a true Neopolitan or Roman crust. The oven particularly the deck is probably not as hot as those in the true Neopolitan tradition as the pizzas take several more minutes to cook than the blazing 800 degree ovens that give the crust char and leoparding that pizza aficionados are often after. Nonetheless, far and away better than any chain.

We went back to Lento tonight. The food was still solid but not as spot on as the first time. The first time, my wife had the chicken which despite its simplicity amazed me for the flavor that can come only produce and meats from local farms. Ditto for my maple brined pork chop that night. Tonight I ordered the lamb three ways. My lamb chops were again of the finest quality. I ordered them medium but they were clearly rare (I didn't quibbe because I like them that way as well). The lamb Merguez sausage was good but to my taste could have had a little more grill char. Whoever prepared the dish this evening also had a slightly heavy hand with the salt cellar and I am a person that appreciates well seasoned food as I think many restaurants don't taste their food enough and underseason. The staff was quite attentive but some still need need more experience. It was a little unusual that after we devoured a wonderful caramelized onion focaccia of the day, a wait person came by and asked if we were done with bread so as to take our bread plates away instead of asking if we would like more (as our wait person did the first evening). We still like this restaurant quite well and will come again. I have recommended it as a place to try to friends as we believe Rochester needs a restaurant that emphasizes seasonal local produce. I think they are off to a great start. Some fine tuning in the kitchen and staff over the next several months will probably smooth things.

Must be good if you're putting it in the same sentence as the Max - will have to give it a look see. ← We're going back and if it is consistent, it may be a winner. The Insider had a recent blurb: <a href="http://www.rochesterinsider.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/INSIDER1310/707200314/1198/INSIDER13">Rochester Insider</a>

Another great restaurant overlooking Seneca Lake is Suzanne's. My wife and I had a terrific meal there last year and I recently recommended it to a fellow Rochesterian who is a New York restaurantophile. He was thoroughly enchanted by both the food, gracious service, and view. http://www.suzannefrc.com/

My wife and I recently had a wonderful meal at Lento Restaurant in the Village Gate: www.lentorestaurant.com. The chef owner Arthur Rogers' bio is on their website as well. His stint at Primo, Melissa Kelly's restaurant in Rockland Maine is evident in the food here. This is local seasonal produce presented as sophisticated comfort food if there is such a genre. In fact, he is briefly mentioned in Michael Ruhlman's "The Reach of a Chef" as an unflappable line cook at Primo during his tenure there before getting married and returning to his hometown in Rochester. The Village Gate spot has been home to a series of restaurants, BBQ, Greek, Greek/Italian. The interior has been redone and the vibe suits the food. Here is hoping that the next meals will be as good as the first. This may become one of our favorites which include established restaurants such as Max at Eastman and 2vine.