• Halal Chicken Over Rice, with Extra Chicken
• Beef Al Pastor With Rice, Salad, Pita Bread, White Sauce

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from ChickMex Grill, located at 520 Lee Road right in the UB North Campus, where they serve their own take on Middle Eastern and Mexican cuisine.

Please let your friends know about NOMINATE! We have some more amazing restaurants coming up and appreciate the support so we can keep this up. If you have any spots that would be a good fit for us or if you have a special event you need food for let us know!

We here at NOMINATE consider it our central mission to celebrate the diversity of cuisine available out in the world, and we especially love hearing about restaurants that go out of their way to try to come up with their own spin on things to add even more to the mix.

ChickMex started off as the brainchild of a UB student from NYC who wanted to build something to serve both of his favorite cuisines, mexican food and the middle eastern halal platters which are a staple street food of his home city. This eventually culminated in the creation of the ChickMex Grill, located at heart of his alma mater.

Today's meal consists of a couple of ChickMex's most popular dishes: authenticc NYC-style Halal Chicken served over Basmati rice with their delicious in-house white garlic sauce on the side and their Beef Al Pastor dish drizzled with own hot sauce and served with salad. A fun fact about al pastor is that while it is mostly known as originating from central Mexico, it is actually based on a shawarma method of cooking down by Lebanese immigrants arriving in the region over a century ago.

We hope you enjoy this meal from ChickMex Grill and go visit them in person at 520 Lee Road in the UB North Campus. We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Curry Chicken (Jamaican curry flavored stewed chicken pieces, rice and peas, mixed vegetables, plantains)
• Jerk Chicken (grilled/smoked chicken seasoned with jerk marinade, rice and peas, mixed vegetables, plantains)

Welcome to our 2nd event with our new pickup partner - Black Button Distilling! We are thrilled to be working with Rochester’s first distillery since prohibition and, of course, Master Distiller and founder Jason Barrett. Their brand new University Ave location is a huge move forward for the company and for guests joining them for samples, cocktails, and events like NOMINATE.

Your meal tonight was provided by Peppa Pot located on Main Street in the heart of Rochester! We are thrilled to be working with Marlene and the team over at Peppa Pot again. Returning to our partners is a critical part of our mission and hitting up classic Jamaican dishes is always popular!

To those who are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

We recently ran an event in Buffalo that featured some fantastic Jamaican cuisine from a restaurant named Kalypso and that experience offered a moment to reflect on how lucky we are in Rochester. When I was searching for Jamaican food in Buffalo, I was struck by how few places were offering it compared to the bounty from the island we have here in the ROC. There can be this attitude here where we focus on what we don’t have and can take for granted what we have in our own backyard.

Despite the fact that NOMINATE was founded to help shine a light on diverse restaurants here in Rochester, we hope that everyone gets the chance to go out and experience these places in person. It is our honor to bring this food to you today and every event so you get the chance to see a small part of the food that makes Rochester and Buffalo an amazing place to live.

Make sure to check out Peppa Pot at 522 E Main Street near Scio. They have a wide variety of dishes available, daily specials, and a dining area if you prefer to eat on site.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Black Button Distilling on University Ave!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Combo Meal 1 - Stewed Fried King Fish in red sauce, with a side of Stewed lentils peas, Jasmine Rice, sautéed Green fig (bananas), and a green salad.
• Combo Meal 2 - Curry Chicken and potato, with pumpkin talkarie ( a mashed pumpkin with a blend of spices ), Jasmine rice, and a side salad of tomatoes and Cucumbers.

For your meal tonight we are bringing you another spot that is unique in Rochester - Zennie’s T&T Kitchen! Zenovia is currently operating as a Trinidadian food pop-up and you can follow her on Instagram at @zennie_skitchen1 to see when her next event is.

Thanks to Fattey Beer ROC for being our host tonight and also to Resurgence Brewing in Buffalo for being our guest brewery tonight! We are thrilled that Fattey Beer and the local beer community have supported what we are doing at NOMINATE and we hope you enjoy Resurgence’s beer alongside your meal tonight.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

We have had the pleasure of serving up a wide range of Caribbean food including a few Jamaican spots but this is our first opportunity to bring Trinidadian food to you. Chris is a huge fan of this specific cuisine and has made trips to Toronto and Binghamton to get some of these savory and punchy flavors. Many of the flavors including curries do cross over with Jamaican food since they have similar colonial histories, but are distinct in the way dishes are often presented. There is nothing quite like grabbing a pillowy chickpea doubles (puffy fried shell with curry chickpeas) or a filled roti (stretchy flour based flatbread) with goat, pumpkin, or many other stews.

Dishes today are brought to you family style so you can share but when you go and grab some eats from Zennie’s pop-ups you’ll get to learn even more about this dynamic cuisine.

Make sure to follow Zenovia on Instagram at @zennie_skitchen1 to see when her next event is and support someone trying to bring amazing food to the people.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Fattey Beer in the Neighborhood of Play.

Love, Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Navrattan Korma and Rice (mixed vegetables cooked in a cream sauce, herbs, spices, cashews and raisins)
• Chicken Achari and Rice (chicken breast cooked in sauce with Indian pickle, onions, lentils and spices)
• Vegetable Pakora (onion, potato, cauliflower, spinach dipped in spiced chickpea batter and deep fried)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings back to one of our favorite prior partners - Namaste Indian Grill in Henrietta located at 3675 W Henrietta Rd! If you haven’t stopped by the grocery store yet, there is no better time than now. I have been shopping there an absolute ton and have stocked my cabinet with chutneys, my freezer with different breads, and my stomach with a whole bunch of different snacks and Thumbs Up! Cola.

NOMINATE prides itself on positive partnerships with the restaurants we work with and Namaste Indian Grill has been a key part of our last year. Our mission is to do our best to make sure our restaurant partners are excited to work with us and want to do so on future events as well.

Earlier this year one of our premier events was Homegrown - the Three Heads anniversary festival held at Lovin’ Cup at RIT Park Point. We partnered with some of our most loved spots and brought almost 1,500 samples to the hungry attendees who had been drinking all day. It was a NOMINATE highlight and we greatly appreciate all the support from Namaste in participating.

Since it doesn’t transport as well, I’ll highly recommend that when you go visit Namaste Indian Grill in person you need to get dosa and eat it there. The combination of crisp textured fermented rice crepe, savory and spiced filling and amazing dipping sauces makes this a perfect dining experience.

Make sure to check out Namaste Indian Grill located at 3675 W Henrietta Rd in Henrietta. The cafe is inside of the grocery store so park in the back if you are mostly grabbing that.

We want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA for being a great host of our pickups!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Combo 1 - Palak Paneer, Dal Makhani, 2 Chapatis, and Rice
• Combo 2 - Paneer Butter Masala, Chole Chana, 2 Chapatis, and Rice
• Samosas - Potato Pea Samosa, Paneer Samosa, Onion Samosa, Jalapeno Cheese Samosa

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Masala Memories, a small café located inside the Spresh Indian grocery store located at 3355 Sheridan Dr in Amherst. The team at NOMINATE has an affinity for the small restaurants inside of grocery stores - we have worked with a couple in the Rochester area and are thrilled to bring you food from this killer spot.

Please let your friends know about NOMINATE! We have some more amazing restaurants coming up and appreciate the support so we can keep this up. If you have any spots that would be a good fit for us or if you have a special event you need food for let us know!

We were quite delighted to discover this little gem tucked away inside Spresh. Taking traditional Indian gourmet food and serving it in a modern cafe style, Masala Memories has a vegetarian-focused menu serving a variety of chaats (Indian hors d'oeuvre dishes), curries, and their house-made roti (flat breads). They hand-pick their spices straight from India and it definitely shows, as you almost feel transported by the freshness of the aroma and taste expressed in each bite.

For your meal, we have four of their curry options. The first combo is palak paneer (paneer in spinach gravy) and dal makhani (lentil and beans slow cooked in butter and spices). The second combo is paneer butter masala (paneer in a creamy buttery curry) and chole chana (chickpeas in a tangy gravy). Each combo comes with an achar (south asian pickled vegetable), 2 chapati flatbreads and rice. To round out the meals are four samosas: one traditional potato pea, and three of their more experimental fare; paneer, onion and jalapeno cheese.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Masala Memories and go visit them in person inside the Spresh Indian grocery store located at 3355 Sheridan Dr in Amherst. Swing by, do some shopping, and enjoy some fresh dosa! We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Mixed Grill Plate (seasoned rice, kofta kabob, grilled chicken kabob, chicken shawarma)
• Veggie Combo Plate (Hummus, stuffed grape leaf, falafel, greek salad with tahini sauce and pita bread)

Welcome to our first event with our new pickup partner - Black Button Distilling! We are thrilled to be working with Rochester’s first distillery since prohibition and, of course, Master Distiller and founder Jason Barrett. Their brand new University Ave location is a huge move forward for the company and for guests joining them for samples, cocktails, or events like NOMINATE. We are thrilled they are open in the neighborhood and that this is the start of a strong relationship in the future. Welcome to the NOMINATION Black Button Distilling!

For this momentous first event, we are bringing a Syrian dinner to everyone from the newest Syrian spot in Rochester - Jasmine on Mt Hope! The NOMINATE team are huge fans of food from the region in general and personally having had their food from Master Falafel, we wanted to give you the chance to try their new spot before everyone knows about it.

To those who are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

The way that we find eating most interesting is when there are multiple textures, various flavors, and ways of combining them that keep the palate excited throughout a meal. Chris often brings friends out to Syrian spots for just this experience - ordering a variety of dishes and sharing the punchy flavors together. That is exactly what we’re bringing to you tonight through these two plates.

This meal is balanced between the skewers of meat and rice and the veggie combo with sauces, dips, and salads. We recommend sharing the two dishes and trying all the different combinations within.

Make sure to check out Jasmine Restaurant at 1761 Mt Hope Ave and their original location Master Falafel located at 519 Monroe Ave. Grab some takeout from Master Falafel or sit down for a full meal experience at Jasmine.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our new friends at Black Button Distilling on University Ave!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Combo Meal 1 - Bigos (Hunter's Stew), Kiełbasa and Mashed Potatoes
• Combo Meal 2 - 6 Pierogi, Polish Meatballs with wild mushrooms sauce and marinated salad

For your meal tonight we are revisiting one of our fan-favorite spots - Polska Chata! They are located at Ridge Road near Culver in Irondequoit. Polska Chata has been around in Irondequoit since 2004 serving Polish dishes and selling frozen and pantry staples to all that need them.

Thanks to Fattey Beer ROC for being our host tonight and also to Fifth Frame Brewing for being our guest brewery tonight! We are thrilled that Fattey Beer and the local beer community have supported what we are doing at NOMINATE and we hope you enjoy Fifth Frame’s beer alongside your meal tonight.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

If you’re hunting for Eastern European food in Rochester, Polska Chata is one of very few options and a must for anyone seeking dishes from that region. Polish food is hearty and defined by comforting meat dishes from stews to sausages, picked vegetables, robust species, and dough based items like pierogies. The dishes you’ll be eating tonight are unabashedly rich and meaty but offer balance with acid from sauerkraut and tomato sauce which keep them lively.

One thing I’d recommend would be to stock your freezer with pierogi. I love dumplings of all kinds but pierogi were probably the first ones I had ever tried since Polish food was very common in Buffalo where I grew up. Polska Chata carries a huge variety of flavors with meat, cheese, and even options for vegans like a mushroom and sauerkraut version that is a true delight and is often found in my freezer.

Make sure to check out Polska Chata Tuesday - Saturday at 32 Vinedale Ave just off of Ridge Rd in Irondequoit. Try out more of your favorite Polish classics fresh or items from their deli like sausages, salads, and ready to re-heat items for quick food at home!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Fattey Beer in the Neighborhood of Play.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Cumin Pork Noodle (housemade thin wheat noodles, onion, cabbage, pork shoulder, savory cumin forward soy sauce base)
• Eggplant Noodle (housemade wide cut wheat noodles, eggplant, tomato, potato, savory soy based sauce - vegan)
• Smashed Cucumber Salad (smashed cucumbers, tomato, sauce with soy sauce, garlic, black vinegar)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us to a newer restaurant that carries inspiration from Beijing - Seasons’ Noodle! Yunzhi Yan’s small, noodle-focused takeout spot is located in the lobby of the Columbus Building at 50 Chestnut St and will quickly become a favorite for you after you dive in tonight.

Thanks for joining us after our break. Visit NOMINATEMeals.com to check out our three pickup locations in Rochester and our Buffalo location for future events. We hope you’ll join us for our first event at the new Black Button Distilling on 8/24 and check their space out!

NOMINATE has worked with a wide range of different cuisines through our last two and a half years and every time we get to share something new is still exciting. Chris has been a regular at Seasons’ Noodles since he learned about it in 2021 shortly after it launched. Yunzhi’s housemade wheat-based noodles made fresh were a game changer for the ROC - the differences between cooking from dried are subtle but impactful on the final dish. The texture of the noodles is more springy, the flavor is clean, and they carry the sauce significantly better. This is a case where freshness is well worth the effort.

Yunzhi has been working hard in his shop to bring the absolute best dishes he can from his home city of Beijing. If you want to learn more about his journey, Chris recently recorded an episode of the Food About Town podcast where Yunzhi talked about his journey to Rochester and what he is trying to accomplish.

Make sure to check out Seasons’ Noodle located in the lobby of the Columbus Building at 50 Chestnut St. We recommend that you call and order ahead for pickup so you can ask questions and have your food ready when you arrive.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Jerk Chicken - Tender grilled chicken smoked with spicy jerk seasoning with rice and beans, slaw and sweet plantains
• Stewed Butter Beans - Simmered butter beans with onion, tomato, garlic, herbs and spices over rice
• Jamaican Patties - Crispy pastry filled with spiced chicken or beef filling and aromatics. Mild spice.

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Kalypso, part of the small community of Jamaican spots in the Buffalo area. Every time we have gone in the place has been vibrant with people coming in to grab these comforting classics. You can find Kay’s food over on 12 Winspear Ave just off of Main St near UB South.

Please let your friends know about NOMINATE! We have some more amazing restaurants coming up and appreciate the support so we can keep this up. If you have any spots that would be a good fit for us or if you have a special event you need food for let us know!

NOMINATE has been operating in Rochester since the start of 2021 and we have spent a lot of time in Jamaican spots. The ROC has a wide selection and Chris has been to over 15 different places and bringing the best to the people. Getting the chance to explore Buffalo’s scene has been a good time and Kalypso was a standout as soon as we walked in. Almost every time there were people excited for the savory, spicy, and comforting dishes here and wanted to talk about their history with this cuisine.

The flavors that are typical in Jamaican cuisine can be thought of through the lens of a translated version of West African dishes. I recommend keeping that in mind as you enjoy the dishes tonight and whenever you’re diving into Caribbean and Southern dishes. Jamaican dishes tend toward the punchy side of things with heavy use of herbs, juices, scotch bonnet peppers, seafood, and tropical ingredients.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Kalypso and go visit them in person at 12 Winspear Ave just off of Main St near UB South. I’d recommend ordering ahead to cut the lines and they also have a few tables you can use if you want to dine in. We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Rasta Pasta (penne pasta covered in a jerk seasoned alfredo sauce with grilled chicken, spinach, sun dried tomatoes)
• Shrimp and Vegetable Kabob Plate (skewers of shrimp and mixed vegetables, cajun seasoned rice, tzatziki sauce)
• Mac and Cheese (It’s mac and cheese. Macaroni. Cheese. Together at last!)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us to a newer spot that features soul food with the soul of the South and from all over the world - Soul Fusion! Josh Cunningham’s small, counter service spot is located at 544 West Main Street and is the kind of spot you’ll be ordering from often once you try it tonight.

Reminder - we will be off for the month of July to let our team re-group and get ready for an exciting rest of the year. We’ll be coming back with a new pickup location, some opportunities for special events, and more amazing meals for you to enjoy!

Many styles we work with are perceived as being very specific and locked in time. We often highlight some of the traditional flavors shown in classic dishes to give the NOMINATION an idea of what that cuisine is all about. What is important to keep in mind is that food is always evolving and we should be careful not to force a cuisine into a specific timeframe and ignore the new things being created.

Soul Fusion is the perfect name for what Josh is serving up. If you’ve had traditional soul food like we served from J-Ribs or from classic ROC spots like Bobo’s Chicken Shack, you have an idea of more traditional fare with a meat and multiple sides. Soul Fusion has inspiration from classics and spiked with flavors from the Caribbean and beyond.

Make sure to check out Soul Fusion located at 544 West Main Street. You can order online for quick pickup or order at the counter and hang out for a bit.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Machu Bowl (Pulled Rotisserie Chik'n, Arroz Chaufa [seasoned rice with veg mix], Salsa Criolla, Turtle Beans, Aji Amarillo [mild yellow aji pepper sauce])
• Half Peruvian Rotisserie Chik'n Meal (seasoned rotisserie chicken, Arroz Chaufa, side salad [separate container], Aji Verde [medium green aji pepper sauce])
• Four (4) Alfajor Cookies (dulce de leche sandwich cookies!)

Welcome to our third event with our new pickup partner - Fattey Beer! After each event with the Fattey ROC team, we can’t help but come up with new ideas and ways to collaborate and engage the community. Let’s dive into the menu first and then we’ll tell you all about what we have planned.

For your meal tonight we are revisiting one of our fan favorite spots - Just Chik’n! They are located at 376 Jefferson Rd in the Jefferson Plaza and are a perfect take out spot near RIT.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

In our last event at Fattey ROC, Zach and team had organized a free sampling of Nine Spot Brewing from Monroe Ave. It was amazing to have samples available for the NOMINATION and we took full advantage by pairing the meal that night with their beer as well. It was such a rousing success that we are now going to have a guest brewery at every event going forward!

This event will highlight Strangebird Brewing - our first beer pairing partner from our original pickup location! We are thrilled to be working again with Ian Atwood and the crew there after their win as Best Brewery in the New York State Craft Beer Competition.

Earlier this year we participated in Homegrown - the Three Heads festival held at Lovin’ Cup at RIT Park Point. We partnered with some of our most loved spots and brought almost 1,500 samples to the hungry attendees who had been drinking all day. It was a NOMINATE highlight and we greatly appreciate Just Chik’n for in participating!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our new friends at Fattey Beer in the Neighborhood of Play.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Jamaican Jerk Chicken Plate (Jerk chicken, Spanish yellow rice and beans, mixed vegetables)
• Grilled Hand Cut Pork Chop Plate (pork chops, Spanish yellow rice and beans, mixed vegetables)
• Sweet Maduro Plantains (roasted ripe plantains to dark sweet texture)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us back to Me Gusta - a Latin restaurant in the Mercantile on Main and they feature classic Puerto Rican dishes with influence from the Latin region. The Mercantile is a vibrant space in the Sibley Building downtown that is worth the trip into the city to experience!

If you know anyone who needs catering for a special event, have them send an email to info@nominatemeals.com and we’ll help bring some unique flavor to their group. To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

NOMINATE prides itself on positive partnerships with the restaurants we work with and Me Gusta has been a key part of our last year. Our mission is to do our best to make sure our restaurant partners are excited to work with us and want to do so on future events as well.

Earlier this year one of our premier events was Homegrown - the Three Heads anniversary festival held at Lovin’ Cup at RIT Park Point. We partnered with some of our most loved spots and brought almost 1,500 samples to the hungry attendees who had been drinking all day. It was a NOMINATE highlight and we greatly appreciate all the support from Me Gusta in participating.

Make sure to swing by the Mercantile on Main to enjoy all the different options including Palermo’s, RoCoCo, La Bola (shoutout to Avvino!), and Broth over on Main Street in the Sibley Building. You can eat on site and or grab your food to go.

Keep following NOMINATE on social media for updates on new events being added to the website. We will be taking off July to recuperate and will be restarting in Buffalo on August 1st! A new location will be announced in a couple weeks and each of our events held at Fattey Beer will now feature a local brewery as our pairing for the evening and will be offering free samples.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Pancit Bihon - Stir fried noodles with veggies, mild but flavorful
• Pork Sisig and Rice - Crispy minced pork seasoned and topped with diced chiles (avoid the chiles to keep more mild)
• Lumpia - Crispy fried rolls with tender ground pork filling served with sweet and sour sauce
• BBQ pork skewer - Sweet and savory marinade of pork chunks followed by a quick grilling

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Pinoy Boi, a newer addition to the Buffalo dining scene that brings Filipino food to the people! You can find Lloyd and Ting's food at 617 Main Street in Downtown Buffalo in the Downtown Bazaar from WEDI.

This is the current outpost for that team who ran the West Side Bazaar for many years. Congrats to them for opening such an important spot for the diverse restaurant culture of Buffalo!

In the larger WNY area, Filipino food has less representation than in other areas of the country like California, NYC/NJ, Texas and Washington DC that have larger population centers. NOMINATE often works with restaurants that fall into this kind of situation since we find it important to highlight those doing the work to support the smaller communities in our area and bring awareness to a wider audience.

For some background on the kind of flavors we’re going to be serving, we’re going to quote a section from Ligaya Mishon from their article in the New York Times:

"Although Filipino food draws on early encounters with Malay, Chinese and Arab traders as well as centuries of Spanish occupation, its profile is distinct: salty and sour above all, with less of the mitigating sweetness and chile-stoked fire found in the cooking of its Southeast Asian neighbors." We wanted to add that in the 1900s the US colonization during and post WWII has influenced the cuisine as well with more pre-packaged and convenience items like Spam.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Pinoy Boi and go visit them in person at the Downtown Bazaar located at 617 Main Street in Downtown Buffalo. You can order to go online and they also have a few tables you can use if you want to dine in. We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Chicken and lamb combo plate (mixed plate with shawarma chicken and gyro lamb slices, seasoned rice, selection of sauces, pita)
• Grilled chicken plate (mixed plate with grilled chicken, seasoned rice, selection of sauces, pita)
• Mixed salad (salad with lots of toppings, egg, feta, etc, vegetarian)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us to a super popular NYC street food style from a new spot in Rochester - Halal-N-Out located at 740 East Ridge Road near Hudson. If you have ties to NYC you know that there is nothing that is quite satisfies like this kind of plate - let's get into it!

If you know anyone who needs catering for a special event, have them send an email to info@nominatemeals.com and we’ll help bring some unique flavor to their group. To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

Halal carts have become a dominant street food fixture in NYC serving up mixed plates of meat, rice, and salad covered in a white sauce and typically a red or green hot sauce to accent. While the specific cart roots are somewhat debated, what seems clear is a style of quick service food that has roots in Arabic country style shawarma and general sauces from the region like garlic sauce, harissa, and zhoug (green sauce).

Halal-N-Out launched earlier this year here in the ROC and has become an instant hit with people clamoring for a taste of NYC style street food. Beyond the meat and rice plates, they also are serving up 200+ chopped cheese and Philly cheese steaks every day. The chopped cheese is a true NYC bodega original sandwich that carries some similarities to a cheesesteak but don't be caught saying they're the same thing. It is more of a chopped up cheeseburger with onions cooked on a griddle then topped with lettuce and tomato. This is a sandwich you don't want to miss - BING BONG!

Keep following NOMINATE on social media for updates on new events being added to the website and more partnerships that we’ll be announcing soon. We have a Buffalo event June 6th, Three Heads on June 14th, and another Fattey Beer ROC event on the 22nd.

Make sure to check out Halal-N-Out located at 740 East Ridge Road near Hudson. You can order online for quick pickup or hang out and hammer some comforting street food in house.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Pad see ew with protein (wide rice noodles coated in a savory sauce with 2x kinds of broccoli, pork and egg for the omni meal, tofu and no eg for the vegan meal)
• Gang keow wan (aromatic green curry base served vegan with tofu and veg and white rice)
• Side of Thai egg roll (omni meal) or fried tofu (vegan) with dipping sauce

Welcome to the second event with our new pickup partner - Fattey Beer! The reception at our first event was fantastic and we love the collaborative feel of the space and from the whole team there. Every time we go in we meet fascinating people and dogs - who can complain about that? Welcome to the NOMINATION Fattey Beer!

For your meal tonight we are revisiting one of our fan favorite spots - ThaiYada! The NOMINATE team has loved our partnership with Pam and team there and love the opportunity to keep supporting a small, family owned restaurant right in the heart of the East and Alexander area.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

On a cool day like today but with a nod towards warmer weather, this meal is the exact thing that we look for. The comforting nature of noodles is hard to resist especially when combined with a deeply savory and lightly sweet sauce. It sticks to the ribs but isn’t overly stodgy or boring. Green curry on the other hand offers bright, herbal, aromatic flavors that remind of the new growth of Spring while still warming with some mild spice.

Make sure to check out ThaiYada located near the corner of East and Alexander in the City of Rochester. You can order ahead on their website and take it to go or grab one of ther tables to eat on site.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our new friends at Fattey Beer in the Neighborhood of Play.Love,Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Arroz con pollo, tamal and sweet plantains (yellow rice cooked with chicken, a tamale and roasted, sweet plantains)
• Arroz Congris ropa vieja and yuca with mojo (white rice cooked with black beans and aromatics, stewed beef, tomato, peppers, yuca and a savory citrusy sauce)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us back to the flavors of Cuba, courtesy of Rancho Palma - a newer spot located at 1149 Lyell Ave just east of Mt Read Blvd. We had worked with El Divino for Cuban fare before, which just so happened to be in the same building! We are very happy we still have an outpost for this kind of food here in the ROC.

If you know anyone who needs catering for a special event, have them send an email to info@nominatemeals.com and we’ll help bring some unique flavor to their group. To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMI-NATION!

While we have served up cuisines from countries in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rican, Dominican, Jamaican, and Haitian, Cuban food offers something a bit different for the people of the neighborhood. Cuba food carries influences from the Spanish colonization, the indigenous Taino people, West African, and more recently the influx of people into the US.

That new kind of cross-pollination of culture is something that isn't always talked about when referring to cuisines that are less familiar to some. There is a tendency to refer to a cuisine as “traditional” or “authentic” that ties the food to specific window of time where this is the “true” food of the culture instead of something that is living and evolving. Although we tend to work with places to highlight examples of more traditional style food, remembering that all food is changing is critical to not minimize the skills and modernity of other cultures.

Keep following NOMINATE on social media for updates on new events being added to the website and more partnerships that we’ll be announcing soon. We had a great time at our first Fattey Beer event and are excited for our next one on Thursday May 25th. The environment is a change of pace from Three Heads and one we hope you’ll join us for.

Make sure to check out Rancho Palma - located at 1149 Lyell Ave just east of Mt Read Blvd. This is a perfect spot to take a lunch break and grab some comforting Caribbean and Cuban eats (get a sandwich!) either on site or to go.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Sato Ramen - Classic ichi-ryu family recipe of medium-bodied pork and chicken broth. Toppings: chashu pork, bean sprouts, green onions, menma (bamboo shoots), pickled ginger, and soft-boiled egg
• Japanese curry - Mild spice, curry gravy style sauce over rice with chicken

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from SATO, a long time popular and respected spot for Japanese cuisine in the Elmwood Village. Satomi and the team combine modern creativity with traditional Japanese dishes that keep people coming back over and over to the Elmwood location and the more casual SATO Ramen on Main Street.

When many think of what dishes define Japanese cuisine here in America, the mind turns to sushi and ramen since the vast majority of restaurants focus their efforts on those categories. It hasn’t always been smooth to get these dishes accepted due to a lack of understanding and experience, but now it would be hard to find people who aren’t familiar with both. Sato’s signature pork ramen is tied to Satomi’s family background starting in Fukui and restaurants under the Ichi-Ryu name. We’re thrilled you get to experience this tie today in your meal.

What is less familiar now are the dishes that are commonly eaten at home, but also often found on menus as well. In almost every cuisine there are categories that really are home-based dishes versus what you might experience going out. I’m sure all of you have beloved family recipes that are versions of casseroles and meatloaf or stews that you’d never think to see outside of the home.

Dishes like Japanese curry are common home foods often cooked with seasoning cubes that you can find in any Asian grocery store. It is a quick and easy way to make a delicious meal that can feature meat, vegetables, or other ingredients in a savory and lightly curry-spiced sauce.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Sato and go visit them in person at the Elmwood location and the more casual SATO Ramen on Main Street. You can order to go, but we recommend dining in to enjoy the beautiful space and eat the dishes in their intended serving style. We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Bún bò Huế (beef based soup with rice noodles, mild+ spice and funk from fish sauce and/or shrimp paste, sliced beef, aromatics, herbs)
• Cơm Tôm Rim (broken rice dish served with caramelized shrimp, egg, vegetable accouterments, fish sauce based dipping sauce)

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us back to the flavors of Vietnam courtesy of Saigon Pho located at 1384 Lyell Ave in the plaza at the corner of Lyell Ave and Mt Read Blvd. The food was a hit with our customers the first time and it is our pleasure to be working with them again.

If you know anyone who needs catering for a special event, have them send an email to info@nominatemeals.com and we’ll help bring some unique flavor to their group. To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

We went right down the middle with our first meal at Saigon Pho serving up classic Northern beef phở and cơm gà (broken rice with chicken) and wanted to expand a bit this time into a new region with the Central Vietnamese soup Bún bò Huế. Unlike the more polished beef phở that is balanced with warm spices, rich bone stock, and aromatics, Bún bò Huế is more intense and a great fit for a cool day like today. The punch of heat, a dash of funk, and the brightness of citrus and aromatics will leave you wanting to go back for another bite after the first one dissipates.

There is so much to explore with Vietnamese cuisine and we are certainly going to return to it again so we can bring you more dishes from all over the country.

Keep following NOMINATE on social media for updates on new events being added to the website and more partnerships that we’ll be announcing soon. We had a great time at our first Fattey Beer event and are excited for our next one on Thursday May 25th. The environment is a change of pace from Three Heads and one we hope you’ll join us for.

Make sure to check out Saigon Pho located at 1384 Lyell Ave in the plaza at the corner of Lyell Ave and Mt Read Blvd. This is a perfect spot to take a lunch break and grab some Viet classics either on site or to go. Who can complain about fresh spring rolls, bánh mì, or a big bowl of phở?

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Chicken Xacuti (chicken curry with roasted coconut, black pepper, curry leaves, cream and chili, mild spice)
• Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower sautéed with onions, garlic, ginger, tomato and spices)
• 2 servings of rice, garlic naan and samosa

Welcome to our first event with our new pickup partner - Fattey Beer! We are thrilled to be working with the Rochester Fattey team and think their space and vibe is a perfect addition to our Rochester slate of events. Their Kenmore location has been our unofficial after party for our Buffalo events (who doesn’t want a beer after running an event!) and we hope this is the start of a strong relationship in the future. Welcome to the NOMINATION Fattey Beer!

For this momentous first event we are bringing an Indian dinner to everyone from one of the mainstays of Rochester Indian cuisine - Thali of India! The NOMINATE team are huge fans of Indian food in general and after working with the family’s fast casual spot Naan-Tastic early on, we wanted to give you the other side with their original location.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

The concept of eating in the Thali style is very appealing to those that don't know what exactly they're in the mood for or want a wide variety of items to sample. The Thali is a large serving plate where small bowls of stews, pickles, rice, accents and bread are arranged in a specific way to bring balance and of course tradition. That mentality varies in application in restaurants here where you'll sometimes see it as a combination meal or in the abundance of a buffet.

Speaking of buffets, it isn't the typical way our team likes to eat but the version that Thali offers is well worth the drive to experience. The selection and execution are very solid and give you the opportunity to learn about multiple dishes and how the restaurant presents them.

Make sure to check out Thali of India located at 3259 S Winton Rd to do a deeper dive into all the dishes they have to offer.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our new friends at Fattey Beer in the Neighborhood of Play.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Blackened Grouper (blackening seasoned fried grouper filet)
• Jambalaya (seasoned red rice with meat and veg)
• Lemon Pepper Wings (lemon pepper spice mix on fried wings)
• Green Beans (long cooked savory green beans)
• 7-UP Pound Cake

Your NOMINATE meal this week brings us back to the flavors of New Orleans courtesy of The French Quarter Cafe located on Spring St in the heart of downtown Rochester. Neciah and the team are an important part of the Rochester dining scene for a long time and it is our pleasure to be working with them again.

This event is also a charity event benefiting Camp Good Days and Special Times! We are donating $5 from every order this week to their efforts. We will also have the ability for you to donate to the charity on site today so if you are included to do so, let us know when you pick up.

We love working with charities, so if you have one that speaks to you or you are a part of let us know!

Camp Good Days strives to improve the quality of life for families affected by cancer or sickle cell anemia through residential camping programs and year-round recreational and support activities, in the Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse, New York areas. At Camp Good Days, participants have the opportunity to regain some of what cancer has taken away from them.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

The cuisine of New Orleans is one of the most rich melting pots of multicultural flavors that exist in the US today. The food has roots based in West African (Kamara’s is a good version here in town!) dishes interpreted through additional French (Acadian for cajun), and Spanish foods due to historical colonization. This combination has created a rich tapestry of dishes with powerful flavors and unique expressions that can only exist in an area with so many influences.

Your meal this week will cover a wide range of dishes and is more of a small dish experience than some of our other experiences. This was meant to give you the most different flavors we could hit at one time!

Keep an eye out for some exciting new event partners we are working on now. We will be adding a third NOMINATE event each month hosted by Fattey Beer in the new Neighborhood of Play starting next Thursday April 27th. We will be sending out more info on that later this week!

Make sure to check out The French Quarter Cafe located on Spring St in the heart of downtown Rochester. We highly recommend dining in their fantastic space and bringing a friend or two to experience a wide range of New Orleans classics!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Chicken and beef suya (smoked, seasoned grilled meat skewers), seasoned rice, and HOT spice mix side
• Pepper goat (stewed goat meat in a medium spicy pepper sauce) and rice

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Buffalo Suya, a Nigerian restaurant located on Filmore Ave right off of Main St in Buffalo. Buffalo has a growing West African food scene and Buffalo Suya brings their passion for traditional food and drink to their diners 6 days a week. Learning about the cuisine of West African and the direct ties it has to the foods of the US, the Caribbean, and all countries tied to the West African diaspora has been a great privilege and we hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do.

Part of the joy of running NOMINATE is the opportunity to explore the areas around Buffalo and Rochester, try spots we aren’t familiar with, and learn what we’ve been missing. Buffalo Suya was a revelation that had Chris raving at every opportunity about the dishes he tried during a dinner visit. Explosive flavors, rich textures, and fantastic hospitality made this a must have for us on our event schedule.

Learning about West African food (including Nigerian food) is a critical step to understanding the foods that make up many of the dishes we love all over the Americas. I won’t go into detail here since I am not an expert, but would recommend you watch the High on the Hog series on Netflix or read the book of the same title High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica Harris to get a piece of the background you’ll be tasting today.

Suya is a classic street style food that features well seasoned meat (in this case chicken and beef) with a punchy spice mix that often includes chili (this one definitely does!), ginger, ground nut, onion and garlic. Make sure to use the spice mix judiciously since it is HOT. Pepper goat is a dish that you clearly see the ties to Jamaican cuisine with the commonly found pepper steak dish. Stewing tough pieces of meat in a highly flavorful sauce is a technique born out of necessity in almost every culture around the world. Yes, the cuts are cheaper but over time it is hard to deny that they are more flavorful and become some of the key dishes of the food culture.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Buffalo Suya and go visit them in person on Filmore Ave right off of Main St in Buffalo. You can order to go, but we recommend dining in to enjoy the hospitality and a bowl of palm wine in a building that has ties to classic Buffalo spots and Nigerian decor. We also want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Grilled half chicken over Yemeni rice (marinated and grilled chicken over well seasoned rice) with housemade zahaug hot sauce
• Saltah lamb stew (tomato, lamb, okra and veg stew) served with Yemeni flatbread

Your NOMINATE meal tonight brings us to a new partner and cuisine for you to enjoy - Halal-Yemen located on E Ridge Rd. This is our first time working with Yemeni food and we’re thrilled that they have been thriving in Irondequoit for the last 6 months.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

Yemen resides in the Arab Peninsula in West Asia (also touching Eastern Africa) and we’re excited for you all to try a couple dishes that they offer. This cuisine is new to us as well and we wanted to give just a touch of information and leave the rest up to you!

When we tried the grilled chicken, we were reminded of some of the deep roasted and marinated meats we’ve had from other West Asian events like Turkey and Syria and also had hints of tandoor chicken from India. Saltah is one of the most important Yemeni dishes and the lamb version was rich with okra and seasoning which goes perfectly with the fast cooked Yemeni flatbread.

We know that Yemen has deep traditions and regional differences and we are only touching the tip of the iceberg of information here. Describing cuisines that are new to us can be a challenge, but what I can say for sure is that when we dove into these foods we were blown away by the depth of flavor and passion that went into them.

We have two special events coming up we’d love your support on. We have a charity event featuring Camp Good Days that will be held on Wednesday April 19th at Three Heads. This is a typical NOMINATE event but $5 from each sale will go directly to Camp Good Days and you’ll have the ability to donate more if you wish. They are a great organization and one we’re proud to partner with for this event.

The other is our first event at Fattey Beer Co will be on Thursday April 27th at their spot in the Neighborhood of Play at 60 Adventure Pl. We’ll have a beer parking picked out from their wide selection and we’re excited for all of you to check their new space. We will be doing one event each month there on a Thursday so stay tuned for more. We hope you can join us there as we continue to grow the NOMINATION!

Make sure to check out Halal-Yemen at 525 East Ridge Road where you can eat in or take your food to go. If you go during Ramadan please keep in mind that they open around 4-5 pm each day.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Veggie combo meal (injera [teff and wheat fermented, spongy, savory pancake], cabbage, carrots, green beans and collards, berbere spiced lentils, mild split peas, injera)
• Doro wet and chicken tibs combo (injera [teff and wheat fermented, spongy, savory pancake], stewed deep flavored chicken sauce, egg, chunks of chicken and aromatics, collards, cabbage and carrots

Your NOMINATE meal tonight brings us back to another of our early partners and some of our favorite people - Nathaneal and Zemeta from Zemeta Ethiopian located on S Clinton Rd! We’ll dive into some news after we tell you about this week’s meal.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

NOMINATE prides itself on positive partnerships with the restaurants we work with and Zemeta Ethiopian is one of our best examples of this. Our mission is to do our best to make sure our restaurant partners are excited to work with us and want to do so on future events as well.

This year one of our premier events was Homegrown - the Three Heads anniversary festival held as a festival at Lovin’ Cup at RIT Park Point. To make that amazing day happen, we partnered with some of our most consistent and loved spots and brought almost 1,500 samples to the hungry attendees who had been drinking all day. It was one of the best days our team has had and we greatly appreciate all the support.

Yes, Zemeta and our other partners that day got to be in front of some of the most passionate food and drink lovers in the area, but we want to make sure they get to show off their food through one of our normal events too.

Keep an eye out for some exciting new event partners we are working on now. We will be adding a third NOMINATE event each month hosted by Fattey Beer in the new Neighborhood of Play, a charity event partnering with Camp Good Days, and a future opportunity with The Little Theatre which has us overjoyed!

Make sure to check out Zemeta Ethiopian on South Clinton near Goodman in Swillburg. We highly recommend going for lunch or dinner and bringing a friend or two to experience true Ethiopian hospitality!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• 3 botti chicken kebabs with rice and 2 sauces
• Chicken tikka masala served with grilled naan bread and rice

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Alibaba Kebab, a super popular spot that serves up dishes from the region around India in two locations around Buffalo. This is the kind of place that once you try it you’re going to become a regular real fast! They offer a selection that makes it easy to get a quick and hearty lunch or an easy whole meal for the family.

Having now visited a few times for lunch and to check out the situation, we can see why Alibaba Kebab has become so popular and has expanded from their original location on William St to their new spot on Military Rd in Kenmore. This is comforting food with a depth of flavor that makes you want to come back for more. We are all big fans of Indian related cuisine at NOMINATE and are always happy to bring a different spot to the NOMINATION!

We did want to talk about chicken tikka masala since it is often one the first dishes people try when they are getting into Indian food. Almost every place has one and each place has their own take on it. In Great Britain it has gotten so popular that it has become the national dish of the country and carries some influence from that curry culture. Speaking generally, it is a dish that features yoghurt marinated chicken spiced with cumin, coriander, chili, and/or spice mixes like garam masala. The chicken is then grilled and finished in a flavorfuil tomato and cream sauce with herbs.

On a side note, Chris and Raph both spent some time around Buffalo this past weekend visiting a wide range of Buffalo restaurants to scout for future events. They had a great time tasting and researching and found a bunch that are perfect fits for what we do at NOMINATE. The future events are looking bright and we couldn’t be more excited to grow what we’re doing in Buffalo to bring you more amazing food.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Alibaba Kebab and go visit them in person on either William St (to go only) or the Military Rd location in Kenmore with limited in house seating. You can order on their website to speed up the pickup process as well. We want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Goulash (stewed meat and savory, warm seasonings) over spaetzle (boiled fresh noodles) and red cabbage (braised in a sweet and tangy liquid)
• Sausage Combo Platter with German style potato salad (vinegar based, bacon, mustard, onion etc) and sauerkraut (it’s sauerkraut!)
• Rye Bread

Your NOMINATE meal tonight brings us back to one of our OG partners and a staple of the community - Swan Market located on Parcells St off of Culver Rd! They have been a hit both times we have worked with them and it is about time to bring you some more German classics.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time, thanks for joining the NOMINATION!

Barry Fischer and the team at Swan Market have been a mainstay for anyone hunting for German food in the Rochester area since it is really the only game in town. They could rest on that fact and not do as much as they do each week, but they continuously put out a huge variety of classic meats and salads. One of the remarkable things that is still served are more than one kind of head cheese and bologna, blood sausage, and more smoked hams than you can find anywhere.

One thing we’d recommend is to learn more about the area around where Swan Market is located and we’re going to take a second to highlight a few other spots. New City Café is right down the street and offers value forward specialty coffee that they roast alongside an inclusive menu for many dietary needs. Going toward Culver you’ll run into Golden Fox - a classic family restaurant. The last, and one of our favorites, make sure you go visit Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage. Luis Perez has created a true gem of modern NY Style pizza right on Culver Rd. He has boundless passion when it comes to all aspects of pizza from fermentation to ingredients to cooking styles. If you love pizza, you owe it to yourself to visit their place.

Make sure to check out Swan Market in person at 231 Parsells Ave in Beechwood. We highly recommend going for lunch during the week or on Saturday for a true communal dining experience.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA. Stay tuned for some exciting news about a new NOMINATE experience that will be starting in April!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Beef curry with vegetables and rice (Japanese curry base with slices of beef and veg)
• Yaki Udon with chicken and vegetables (sauteed thick wheat noodles with savory chicken and vegetables)
• Nasushigi (broiled half eggplant with miso sauce)

Your NOMINATE meal tonight brings us to one of the mainstays of Japanese food in Rochester - Plum House! Owner Mark Teng and the team there have been serving up a wide variety of Japanese dishes for over 15 years and we’re thrilled to bring a different side of the cuisine to you today.

When many think of what dishes define Japanese cuisine here in America, the mind turns to sushi and ramen since the vast majority of restaurants focus their efforts on those categories. It hasn’t always been smooth to get these dishes accepted due to a lack of understanding and experience, but now it would be hard to find people who aren’t familiar with both.

What is less familiar now are the dishes that are more commonly eaten at home although are often found on menus as well. In almost every cuisine there are categories that really are home based dishes versus what you might experience going out. I’m sure all of you have beloved family recipes that are versions of casseroles and meatloaf or stews that you’d never think to see outside of the home.

Dishes like Japanese curry are common home foods often cooked with seasoning cubes that you can find in any Asian grocery store. It is a quick and easy way to make a delicious meal that can feature meat, vegetables, or other ingredients in a savory and lightly curry spiced sauce. Udon noodles are another dish that can easily be made at home using fresh or dried noodles and whatever sauce base or ingredients you may have at home.

Make sure to check out Plum House located at 686 Monroe Ave in the City of Rochester. You can dive into familiar Japanese restaurant dishes and a variety of more home style foods either dining in (recommended!) or take out.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA for being amazing partners to us.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Smoked Chopped Brisket, Burnt Ends, Pulled Pork
• Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Apple Kale Slaw, Bourbon Baked Beans
• Gouda Mac and Cheese and Rolls

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from La Verdad which is operating as a catering company until their storefront opens. When I was asking my Buffalo food friends about places we had to work with Vivian Robinson from La Verdad was a common refrain. After chatting with her we were instantly hooked and the glowing reviews back up her personality. When they open their location we’ll be sending info to all of you so you can visit their outfit in person!I think most people are familiar with the regional BBQ styles and sauces that permeate food writing and television - Kansas City with pulled pork and sticky sweet sauces, Texas with brisket, hot links and limited sauces, Memphis style driven by dry rub, Carolina style whole hog smoking with a more vinegar based sauce. BBQ in America has become such a common talking point that any person at a backyard cookout could ramble off most of what we just mentioned.

It takes a special couple to try and define a new style of BBQ as “Buffalo BBQ” and Vivian and Pastor Al Robinson from the Spirit of Truth certainly fit the bill. They have done endless good works in the community and supported over 100 people during the recent massive blizzard. The work seems to be their main focus, but they did receive multiple media highlights including the Jennifer Hudson Show. Vivian has also participated in and won the TBS cooking competition show Rat in the Kitchen.

When Chris recently visited their future location, he saw the infrastructure for a new counter based service restaurant with an eye to serving the community with their ministry in the same building. They seem to serve the same purpose to show their passion and love to all that come through the doors. I highly recommend following them on the socials so you can go as soon as they officially open.

We hope you enjoy this meal from La Verdad and hope you go visit them when they open to the public again at 115 Gold Street in the Spirit Of Truth Urban Ministry. We want to thank our friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Kari Ayam (Chicken with lemongrass and chili paste in thick rich coconut curry served with white rice)
• Indian Mee Goreng (Indian style stir fried noodles in authentic squid sauce w. tofu, potatoes, shrimp, egg, onion and bean sprouts)

Your NOMINATE meal tonight brings us back to one of our stone cold favorites - Coco Garden! We got nothing but rave reviews from our first event with their food and we’re thrilled to be working with owner Lina Lin and the whole team again.

To those that are trying NOMINATE for the first time after meeting us at Homegrown, thanks for joining the NOMINATION and now you get to try more of the great Malaysian food from Coco Garden!

As we mentioned in our first meal, Malaysian cuisine has been influenced by the Malay people, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, as well as colonization influences from the British and Portuguese.

The dishes you’re diving into tonight are clearly part of that lineage of true fusion that Malaysian cuisine is known for. Kari ayam offers a combination of bright lemongrass (Thai), British influenced Malaysian curry flavors, tender stewed chicken is a luxurious broth. This was a smash hit at Homegrown and we knew we had to revisit it tonight.

The Indian Mee Goreng carries influences from the obvious Indian nomenclature but it also has clear roots in Chinese wok cookery with smoky flavors to balance out the fresh seafood. This dish has lots going on but in the end it is very comforting and could take some hot sauce if you’re feeling spicy.

Make sure to check out Coco Garden in person at 420 Jefferson Road in the original DeBella’s location. Their menu is set up perfectly for a group to order a wide range of dishes to really deep dive into Malaysian food culture either dining in (recommended!) or take out.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA as well as the amazing team behind Lovin’ Cup for having us at Homegrown!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Vegetarian combo - injera (fermented teff pancake), Miser wot (lentils with berbere seasoning), Kik alech (Chickpeas with seasoning), cooked spinach
• Chicken meal - doro wot (chicken cooked with berbere and other spices), hard boiled egg

Thanks for joining us for our fourth event in Buffalo but our first event as NOMINATE! Changing our name wasn’t originally our idea, but we love it even more than the one we started with. We are excited to engage with all of you in new ways so stay tuned for more!

Your NOMINATE dinner this week comes from Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine which was a part of the West Side Bazaar until the unfortunate fire that occurred in September of last year. We are thrilled to bring you some of their food while they are without a public facing venue. Owner Zelalem Gemmeda is still working on finding a location to be able to offer their full menu on a regular basis again. When we know more we’ll share it with our community so you can visit them in person!

When you eat in a restaurant, Ethiopian food is specifically based around sharing and usually centered around injera bread. Injera is a staple of the cuisine and is a fermented teff (ancient grain with tons of nutrients and grows well in hot climates) and wheat mix that is cooked like a pancake with defined sour and earthy notes. Traditionally food is eaten by using the injera as a scoop to grab the different dishes. I recommend doing that with the food you’ll be enjoying as well to get a bit of that experience at home. If you’d prefer to use a fork or spoon there is no shame in that either!

Your meal tonight includes two different dishes that both have an injera base and are seasoned with berbere - one of the staple spice blends of the cuisine. Every restaurant uses their own blend but ingredients can include chili peppers, fenugreek, ginger, coriander, cardamom, allspice, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and othe spices like korarima, ajwain, and long pepper. The profile is complex, earthy, highly aromatic, and can be used in long cooked dishes or even as a spice rub for grilled meats.

The flavors should be great on their own but if you’re a heat seeker you can pop it with a hot sauce of your choice. I’d recommend a habanero style sauce but you just can’t go wrong with any favorite sauce. If you want to re-heat a quick 1-2 minute jaunt in the microwave in a bowl should be sufficient.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine and hope you go visit them when they open to the public again. We want to thank our new friends at the Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup!

• Roast chicken
• Pernil (roast pork)
• Yellow Rice and Beans
• Empanadas
• Plantains

Your CurAte dinner features Puerto Rican food from a new spot in Rochester - Casa Campo! They have only been open for a month now and are located in the old La Olla Crillio (RIP!) space on E Main near Culver Rd. Being able to support a new spot is always thrilling and Hector and the whole team there have been a delight to work with.

We have featured similar meals in the past but it is always beneficial to see what a new location has to offer. Each one offers the chance to evaluate what you prefer when it comes to seasoning, cooking technique, and find a place that you want to make yourself a regular at. There is nothing more satisfying than when you lock in on a place that hits so hard you can’t help but go back on the regular. This is one of the reasons we hope you revisit the restaurants from our Prior Events so you can continue to make one your own.

Your meal touches on a couple of classic dishes - pernil (roast pork), roast chicken, yellow rice and beans, and empanadas. We’re staying right in the lane of comfort dishes with roasted meats, stewed beans and some deep fried empanadas. This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat put the food on a microwave safe dish and microwave for a minute or two. For the empanadas, an air fryer would be the best option with a toasted over on 300 degrees the next best.

Make sure to check out Casa Campo at 1586 E Main St in the City of Rochester near Culver Rd. Try out more of their Puerto Rican comfort food classics and grab some dessert for a sweet end to your meal. You can either sit in or grab take out.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA!

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Molé Enchiladas (Corn tortillas with mole sauce, spanish rice, organic radishes, red onions, cabbage, crema Mexicana, queso fresco)
• Chile Relleno (Stuffed poblano pepper with chorizo, monterey cheese, salsa roja, crema Mexicana, black beans, white rice, queso fresco, cilantro)
• Chips and guacamole (chips and guacamole)

Your CurAte dinner features a return to Mexican food from Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food on Monroe Ave and Park Ave in the City of Rochester. We are thrilled to be working with Ojayra Rita and the whole team at Neno’s again after our first time with them last May. They focus on their versions of Mexican street food classics with some nods to their Oaxacan roots.

Mexican restaurants are common in our area, but we are seeing a transition to places that have more focus on traditional flavors versus the Tex-Mex options you might be more familiar with. Neno’s covers a wide range of Mexican street foods instead of direct focus on one region and has done so for years both at the restaurant and on their popular food truck. Other options include a selection of burritos, tacos (including birria!), tortas (sandwiches), and entrées.

Your meal touches on a couple of classic dishes - enchiladas and chile rellenos. The enchiladas are filled with carnitas (pork shoulder cooked in oil or pork fat) and covered with Oaxacan molé to bring soem amazing texture, balance and dense flavors to the dish. Chile relleno are a Puebla based dish featuring a roasted poblano pepper (dark green flavor with black pepper flavor and mid spice) stuffed with pork chorizo, monterrey cheese (mild melty cheese) and accepted with salsa roja (red salsa), crema, black beans and more. This should be a great combination of flavors to go along with some chips and house made guacamole.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a quick jaunt in the microwave for a minute or two. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food at 642 Monroe Ave or at 695 Park Ave in the City of Rochester. Try out more of their Mexican street food classics and grab some churros or tres leches cake for a sweet end to your meal. You can either sit in or grab take out.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA!

Love, Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Yellow Rice and Beans (seasoned rice with savory stewed beans on both dishes)
• Pernil (adobo seasoned roast pork shoulder with crispy skin)
• Rotisserie Chicken (seasoned, roasted chicken pieces)
• Sweet Plantains (ripe plantains cooked to a perfect texture)

Thanks for joining us for our third Buffalo CurAte event! We appreciate your patronage and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. We are thrilled to get more involved with the Buffalo dining scene and share the wide range of cuisines in town with you!

We have some big news coming soon with a few changes to CurAte. Stay tuned for that and a few giveaways during the month of December. We’re looking forward to seeing what Nowhere Cocktail Lounge becomes when it is fully open and doing great things together!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from La Casa De Sabores, located at 1 Letchworth St near Buff State just south of Black Rock. Owner Carlos Cabrera and the team are putting out a wide range of Dominican classics including stewed and roasted meats, chimichurri (sandwiches), and savory pork fat filled and completely satisfying mofongo.There is something completely satisfying about roasted and stewed meats when combined with seasoned rice and beans. It is an in your face kind of experience that is a showcase for adobo seasoning in a way that is hard to ignore. Typical flavors in the spice mix include garlic, onion, oregano, salt, pepper and sometimes turmeric. This is a perfect seasoning that can be used on meats, vegetables and just about anything really. If you’re trying to simply season food at home I strongly recommend grabbing a shaker and trying it out!

Dominican food has influences from the native Taino people, the Spanish, and the displaced African slaves that came along with colonization. The usage of local seafood, cassava, dried seafood like bacalao (salt cod), plantains, beans and rice are great examples of how the confluence of those cuisines come together to make an amazing experience. I would recommend doing some more research to learn about the history of the island and get even more depth to the experience of eating this dynamic food.

We hope you enjoy this meal from La Casa De Sabores and hope you go visit them at 1 Letchworth St near Buff State just south of Black Rock. Whether you eat in or grab food to go, swing by to grab some amazing Dominican food and let them know you learned about them from CurAte Meals!

We want to thank our new friends at the soon-to-be-open Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a soon-to-be staple of the neighborhood. We look forward to the many opportunities to explore different cuisines and pairings with you!.

We’ll see you next year!

• Smoky long grain rice with shish tawook chicken & beef kofta (ground, seasoned and grilled beef) kebab
• Bayti salad (greens with feta, chickpeas, walnut, arils and lemon-pomegranate dressing)
• Hummus & muhammara (roasted red pepper dip and nuts)

Your CurAte dinner features a return to West Asian food from Levantine’s Syrian Café and Cuisine on Elmgrove Rd in Gates. We are thrilled to be working with Mohammed and the team at Levantine’s again after having a great meal the first time. They focus specifically on approachable Syrian food that shows off the true cuisine that he grew up with including an amazing selection of dessert and drinks.

We have done a fair amount of West Asian restaurants (often referred to as Mediterranean) and thought it would be a good time to have some lighter fare after the deluge of food from Thanksgiving. I think many of the best foods in the region are focused on vegetables with meat as an accent instead of just the main attraction to the meal. The salad portion of the meal is a great example of that bringing some hearty flavors from the walnuts and the chickpeas along with a fruity touch from the pomegranate seeds and juice in the dressing. This is the kind of salad you’re going to want to go back to again.

The remainder of the meal hits down the middle with a couple of kebabs as described above and a couple classic mezze dips. Everyone knows hummus very well but might not be as familiar with muhammara. This is a hearty walnut and roasted red pepper dip that's all sorts of savory, sweet, slightly smoky, and a hint of spice. Another amazing inclusion in the pantheon of dip like substances that everyone loves from the region.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a quick jaunt in the microwave for a minute or two. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Levantine’s Syrian Café and Cuisine on Elmgrove Rd in Gates. Try out more of their traditional Syrian dishes and grab some dessert for a sweet end to your meal. You can either sit in or grab take out. They have recently done some renovation to their space and it is looking better than ever!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at Three Heads Brewing in NOTA!.

Love,

Alex, Brandon, Chris, Nate, Raph

• Jerk Chicken (pieces of chicken roasted with a jerk seasoning marinade)
• Rice and peas (rice and cow peas/beans, lightly savory)
• Cabbage with mixed veg (stewed style veg, good balance to the meal)
• Escobeche Whiting (whiting pan seared, finished in a sweet and sour flavored sauce and mixed veg)
• Plantains (sweet, ripe intense flavors)

Your CurAte dinner features some straight classic Jamaican dishes from Livie’s Jamaican Restaurant on Chili Ave in the Arnett neighborhood of Rochester. Livie’s is a go to spot for Jamaican food in the area and one of the top tier spots in our area with a wide selection of classics, a nice market, and service with so much character you can’t help but leave with a smile.

Rochester is rich with Jamaican restaurants - many more than most people are aware of. A while back I made an effort to try as many places as I could and at last count I had visited around a dozen locations and knew of at least 20 total. It is hard to think of any other cuisine that has that many different options in so many different neighborhoods around the area.

The flavors that are typical in Jamaican cuisine can be thought of through the lens of a translated version of West African dishes. Obviously this is a story we have brought up many times and I recommend keeping that in mind as you enjoy the dishes tonight. Jamaican dishes tend toward the punchy side of things with heavy use of herbs, juices, scotch bonnet peppers, seafood, and tropical ingredients.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a quick jaunt in the microwave for a minute or two. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Livie’s Jamaican Monday through Saturday at 375 Chili Ave in the City of Rochester. Try out more of their traditional dishes or grab some grocery ingredients to make your own dishes at home. You can either sit in or grab take out. They will be moving their operation to a more accessible spot later this year so keep an eye out for that!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

• House Cured Pork with Gailan and White Rice (slices of cured pork cooked with Chinese broccoli in a savory sauce)
• Black Bean Beef Ho Fen Rice Noodles (a fermented black bean sauce with flat wide rice noodles, scallion, onion, bean sprouts and sliced beef)
• 2 Fried Spring Rolls (crispy vegetarian spring rolls served with house-made mango chili sauce)

Your CurAte dinner features traditional Chinese dishes from Han Noodle Bar on Monroe Ave in the City of Rochester. Han Noodle has been around for over 10 years in this location and is a staple for both traditional dishes and Americanized classics, steamed buns, and snappy service.

Despite the ubiquity of Chinese restaurants here in Rochester, there are few that feature dishes that are more traditional. This isn’t to say that there isn’t value to the Americanized spots that can be found in just about any town all over the country. My views at the time were more draconian than they are now, but my tastes still lean heavily toward the kind of dishes you'll be eating today. Chinese food is highly regional but generally the food today edges away from notable sweetness unlike a lot of very popular Chinese American dishes and more toward savory profiles.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a quick jaunt in the microwave for a minute or two. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Han Noodle Bar any day of the week at 687 Monroe Ave in the City of Rochester. Try out more of their traditional dishes or if you're in the mood for Americanized versions they serve up some of the best in town. They are take out only right now until their new location is open down the street later this year.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

• Tea Leaf Salad (fermented tea leaves served with roasted peanuts, cabbage, crunchy elements and an acidic dressing)
• Burmese Pork Curry with Rice
• Kyay Oh Cee Chat (Rice Noodle Salad with meatball, pork slices, tofu, ground pork, egg, pork belly, and garlic oil) and broth

Thanks for joining us for our second Buffalo CurAte event! We appreciate your patronage and we look forward to seeing you for our next event on November 22nd. We are thrilled to get more involved with the Buffalo dining scene and share the wide range of cuisines in town with you!

Starting with our event in November we will be offering dine in at the Nowhere Lounge as well.

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Family Thai, located at 863 Tonawanda St in the Riverside neighborhood of Buffalo. Family Thai is a family affair with owners Thet Lwin and Than Than Myint serving both Burmese and Thai dishes covering wide ranges of each cuisine including potent salads, curries, soups, noodle and rice dishes.

I am new to Burmese food and fell in love after the first taste I had at Family Thai. The Tea Leaf Salad was rich with textural and flavor contrasts from huge crunch elements like nuts, beans and seeds, acidic lime and fermented tea leaves, and some richness from a garlic oil. Each bite is filled with cabbage and tomato and is one of the most fascinating dishes I’ve had in a while.

The excitement of the tea leaf salad gets balanced with the next dish of rich pork curry with white rice. This is dense with flavor but a meat forward delight. You’ll be finishing off your meal with a big dish of Kyay Oh Cee Chat filled with thin rice noodles, an aromatic soup broth, a wide variety of meats and some aromatics to bring some lightness.

While eating your meal, think about the geographic influences of Myanmar; it borders Thailand on the East and Bangladesh on the West. When learning about a new cuisine it is worthwhile to look at those factors so you can get a greater understanding of the whole region. We have talked about this in prior CurAte events in Rochester when we explored different Levant/West Asian cuisines including Syrian, Lebanese and Turkish foods.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Family Thai and hope you go visit them at 863 Tonawanda St. Whether you eat in or grab food to go, swing by to grab some amazing Burmese food and let them know you learned about them from CurAte Meals!

We want to thank our new friends at the soon-to-be-open Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a soon-to-be staple of the neighborhood. We look forward to the many opportunities to explore different cuisines and pairings with you!.

We’ll see you on November 22nd.

• Stuffed Cabbages with Meat in Tomato Sauce
• Selection of Pierogi
• Fresh and Smoked Sausages
• Bigos (Hunter’s Stew) - chopped meat, sauerkraut, and cabbage

Your CurAte dinner features Polish classics from Polska Chata off of Ridge Road near Culver. Polska Chata has been around in Irondequoit since 2004 serving Polish dishes and selling frozen and pantry staples to all that need them.

If you’re hunting for Eastern European food in Rochester, Polska Chata is one of very few options and a must for anyone seeking dishes from that region. Polish food is hearty and defined by comforting meat dishes from stews to sausages, picked vegetables, robust species, and dough based items like pierogies. The dishes you’ll be eating tonight are unabashedly rich and meaty but offer balance with acid from sauerkraut and tomato sauce which keep them lively.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a quick jaunt in the microwave for a minute or two. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

One thing I’d recommend would be to stock your freezer with pierogi. I love dumplings of all kinds but pierogi were probably the first ones I had ever tried since Polish food was very common in Buffalo where I grew up. Polska Chata carries a huge variety of flavors with meat, cheese, and even options for vegans like a mushroom and sauerkraut version that is a true delight and is often found in my freezer.

Make sure to check out Polska Chata Tuesday - Saturday at 32 Vinedale Ave just off of Ridge Rd in Irondequoit. Try out more of your favorite Polish classics fresh or items from their deli like sausages, salads and ready to re-heat items for quick food at home!

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Kitchen Africana, a Nigerian restaurant located in Marketplace Mall in Henrietta! I know this might be a bit of a departure when it comes to location but we are thrilled to be featuring our second CurAte West African (Kamara’s W African) restaurant. The best way to find Kitchen Africana is to go to the West Entrance of the mall in the food court area next to Coffee Connection.

The team at Kitchen Africana is focused on the traditional dishes of Nigeria and takes pride in that. Learning about West African food (including Nigerian food) is a critical step to understanding the foods that make up many of the dishes we love all over the Americas. I won’t go into detail here since I am not an expert, but would recommend you watch the High on the Hog series on Netflix or read the book of the same title High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica Harris to get a piece of the background you’ll be tasting today.

For your meal tonight, you’ll be diving into a couple staple dishes of Nigeria - jollof rice and Efo Riro, which is referred to as a swallow dish. Jollof rice is a dish widely found in W Africa and often debated as to which country makes it the best. The dish is based on a seasoned rice cooked in chicken and obe ata base (tomato and chile - this version is mild with a building heat) and often served with an accent of chicken. If you’ve had this dish before let us know what you think about this version!

As I mentioned above, Efo Riro is referred to as a swallow dish since it is served with a starch called fufu that is so soft you can swallow it without chewing. Fufu is a boiled and pounded ball of cassava root (often called tapioca or taro root) that is used to balance out the intense flavors of stews and other soups like Efo Riro. The Efo Riro is a greens based stew with spinach and kale, obe ata (tomato - chile base), and in this case a ground crayfish brings a depth of seafood to the affair. When you eat the dish, tear off a piece of fufu and eat it with a bite of the Efo Riro to your taste.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Kitchen Africana and hope you go visit them in the food court at the West Side entrance of Marketplace Mall. You can eat in the otherwise quiet food court or take the food to go for your family.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

Thanks for joining us for our first Buffalo CurAte event! We appreciate your patronage and we look forward to seeing you for our next event on October 25th. We are thrilled to get more involved with the Buffalo dining scene and share the wide range of cuisines in town with you!

Tonight, $5 from each purchase will be donated to the fundraiser for the vendors of the West Side Bazaar after their building suffered a devastating fire. We wish them the best and hope to work with them in the future.

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Southern Junction, a dining experience that combines Texas style BBQ techniques and Indian flavors located at 27 Chandler St on the 1st Floor. Owner Ryan Fernandez has combined the food from where he grew up in Texas with his Indian heritage into a kind of fusion that makes so much sense you can’t believe you hadn’t come up with it yourself.

I have a love and hate relationship with fusion, but the food at Southern Junction is an authentic expression of experiences and tastes like it in the best possible way. The Texas style smoking is properly done over wood and the brisket hits all of the marks you’d hope for. The Indian flavors are punchy, bright, and keep you wanting to go back for the next bite.

This ties right into the first dish you’ll be diving into - a chopped brisket heavy biryani! This is an aromatic rice dish with a spiced butter base and a bunch of chopped smoked brisket, topped with pickled red onions and cilantro. This is a combination that just works - the balance of the richness and acidity balanced with the baseline biryani flavors. The other dish is a smoked and roasted cauliflower in an Indo-Chinese sauce tied together with those pickled onions and served over rice. This is another example of fusion done right on many levels. Bringing smoke to cauliflower makes a ton of sense and combining that with what is now a well established fusion of Indian and Chinese sauce makes for an unforgettable dish.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Southern Junction and hope you go visit them at 27 Chandler St on the 1st Floor. Make sure to hit their website to pre-order for larger parties or swing by for some to-go deliciousness.

We want to thank our new friends at the soon-to-be-open Nowhere Lounge in Kenmore for hosting our pickup! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a soon-to-be staple of the neighborhood. We look forward to the many opportunities to explore different cuisines and pairings with you!.

We’ll see you on October 25th.

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Just Chik’n, a Peruvian chicken restaurant located in the Jefferson Plaza in Henrietta! J Ribs has been open since 2015 making ribs (obviously!) and other comfort classics for the people in the neighborhood. Jesse and his team have a beautiful smoker and grill setup outside the store where they do the big BBQ work of turning a raw product into a smoky, darkly grilled and deeply flavored delight that has people coming in from all around to visit this unassuming spot.

This is our first foray into what might be referred to as Soul Food but is really an expression of Southern food with influences this time from Jamaica. These cuisines are influenced by the African diaspora which I won’t go into detail on here but you should definitely go read about it and get informed about how many foods we enjoy share those roots. In prior meals we have touched on this with the food from Kamara’s from West Africa, Jamaican from Peppa Pot, Louisiana’s Haitian, and New Orleans food from The French Quarter Cafe to name a few.

Your meal this week will feature those delightful ribs covered in J Ribs sauce and accompanied by a side of long cooked collard greens and mac and cheese. This is a classic combo that is hard not to love. Savory, sweet, smoky, creamy, and endlessly satisfying. The other dish plays it a little simpler with fried haddock over Jamaican jerk rice and some hot sauce to balance it all out. I’m thrilled that Jesse was able to work with us for this event and show off his dedication to making great food happen for the people in the area.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

Make sure to go visit J Ribs at 400 State Street near High Falls in the City of Rochester. Grab some food to go and have an amazing meal outside while the weather is still holding up!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from J Ribs located on State Street right near High Falls in the City of Rochester! J Ribs has been open since 2015 making ribs (obviously!) and other comfort classics for the people in the neighborhood. Jesse and his team have a beautiful smoker and grill setup outside the store where they do the big BBQ work of turning a raw product into a smoky, darkly grilled and deeply flavored delight that has people coming in from all around to visit this unassuming spot.

This is our first foray into what might be referred to as Soul Food but is really an expression of Southern food with influences this time from Jamaica. These cuisines are influenced by the African diaspora which I won’t go into detail on here but you should definitely go read about it and get informed about how many foods we enjoy share those roots. In prior meals we have touched on this with the food from Kamara’s from West Africa, Jamaican from Peppa Pot, Louisiana’s Haitian, and New Orleans food from The French Quarter Cafe to name a few.

Your meal this week will feature those delightful ribs covered in J Ribs sauce and accompanied by a side of long cooked collard greens and mac and cheese. This is a classic combo that is hard not to love. Savory, sweet, smoky, creamy, and endlessly satisfying. The other dish plays it a little simpler with fried haddock over Jamaican jerk rice and some hot sauce to balance it all out. I’m thrilled that Jesse was able to work with us for this event and show off his dedication to making great food happen for the people in the area.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

Make sure to go visit J Ribs at 400 State Street near High Falls in the City of Rochester. Grab some food to go and have an amazing meal outside while the weather is still holding up!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to the powerful flavors of Korean food made by one of our original five CurAte partners - Sodam! Sodam is located in the Genesee Valley Regional Market in Henrietta off of Jefferson Rd in the same building as Lori's Natural Foods. They are one of the key spots in Rochester to enjoy casual Korean classics that have become so popular like bibimbap (mixed rice), bulgogi (grilled meat strips), kalbi (grilled cross cut short ribs), and jjigae (stews of all kinds!).

Part of what you should expect with your food today is a combination of sweet, fermented, savory, and spicy that define many popular dishes. These flavors have catapulted Korean food to be added to lots of non classic dishes and a staple of fusion forward menus of all kinds. Gochujang (fermented chili paste with glutinous rice, sugar, salt and soybeans) is often seen on wings and in aioli in gastropubs but the rest of the flavors you’ll be tasting today aren’t typically highlighted.

Your meal this week will cover a couple dishes and sides meant to be fully shared between two people. Starting your meal will be dukbokee which is a combination of rice cakes (thick rice cylinder like noodles) and fish cakes (thinner strips of fish mixed with vegetable, seasonings, and starch) cooked in a sweet and medium plus spicy chile sauce. You’ll want to cut this with some rice if you want to tame the heat a bit. The main dish is O-Sam Bulgogi which contains pieces of thinly cut pork and pieces of squid marinated in a sweet and savory ginger, garlic, sesame pepper sauce. After marinating, everything is grilled alongside onions and peppers and served with rice. This is a great combination of technique and flavor that’s hard not to love.

The dishes will be accompanied by a selection of banchan which are side dishes meant to accent the other foods or be eaten on their own and include versions of kimchi, pickled vegetables, and prepared seaweed and cucumber. My personal favorite is the kimchi of cucumber which I look for every time I go into Sodam or to a Korean grocery store.

For those joining us for pickup, we want to thank our friends at our new pickup location - Three Heads Brewing in NOTA! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with one of Rochester’s premier craft breweries and give you more opportunity to eat on site and hang with us.

We want to thank The Historic German House for being great hosts to us over the last year and we hope to have the opportunity to work with them on other kinds of events in the future.

Make sure to go visit Sodam at 900 Jefferson Rd in the Henrietta Genesee Valley Regional Market near Lori’s Natural Foods. They have a great space to enjoy some dishes meant to be eaten screaming hot like jjigae and dolsot bimbimbap so swing in and give them a try.

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to the flavors of New Orleans courtesy of The French Quarter Cafe located on Spring St in the heart of downtown Rochester. Neciah and the team over there have been a staple of the Rochester dining scene for a long time and it is our pleasure to be working with them again.

The cuisine of New Orleans is one of the most rich melting pots of multicultural flavors that exist in the US today. The food has roots based in West African (Kamara’s is a good version here in town!) dishes interpreted through additional French (Acadian for cajun), and Spanish foods due to historical colonization. This combination has created a rich tapestry of dishes with powerful flavors and unique expressions that can only exist in an area with so many influences.

Your meal this week will cover a wide range of dishes and is more of a small dish experience than some of our other experiences. This was meant to give you the most different flavors we could hit at one time!

The first two dishes I’ll mention are ones you’re likely going to be more familiar with if you’ve had this style of food before - Chicken & Sausage Gumbo and a mixed etouffee. Gumbo is one of the quintessential foods of New Orleans based on a dark roux thickened chicken stock, spiced sausage (typically andouille), chicken, an aromatic base of onion, garlic and green pepper referred to as the trinity. Etouffee is another stew like dish with similar ingredients but often thicker and slightly lighter flavors more focused on seafood.

You’ll also have some bites of crawfish boudin balls (picture a cross between a crab cake and an arancini with pieces of crawfish instead of crab), Corn Maque Choux (a rich corn salad with bacon fat and aromatics), and to lighten up the meal (just a bit!) a serving of a Strawberry Cucumber Summer Salad. This is a meal to be remembered!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House!

Make sure to go visit The French Quarter at 130 Spring Street right off of Broad Street in the heart of Rochester. They have a beautiful, historic building that makes for a perfect date night and we highly recommend going in for a meal.

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us to the plaza at the corner of Seneca Ave and Ridge Rd and As Evi Turkish Cuisine! We are excited to bring you Turkish food for the first time and continue our exploration of food from the West Asian (often referred to as Middle Eastern) region and related cuisines.

We have brought you examples of Lebanese (Pita Restaurant) and Syrian (Levantine’s Cafe) in prior CurAte Events and Turkey is another key to understanding the food that defines the region. Although Turkey is the cross over between Europe, the Balkans, and West Asia, many dishes crossover including a variety of kebabs and desserts like baklava. Of course there are plenty of differences so we’d love to know your thoughts as you dive into your meals.

Your meal this week will include three servings of kebabs with rice including some of the absolute classics of adana (ground beef with red pepper, paprika), chicken kebab (marinated chicken), and kofte kebab (ground beef with onions, parsley and other seasonings). We do highly recommend swinging by during the weekend to experience their house made döner kebab (house made gyro style kebab meat seasoned and cooked on a vertical spit). Their döner is special since it is very rare to see it made in house and something we are lucky to have in town.

There will also be a full piece of lahmacun which is a baked flatbread topped with ground meat and veggies. Every culture of the region has a flatbread and this is one of the most notable versions from Turkey alongside the pide (which is a whole separate story that is worth exploring another time). Sides of mixed and çoban salads are included as accents to the kebabs and lahmacun as well as a couple bites tulumba (fried dough soaked in syrup) and another dessert to be named later.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Keep an eye out for a second location of As Evi opening up in the Henrietta area later this year! They’ll be opening a bakery in the old Ninja Gut located at 2973 West Henrietta Road and will be bringing new and more varied Turkish baked goods to the people.

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to Alexander St in the City of Rochester to ThaiYada Restaurant! Everybody loved their meal so much last time that we were thrilled to explore more of their menu this time around and bring some new flavors to your table.

I find that Thai food is very enjoyable during the summer months, often having bright flavors that go well with citrusy beverages and handle being used as leftovers as well. If you happen to have any food left after your meal tonight, both would go well cold with a bit more chopped fresh herbs, toasted nuts and a splash of any vinaigrette you might happen to have around. Great opportunity to be creative!

Your meal this week will include a good serving of Pad Kee Mou (Drunken Noodles) Tofu and Crying Pig which has a base of grilled pork. Drunken noodles is a Thai takeout classic featuring medium wide rice noodles cooked in a wok with a bit of chili for heat, garlic, onion, pepper, Thai basil with a bit of a savory kick. This is a classic street food and one that is designed around punchy flavors and spice. The Crying Pig is a Thai style marinated pork grilled over open flames served alongside broccoli, rice, and a spicy sauce to bring a big pop of flavor and heat to your grilled meat. This is a more straightforward dish but the impact of the marinade, the grilled flavor and the sauce make it one to remember.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

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Your CurAte dinner this week brings us to Genesee St in the City of Rochester and a staple of Dominican food - D’Mangu! D’Mangu is part of a family of Dominican spots that includes El Sabor de la Isla on Norton St and a new location of D’Mangu on Portland that will be opening later this year.

El Sabor is one of the OG Dominican restaurants in town and has a reputation as having some of the most delicious eats and a place that serves their community well. Some of you may know D’Mangu from their former location in Henrietta but they unfortunately had to close during the pandemic. We are thrilled to be working with them as they continue to grow in the City!

Since we’re heading into the heat of summer next week, we wanted to bring some big Dominican flavor to the party! This is straight classic Dominican dishes that we all know and love including roast pork, stewed chicken, rice and beans, plantains, house made hot sauce and some vegetables to lighten things up just a bit.

This is to going be a big meal so keep some ideas in the back of your head for leftovers. I love cripsing them up in a pan with eggs and putting it over toast. Big brunch hash vibes right there!

I have always personally enjoyed the process of trying different versions of classic dishes to get a feel of what I truly enjoy about them and finding my favorite. These dishes do tend to cross over many establishments but each has their own signature to watch for. My favorite with any palace was to taste their house hot sauce and the balance with the pernil (seasoned roast pork) and beans. If that wired together then I knew I had a place that I was going to be a regular at.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to S Clinton Avenue and a visit to one of the first places we worked with when we started CurAte - Zemeta Ethiopian! Nataneal and Zemeta are the owners and have been great supporters of what we do at CurAte and make some tremendous comfort food. There is something about the combination of spices and earthy flavors that make me content each and every time I dive into a plate.

Ethiopian food is also specifically based around sharing. When you dine in at Zemeta, the variety fi dishes you order are served on a plate of injera bread. Injera is a staple of the cuisine and is a fermented teff (ancient grain with tons of nutrients and grows well in hot climates) and wheat mix that is cooked like a pancake with defined sour and earthy notes. Traditionally food is eaten by using the injera as a scoop to grab the different dishes. I recommend doing that with the food you’ll be enjoying as well to get a bit of that experience at home. If you’d prefer to use a fork or spoon there is no shame in that either!

Your meal tonight includes a two different samplers that feature mostly the same bases of injera, berbere spiced lentils, stewed cabbage and carrots, and spinach/collards. These food are the base of the meal and are well rounded long cooked versions that so well as is or popped with a hot sauce of your choice. I’d recommend a habanero style sauce but you just can’t go wrong. One of the meals will have a serving of chicken tibs andthe other beef tibs. Tibs is a style of cooking that usually involves peppers and onions, a relatively quick cook in a flavorful broth and a medium balance of warm spices. It is a go to dish for those learning about the cuiosne and wanting to get into the meatier side of things.

You’ll also get an extra bite of a sambusa with is a pastry similar in shape to a samosa but with more of an empanada like dough. It is filled with a lentil and onion abase that should be a good accent to the meal or even better dipped into one of the flavorful dishes!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to S Plymouth Ave and another one of a kind restaurant in the ROC - Louisiana’s Haitian! We try to highlight as many unique spots around town as we can and Louisian’s has been on my radar for a while now. Part of what makes the process of finding new restaurants is that moment when you take a bite of something you haven’t had before and it completely lives up to your expectations. I hadn’t had the opportunity to try Haitian food before visiting Louisiana’s and the flavors just drew me in. Haiti is located on the same island as the Dominican Republic and, while the food has many similarities, the Creole vibes and the spicy accents make it a whole different experience.

Your meal tonight includes a sampler of a few different dishes along with sides to balance out the meal. The samples of the mains are stewed chicken (savory and warm spiced sauce), griot (seasoned chunks of fried pork) and veggie legume (cooked down vegetables that go perfectly with the rice). Balancing out the rest of the meal includes an earthy and punchy mushroom rice based around the black mushroom and black beans along with bannann (fried plantains). Accents of extra chicken sauce and pikliz (vinegar and scotch bonnet pickled cabbage) help tie everything together and bring some pop to your night.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options have changed in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more new developments, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week brings us back to one of our favorite prior partners - Namaste Indian Grill in Henrietta! The first meal we had from the team at Namaste was a hit and we’re thrilled to be working with them again with this all new menu. If you haven’t stopped by the grocery store yet, there is no better time than now. I have been shopping there an absolute ton and have stocked my cabinet with chutneys, freezer with different breads, and my stomach with a whole bunch of different snacks and Thumbs Up! Cola.

Since it doesn’t transport as well, I’ll highly recommend that when you go visit Namaste Indian Grill in person you need to get dosa and eat it there. The combination of crisp textured fermented rice crepe, savory and spiced filling and amazing dipping sauces makes this a perfect dining experience.

Your meal tonight includes a selection of three dishes - Chicken Xacuti, Chana Palak, and Kheer for dessert. Chicken Xacuti is a Goan dish with braised chicken in a rich and spiced coconut, chile, ginger, and poppy seed sauce. A It is a great example of how to balance richness with interesting seasoning to keep things interesting. Along the same lines is the stewed spinach and chickpea dish - chana palak. It reminds of stewed spinach you might get at a steakhouse but so much more complex and hearty enough to be a meal. You’ll be finishing your meal with a rice pudding dessert called kheer. Typically seasoned with rose water and nuts, this is a great end to a meal full of spices and savory flavors.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options will soon be changing in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city will have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more information, and thank you for your continued support!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Nosh - a landmark in Rochester’s finer dining scene since 2016. Chef Joe Zolnierowksi has created a seasonally rotating menu that has influences from both his Korean background and from his hometown of Tuscon, Arizona and their Southwestern vibes. We love to occasionally hit up some of the finest restaurants in Rochester as a bonus treat for our customers and this is one of those times! I have eaten at Nosh many times and it is a go to spot for special occasions or just when you want a big night out with a group of friends.

The impact Nosh has had on the dining scene is hard to overstate. Showy dishes like the full Tomahawk Steak and the Korean Sit down (mix of classic Korean BBQ and hybrid side dishes) are a staple on foodie Instagrams and for good reason. They back up the visuals with bold flavors and consistently strong execution. Nosh also features a wood fired oven that cooks their pizzas as well as other dishes that need that lick of flame and smoke.

Your meal tonight includes two dishes from the menu - Steak and Noodles and the Lobster Ravioli. Steak and Noodles is a version of the Korean classic japchae featuring sliced bulgogi sirloin, fried egg, carrots, shiitake, onions, oyster sauce, and stir fried clear noodles. This is a great example of a dish that has classic roots and one that is executed very well. Lobster ravioli are filled with lobster and mascarpone cheese, covered in a poblano cream sauce with preserved lemons, blistered tomatoes, and an accent of cilantro. This dish is highly aromatic and evokes Italian technique with a bit of that Southwestern flair mentioned earlier.

Make sure to make a reservation and enjoy a meal at Nosh when the mood strikes. Although it does offer a higher end menu, it isn’t a pretentious or stuffy affair. It offers a combination of soulful inspiration and dishes that keep diners excited to come back for more.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Please be aware that some delivery options will soon be changing in order for us to better continue serving the greater Rochester area - areas further from our central location in the city will have a small added delivery cost. Stay tuned for more information, and thank you for your continued support!

A reminder that our pickup has now changed to a 5:30p - 6:00p pickup window, and we ask that all orders be picked up by 6pm going forward. We appreciate your support as we expand and look into new options to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Revolution Karaoke - a Sichuan Chinese restaurant and karaoke spot located in the Henrietta Jefferson Plaza. We have hit a few spots in this space (Just Chik’n and Coco Garden) and we still might have more coming in future events. It is such a hotbed of interesting cuisines worth exploring!

I adore regional Chinese food and Sichuan is my go to when I want a combination of fermented, spicy, numbing and strikingly intense dishes. Dishes that are well known are spicy diced chicken cooked dry fried with Sichuan peppercorns, chiles, ginger and garlic, cumin lamb which is coated in cumin seeds cooked with aromatics, and veg, and appetizers soaked in chili oil from cucumbers to poached chicken to dumplings. Always a good idea to have chili oil at home if you can! Making your own is a fun adventure or you can ask your favorite restaurant if they’re willing to sell you some to use at home.

Your meal tonight includes a meat free version of mapo tofu which is one of the absolute classic Sichuan dishes. Cubes of smooth, silken tofu bathed in a fermented chili bean paste (doubanjang) sauce with leeks and scallions. An accent of sichuan peppercorn brings some numbing, citrus flavors to balance the mild spiciness of the dish which defines the málà flavor combination renowned in Sichian cuisine. The other dish is double cooked pork consisting of pork belly and dense tofu balanced with peppers and onions. Cooked over high heat in a wok gives it a robust taste of wok hei (flamed aerosolized oils during tossing of foods in a wok over high heats that reminds of grilling burgers over charcoal) along with a savory seasoning base.

Make sure to make a trip to the Henrietta Jefferson Plaza to get more Sichuan food or do some killer karaoke when the mood strikes. This is a great area to do a food tour and we highly recommend eating at Revolution Chinese in person with a group to get that experience.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

A reminder that our pickup has now changed to a 5:30p - 6:00p pickup window, and we ask that all orders be picked up by 6pm going forward. We appreciate your support as we expand and look into new options to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Saigon Pho - one of my favorite Vietnamese spots in the city. It is located at 1384 Lyell Ave in the plaza at the corner of Lyell Ave and Mt read Blvd. When you’re looking for fresh, savory flavors there is nothing that hits the spot quite like Viet food. Whether you want to find a classic style banh mi, multiple styles of soup (spoiler alert!), a rice or noodle dish, or your favorite version of spring rolls Saigon is your place. This style of food is highlighted by fresh and lightly pickled veg, richly flavored but light bodied broths, frequent use of fish sauce to bring out savory flavors, and grilled meats from beef to pork to chicken to seafood.

Your meal tonight include a classic beef phở and a broken rice dish with chicken called com ga. Phở is based around a beef bone broth typically seasoned with onions and ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fish sauce (for salt and its savory umami qualities), and a small amount of sugar for balance. The broth is served with rice noodles and an assortment of mix ins that you can use to accent the dish like thai basil, bean sprouts, and jalapenos. Feel free to add sriracha or sambal olek at home if you want to pop the heat a bit higher. Com ga is based on broken rice (smaller broken grains that occur during mechanical processing of dry rice) served with an aromatic cooked chicken, basil, veggies and a fish sauce based dressing.This is style of dish very commonly seen with grilled pork or seafood as well.

Make sure to make a trip to the Lyell Ave neighborhood to get more of this Vietnamese food when the mood strikes. It is a short detour off of the 490 and in the plaza at the corner of Lyell Ave and Mt Read Blvd.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

A reminder that our pickup has now changed to a 5:30p - 6:00p pickup window, and we ask that all orders be picked up by 6pm going forward. We appreciate your support as we expand and look into new options to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Coco Garden - the only Malaysian restaurant in Rochester! Coco Garden has been around for a while and serves a community that travels from all around Upstate NY to get a taste of home. Malaysian cuisine has been influenced by Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Filipino dishes and you can taste many of those influences in the dishes tonight. You won't have any dishes today flavored with belacan (fermented shrimp paste) but we hope to bring that to you in the future since it is such a staple of the cuisine!

You'll be starting with Roti Canai which has obvious ties to Indian curry and a laminated roti to dip with. This version is served with chicken and potatoes in a rich broth that you’ll definitely want to come back for. Nasi lemak is referred to as the national dish of Malaysia. At Coco Garden it comes as a mixed plate of long-cooked curry chicken, coconut rice, dried anchovy and onion, and sweet pickled vegetables. You’ll also be diving into a little over mild spicy dish called sambal chicken with a sweet and spicy pepper sauce.

Make sure to make a trip down to Henrietta to sit down for a meal at Coco Garden or grab some food for take out. Check them out at 420 Jefferson Road in the original DeBella’s location!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

A reminder that this is our last event with the 5:30p - 6:30p pickup window, and will be asking that all orders be picked up by 6pm going forward! The pickup window will be officially changing starting with the next event on March 9th. We appreciate your support as we expand and we’ll keep on working to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from Me Gusta - a new restaurant that is just out of soft opening! This is a great opportunity to try the newest Puerto Rican restaurant in the ROC owned by Erika Rivera-Arguinzoni along with her partner Ramon Arguinzoni from Palermo’s Market. Me Gusta is located right next to Palermo’s in the Mercantile on Main and they feature classic Puerto Rican dishes in the heart of downtown. The reviews so far have been exceptional and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them as they ramp up.

You’ll be diving into combo plates of yellow rice with pigeon peas, roasted pork and mixed veggies and white rice, beans, baked chicken and mixed veggies. We have a wide selection of different spots where you can enjoy Puerto Rican food around Rochester but Me Gusta is making their own mark on the scene with their home style flavors. You’ll also be getting a side of plantains and a dessert to be named later!

Make sure to swing by the Mercantile on Main to enjoy all the different options including Palermo’s, RoCoCo, Cut, and Broth over on Main Street in the Sibley Building. Check out Me Gusta on social media as their hours evolve but for now you can ahead at 585-957-8498 to get your order in.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

As we continue to refine our process here at CurAte, we wanted to let you know we are changing our recommended pickup window. We are recommending that you pickup your food in the 5:30 pm - 6pm window to make sure that the food is as fresh as possible. Our pickup window will be officially changing starting with the March 9th event. We appreciate your support and we’ll keep on working to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week comes from a repeat CurAte star - Swan Market! We are thrilled to be working with a classic German style butcher shop that makes so many amazing dishes over on Parsells Ave. Perfect for any winter meal, Barry Fischer and the team at Swan makes many German meats from sausages to head cheese to liverwurst to meat sticks.You will find lots of Swan products at restaurants all around Rochester as well so make sure to search them out!

You’ll be diving into a Sausage Platter with German potato salad and sauerkraut which was a hit last time and a new dish that includes Rouladen with red cabbage and spaetzle. Both of these are classics and perfect comfort foods for a cold Rochester day. You’ll also be getting some rye bread, mustard, and a couple meat sticks to round out your meal with even more meat!

Make sure to swing by Parsells Ave to eat at Swan Market Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm. Swinging by the deli is always a good idea and don’t forget to grab a stein of beer too!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

As we continue to refine our process here at CurAte, we wanted to let you know we are changing our recommended pickup window. We are recommending that you pickup your food in the 5:30 pm - 6pm window to make sure that the food is as fresh as possible. We appreciate your support and we’ll keep on working to make your experience better!

Your CurAte dinner this week was guest curated by Mitch Gruber for Rochester City Council! Mitch selected Philomena’s which is located in the inside shed at the Rochester Public Market. Mitch’s family has a long history at the market and told me some great stories on the Food About Town podcast if you want to learn more.

Born in Nigeria, Philomena moved to Rochester in September of 2008 and quickly discovered how difficult it can be to eat a balanced diet in America. Learning of the harmful effects of obesity, she made it her mission to create recipes that were not only healthy, but so delicious that everyone would enjoy. She has published multiple books, filmed a cooking show, and opened a kitchen to share her fresh and delicious food with the community. Phil is one of the most vibrant people I have met in Rochester and brings warmth to any conversation.

Philomena came up with a balanced menu that highlights fresh vegetables, lean beef, and whole grains. The beef stew is focused on the fresh veggies in it as well as a combo of rice and quinoa. The vegan dish is a take on one you can get when you visit the restaurant on Saturdays with a range of vegetables, lentils, and balanced flavors. A little bite of dessert with one of their dessert bars is included to finish off your meal.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Philomena’s located in the inside shed of the Rochester Public Market. Make sure to go visit Philomena in person and grab some of her amazing food to go when you’re doing the rest of your shopping. Thanks to Mitch Gruber for guest curating and picking a restaurant that exemplifies the vibrant food scene in the city.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Welcome 2022 and to the 2nd year of CurAte! We wanted to thank all of you for being a part of CurAte and supporting so many small restaurants along the way. We hope you’ll continue to stick with us as we grow and bring more amazing food to you.

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by Just chik’n, a Peruvian chicken restaurant located in the Jefferson Plaza in Henrietta. Just Chik’n takes care to make Peruvian style rotisserie chicken the best way they can as well as a variety of sauces and sides.

Making great rotisseries chicken takes extra steps to make sure you build flavor throughout and keep the bird moist. Just Chik’n takes the time to marinade all through their selected chickens, inside and out to make sure each piece is as good as the last. Peruvian food is known for bright flavors and the aji verde and aji amarillo sauces are no expectation. Both feature different aji peppers widely known in Peru both for spicy, fruity and acidic flavors being the focus. If you’re interested in learning more about Peruvian food you’ll also find great seafood, ceviche, and root vegetables galore!

For your meal tonight, you’ll be diving into rotisserie chicken a couple different ways, yucca fries, rice, two different sauces, salsa, beans, and more. This is a good selection of what Just Chik’n has to offer and I would recommend swinging out to Henrtietta to check out more and to get your fix for bright flavors and great roasted chicken.

We hope you enjoy this meal from Just Chik’n and hope you go visit them at 376 Jefferson Road. You can get their food to go, delivered, or eat in their fast casual dining room with plenty of parking.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your vegan CurAte dinner party this week was provided by The Red Fern restaurant located in the Park Ave Neighborhood! Red Fern is Rochester’s premier 100% vegan restaurant and has been serving comfort food to that community since 2013. I positively reviewed it early on for Food About Town and they have only improved over the years with their baked goods becoming a staple at coffee shops, continuing to offer substitutes for many dietary needs, and making great food for all.

Vegan food has been growing in popularity over the last few years and Rochester is a veritable hot bed of places that can satisfy almost every palate. It is a great way to engage with local produce, reduce your impact on the environment and make a positive health decision at the same time. Exploring the different cultures that have vibrant vegan foods has opened my eyes to different techniques as well as learning about the history behind them.

For your meal tonight, you’ll be diving into comfort classics. FYI all the mentions of non-vegan ingredients after this point are reminders what they are trying to accomplish and are done using substitutes or similar ingredients. A savory seitan “beef” stew is perfect for the weather right now and is served with some beautiful with cheddar herbed biscuits. A serving of eggplant casserole with marinara, mozzarella, tofu ricotta, spinach and capers is a great balance between brightness and richness. Sides of garlic bread and caesar salad come with the eggplant and round off the meal.

We hope you enjoy this meal from The Red Fern and hope you go visit them at 283 Oxford Street right at the corner of Park and Oxford. They have a wide variety of vegan dishes, baked goods, and frequently changing specials. You can get their food to go, delivered, or eat in their dining room right off the street.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by Namaste Indian Grill located in their phenomenal grocery store at 3675 West Henrietta Road in Henrietta! Namaste has been in this location for over a year now and is your go to spot for anything you want when it comes to Indian ingredients. I was shocked and thrilled when I walked in for the first time and saw how giant the store was since the exterior doesn’t show how expansive the space is.

The café serves up a wide range of Indian classics as well as a focused menu of South Indian dishes like dosa (fermented rice crepes stuffed with ingredients). If you’re a fan of Indian cuisine you’ll find dishes here that will definitely satisfy. From my many experiences, what I really enjoy about the food at Namaste Indian Grill is how expressive the spices and sauces are. They maintain dynamic flavors and brightness despite how satisfying and comforting the dishes are.

For your meal, you have a trio of classics including chicken makhani (stewed chicken in a creamy tomato sauce), chana masala (stewed chickpeas in a spiced, complex sauce), a couple pieces of tandoor chicken (marinated and grilled chicken pieces) alongside naan bread, rice and some hot pepper sauce if you like it spicy like I do.

I eat here almost every week and I think you’ll become a regular too after you try their food and visit the store. Make sure to swing over to their store at 3675 W Henrietta Rd to see everything they have to offer and take home some amazing dishes for your family or sit in their cafe space and relax.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by ThaiYada Restaurant located in the East End neighborhood right on Alexander St! ThaiYada has been serving up Thai dishes since 2019 in the area and are a go to for those looking for delicious and comforting flavors.

ThaiYada serves up Thai noodle dishes you know and love like Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles) as well as dishes served over rice like Pad Prik King and Thai Larb. These dishes and other Thai dishes focus around a balance of sweet, sour, salty, savory, and spice along with accents of bitter, creamy, pungent. These flavors can be brought on with Thai basil, garlic and ginger, fish sauce, lime, Thai bird chilies, tamarind, palm sugar and so so much more.

You’ll be diving into Pad Ka Pow Pork and a Chicken Panang Curry as representatives of this style of cuisine. Pad Ka Pow is a savory, sweet and lightly spicy balance with ground pork, Thai basil, chili, garlic, and a fried egg with rice. The Panang curry is a classic Thai curry with creamy coconut milk, pungent and fragrant red curry paste, red pepper, and lime leaves. You’ll get the best of both worlds of quick cooked and longer developed flavors with these two dishes.

If you do need to re-heat the curry a quick pop in the microwave will be effective. For the Pad Ka Pow, a quick hit in a sauteée pan would be preferred but a microwave will be absolutely fine.

If you haven’t been yet, I would make sure to visit ThaiYada in person at 315 Alexander St in the East End Neighborhood of Rochester. They have a few seats in there if you’d like to eat there or they’re happy to serve you food to go and enjoy at home.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was guest CurAted by Paul Guglielmo from Guglielmo’s Sauce and the Craft Cannery located in Bergen, NY! If you want to find Guglielmo’s Sauce go to their website or any reputable grocery store in town. You can also reach out to Paul at The Craft Cannery for a consultation if you have a sauce or culinary creation you think could be a hit.

You’re all in for a treat this week with a meal from Fiamma Centro located on Elton St in the Neighborhood of the Arts! Paul picked a good one here with well executed Italian favorites. Fiamma is well known for keeping it real by cooking dishes straight from the Campagnia region of Italy including classic Neapolitan pizzas. I am a pizza nerd through and through and when I first tried Fiamma when they were located in Gates I knew I had found legit pizza right here in the ROC.

This style of Italian food is known for high quality ingredients that are cooked and prepared simply to emphasize those flavors. For this meal you’ll be diving into a Margherita pizza, a beautiful chicken cutlet dish called Pollo Siciliano, and a fresh Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella. Considering how comforting each dish is, they still play fresh with plenty of basil, high quality cheese, and enough acid from tomato and balsamic vinegar to balance well.

Neapolitan pizza is a fast cooked pizza made in a specific style featuring a dough consisting only of 00 style flour, yeast, salt, and water. A fairly high hydration and ~60 second cook time makes for a tender crust. The Margherita is the benchmark for this style of pizza topped with a tomato base, fior di latte cheese, basil, olive oil, and a dusting of hard cheese to accent.

We highly recommend throwing the pie in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for ~3-4 mins or a toaster oven if it happens to fit

If you do need to re-heat the chicken cutlet, I would recommend a quick stint in the toaster oven until you start to hear some sizzle, or throw it in next to the pizza.

If you haven’t been yet, I would make sure to visit Fiamma Centro in person at 4 Elton Street in the Neighborhood of the Arts. There is a beautiful dining room and plenty more classic dishes for you to enjoy. Thanks again to Paul Guglielmo for guest CurAting this event!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by Peppa Pot located on Main Street in the heart of Rochester! We have been doing CurAte for 10 months and are happy to be working with Marlene and the team over at Peppa Pot again. They supplied the food for our second event as well as our recent CurAte team get together so we’re definitely big fans. We’re hitting up some other classic Jamaican dishes this time and we hope you enjoy them!

We’ve got a different variety of Jamaican dishes this time featuring both servings of brown stew chicken and pepper steak accompanied with rice and peas, sweet plantains, and mixed cabbage. Both brown stew chicken and pepper steak are classic dishes featuring different savory and dynamic bases with a light spice to them. Heat seekers are encouraged to throw on some potent hot sauce to make the dishes pop even more. If you’re shopping at Wegmans, the Grace brand Jamaican scotch bonnet sauce is the most traditional you are likely to find. Marlene also baked her fantastic bread pudding to finish off the meal with a sweet treat!

If you do need to re-heat any elements of the dishes, a quick hit in the microwave will work for most of it. To re-heat the bread pudding I’d recommend putting it on a baking safe dish and throwing it in the toaster oven.

We appreciate everyone working with us last event as we implemented our new process. We’re very happy with how it went and will be continuing that as we move forward. This change will result in warmer food, more prompt pickup, and a little less non-recyclable waste with opportunities to advance that in the future.

Make sure to check out Peppa Pot at 522 E Main Street near Scio. They have a wide variety of dishes available, daily specials, and a dining area if you prefer to eat on site. Look out for a link in the follow up email tonight to our appearance on Connections featuring Marlene!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by El Sazón located on Lyell Ave near State St and right around the corner from the soccer stadium. El Sazón is a Dominican restaurant serving up comfort classics for around 5 years now in the neighborhood! I worked in the Mt Read and Lyell Ave area for years and exploring this area was one of the formative experiences of my food and drink journey. Between the wide variety of cuisines and learning the regions of the city of Rochester I highly recommend making an effort to visit these places in person.

Dominican food is most well known for stick to your ribs fare including roasted, fried and stewed meats, well seasoned rice, and plantains (mofongo!) of all styles. Typically the stews (and many other dishes) are based around an aromatic base called sofrito or sazon usually including peppers, onion, garlic, herbs, and an acidic element. You’ll also find fruit drinks, desserts, and seafood in many establishments as well.

For this meal from El Sazón, you’ll be diving into generous servings of pernil (roast pork), pollo al horno (baked chicken), yellow rice and stewed beans, plantains alongside chicken and beef empanadas with cheese. If you do need to re-heat any elements of the dishes, a quick hit in the microwave will work for most of it. To re-heat the empanadas, I would recommend a toaster oven for a crispy finish.

Just so you know: we're changing how we bundle meals from this event going forward. The change will result in warmer food, more prompt pickup, and a little less non-recyclable waste. Delivery customers shouldn't notice any difference. Pickup customers may experience a slight initial wait as we get used to the new process.

Make sure to check out El Sazón at 144 Lyell Ave near State Street. They do have their own parking lot just to the rear of the restaurant if you prefer off street parking. They have a wide variety of dishes available, daily specials, and a dining area if you prefer to eat on site.

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was provided by Nani’s Kitchen, located in the Mercantile on Main! Nani’s is a modern, approachable Indian concept located in the Sibley Building right on Main Street in the heart of Rochester. They are a key member of the new food court there alongside RoCoCo (coffee shop), Palermo Market (sandwiches), Cut (protein bowls), Flour Kitchen (fresh pasta), Broth (Vietnamese soups), and Rufus Cocktail Lounge. This is a great new space and well worth the time to go exploring everything they have to offer.

Nani’s Kitchen takes pride in being one of the few restaurants in Rochester to unionize. They are vocal about working toward better working conditions for everyone that works in restaurants and the value of the labor that allows delicious food to get to your plate. We’re happy to work with them on this event and they’ve got some tasty food for you!

You’ll be diving into two different versions of their rice bowls - one featuring their Indian pulled pork and the other with chickpeas. Each of the bowls also highlights local seasonal vegetables in a way that stood out when we visited. Even though not every vegetable would be defined as “traditional” in the context of Indian food, embracing our local bounty to enhance the core spices is a great way to make a new version of the cuisine. You’ll also be finishing off your meal with a sweet great of galub jamun which is a syrup sweetened donut flavored with rose water and cardamom.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a brief minute or two in the microwave after you dish it out. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Nani’s Kitchen in the Mercantile on Main on Main St in downtown Rochester. You can order ahead online using the pickup option. Keep an eye on their menu to see how it changes through the year and the new options they come up with!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was guest curated by Stephanie Hanna from Sip and Savour Rochester! You’ll be diving into a smorgasbord of Polish food from Polska Chata off of Ridge Road near Culver. Polska Chata has been around in Irondequoit since 2004 serving classic Polish dishes and selling pantry staples to all that need them.

Unlike our neighbors in Buffalo, there are vanishingly few Polish options in the ROC and Polska Chata is a must for anyone seeking this kind of food. This style of food is defined by comforting meat dishes like stuffed cabbage, smoked and cured sausages, pierogi style dumplings with various fillings, and root vegetables in many forms. Pickled items are also exceedingly common.

What you’ll be jumping into is a double portion of the Polska Chata Polish Platter featuring Stuffed Cabbage topped with Tomato Sauce, Kiełbasa (smoked polish sausage), Bigos (stewed chopped meat with sauerkraut and cabbage), 3 Pierogi (dumplings) and Mashed Potato. This a savory delight with hits of acid that should help break up the richness.

This food should hold its heat quite well but if you are in need of a brief re-heat I would go with a selection on a plate for a minute or two or a warming run in the toaster oven. Shouldn’t need much more than that!

Make sure to check out Polska Chata Tuesday - Saturday at 32 Vinedale Ave just off of Ridge Rd in Irondequoit. Try out more of your favorite Polish classics fresh or items from their deli like sausages, salads and ready to re-heat items for quick food at home!

For those joining us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

Your CurAte dinner party this week was guest curated by Rochester Education Foundation! We are thrilled to partnerwith REF and your purchase tonight directly supports their mission to provide resources and programs for Rochester City public school students. Bubby’s BBQ located on South Ave was a perfect fit for this event tying in with the ongoing REF book drive efforts in the South Wedge.

Bubby’s has been a hot commodity in the Wedge since they launched in 2020 serving up Carolina and Texas style BBQ to their customers. Pitmaster Terrell McLean and Chief Operator (such a cool title!) Demetrius Washington-Ellison bring a startup mentality and high level execution to the BBQ game. We have read so much about them in the D&C and were thrilled they agreed to work with us on this event.

One of my favorite things about BBQ is how regional it is and how you’ll see different cuts featured. Pulled pork dominates in the Carolinas and when chicken is done well it shows everything you need to know about the pitmaster. We are hitting both in your meal! You’ll also be enjoying sides of Carolina style BBQ beans, collard greens with smoked turkey (a BBQ and soul food classic) and cornbread.

The CurAte dinner party this week was curated by ROC Foodies! They chose to feature one of their favorite places - Abyssinia Restaurant located on Mt Hope in the Mt Hope Plaza. Opening in 2000, Abyssinia is the oldest Ethiopian restaurant in the ROC. They have introduced so many to the comforting flavors of Ehtiopian cuisine and this amazing shared dining experience.

This meal was selected by ROC Foodies and features a wide range of vegetarian dishes all built around fresh made injera to bring it all together. Customers received some berbere spiced lentils, collards, a fresh pickled side and many others to round it out. This is the second time we have featured Ethiopian food and we hope you enjoyed Abyssinia’s version of these dishes.

If you would like to re-heat, dish onto a microwave safe plate/bowl and throw it in for 1-2 minutes. Only add the injera in the last 10-15 seconds to not over cook anything.

For those that joined us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase options on site!

Make sure to check out Abyssinia Restaurant at 1657 Mt Hope Ave for a family-style lunch or dinner in their dining room or grab some takeout if you want to try these dishes again and explore more Ethiopian classics.

The CurAte dinner party this week was brought to you by French Quarter Cafe located on Spring St just off of 490. French Quarter features the cuisine of New Orleans and some other regional comfort food classics. This has been a staple of the community for quite a long time and the go to spot when you’re craving that spice and savory punch.

This meal was selected by the head chef and featured dishes that define the term comfort food. Customers dove into catfish strips and hot style chicken along with a classic version of jambalaya. Sides of coleslaw, collards, and sweet potato casserole rounded things out and we know you were satisfied with that impactful group!

With this selection there may have been a need to give the catfish and the hot chicken an extra blast of heat. We recommended that customes have an oven preheated to 350 °F and a wire rack ready to spread the food out on.

Make sure to check out French Quarter Cafe at 130 Spring Street for dinner in their stunning dining room or grab some takeout if you want to try these dishes again or explore more of one of America’s great regional cuisines.

For those that joined us for pickup we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

The CurAte dinner party this week was provided by Levantine's Cafe & Bakery located on Elmgrove Rd just off Rt 531 in Gates. Levantine's Cafe is a family owned Syrian restaurant that has been open since 2019 and serves a beautiful range of house-made food including shrak bread for sandwich style wraps, many side dishes, kebabs, and much more!

This meal was balanced toward sharing and combining flavors together, which is perfect for this cuisine. The base of the meal is two quarter chickens with a seasonsed yogurt sauced rice that was quite filling on its own, but was also accented with a bunch of sides. Customers played with fried kibbeh (bulgur and meat), chickpea mudammas (stewed chickpeas), hummus, and muhammara (spicy pepper dish) to round out their dinner. They finished with a sweet bite of basboussa, a soaked semolina cake that is dense and delightful.

For re-heating the chicken and rice, the microwave does fine; The kibbeh is better suited for a spin in the toaster oven.

Make sure to check out Levantine's Cafe at 750 Elmgrove Rd in Gates for lunch or dinner in or takeout if you want to try these dishes again or explore more Syrian food.

For those that joined us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase options on site!

This CurAte dinner party was brought to you by Kamara’s West African Restaurant located on S Plymouth in the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood of Rochester. As is evident in their name, Kamara’s focuses on the cuisine of West Africa in a wide range of classic dishes of the region.

When the CurAte team went for lunch at Kamara’s, the standout dish we sampled was the peanut butter soup and we immediately knew we had to feature it for this dinner party. A rich, savory broth includes stewed chicken as well as white rice to balance out the powerful flavors. If you feel like embracing the heat, add a little of the pepper mash from our other main dish, a chicken leg attieke. Attieke is a lightly fermented cassava that is turned into a couscoussized starch albeit with a bit more texture. The attieke comes with braised chicken legs in a pepper and tomato sauce as well as plantains.

Make sure to check out Kamara’s West African at 777 S Plymouth Ave for lunch or dinner takeout if you want to try these dishes again or explore more of the cuisine of West Africa.

For those joining us for pickup we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase option on site!

This CurAte dinner party was brought to you by El Divino on Lyell Ave in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood of Rochester. El Divino is the only Cuban restaurant in the ROC and offers both Cuban classics as well as Puerto Rican favorites.

Customers dove into both stewed pepper steak and baked chicken along with sides of seasoned yellow rice, Cuban rice, beans, and sweet plantains. So many cuisines balance their meals with different versions of rice; Trying these two versions side by side gave a good chance to directly compare them. A habenero-based hot sauce (either fruity or vinegar-based) worked exceptionally well for heat seekers.

Make sure to check out El Divino on Lyell Ave for lunch or dinner takeout or a quick meal in the restaurant.

For those that joined us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of the pairing purchase options on site!

This CurAte dinner party came from Pita Restaurant, located in the heart of College Town near the U of R. Pita makes a wide selection of Lebanese favorites for all that are looking to learn about the range of cuisines from West Asia.

Customers worked through a selection of vegetarian specialties that showed you don't necessarily have to miss out when you're not eating meat. The Vegetarian platter came with falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and pickles. A rice plate highlighted the simplicity of great rice, tzatziki and salad while the moussaka was a stewed, earthy, and spiced comfort food served with fresh pita. There's nothing quite like fresh pita - if you want to refresh it, please throw it in your toaster oven on warm for a couple minutes!

Make sure to check out Pita on Mt Hope! Enjoy the beautiful weather on their patio, dine indoors to relax with a Lebanese coffee, or get your food to go.

For those that joined us for pickup - We thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of the pairing options available for puchase on site!

This CurAte meal came from Neno's Gourmet Mexican Street Food, one of the go-to spots for Mexican food with a twist in the ROC. Starting as a food cart, moved into a food truck, and now into a brick-and-mortar on Monroe Ave, the Rita family has been turning out tacos, tortas, and burritos that make people swoon

Our customers dove into two very different dishes - a Suizomole burrito and a Cubano torta. The Suizamole was a chicken burrito with a focus on the mole sauce that came from the Rita's Oaxacan roots. The Cubano was straight comfort food with a fried pork cutlet on a focaccia that crossed Cuban toppings of mustard and mayo with Oaxacan cheese and refried beans. Fusion food done right!

Make sure to check out the Neno's food truck on the streets of Rochester now that the weather has turned. Or head over to Monroe Ave to dine-in or takeout.

For those that joined us for pickup - We thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of the pairing options available for puchase on site!

This CurAted event came from Swan Market which has been making some of the most traditional German fare in Rochester for over 80 years! If you loved this meal, make sure to swing by for a weekend lunch along with a hefty stein of beer on Parsells Ave.

Swan Market lined up a sausage platter and goulash main with a variety of classic sides including their fantastic German potato salad. This was a good, hearty meal for a rainy evening. If you stop by the market, you can also buy a wide variety of sausages, bacon, and other prepared meats that are a real delight. Swan Market was on Esquire's Best Bars in America list in 2016 and we can't disagree!

For those that joined us for pickup, we thank our friends at The Historic German House and hope you took advantage of our pairing purchase options on site!

If you want to learn more about Swan Market, head to swanmarket.com or to their brick and mortar location at 231 Parsells Ave in the City of Rochester near Culver Ave.

This meal came from the team at Naan-Tastic, a relative newcomer but a new staple of fast casual style Indian food with locations in Henrietta, Victor, and Amherst. If you loved the food, check out other members of their group with Thali of India, Sweet Mist, and Rebel Pi!

Customers dove into bowls of chana and paneer, makhani and masala sauces, along with sides of naan and a sweet finish with galub jamun.

Naan-Tastic exemplifies how fast casual can be done right with home style, robustly flavored food in a comfortable setting and with endless customization.

Check out the latest with Naan-Tastic at their website.

This meal was curated by our own Stromie (aka Food About Town) and came from Sodam, a mainstay of the Korean restaurant scene in Henrietta! Located in the Genesee Valley Regional Market, Sodam has been has been bringing Korean favorites to your table for over 10 years.

Customers dove into bibimbap and a combination of both pork and chicken bulgogi with sides getting you a range of what Korean meats have to offer. The meal was more than plenty for two. Stromie recommended taking any leftovers and hard searing them in pan and scrambling some eggs right into it. Amazing crunch and add extra flavor with a splash of sesame oil!

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This meal was curated by our own Stromie (aka Food About Town) and came from El Latino, a hyper popular Dominican restaurant located on Chili Ave in Rochester! They are a go to spot for weeknight dinners or a celebration with family with food that pleases just about everyone.

Customers dove into a hearty meal of roast pork with yellow rice and beans, cabbage, a good serving of mofongo and a pair of empanadas. Stromie encouraged diners to use their favorite vinegar based hot sauce like Frank's to balance the richness of the meal.

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The meal for this evening was provided by Peppa Pot - a Jamaican restaurant on Main Street downtown.

Peppa Pot has been turning out Jamaican classics for around 10 years including the jerk and curry chicken that made up this meal.
The chicken was accompanied with rice and peas, sweet plantains, and mixed cabbage and veggies to balance out the intense seasoning on the bird. Heat seekers were encouraged to throw on some extra habanero hot sauce to make it pop even more.

You can learn more about Peppa Pot on their website!

The meal for this evening was a vegan selection from Zemeta - an Ethiopian restaurant in Swillburg!

Zemeta combined some of their vegan selections into a combination that works well individually or mixed together. A variety of veggies including cabbage, carrots, green beans and spinach worked to balance the berbere spiced lentils and more mild split peas. What tied everything together was a generous serving of injera, a sour whole grain flat bread that is traditionally used in lieu of silverware. It can be used as a utensil or torn and mixed in to bring some tang to the party.

You can check out what's new with Zemeta on their website!

The meal for this evening was a selection from one of our favorite Park Ave spots: Marty’s Meats!

Marty picked some of his current favorites starting with a bone in fried chicken accompanied with sides of collard greens, mashed cauliflower, cornbread, and a fresh salad.

You can check out the rest of Marty’s offerings on his website martysmeats.com when you're hunting for your next BBQ-style meal.