Tavern 58 At Gibbs

Jim and I are out and about Friday night running some errands out in Victor and were throwing around some dinner options:  Wegman’s Market Cafe?  A selection from Victor's finest chains?  Cook dinner at home?  Then Jim suggests, Tavern 58 at Gibbs.  We now head out of Victor for downtown.

We arrive at the restaurant and get the last parking spot out back and head in.  We enter in through the bar, which is a bit quiet and went to the host stand, anticipating a wait. We are pleasantly surprised to be shown into a table immediately.  We are seated at a table for two on a window overlooking the outdoor patio/seating area in the back of the restaurant.  The space was appropriately lit for the atmosphere and time. The decor is nothing exciting, the same ol’ Rochester story, told over and over again: Trompe l'oeil on the wall, however, instead of a Mediterranean theme, their version depicts the Rochester skyline.  Tables draped in white linen with white butcher paper overlay, brown linen napkin and votive candle centerpiece.  I will however, point out the tastefully done ceiling treatment.  Unlike traditional drop panel ceilings, the Tavern has suspended stained wooden slats, with the occasional ceiling fan and simple single-bulb strand lighting.

Sonya, our fun and playful waitress greeted us at the table and took our drink order.  I, a creature of habit, as you may have already guessed, ordered my pal, Stoli (on the rocks, a bit dirty and of course, olives). Jim ordered some fruity little drink (cuz he can't shoot whiskey -- and I digress...) – but a tasty fruity drink at that - a Tavern-tini called PamaPolitan: Stoli, triple sec, Pama liquer, Sprite, lime juice and cranberry juice with lime garnish. 

Sonya arrives with bread which consists of three smaller-than-slider-sized, house-made rolls on a plate with piped butter, rosemary, black pepper EVOO and balsamic reduction and a tasting of a tomato basil puree. Our drinks came soon after and we placed our orders.  We both opt for steak.  I ordered the 8oz. Filet Mignon medium rare and, torn between potato choices, I ask that Sonya surprise me.  Jim orders the Hanger Steak and we also order the Tavern House Salad.

Still not shooting whiskey, Jim orders another fruity drink, this time, the French Connection:  Chambord , Stoli, pineapple juice and Brut Champagne.

The Tavern House salad arrives, a mix of baby greens tossed with candied pecans, fresh berries (strawberry & blueberry) and gorgonzola cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. The addition of the candied pecans and berries made it a refreshing change from the overplayed baby greens salad. 

Our dinners arrive soon after salad.  Mine, cooked a perfect medium rare, arrived with "Surprise!" bacon-horseradish mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and tumbleweed onions (French fried onions). The potatoes were a perfect pairing... the horseradish flavor complemented the beef nicely and the bacon, well... what doesn't bacon make better?  Jim's Hanger Steak is cooked medium as per his request.  Also, upon his request is cocktail number three, but who's counting on a Friday evening?  Nope, still no whiskey, another French Connection. Jim's steak was basted with Sam Adams, grilled and served over cheesy polenta fries and charred vegetables.  The cheesy polenta fries were super duper yummy! 

After dinner, we order coffee and split a dessert of grilled pumpkin bread with cinnamon ice cream.  The dessert was let's say, interesting.  A couple of bites were enough for me, but Jim seemed to enjoy it. Not sure if the three cocktails helped, but he said he enjoyed it.

I would definitely recommend Tavern 58 at Gibbs and if you decide to go, ask if Sonya is working and request her station, she has a fun sense of humor. And don't forget to leave a big fat tip - Mr. French Connection did. 

Oh... by the way, I drove home in case anyone was wondering.

Olives Greek Taverna

It was one of those evenings we just didn’t feel like cooking and delivery didn’t sound appealing so I suggested Greek and we headed over to Olives. Right around the corner from us in Northfield Commons (east end of Schoen Place ) – the food is tasty and the atmosphere quaint.  Lesser known than Aladdins, which is right down the street on the canal, Olives offers a cozier atmosphere, fresher tasting food and the wait time for a table is generally less than at Aladdins. Don’t get me wrong -- I have nothing against Alladins, their menu is more robust and sitting on their patio overlooking the canal in the summertime always makes for a nice dinner atmosphere -- but sometimes simple and tasty wins the night.  

You enter into Olives from their outdoor patio area at street level through what appears to be a smaller -than-normal-size door, and then down a few steps into the restaurant.  Now below street level, the cozy atmosphere takes shape. A small wine bar is to your left, and to your right, the main dining area.  The main wall which runs the length of the dining space is decorated with a trompe l’oeil of a Mediterranean scene, with a banquette running the full length of the wall. The space is small; the ceiling is low with wooden beams running across with simple single bulb light strands that run along the sides of the beams. Some walls have mirrors, and a terra cotta tile floor finishes off the décor. Although the tables are close together, you don’t feel like you are dining with the table next to you, but should you find yourself on a first date and it’s not as engaging as you had hoped, you can always liven up the evening by listening in on the neighboring conversations.

 

Keeping it simple, Jim ordered a glass of Pino Noir and I just had water.  For dinner, Jim ordered  the Santornini Pizza – kalamata olives with kasseri cheese -- and I had the Olives Gyro – classic Gyro meat, feta, tzatziki, tomatoes and onions with a side of Greek Fries –  fries smothered in Greek dressing topped with feta cheese. As on our previous trips here, the food was hot, and tasty!  No complaints with the service either, our waiter was nice on the eyes as well as in personality.

 

Next time you get the hankerin’ for some Greek food, I would definitely recommend Olives - but before you go, remember to bring your checkbook or cash, they do not accept debit or credit.  They do have an ATM on site if you forget and are willing to pay the $1.75 ATM fee.  I've heard they do accept IOUs if you're in a real pinch.

Perlo's Italian Grill

Still not able to get my hands on an iPhone 4S... to take my mind off of all the fun things I could be doing with it, I thought dinner would offer a nice distraction and since Jim and I were out and about we decided to head over to East Rochester to Perlo's for some Italian.  Having been there several times in past, it has become one of our "go-to" restaurants when we want good, reasonably priced food. 

When we arrived at the restaurant, there were no lines, no waiting, and we are taken directly to our table. We were seated in the back area of the restaurant which has recently undergone a remodel: They opened up what was once a banquet room to the rest of the main dining room to allow for more a la carte dining.  The remodel really opened up the space and the once cozy atmosphere is now gone. Cozy has been replaced with a wide open space full of tables and a lack of decor. The newly appointed a la carte space has been left with bare walls and the only "decor" is the POS system computer screen mounted on a wall. The front room however, has not been touched and its cozy feel is still intact.

Not long after we sat down, I reunited at the table with my dirty old friend, Stoli, and Jim, trying to re-live his more youthful days living in the big city, got reacquainted with his old friend, Manhattan.

Our waitress was friendly and shared the evening's specials with us.  I ordered what has become my "usual" here, Frank & Sally Trovato's Sausage, Broccoli and Rigatoni Italiano and Jim ordered Penne with Eggplant, one of the evening's specials, a cross between eggplant parmigiana and lasagna. 

Our salads and bread arrived soon after our order was placed.  The salads were simple -- mixed greens, a slice of tomato and house dressing, which is balsamic vinaigrette. Jim would have liked to have seen a few extras on the salad, specifically mentioning garbanzo beans and pepperoncinis.  For $10-$12 entree prices, I'm happy a salad is included.

Following the salads, our entrees arrive. My "very old school Italian" dinner is hot and delicious!  Lots of Italian sausage, broccoli florets sautéed in a dark veal demi-glaze tossed with rigatoni.  Jim's entree, fresh spinach, ricotta cheese and roasted red pepper are sandwiched between lightly breaded eggplant, topped with marinara and pesto sauces on a side of pasta.  However, it wasn't hot. When he cut into the entree, the middle was still cold.  I asked him to send it back to the kitchen. He hesitated to do so, as he enjoyed it cold in the middle.  I thought it was unacceptable to be served cold food, he decided to send it back, asking the waitress to just "pop it in the microwave" for a few minutes. At his request, that is what she did and about a minute or two later, the entree arrived back to the table now hot in the middle.  When the waitress arrived back to see how everything was, Jim said, "I thought I liked it cold, but it's even better hot." Even with that opening, the waitress didn't bite back or even offer an additional apology. Following dinner we ordered coffee and shared a Tiramisu.

Overall, Perlo's is still a trusted "go-to" for good value and good food.  Dinner for two, including cocktail, salad, entree, coffee and shared dessert, including tip, just over $50... you can't beat that!  Next time, I will inquire about sitting in the front part of the restaurant -- for which sometimes there is a wait. Unlike what I have been told about the iPhone 4S -- which is another 2-3 week wait -- you can count on your wait to be far less here.