Milkshakes for National Ice Cream Day

Today is National Ice Cream Day and what better way than to celebrate with milkshakes and my bestie?

Tina found out about a milkshake event at a local distillery, Honeoye Falls Distillery.

Yeah the milkshakes were boozy but I was able to get mine without the alcohol. They had some nice brunch items to go with.

I got the breakfast tacos and then ate a good portion of Tina's delicous chicken and waffles.

The highlight was really the milkshakes though. There is a slice of pecan pie on top of mine!!!

Look how happy Tina is!

Afterwards we took a tour of the distillery and I was really impressed with their story.

Made with local grain!

Impressive equipment.

Sometimes you have to wait for something good. What a great way to spend a day all about ice cream!

The Original Steve's Diner

This might be hard to believe but there is a diner that we actually have not had brunch at. Several friends had recommended The Original Steve's Diner but everytime we drove by there was a line out the door. (Their Facebook page.)

Today we braved it and got in line. Once inside I understood why there was a line. It's tiny inside! Maybe ten tables and a counter.

Once we were seated and I saw this extensive eggs benedict menu I got excited.

I got the Eggs Blackstone and it was really good.

Always happy to add another brunch spot to our list!

Best kept secret brunch

Can I just rave again about how much I love brunch at Roux? The best part is it hasn't seem to caught on yet in Rochester that they offer brunch and it is amazing. We always get a seat right away while there are twenty people waiting down the block for a table at Jines.

Deviled eggs!

Be still my beating heart - frites.

A spring hash of fingerling potatoes, asparagus and a poached egg.

Maybe it's best this stays our little secret.

Things to smile about

Three things I was excited about in this picture. #1 brunch #2 OJ in a jar with a straw #3 my new haircut

And oh yeah rice pudding. Eating at Voula's is always a treat.

Spicy Mateys

When Aaron and I were at The Cub Room, he ordered a Bloody Mary. I tried a sip... and I liked it... except for the alcohol. What can I say? I'm not much of a drinker.

I wanted to make our own at home so I could leave the alcohol out of mine... and experiment with what sort of additions I could have sticking out of the glasses!

After looking online and doing some tweaking, this was the recipe we came up with.

3 cups of tomato juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/3 cup pickle juice

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 tablespoons horseradish

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon pepper

(if you are having it spiked - 1 oz vodka)

For garnish, we rimmed the glasses with bacon salt and added sticks of bacon and stirrers speared with olives.

I would also like to point out that I don't like the name "Bloody Mary", (invented and first called that in 1921). A drink with the word "blood" in it grosses me out. I have opted to call these "Spicy Mateys".

Hotteok - Sweet Korean Pancakes

When were were in Korea, I remember seeing street vendors selling sweet pancakes or hotteok. They are a crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside, sweet brown sugar syrup filled delight.

I thought about making some from scratch, but then I spied this box of mix at the Korean grocery store and it seemed the way to go.

Plus it came with the handy dandy pancake squasher tool pictured above.

They were easy to make and I put the squasher to good use.

They are supposed to be a snack food but we had them for breakfast. Really can't go wrong with sweet and yummy for breakfast.

Brunching at The Cubroom

Is it possible to have two fantastic brunches in one weekend? Well, yeah! Keeping with our South Wedge circle of delicousness for the weekend, today's brunch was enjoyed at The Cubroom.

While McCann's Local Meats (where we ate yesterday)only has brunch on Saturdays, The Cubroom only has brunch on Sunday. Starting at 11:30 to be exact. Did we have to drive around for half and hour waiting for them to open? Yes.

The Cubroom opened in the Spring last year and the owners are from NYC. It is said that it is modeled after the Stork Club which explains the environment which is a little more upscale with a Great Gatsby feel but still comfortable. The menu is very experimental and eclectic. They feature a lot of locally sources items like meat from McCann's.

In fact, I don't think I can explain the dishes that Aaron and I got for brunch. I'll just copy and paste them from the menu...

Aaron got Red Wine Baked Eggs - polenta, wild mushrooms, parmesan cheese and I had The Banger - IPA BAners, blue cheese/bacon bread pudding, fried duck egg, Java stout red eye gravy. See what I mean? Not your usual fare.

One of the best parts was the Scotch Egg we split as an appetizer. A Scotch Egg is a hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, rolled in bread crumbs and baked or deep fried. It starts to make me think of a Turducken. Why stop there? Wrap it in bacon and put it in a pork chop!

The Cubroom's Scotch Egg is soft boiled which I loved. I have toyed with the idea of making them at home but they seem difficult. How do you get the sausage to stick to the egg?!

Maybe I'll just keep going to The Cubroom to get them.

You can follow The Cubroom on Facebook | Instagram

Brunching at McCann's Local Meats

This weekend I vowed to visit two fairly new spots (opened this summer) in the South Wedge. Add in last night's trip to The Playhouse/Swillburger and it's a South Wedge weekend! The two spots are McCann's Local Meats and The Cubroom.

We hit up McCann's Local Meats for brunch this morning. McCann's is primarily a butcher shop that offers some deli items and has a small cafe. It has a very cool open vibe with chalkboards and giant meat coolers. We were impressed with the big chain belts the butchers wore with all their knives attached around their waists.

Aaron's beef, egg and cheese sandwich looked so amazing I had to take a picture of it before my own food. I got a few bites so I can say it tastes as good as it looks.

I got a chorizo and kimchee frittta. Kimchee you say? Yes. The owner's wife, or should I say Yeonmo McCann, is Korean. Besides this surprise ingredient there was bulgogi, japchae and Korean stew available in their display case also.

While chatting with the owner, Kevin McCann, he mentioned "Koreans are very similar to Germans. They both like to ferment cabbage." Boy was he spot on - (we have made our own saurkraut and kimchee at home).

Note that an order of beef fat french fries rounded out this brunch nicely. ALSO note that McCann's only has brunch on Saturdays.

We got a pack of pork chops to try at home. Marinated in a hard cider! UPDATE: THE PORK CHOPS WERE DELICIOUS TOO.

You can follow McCann's Local Meats on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Christmas Brunch 2015

Today was our annual Christmas Brunch and I got to set up something I have always wanted to try. A crepe station!

Aaron made fresh crepes on the fly right in the dining room.

And everyone could choose what they would like in their crepe. Scrambled egg, swiss cheese, mushrooms and dill? Brie with raspberries and maple syrup? Nutella with strawberries and brown sugar?

I think it was a hit!

I had one of each.

Then it was into the living room to exchange gifts. The pugs kept busy with bones Tina brought them.

While the cats had to inspect everyone's present.

Seriously. If you were opening a present there was a cat there getting poking his nose into it.

Just doing their job.

Brunch at Roux

There was a little cafe on Park Ave called CiBon that I loved. I almost always got one of the panini which came with a dipping sauce that I could never replicate at home. Last year they closed for renovation and reopened as Roux. I must have been doubtful because we didn't go back all year.

I recently caught wind that they had brunch and that was all it took to lure us back.

It was so good! I would have been happy with the pomme frites but I loved my eggs... AND Aaron's eggs. It's such a cute cozy atmosphere too. Another spot to add to my Rochester Brunch list!

Brunch on the East Side

In the same Yelp newsletter where we learned about Shmegs, we read about a breakfast spot on the east side of the city. About 15 minutes away, in Webster, we went to check out Mama Lor's.

We were not disapointed. The restaurant is cozy and they have a coffee pot at the door where you can help yourslef as soon as you come in. Look at this breakfast skillet!

The people are super friendly too. Aaron got the apple pie french toast special. I could have eat the sauce with a spoon. We will be back again!

Hard core brunchin'

I am constantly on the lookout for new dining opportunities. The Rochester Yelp email has become a good source. Last week they featured some breakfast spots, two of which we haven't tried.

For brunch this weekend we toddled off to Shmeg's Restaurant on the west side. We don't get to the west side often so I was excited to try something new. Aaron got the Mick Toast which is french toast coated in corn flakes and I had a Wafflopolous which is a breakfast sandwich made with waffles. I needed a nap after that.

It's nice to go back to tried and true spots too. The open face breakfast sandwiches are a good standby. That was our second brunch of the weekend and we got a lot of comments about how we are hard core brunchers.

Brunch at Joe Bean

When the weekend hits, all I can think about is brunch. I was pretty excited when I heard Joe Bean was adding brunch to their menu... always happy to have another option to choose from.

Aaron and I stopped in and split what they call Eggs in Purgatory. It's also known as Shakshuka, basically poached eggs in a tomato sauce. It's a breakfast dish that is popular in Israel. Add a chunk of bread on the side for dipping and it's not hard to see how satisfying this dish can be.

I'm looking forward to trying the other items on the Joe Bean brunch menu!

Brunch at Orbs

Just when I think I have partaken of every available brunch location in Rochester, Orbs raises it's hand. It did not occur to me that a spot known for meatballs would have a brunch menu, but boy was I wrong.

Indeed, they have brunch stand-bys like french toast and eggs benedict. But where they shine are the dishes that feature meatballs. Like the Home Skillet that comes with a sausage meatball, chorizo hash, ricotta, fried egg and duck fat gravy. Oh goodness.

AND it all comes out in wee cast iron pans! Even better! We will definitely be back to try other items on the menu.