Category: Food

|Gianni Franco| www.giannifranco.com

The Living Loving Rochester, NY Series – Article 6

Go get a garbage plate now! I know you want one because I do.

The Grecians, known as the Greeks to America, have donated the world many inventions. To name a few: philosophy, geometry, cartography, the Olympics, the odometer, and yes, the Garbage Plate. The Greek community thrives in Rochester, New York, devoted to their heritage and culture, which is evident by their well-known communal gatherings, the Greek Festivals. Their celebratory spirit is bar none with choreographed dancing and delicious foods.

Nick Tahou Hots, a Greek establishment, brings us one of the tastiest mishmash of flavors. First, let’s address the name Tahou, so you’ll be able to pronounce it properly the next time you walk through their doors. Tahou /Tah who/. Please have someone update the Wikipedia page to show the proper pronunciation with the proper symbols.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move onto the food and a little history. The original restaurant opened in 1918 and it was called Hots and Potatoes. Alexander Tahou was the owner and eventually opened Nick Tahou Hots, which was named after his son. It is located at 320 West Main Street, 14608.

A rite of passage for many Rochesterians, the Garbage Plate, offers a spicy meat sauce, which they will add extra for you, at no charge, to smother the contents of the plate. Underneath the hot sauce, you have the option of two hot dogs, two cheeseburgers, or two hamburgers plus two combined sides to mix and match; beans, either French fries or home fries, and macaroni salad. Chopped onions come standard atop the plate. Don’t forget to add ketchup and mustard. Two pieces of bread and butter go along with the plate so you better make extra room in your stomach. One note about the sauce; in Rochester it is referred to as hot sauce. In any other part of the country, the term hot sauce means something completely different.

You can make the meaty hot sauce yourself, but it’s not as it easy as just mixing the ingredients. The process takes a lot of time. I’ve made it several times and it’s a learning experience. Whoever tells you that they made it and it tastes just like Tahou’s is lying to you. The most important advice I can give is to add lard instead of butter. Lard doesn’t coagulate at high temperatures whereas butter does. It’s all on the molecular level, which you can Google on your spare time.

The Garbage Plate has been featured on many TV episodes, especially on the Travel Channel and Food Network. It is rumored that many stars have eaten at Nick Tahou Hots, but there are no pictures on the walls to prove it. The restaurant seems to want to keep everything low key. The one that sticks in my mind was Ozzy Osbourne during the late 80s or early 90s. Enjoy your next plate and don’t forget that it started in Rochester. Extra hot sauce, please.

|Gianni Franco|

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https://giannifranco.com/2018/10/04/genesee-brewery-louis-a-wehle-get-your-beer-here-geneseebeer-art-writing-rochesterny-equality/

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|Gianni Franco| www.giannifranco.com

The Living Loving Rochester, NY Series – Article 4

    Let’s begin with a definition and a beer review to then be followed by Louis Wehle. Genesee is derived from the Seneca Indians, which means pleasant valley.

I purchased a twelve pack of the award winning Genesee Cream Ale before I began writing this article. Some time had passed since drinking Genesee, so I thought, why not give it a go? I wasn’t disappointed. The crisp flavor, as bright as the green twelve ounce can, rouses you to take a swig; further complimented by a simple bold block font that spells Genesee Cream Ale. The image towards the top of the can is that of six row barley, one of their main ingredients, that is combined with corn grits (corn meal) and hops. Cream Ale boasts a 5.1% alcohol content with 162 calories per serving, while Genesee Light has only 100 calories with 4.0% alcohol. Bang for the buck with great taste, hands down winner across the board. Ryan Emery from the Washington Post declared it the best inexpensive beer in his article from Jan 08^th 2016. (See all the beers made at the Genesee Brewery at the end of this article.)

The Genesee Brewery officially began in 1878. Mathius Kondolf purchased Reisky and Spies, formed in 1857, and renamed it. In 1916 Mathius hired Louis A. Wehle as the youngest brew master in New York at the age of 27. Prohibition, the 18^th amendment, banned alcohol nationwide in 1919, shutting down breweries for over ten years. Louis switched gears and entered the baking industry. In 1933, the 21^st amendment repealed Prohibition. He repurchased the Genesee Brewery that same year with the proceeds from selling his baking business.

Louis was a personal friend to Franklin Roosevelt and was elected as Conservation Commissioner in 1955. He lived in Scottsville Chili on a 1700 acre estate located at 2175 Scottsville Rd. He wrote the New York State Fishing Guide in 1951 and self-published a 180 page memoir, This was my Life, in 1960. He supported civil rights and fair job practices, believing successful businesses should always give back to the community to build them. He passed away at his estate on November 21, 1964.

|Gianni Franco|

List of Beers by the Genesee Brewery:

Genesee Beer, Genesee Light, Genesse Black, Genesee Ice, Genesee NA, Cream Ale, Original Cream Ale, Oktoberfest, Bock, Stout, Ruby Red Kolsch, Bourbon Barrell Aged, GBH Beer, Juicy IPA, Scotch Ale, Dundee Ales and Lagers, Seagram’s Malt Beverages, Dog Bite High Gravity.

Contract Brewing:

Trouble Brewing, Narragansett Brewing Company, Seven Kings Brewery, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Mountain Brew Beer Ice, Stew Brew, Big Flats 1901, Tap Room IPA, Sainsbury’s American Pale Ale

Genesee Brewery owns the import rights for Labatt Beers

Thank you to www.geneseebeer.com for some of the information in this article.

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