Aja Noodle

2602 Elmwood Ave.
Brighton, New York

(Twelve Corners)

Healthy delicious pan-asian menu encompasses the cuisine of China, Japan, Thailand and Vietman. With ample portions and affordable prices set in a feng-shui inspired dining room and bar, you're sure to enjoy your experience aja.  Kid's eat free - every Tuesday night 1 free kids meal with each adults' entree  Early Bird Special - $5.99 noodle and rice bowls every Monday - Friday from 3:00PM until 5:00PM*  Student Discount - $5.99 noodle and rice bowls ANY TIME when you show student ID* *see server for details - some restrictions apply  Hours of Operation:  Mon-Thur: 11AM-9PM  Fri-Sat: 11AM-10PM  Sun: 12PM-9PM 

Joey and I go here all the time. It is one of our all time favorites. One of my favorite appetizers to order is the cabbage wraps.  It is quite a large portion and you can choose from tofu or chicken.  I sometimes order this as my meal. A lot of people really like the lettuce wraps at PF Chang or Cheesecake Factory....but these are WAY better. One of the salads we enjoy is the Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad. It is fresh and filled with veggies, cucumber salad, your choice of meat, and is served over vermicelli noodles.  My favorite entree to order is the Thai Red Curry. It is a rice dish and has eggplant and other yummy veggies. I woul definitely try Aja if you like Chinese or other Asian dishes. It is yummy!!!

Click here to see their full menu!

Aja Noodle

The Gate House

274 North Goodman Street
in the Village Gate
Rochester, NY 14607

tel 585.473.2090

Hours of Operation:

Monday thru Wednesday:
11:30AM - 10:00PM
Thursday thru Saturday:
11:30AM - 11:00PM
Sundays: 4PM - 9:00PM

The menu includes gourmet burgers, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, wood-fired wings, a gourmet garbage plate, homemade desserts and fresh salads - regional food at its best! Some of the chef's specialties are “The Wease” Burger, with smoked mozzarella, fried onions, and horseradish steak sauce, the “Park Ave” Pizza, with olive oil, hummus, rosemary, goat cheese and grilled vegetables, Mini-Burgers and Garlic Rosemary Fries with meat hot sauce, fried onions and cheddar.

My mom and I hung out the other day and decided to try out a new restaurant for lunch. I took her to the Village Gate and we tried the Gate House restaurant. It was very nice looking inside. I tried the Golisano Burger, which is obviously named after Tom Golisano. I thought it was quite yummy. My mother ordered the special, which was a Mediterranean Turkey Burger with mozzarella cheese, pesto mayonaise, lettuce and tomato. She said it was a bit overcooked and she really didn't think it was anything special. Maybe she should have stuck with the regular beef burger. I think I would go back to try some other things on the menu. Check out their menu on their website.

www.thegatehousecafe.com

The Golisano - Apple Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pesto Mayo $9 

My Golisano Burger

My mom's turkey burger

Rosemary Fries

Mamasan's Restaurant

2800 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY 14618

585 461 3290

Categories: Asian Fusion, Thai, Vietnamese

Price Range: Under $25.00

Monday: 11:00AM to 9:00PM

Tuesday - Thursday: 11:00AM to 9:30PM

Friday: 11:00AM to 10:00PM

Saturday: Noon to 10:00PM

Sunday: Noon to 9:00PM

Joey and I were out and about in Pittsford today and decided that we would eat at Mamasan's . We love asian food (thai, veitnamese, etc.) so we thought this would be a good choice. I had been there a few years back, but couldn't remember what I had or how it was. The restaurant is newer and is decorated nicely with tile mosaics and funky seating. We chose to sit in a nice sunny seat near the front windows. We were greeted by the owner, who is a Vietnamese women, who was very friendly. 

Joey order a hot Thai tea to start, and it was not what I had expected. It had an orangish color and looked somewhat creamy. It was delicious! It had a nice smooth flavor that reminded me of pumpkin. We then ordered two fresh shrimp spring rolls that are served cold and come with a peanut dipping sauce. These were very fresh and very tasty. The spicy coconut soup was another awesome choice. I got it with veggies. It had a great coconut taste with curry...YUM! I didn't know the cup of the soup would be so big or else I wouldn't have ordered anything else. Joey and I shared it and he also really enjoyed it. 

Fresh Shrimp Spring Roll

Mamasan's Spicy Coconut Soup with veggies

For our main entrees I order the Phat Cari. You could get any of the menu items served with veggies, tofu, pork, chicken, beef, calamari, shrimp, scallops, or seafood. I got mine with beef. It was topped with fried onion crunchies and a combination of vermicelli noodles, thai curry sauce and peanuts. I loved it!  Joey order the spicy vegetables, noodles and basil. He got his with calamari. His was a combo of yellow rice noodles, spicy basil sauce and peanuts. He also really liked his.  The portions were very big and we decided that would could have (and should have) shared one entree. We were sooooo stuffed. 

Phat Cari with beef

Spicy Vegetables, Noodles, and Basil with Calamari

The owner saw me taking pics and asked me what restaurant I owned. I told her that I just like to try new restaurants and I write about them on a blog. She says she has been in the business for 27 years and used to be over on University Ave. It is a family run business and she is there every day looking after the customers. 

If you are interested in try in something new and like asian, I highly recommend this place. Menu items were a little pricey...entrees over ten dollars. Full menu is available to read on their website.

http://www.mamasans.com/index.html

Chayote Mexican Cuisine

Location

298 Exchange Blvd, Rochester NY, 14608

Hours (as of September 2008)

Tuesday - Friday (Lunch): 11:30AM to 2:30PM

Tuesday - Thursday (Dinner): 5:00PM to 9:00PM

Friday (Dinner): 5:00PM to 10:00PM

Saturday (Dinner only): 5:00PM to 10:00PM

Closed Sunday and Monday

Phone

585 232 2060

Chayote restaurant is a place Joey and I went to on a Saturday evening. The restaurant is located in Corn Hill Landing. It is a small, colorful place with a small bar and an upstairs seating area. The menu was large and filled with mouthwatering items. They do not yet have a liquor license, but they allow you to bring your own booze in that they will serve you. We brought in a big bottle of Margarita mix and a bottle of tequila...since we were at a mexican place. 

The waiter (Tom), who was very friendly and helpful, brought over unlimited chips and salsa. They were both homemade and tasty. We order to appetizers from the menu. The Ceviche and another choice that had pablano peppers over a flower/corn pattie with melted cheese on top. Both were delicious, especially the ceviche. It was made with tilapia, avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime and citrus juices. It was served cold....almost like a salsa, but chunkier and had an awesome flavor! I definitely recommend it.

Tom, the waiter, kept us happy by refreshing our glasses with more margaritas and also brought over some homemade guacamole before our dinner was ready.  Joey really liked the guacamole, however I thought it was bland and sort of mayonnaise like. For our dinner, we split the beef enchiladas. The chef made it easy for us to share by putting it on two plates, both garnished and presented beautifully. The enchiladas were very tasty and were served with re-fried beans and rice. 

They also have a desert menu, and from what we saw from others ordering...it looked delicious. We were too full for anything else at that point. 

Prices were reasonable...most menu items under $15. All appetizers were under $10.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone in the local area. It is now my favorite mexican place!