When it comes to Rochester NY cuisine, the city’s claim to fame seems to be the Nick Tahou Garbage Plate. In addition to being the home of the Garbage Plate, there are many Rochester dining establishments are also known for excellent chicken wing places, seafood, and quality hot dogs. If you are looking for lots of flavor in less formal setting, Rochester has plenty of options.
The Garbage Plate has become so inexplicably famous that it has been featured on the Food Network, Travel Channel, Man vs. Food Nation, and even in a recent film called “The Place Beyond the Pines.” With a choice of ingredients that includes various combinations of hot dog, hamburger, or sausage, home fries or French fries, and baked beans or macaroni salad, Health.com designated the Nick Tahou Garbage Plate recipe as the “fattiest food in New York State.
In the local, Rochester vernacular, hot dogs are simply returned to as “hots.” Besides Nick Tahou Hots, Dogtown Hots is another unique restaurant that offers several unusual dishes based upon simple white and red hots. A few examples of these are Caribbean Wild Dog, Greek Stray, Cincinnati Red Dog, and the Chicago Bull Dog, and about 16 other choices. Among the several Rochester “hots” restaurants, almost all of them offer their own version of the Garbage Plate.
Given Rochester’s close proximity to Buffalo, Rochester has more than its share of delicious chicken wing places, as well. The name “Buffalo wings” is not a misnomer, either, as the spicy wings did originate in Buffalo, although there are several different stories about how they came to be. Regardless, some of the favorite Rochester chicken wing places also feature their own imitations of the Garbage Plate.
While there are plenty of fine Rochester restaurants offering everything from Thai to barbecued ribs, Rochester hots joints have been a big hit among townies and visitors for decades. In fact, partaking of one’s first Garbage Plate is almost like a rite of passage for area transplants and visitors, alike. Just make sure you start with the original.