Finger Lakes Restaurant Prepares Food Poetry
Rose Tavern is a garden of foodie temptation
By Christopher Malone
Nothing beats a restaurant with a porch overlooking some body of water.
Views aside, as part of the elegant Lake House on Canandaigua, the restaurant Rose Tavern already has an expectation to offer food complimenting the established hospitality bar already set.
Upon walking in, I felt underdressed. I wasn’t donning a graphic T-shirt or flip-flops, but seeing a gentleman in a sports coat and slacks on a Tuesday morning, my anxiety flipped on after mentally wading in uncertainty ahead of a pending opportunity to sit down and eat.
Rose Tavern asks for reservations on its website but the staff welcomed me in no questions asked; presumably late lunches and dinners probably get crowded.
But Rose Tavern is beautiful. The very much well-kept, open-concept dining area not only gives patrons a generous view of Canandaigua Lake and doesn’t short on the sun’s vitamin D pouring in through the windows, it also allows those enjoying their time dining a look at what’s happening inside the kitchen.
Timing allowed squeezing in a couple breakfast options, which made me very happy. The avocado toast ($17) seemed perfect to kick off the meal. Atop fresh in-house bread sat a dollop of smashed avocado and a fried egg, which donned a spoonful of tomato jam.
In reality: It’s a deconstructed take on avocado toast with a piece of toasted bread too small for its ingredients. Also, in reality, eating should be about quality, not quantity. This is being said because you, the reader, are taking a mental break to picture and rationalize the meal and the cost. Stomachs are the size of fists, and the Americanized ideal to have a massive meal with a plateful of food should be squashed much like the tomatoes in that beautifully tasty jam. The components were equally aesthetically bright as their flavors.
Plus, the avocado toast came with a good mount of home fries — crispy, moderately seasoned potato nuggets asking to take a dip in the house-made ketchup on the side.
It’s difficult to turn down stuffed French toast ($17). However, Rose Tavern’s s’more-style was even more difficult to turn down. It’s not overly sweet considering the chocolate and chocolate crème anglaise, toasted marshmallows and graham cracker crumble. Then, on the side, strawberries and blueberries can be enjoyed with each bite of the French toast.
The French toast kills two birds with one stone as the sweet-and-savory dish serves as both a meal and dessert at the same time.
During the week, breakfast service stops at 11 a.m. as the staff is allowed a half hour to take a break and prepare for lunch at 11:30 a.m.
I was able to sit where I was and accomplish some writing during that time.
For lunch, I wanted to enjoy a cocktail because of the uniqueness of the house specialties. It came down to the gin-based “Water of Youth” and the Lake House Manhattan. The “water” is prepared with egg white and chamomile but the Manhattan is made with Cocchi Barolo Chinato, fig, fennel pollen and goat cheese. Erring on the lighter side, I stuck with the former and was not disappointed. The “water” drink ($14) also boasted elderflower liquor St. Germaine and the juniper with the chamomile eased the bite of gin for a very floral-forward taste.
The Wagyu beef tartare ($25) is an easily shareable small plate. Aside from the fresh beef, the mustard aioli and toasted bread add up to a herbal-laden option. There’s a lot of tartare, which permits scooping up a generous amount of tartare and aioli without the fear of shorting others enjoying this as well.
When seeing a poke bowl ($24) on a menu, the first things popping into thoughts is fresh and plentiful. Rose Tavern’s take on the poke did not disappoint.
The bright bowl boasted rice, wakame (seaweed salad), cucumber, edamame, and many more vegetables are topped off with tuna (or steak) and a spicy ponzu sauce. There is a pleasant, but not overwhelming, kick to the bowl but the sauce thankfully wasn’t drowning the components.
And the raw tuna was fabulous. The fresh, cubed fish could have easily been eaten on its own, but there’s a lot of enjoyment in pairing the bites with the veggies and sprouts.
Where Robert Burns wrote, “My Luve is like a red, red rose,” my Luve is fresh, bright pink tuna.
Before tip, the meal came to $67 and change.
Where this added up to what people may consider pricier breakfast and lunch options, it’s the first meal where I felt better after eating — even with enjoying the dessert-esque French toast.
Sometimes treating yourself isn’t a terrible thing.
Rose Tavern had me wanting more, especially with wanting to enjoy dinner there.
Rose Tavern
770 S. Main St., Canandaigua, N.Y. 14424
585-678-4516
BRUNCH
Sunday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LUNCH
Monday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
LIGHT FARE
Monday – Saturday: 3 – 5 p.m.
DINNER
Sunday: 5 – 10 p.m.
Monday – Thursday: 5 – 10 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 5 – 11 p.m.