Tap and Mallet

MMMMMMMMmm

Turn Ons:
AMAZING Beer selection
Poutine
Buffalo Tofu Bites
Fish 'n Chips
Social/relaxed Atmosphere

Turn Offs:
Getting served at the crowded bar
Variance in Food quality
Occasionally irritating guests

Summary:
Tap and Mallet is in the heart of the South Wedge of Rochester.  In fact, for some people it is the landmark of the South Wedge.  We frequent this bar often, so we have quite a few visits to base our review on.  Let's begin with our first impression.

The outside of the bar is not very inviting at all.  Very plain and bland.  If not for their name, you wouldn't know what's behind the door.  Once you walk in, you're greeted with a rather dark atmosphere, huge bar, and tons of taps.  With a name like Tap and Mallet, they make sure to have loads of taps.  And they DO!  I also appreciate them using the actual taps of the beers they have on tap.  So, if I don't want to look at a menu, a quick glance down the bar will show me most options. We can usually find something we like at first glance.  But, if we want something new, we'll grab their 500 page menu. (Not actually 500 pages)

Here is where we have had varying experiences.  Getting the bar tender's attention.  During non-peak hours, it isn't too difficult.  But, we've noticed that during peak hours, if the bar tender doesn't recognize you, you're going to have a tough time placing an order.  "Hello?  I see that you see me. Why are you still at the other end of this bar?" They don't move with any sense of urgency, and they seem to like to socialize with their friends at the bar, rather than serve us.  This is a very social area and everyone knows everyone.  It is good in some ways, but irritating in others.  We've had conversations butted into by others who just felt the need to impart their extensive beer knowledge upon us, and been irritated by the "whoo" girls on the weekends.  Can you blame the bars for their customers?  Not totally.  But a bar attracts a certain crowd.  This is a younger, more hipster crowd.  That's not necessarily good or bad, but you can't deny it.  And this has to be the greatest concentration of IPA connoisseurs on the face of the planet.  It seems like everyone knows everything about IPAs, and if you aren't drinking one, then you know nothing.  Fortunately, they do allow you to order other beers, and they have a lot of them.

Lets get back to the review.

If you're looking for a table, it seems like the servers double as the host(ess).  So, someone walking by usually asks if you want a table.  You don't have to wait long, because the first server to grab you can seat you in their section.   It can just be a bit confusing, because one server will tell you "just a sec" as they're hustling to the bar to grab something.  Then, another server will ask if you need to be seated, and you're just like "I'm not sure.  I think that other person was going to seat me, but I can't find him/her."

The beer list is daunting, even for an avid beer drinker.  You have to use your context clues to figure anything out.  Be aware.  These beers are for beer drinkers.  In addition to your more "drinkable" Belgians and wheats, you're going to come across some very dark, hoppy, and IPA-y beers.  So, while they have something for everyone; that includes people with very refined and extreme tastes.  Meaning, you run the risk of coming across something that you really don't like.  Fortunately, they're very knowledgeable of all of their beers, which is impressive, given the extensive selection.  They even know all of the correct pronunciations, which is not easy.  They'll let you get a few free small samples to make up your mind, if you want.   You'll find something.  If you can't find 5 beers that you like at Tap and Mallet; we've got news for you: you don't like beer.

Now, you pick your beer.  Order the Poutine and the Hot Buffalo Tofu Bites.  They're both to die for.  You can't beat them.  We know, we said the curse word "tofu".  Trust us, friends.  DO IT! mm so good.  Then, pick out your entree if you want.  You can't go wrong with the Fish 'n Chips.  With the other entrees, we've had mixed results.  We're usually very pleased.  However, there have been a few times when we thought they must be joking when they brought our food out.  Shrimp skewers, shrimp tacos, and we think buffalo chicken tacos.  We won't go into details, but we were utterly disappointed in the small effort and amount of food for what we paid.   But, their more "usual" dishes were very good.  So, it can be hit-or-miss.  If you get more traditional "pub" food, you should be safer.  It's too bad, because the food that they're good at, they're REALLY good at.  But the "bad" is quite disappointing.

Again, this is the south wedge, so be prepared for a more eccentric server.  If you faint at the sight of tattoos and piercings, you might stay away.  We will say, that they're not so extreme at Tap and Mallet as they are at other places.  They're also very knowledgeable and helpful.  You can't serve at Tap and Mallet and be a dummy; especially W.R.T. beer.

In conclusion, we definitely recommend getting to Tap and Mallet, if just for the experience.  You will be impressed with the bar and beer selection.  Try to go during off hours, if you can, but it isn't as bad as it used to be.  Mostly because it seems like traffic is beginning to slow a bit, compared to when we could barely move through the bar area.  Get the apps we recommended.  If you want a sit down meal, get their more traditional British food.

Tap and Mallet hangs its hat on its huge and diverse beer selection and the staff's knowledge.  But, the rest of Rochester is catching up, so they'll need to improve other aspects of their experience if they want to remain a go-to place in Rochester.  Their specials need to get better and they need to either improve their bar tenders' performance or put more bar tenders back there.  But, when all is said and done, Tap and Mallet is definitely a place in Rochester that you need to go to at least once.

Golden Port Dim Sum/House of Sushi

MMmmmmmmmm

Turn Ons:
Scallion Pancake
Atmosphere

Turn Offs:
Steep Price
Seeming lack of sushi serving knowledge

Summary:
So, we're not actually sure if we were eating at Golden Port Dim Sum or House of Sushi because they use the same entrance.  I believe they have the same owner(s)?  So maybe it doesn't matter.  Our intention was to eat at House of Sushi, but I'm not sure if that is what ultimately happened.  It was quite confusing.

The ambiance wasn't bad.  We were seated quickly and given one paper menu for the two of us.  We had to ask for the sushi menu (and received one), which was irritating and didn't make much sense to us.  We shouldn't have to ask for a sushi menu at a sushi place.  We should also get two of each menu, so we can both look at the same time.  We received our water and our server took our drink order. They had a decent beer that we both ordered.  Nothing to write home about, but they have it if you only drink beer.

Everything came in a timely manner.  The apps were good, especially the scallion pancakes.  I could eat those all day.  The sushi was OK.  We had to ask for a dish for the soy sauce.  Once again; if you're a sushi place, you ought to know better.  The traditional sushi was "meh".  The Spider Roles were pretty darn good, but they were HUGE!  It wasn't really practical to try to cram one of those in your mouth.  Unless I'm mistaken, that's how sushi is supposed to work...  Plus the Spider Rolls were more apt to fall apart while being picked up with chop sticks.  And we're no rookies with chop sticks. But they were good.  I'd say they were in the top half of the spider roll tasty scale.  But again; nothing to write home about.

Almost everything about Golden Port Dim Sum/House of Sushi was mediocre.  For everything that was above average, there were two things below average.  Unfortunately, one of the things that was above average was the bill. Geesh.

We were kind of feeling like we could take-it-or-leave-it.  We could come back, but we wouldn't go out of our way.  But once we received our bloated bill, we took them off of our "Coming back again" list.  If we go on a double-date in the future and the other couple insists on coming here, we'll act like we're happy to go, and we'll probably have a lovely time due to our company.  But, I know I'll be ordering the cheapest items on the menu.  It just isn't worth it.  I'll take a green tea, scallion pancakes, and a few California rolls.

If you want mediocre sushi and Asian food, there are far less-expensive places to go in Rochester.  If you want to spend more money, there is far better quality and service in Rochester.

The Swillburger Playhouse

MMMMMMMMmm

Turn Ons:
Burger
BBQ Sauce
Beer
Games
Social Atmosphere

Turn Offs:
Game down-time
Poor utilization of Shuffleboard

I've always known it as The Swillburger, due to the large "The Swillburger" painted on the side of the building.  But the website calls it The Playhouse.  So, I'm calling it The Swillburger Playhouse.

The Swillburger name comes from the Swillburg Neighborhood in Rochester, that The Swillburger resides within.  Also, probably the fact that their food focuses on burger pattys.  Looking at a map:
Swillburg Map
The Swillburger Playhouse sits on the border of the Swillburg Neighborhood and the South Wedge.  There is a new building on the same street called The Edge of the Wedge.  There is a long seated friendly rivalry between Swillburg and the South Wedge, but I digress.  Let's share S Clinton.

The Swillburger Playhouse used to be a church (see link below).  It was purchased and converted into a burger joint, bar, and arcade.  There used to be artwork on the building, but Rochester weather took care of that.  Rumors are that the artist will try again this summer using a different technology that is less susceptible to wind, rain, and cold.  (In Rochester?! WHAAAAT?!)

It is fun to see the old architecture and to try to picture how the building was previously used.  When you enter from the corner of S Clinton and Meigs, you instantly walk into the arcade.  It can be a bit noisy and in-your face, so most people have to stop to take it in.  The large bar is straight ahead and food is to the left.  There is usually a short line for food.  So, lets talk about that.

We went to Swillburger when it first opened, before they could even sell alcohol.  (I know, I can't believe Melisa went before they could serve alcohol).  We were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good the burgers were.  They don't do much with the food.  They have a few burger options and some potato options, and that's it.  But the sauces are so good and the burgers are even better.  The potatoes are crunchy.  Try the BBQ sauce.  Their shakes were amazing, but I haven't ordered them since the bar opened.  BUT.... it seems to us that they've changed their burgers a bit.  They're still legit burgers with good meat and everything.  But we get the feeling that the patties get squished down and flattened, now. NOOOO! That squishes out all of the moisture and cooks the middle too much!  Whereas before, we thought these were top-tier burgers, now our opinion is that the burgers are "pretty good".  We hope they change them back. We've been getting the crispy chicken "sammich" ever since.  Their BBQ sause is epic.  They were kind enough to supply their BBQ sauce for our Pig Roast for our Engagement party and everyone was raving about it!

I recommend coming in and getting some food in your belly right away.  Take it upstairs and eat on the  top floor where you can look down upon the other patrons at the barcade.  Enjoy the food, view, and plan out which games you want to play while secretly judging the puny peons, below.

Clean up after yourself and go grab a beer.  They have a good selection of craft beers.  I wasn't a huge fan of the cocktails.  I ordered the same cocktail from two different bar tenders and got two totally different drinks.  I think this may just be a fluke.  But still; this is a beer bar.  Get the beer. They seem to try to also be a cocktail bar for the ladies, but in our opinion, they're not very good at it yet.  The bar is huge and even with all the traffic, you should be able to get a menu and your order in.  The beer taps do not have the individual taps for which beer they are serving, so you unfortunately have to get your hands on a paper menu, which are distributed all over the bar.  So, it's not too bad.  Plus everyone is friendly, and happy to hand you a menu.  I hope they put up a chalk board or something later, so customers can see the beer listed on the wall behind the bar.  Order your beer.  Enjoy the throwback games displayed on the wall behind the bar that resembles a Tetris game.  Take your beer with you to get your tokens by the entrance door, if you're here to play games.  (They could probably place this is a more convenient location, away from everyone entering and leaving the bar.)

This isn't Dave and Busters.  These are the old school throwback arcade games from the Original Nintendo and Sega Genesis.  There are a ton of pinball games, there is a shuffleboard which is near the bar.  I love that they have shuffleboard! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be perfectly level, and being so near the bar, there can be spills on it which makes the friction of the board unpredictable.  I would hope they could maintain it a little better.  I like it near the bar, because as a bar patron it is easy to just turn around, watch a game, and even socialize.  The trouble is that it can be difficult and distracting to play with so many people crowded around.  I wonder if it would do better upstairs.  The balcony may not support the weight, and it might be physically impossible to move that monstrosity upstairs.  When the bar is full, it can be difficult to move through the arcade with everyone milling around or waiting for a game.  But, you get to play the games for $0.50 each.  That's tough to beat these days.  I find that it is actually easier to strike up conversations among the games.  If you're Wolverine, and you jump in to help Storm tackle Magneto, you're bound to start chatting with Storm.  "Use your Mutant Power!"  That's a winning line every time.  Seriously, the patrons here just seem to be in a better mood and more open to conversation with a complete stranger than any place I can think of.

I do want to take this time to point out that they do get some breakdowns of games, and they're going to have to improve their repair time if they want their customers to remain loyal.  Some games go down for months.  I can't imagine that in this tech-savvy neighborhood, they can't find a couple reliable repair people.  Keep an inventory of things that break often like buttons and joysticks, and someone who can work on them when the place is closed.  Create a relationship with a place that specializes in the old arcade games replacement parts. (I will point out that, since this was originally written, they have improved upon this, greatly.  I like to think that this was our doing.)

Hanging at the bar is also still a solid choice.  Enjoy the nerdy T-shirts you're bound to see.  The occasional handle-bar mustache.  But, some patrons still are dressed to impress.  It's a quite diverse scene and it works well.

The owners knew what they were doing.  This is a young, hip neighborhood.  They like simple food, have a very mature beer palette, and love video games.  Enter a barcade.  This is a winning combination for this neighborhood.

Melisa and I have discussed what this will mean for the other local bars.  I think everyone will swarm The Swillburger Playhouse and the other bars will lose some business.  Melisa thinks that the other nearby bars will benefit due to more people coming to do bar crawls in the area.  So, once people come to Swillburger, they might walk across or down the street to visit other bars as well.  Only time will tell.  (since time has gone by, the Rochester Pedal Tours has included the Swillburger on their tour, increasing traffic in the area.  1 point to Melisa)

This is where I want to mention that they do not have their own parking lot.  It isn't too hard to find parking on Meigs St within a block, but I get a little anxious at night on the weekends.  Melisa and I can walk, so we don't care :-p I'm sure others walk and ride bicycles, too.

In conclusion, the Swillburger Playhouse knows its customers well.  They have a great business model.  I have a few minor gripes about the burgers, lack of menu behind the bar, game brake downs, shuffleboard shortcomings, and the token machine location.  But, the fact is that we keep going.  It is incredibly social, and lots of fun.  I don't like hanging out at just "bars"; I like something to do while I sip my drink and talk to old friends or new ones.  Here, there is so much to keep you occupied, and it is easy to meet new friends.  The Swillburger Playhouse will surely become a staple and landmark in the Swillburg/South Wedge neighborhoods.

The Playhouse

Buta Pub

MMMMMMMmmm

Turn Ons:
Sexy Ginger Chicken Wings 
Comfortable, social seating is available. 

Turn Offs:
Slow Reception
Rare to get to sit in the highly-coveted comfy social area.

Is it "Butta Pub"? Or "Boota Pub"?  No one seems to know.  Their website does state that its "Nothing but a pub."  So, maybe it's "Butt".  I have heard a server pronounce it differently, though.  My guess is that no one really cares, and as long as everyone agrees on what we're talking about....

Buta Pub is located in the Historic German House in the South Wedge.  If you remember where The Keg used to be? Don't worry, it doesn't resemble the Keg one bit.  The Keg changed to Zeppa Bistro not long ago, where it got a major face lift and, lets be honest; manners, charm, grace, cleanliness, and an education.  Not long after Zeppa, the owners moved on to focus their efforts elsewhere, and Buta Pub came in.  They kept the higher-class restaurant feel and put their own spin of flavors on the place.

From the outside, it looks like you're going into a bit of a dive bar.  The black and white sign with a plump pig sitting on its rear end doesn't really give the feeling of sophistication.  The outside brick patio is nice, however.  When you enter, you're going down into a basement.  OK, this isn't helping.  They do seem to have an elevator for wheelchairs, so thumbs up.  Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, the host(ess) podium greets you.  But, in my experience, there is usually a short wait until a host(ess) actually greets you.  It is understandable if they're seating someone else, but they're usually just in the back.  I don't get it.

While you're waiting for the hostess to appear, enjoy viewing the lovely area just inside the dining area, where people can sit and socialize on comfy chairs and couches around elegant coffee tables.  You are free to eat your meal here, but the seats are so deep and soft, this area isn't really conducive to eating a full meal.  It is very comfortable and elegant.  If you just want cocktails and maybe an appetizer or two, try parking it here.  It is usually filled up however, and patrons aren't exactly rushing to leave the area.  To the other side is their nice bar.  You'll see most or all of the seats taken up, but there usually aren't layers of people standing behind them vying for the bar tender's attention. So a quick drink is easy enough to get.

There hasn't been a wait since we've been going, so you should promptly be seated.  Sometimes they do special events.  So, there might be trivia, a Rochester Young Professionals Happy Hour, an art event, or something of the sort. 

When being seated, you are instantly given water glasses and a water carafe is left so you're not reliant on your server for refills.  Thumbs up.  Nothing irks us more than running out of water.  They will refill the carafe if need-be.  You're instantly presented with your drink and food menu.  They have a nice, diverse beer selection and the cocktails are quite good too.  I thought the $9 cocktails were priced quite well.  They're also unique and fun to try out.  You can also get a flight if you want to try different beers.

Listen to me: Order the wings.  They come in two different flavors.  One is hotter than the other, but just barely and the "heat" won't slow you down.  We get these every time we go.  Large, meaty wings, that are crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.  The sauces are both delicious, and it is obvious that they are created by a trained chef.  These aren't some mass-produced wings tossed in the cheapest buffalo sauce.  They may even let you have half the wings in one sauce and half in the other, so you can decide which you like best.  Just get them!

You don't really expect it, with the pig on the sign, but Buta Pub is actually an Asian-inspired American Cuisine.  This isn't your corner Chineese take-out store.  From what I've seen, most (if not, all) of the dishes are made on site with really fresh ingredients, and the meat is so good on every dish.  This is high-class food we're talking about.  They do a lot of pork, which one would expect with the sign.  Being in the South Wedge, they're conscious of the non-meat eaters, too.  Not just conscious, but good at it.  Their Ramen is quite good, which surprised me.  That's just because I'm thinking of the instant Ramen from my college days.  I will say that I thought mine was a bit salty.  But, I'm a bit sensitive to salt, and I'm pretty sure salt is expected in Ramen.  You can go as casual as a burger, to as fancy as a 1/2 Roasted Pig Head.  No, We haven't spent the $79 on that just yet. It is advertised to serve 4-6 people. They have some unique dishes here.  I bet you'll be able to try something you've never had before.

Their selection is great without being overwhelming.  You'll be able to find something.  I thought the food was priced quite well; especially for the quality that they serve.

I guess I'll warn my more traditional audience that you should be prepared to have a server with visible tattoos and piercings.  It doesn't bother me a bit, and I actually prefer an eccentric server: It creates good conversation if you feel like socializing.  But I know everyone has different hang-ups, so I thought I'd put it out there.  Buta Pub seems to celebrate individuality.  Let's be honest.  You can't afford to run a business in the Wedge and expect your employees to adhere to a strict and out-dated code of appearance.  This group is quite a bit more eccentric.  If you didn't allow tattoos or face piercings, you'd cut your available workforce in the South Wedge by 60%.  (That's my opinion, 60% is not based on actual research. Just observation.) Furthermore, the servers are very knowledgeable and have great manners.  They'll chat shortly with you if you want, and they'll leave you alone if you're immersed in conversation.  Gone are the days where a tattoo automatically means you're a drunk biker-gang member.

The atmosphere is casual, but you also wouldn't feel out of place in a suit, which is a tough feeling to pull off.  They have a side room with a pool table and bar for private parties.  It is very comfortable and charming.  We always feel relaxed.

I recommend getting out to see Buta Pub before everyone else catches on to what a great place it is.  Once word gets out, I can see the waits getting longer due to volume and people just not wanting to leave.  When I show up, I'm always instantly irritated because I can't figure out why they can't have a host(ess) stand at the podium to greet patrons.  But, the place is so charming, intimate, and well-done; that feeling melts away (especially by the time we've received our wings and flights).