Thursday, July 31, 2008

Henrietta Hots; West Henrietta Road

Henrietta Hots can best be compared to the character Lester Burnham in the beginning of the 1999 movie, American Beauty; AVERAGE. There is nothing really special and nothing really horrible about it. It comes with two hamburgers that are below average in size, chewy and way overdone. The only hint of pink in this burger was the swirl of ketchup and mac-salad-mayonnaise that adorned the top after we mauled the plate like a tiger in a Sigfried and Roy show. It was nice to have a choice between french fries and home fries though. We went with home fries. They were not adequately crispy but not so soggy that you couldn’t eat them. A little dip in the meat sauce took care of that. The mac salad was lackluster with little taste or zing to it. Undoubtedly came out of that orb-like plastic jug. The Italian bread looks good in the wax bag but was a little stale. The payoff for the Henrietta Hot’s plate is the hot sauce! One of the better sauces due to its hints of cinnamon and just the right amount of hotness to it. It made every bite burn a little on the way down (as it should!). We are all betting that it will burn a little on the way out as well.

The charge for this plate is exactly $7 with no change – and that ain’t bad. This plate is OK at best but is worth a shot if you:
- are passing by looking for a new car on West Henrietta Road
- are waiting for your wife to buy new curtains and shoes at Marketplace
- have 55 minutes left on the hour you paid for at the Dorkat Motel
- are 4 idiots that work nearby and are too lazy to find a better option

Schaller's; West Henrietta Road

Schaller’s reminds me of that star athlete with all the talent that won’t go the extra mile to become a legend; a la Ken Griffey Jr. Let’s start with the bad: The first thing you will notice is that it only comes with one burger. For shame Shaller’s, for shame. Here’s the dilemma however; the burger they did bother to provide was breathtaking. Medium well, firm yet crumbly. A culinary delight! As it should be, Schaller’s is known in Rochester for some of the best hamburgers around. It was tough to get over. Here’s where they really start losing points though- no home fries option. C’mon guys! Instead you get the thick cut crinkle fries. You remember them, the crappy Oreida ones your mom used to bake in the oven when you were a kid and try to pass them off as being “as good as McDonalds”. You didn’t buy it then and we’re not buying it now! It also came with this weird miniature hot dog roll as its customary edible grease rag. I think it was a dinner roll. I don’t think it was dinner time.

On a positive note, their mac salad was excellent and cooled to the right temperature. The hot sauce was decent assuming you like the “Indian Food” spiciness to it. And it was GREASY! With these attributes this would seem to be a high class plate. We just couldn’t get over the drawbacks of one burger and no choice of home fries. It crushes this plates chances of greatness. They are one burger and an order of homefries away from being a 5-star option. Just like Griffey – could be the best player in the league with some adjustment and heart. Overall with a price of just over $7, this plate is good but not one that you drive across town for due to its draw backs.