Dining Out In Rochester, NY

New Orleans Louisiana Waterfront BBQ (NoLA's)

New Orleans Louisiana Waterfront BBQ (NoLA's).  4775 Lake Avenue, Rochester, NY 14612.  585-663-3375. 

8/26/04

NoLA's is located near the end of Lake Avenue by lake Ontario and just across the parking lot facing the ferry terminal in a building with a long history of failed nightclubs.  Just to the north is the famous Abbott's Ice Cream and just to the south is the LDR Char Pit. 

The evening that we visited NoLA's we had planned to eat at another nearby restaurant.  The other restaurant had a half hour wait, so we walked to another restaurant and discovered the they had an hour wait.  Our third choice was NoLA's, which had immediate seating. 

We entered NoLA's from the Lake Avenue entrance.  Our first impression was that it didn't look like a restaurant.  Instead, it looked like a bar.  NoLA's should consider modifying this entrance to make it more inviting to street traffic.

After walking through the bar to the middle of the restaurant, we found the main entrance which is next to NoLA's parking lot.  The menu looked promising, so we decided to stay. 

I ordered a half rack of pork ribs, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw.  Cornbread comes on the plate.  Considering that there were few people in NoLA's, the kitchen was very slow.  Our friendly server apologized twice for the slowness of filling our order.  When our food was served we were pleasantly surprised by the size of our portions.  A half rack of ribs is much larger at NoLA's than what is served at the Dinosaur BBQ.  However, the size is misleading.  NoLA's pork ribs are served untrimmed, so there is a lot of extra bone and gristle along one edge.  If you order the pork ribs ask to have them cut up in the kitchen.  The knife provided with the ribs is not adequate to the job of cutting up the ribs at the table.  The cornbread served with our meals was burnt and dried out.  We complained to the server and was told that she would either obtain some fresh cornbread or make it up to us.  Neither occurred.  The sweet potato fried we good and so was the coleslaw, but what we came for was the ribs.

One of our party ordered the 1/4 rack of pork ribs and the beef brisket.  Another ordered the pulled pork sandwich.  Both parties gave high marks to their dinners.  The pulled pork sandwich is an excellent choice for someone who wants the flavor of the ribs and the sauce with out the mess of eating ribs off the bone.

NoLA's ribs are excellent.  They are smokey flavored, succulent, tender, and meaty.  The sauce provided was excellent.  Although the same description could be applied to Dinosaur BBQ's ribs, NoLA's ribs are different.  Not better, but different.  Sampling both will demonstrate the subtlety of the art of smoking ribs.  It is important to note that NoLA's BBQ sauce is western style and not the vinegary southern style found at some local BBQ restaurants.  To me this is a plus, but if you like the vinegar-based sauce, you may not like NoLA's or Dinosaur BBQ.  Dinosaur BBQ remains my favorite, but NoLA's is a close second.  I recommend both.

We passed up the fried Twinkies for dessert.  However, if you haven't had them, you should.  You may not order them twice, but then again, who knows...

NoLA's has a challenge ahead of them.  To survive in a space that has such a long history of failed nightclubs, they will have to try harder than those who went before them.  They will have to improve their service and have a better eye for detail.  Serving burnt cornbread, having a slow kitchen, and having a broken paper towel dispenser in the men's room demonstrate that the owner is not managing with an eye for detail.

Although NoLA's needs to improve, the low cost of their dinners and their location make them a desirable destination.  Diners should go for a walk along the boardwalk or out on the jetty after dinner--during the summer. 

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