Flour City Diner

2500 East Avenue, Rochester, NY - (585) 586-7730

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Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on January 11, 2008 5:14 PM

Pierogies, bratwurst and wiener schnitzel; yes, this is not your typical Jersey diner. In fact, it's not a stand-alone diner at all; it recently moved (as of 11/07) to the Renaissance apartment building. But the diner soul is there just the same. Hot turkey, meatloaf, and chicken and biscuits with real mashed potatoes (in addition to the German specialties) are menu favorites, and they make a version of that French-Canadian favorite poutine, but we love the Flour City best of all at breakfast.

Chef/owner Jerry Manley (he of the Bratwurst Rules t-shirt, and cohost of a local cable cooking show) takes pride in his from-scratch cooking. The bratwurst is made in-house, and can be had as part of a luxurious breakfast platter with eggs, potato pancakes, and toast. The pierogies, too, are available at breakfast and make a great companion for the local eggs served by Chef Manley. Pancakes are made with an expert hand, available with real maple syrup for a small additional charge. Sausage gravy and biscuits is homemade, as is the hash, and the oatmeal is Irish-style (coarse-cut). The creamy grits seem to be loaded with butter and/or cream (Jerry wouldn't say). Each weekend's breakfast specials are posted online, and these tour de force plates are special indeed, and always include a Benedict variation (recent Benedicts: BLT Benedict, Key West Benedict, and Cajun Benedict).

A word about the name, Flour City Diner. Rochester was once known as the Flour City, way back in the early to mid 1800's. At the time Rochester was the nation's largest miller of flour. Oddly enough, when the mills moved west in the mid-19th century, Rochester evolved into a major nursery center, and Flour City became Flower City. You see both nicknames in use in Rochester today.

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