Our meal began with the Pork Belly: orange + jalapeno glazed pork belly, citrus dressed arugula, apple, pickled onion. Some Rouletters found the pork belly was fantastic; the innards were tender and juicy and the….outtards? had just the right amount of crusty/caramelly crunchiness to seal in all the flavor. Others agreed it was perfectly cooked but could have used something to cut the richness a bit. Still others noted that it wasn’t the most shareable dish (though it was on the pickings side of the menu) and one Rouletter noted that it was too “melt in your mouth,” so it felt like pouring butter down their throat (you might be wondering, so I’ll clarify that this was noted as a negative). Overall folks were a bit divided on this one.
⭐ 3.7
Ah, the Elote Fritters: corn fritters, habanero honey, chipotle crema, chile, lime, cotija. These delights described as “fun little orbs of corny goodness” and “high-end hushpuppies” were cooked to crunchy on the outside and bready on the inside perfection. The golden outer-layer had a delightful carnivally-sweet taste one Rouletter associated with corn dogs. There was just enough flavor added by the chipotle crema to round out the flavor. One Rouletter loved the bright/herby freshness that was added by the cilantro. It wasn’t me. I have the gene that makes me toss the little soap herbs off my food. ⭐ 4.1
The Calamari: salt + pepper fried calamari, scallions, szechuan aioli was our lowest rated dish of the night. That being said, Rouletters thought it was solid enough – just not particularly stand out in any way. Super-lightly fried, giving the calamari more of a white-crispiness vs a golden fried heaviness; this allowed the scrumptious squid’s flavor to speak for itself. Folks enjoyed the addition of the lime instead of lemon for sprinkling, and the szechuan aioli had just a hint of spice, which added the perfect amount of subtle creamy flavoring for dipping. A guest Rouletter from out of town said it was the best they’d ever had. On behalf of the great city of Rochester, I offer that perhaps he hasn’t had a chance to try the calamari offerings at some of our elite Italian restaurants.
The dish that came in second place for the night was the Bulgogi Skewers: bulgogi beef, shaved onion, lettuce, ssamjang,steamed rice. The meaty morsels on their own, even without accoutrements was the perfect blend of savory and sweet flavoring. The dish all together had excellent flavor, and in a little lettuce wrap with some rice and the ssamjang – pow. One Rouletter had this rated as their top dish and there were many compliments for this one as it made its way around the table. You can tell this type of dish is Nosh’s bread ‘n’ butter. ⭐ 4.5
Next up was the Bone Marrow: roasted marrow, charred ciabatta, accoutrements. Folks described it as savory, satisfying goodness though it’s cumbersome to eat especially when sharing. We can all agree that there is not a graceful way to scrape out bone marrow, so this is a definite “no” as a first date food. The ciabatta was lovely, and the accoutrements worked nicely. We even had a Rouletter who never had bone marrow before at the table and they loved it! Another ranked it as their top dish. If bone marrow as a dish were less divisive, this score would be a touch higher. If the ciabatta was less perfectly done it would certainly have been lower.
And as what came as a complete surprise to everyone, the clear winner of the night was the Shrimp Toast: Bread, shrimp, carrots, scallions, sesame crust, spicy mayo, soy glaze, herbs, chili garlic sauce. I’d never had shrimp toast. It’s just not the sort of thing I’d picture myself liking, but along with three other Rouletters – more than half of the reviewers – I chose this as my top dish. We will dream about this shrimp toast. We dance with this shrimp toast. This unassuming crustacean creation took our breath away. The divine light, crispy flakiness may have resulted from being fried in a light oil vs a butter or heavy oil, perhaps? It was the perfect crunch without too much grease. As our incisors inched into the middle of this perfect prawn pastry, they were met with just the right consistency – a beautiful balance of fluffy/firm. The sesame seeds on the crust topped things of by adding a fun dimension of texture. And what was this heavenly taste?? Were there shrimp whipped throughout the bread batter? Was this culinary underdog from under the sea thus made of a type of …… shrimp meal akin to corn meal? Whatever it was, we were sold and have been dreaming of this perfect prawn pastry ever since. It had an expansive decadent corn cake quality that we could not have imagined. The glaze was just right. Heat and smoke and depth of flavor.
A shrimp toast tale from a Rouletter: A few minutes later, after moving on to other dishes, I heard shrieks akin to “eureka!” to my left; “SHRIMP TOAST!” Like me, my tablemates had arrived at a culinary crossroads where surprise meets satisfaction…where enlightenment meets ecstasy; “SHRIMP TOAST!!” I will forevermore shout “SHRIMP TOAST!!” whilst pumping my fist a la Arsenio Hall as I drive by Nosh. How much did I like this dish? Well, consider that my first helping of shrimp toast was embellished with the chili garlic sauce; but the second helping was NOT. A condiment connoisseur like me, declining the opportunity to dip?? That really says it all.
If you’ve heard of Nosh, you’ve heard of the Ahi Noshos: tuna, cucumber daikon salsa, shaved lettuce, wontons, nori, tobiko, sesame, unagi glaze, spicy mayo. These noshable tuna nachos are the iconic tried & true signature dish of Nosh, and you can see why! The wonton “chips” are the perfect combination of flakey yet substantial, with enough body to transport the tender tuna, crisp cucumber, lettuce, glaze, and spicy mayo to your anxiously awaiting gullet. The glaze was delicious. The way the variety of ingredients came together: perfection! Fresh, bright, sweet, and savory flavors, coupled with crispy, crunchy, cool, and tender textures. I think at the end of the day there was just so much unique deliciousness on the table that this one fell to third place. ⭐ 4.4
The vaguely intimidating Korean Sit Down: gochujang chicken thigh, kalbi short rib, crisp pork belly, charred scallion salad, korean potato salad, kimchi, steam buns, pickles, rice, bibb lettuce was the final dish on the pickings menu. Whew, it’s a big one! Rouletters noted that this smorgasbord from Seoul is the perfect party platter if you are coming to Nosh with a group. Let’s break it down. The short ribs – so good they make you wanna slap your umami – were divinely tender while striking the perfect savory-sweet flavor. The crispy pork belly and chicken thigh were heavenly. The steam buns were fluffy, warm, and had an outstanding texture. Even the veggie elements were terrific with some nifty quick pickling delights. ⭐ 4.3
We chose one item off each non-picking menu and for the salad we went with the Rebecca Romaine: grilled romaine, tomato, candied bacon, pickled onion, radish, cotija, avocado green goddess dressing. It was fresh and light. Some didn’t love romaine served as a whole stalk, but other than that, this was a nice flavor and the perfect amount of dressing. Unsurprising to you if you’ve been reading the rest of this is that for our table at least, the star of the dish was the candied bacon. Overall, Becky was just fine. Nice to break some greens in but we didn’t even finish it.
⭐ 3.6
For the pizza we went with the Avenida: fire-roasted corn, jack cheese, cotija, chipotle crema, lime, chili. It was just a fab pizza: it had the cheesy-corny goodness of elote with something substantial to chew with it – often a tortilla shell (fried or soft) does the trick but may not feel satisfying enough personally for some of our Rouletters’ Oprah-level of bread worship. The fire-roasted corn was crisp and fresh while the smoke of the crema and cotija lifted up the rest of the pie. Dough was cooked but not overdone. It was ambitious. It was risky. And it worked. Pro tip: squeeze the lime over your slice. This was tied for the top dish of one Rouletter and mentioned as second place for another. As the first dish to come to the table, it also was a great southwest diversion before the deluge of Korean spices.
This one felt like a wildcard when we ordered it as our sampling of the main dishes. The Korean Cheesesteak: marinated bulgogi, caramelized onion + shiitakes, housemade cheese whiz, kimchi, cheese, ssamjang, fries turned out to be mouthwateringly delicious. Fun fact: half of us thought that it said Korean cheesecake. Does it randomly say that on some of the menus?! Is it a Nosh joke? Either way, this dish had a lovely bulgogi flavor, nice kimchi, good balance of flavors, but the star for me was the homemade cheese whiz. It made it just so creamy to balance out the crispy. If you like cheesesteak but shaved steak kinda freaks you out, this is the dish for you
Turning to the drinks, we had lots of happy cocktail drinkers! The Yucatan, which was tequila resposado, yuzu liqueur, cucumber, lemon, and orgeat was summery and refreshing, well-balanced, easy to drink, and very cucumbery. If you love cucumbers, go to Nosh immediately and order this drink. No, I don’t care what time it is. If you’re more neutral on cucumbers, it may be a bit much. The Honey Buzzard was rum, persimmon liqueur, honey, coconut, pineapple, orange, lime, and cinnamon. Very unique flavors and well-balanced. Next we have the Something like Paella, which was made of gin, with saffron liqueur, nigori, lime, and simple syrup. It had an herby/earthy yet savory taste, with a hint of honey to add sweetness. It was somewhat like an Indian-inspired Gazpacho. Moving on from our cocktail drinkers, there were good wine selections by the glass and the beer list was broad enough to meet the needs of different folks (though a bit IPA heavy).
The service was terrific! Our server did a great job juggling orders, drinks, and vibe. Basics, check. In Deep Hospitality Analysis we would say she looked a bit stressed and rushed, but she was doing 100% what she could.
Y’all. This is the highest ranking a restaurant has received. I actually think it might be the highest possible for a restaurant to receive on a review given our structure. We wish there were all gender restrooms. Some Rouletters noted that it might be a bit of a struggle for our vegetarian or GF friends, but damn it was good for us omnivores (would also be fine for carnivores). Nosh is truly outstanding; we’ve always been impressed and consider it one of our favorite ROC spots! This was just so fun. One of the best meals we’ve had in terms of conversation, menu, drinks and desire to go back. ⭐ 4.8