While looking for places to bar hop around in Rochester, NY for my friend's birthday weekend, we decided to check out the fairly new restaurant, Native Eatery and Bar, for dinner and a drink to start our evening off right. There has been a lot of buzz about Native and its locally-sourced cuisine since it opened on the corner of Woodbury and Clinton in the Center City area - right across from Geva Theatre. When we arrived on a very warm and pleasant evening, Native had opened up two of it's four giant windowed walls as if to expand its porch area right into the restaurant. While taking our spot to sit at the ginormous rectangular bar, it felt as though we were still outdoors!
Looking at the menu, it seemed as though the food options were laid out in a very artsy, gourmet style of varying course categories and creative names. For example, the salads were titled "From the Garden" and the soups were titled "From the Cauldron". My friend and I ordered two drinks "From the Still": I ordered the $6 Mint Julep which was the special cocktail of the day sponsored by the city's "Movies with a Downtown View" event happening in the park across the street, and my friend ordered the Seasonal Sangria which was a bit tangy and tropical but not too sweet. I was worried that my Mint Julep would be a bit too minty - I had a horrible tasting Mojito a few years ago which has put me off to mint for a while - but it was just a "hint" of mint and had a nice natural sweetness to counteract it! In addition to cocktails, Native also had a huge list of craft beers "From the Hops" and international wines "From the Vine"!
While browsing the dinner choices, my friend and I conclusively decided to share an appetizer and a pizza. Under the heading "From the Larder" was the intricate charcuterie board which we ultimately ordered to start with. Along with the typical cured meats and hard and soft cheeses, the charcuterie board also included some duck pâté, homemade jerky, pickles and olives, and some fresh, dried, and candied fruits. According to the menu, the variety changes daily and can be made vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free, as well! If you're someone who likes to try all different flavors under the sun, like myself, you would absolutely love to sample this platter.
In the "From the Hearth" menu category was our glorious pizza that we had ordered. The pizza was made with a naturally leavened dough, tomato and thyme red sauce, roasted select mushrooms and zucchini, and, my favorite, creamy white chèvre goat cheese. The crust, which is usually my least favorite part of a pizza, was the clear "bread"-winner in this dish. It had a perfect slight char to it, was crisp yet soft and doughy inside, and tasted as though it was freshly tossed and floured just moments ago. The thyme tomato sauce was a perfect compliment to the garden fresh toppings, and I loved the combination of the zucchini and mushrooms with that tangy and salty goat cheese. I am glad to have shared it with a friend because there would have been no way that I could have finished that pizza myself - although I would surely try!
Overall I would absolutely come back to Native Eatery and Bar, especially to try another $6 cocktail if they have one and whatever interesting samplings they have on their charcuterie board. I would say that, in addition to a date night, Native is also a great place to eat for a celebration or a family gathering, or even to grab a cocktail and a bite with a friend or with coworkers for a happy hour after work! You can park in the Washington Square Park parking garage for free, as long as you leave after 7:15pm, or there is often parking around the park itself which is free on weekends. My friend and I found it to be easily walkable from the Park Ave neighborhood area.
Native is located at 180 South Clinton and is open from 5pm to 9pm Tuesday through Thursday, and until 10pm on Friday and Saturday. They also have happy hour specials from 3:30pm until 6pm every day they are open! You can follow Native on their Instagram and Facebook page. Thank you for reading my restaurant review, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter, my Facebook page, or my Instagram for post updates!
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