New Park Ave. restaurant serves high-end Asian street food in cave-like setting. Take a peek inside
The Swan family likes to take their restaurants' customers on a journey, whether it be to France at Roux, to 1950s Miami at Swan Dive or to their grandparents' house at Vern's.
The latest Swan-owned establishment is Leonore's, named after the Swans' grandmother. She was the wife of Vern Swan, the namesake of the Italian restaurant almost directly across the street on Park Avenue.
This concept, the family's eighth, takes diners on a glamping trip somewhere in Asia. It's a place where chairs are topped with camping cushions, where water is served from Nalgene bottles and where chopsticks and dishes are made of melamine. It's a place that cooks over expensive binchotan, a long burning, smokeless Japanese charcoal that arrives at the restaurant in 1,600-pound pallets.
The concept came to Rochester by way of London, said Paulina Swan, chef and co-owner; they drew inspiration from the restaurants Kiln and Smoking Goat there.
Jon Swan, who owns the restaurant along with Paulina, his sister, and Nick Ryan, their business partner, summarizes the vibe: "We're all in a cave. We're all safe and hunkered down."
The atmosphere
The cozy space that was previously home to Marty's Meats has been given a stucco treatment, enhanced by a paint effect by the artist Thievin’ Stephen to achieve the cave-like effect.
The main attraction is a central bar that seats 17. In front, creative cocktails are stirred and shaken. In back, chefs grill skewers over the charcoal fire and stir fry dishes over a wok that delivers the dramatic flames that come from 128,000 Btus of cooking power. There's constant movement and faintly smoky, exotic aromas.
Two tables flank the front door, one in each window, offering a view of the action inside and out. Behind the bar are two intimate dining rooms; one has three small tables and the other a single table that seats six.
It has outdoor seating on the sidewalk, on the side of Park Avenue that gets shade in early evening.
The food
The concise, somewhat cryptic, menu is centered around Asian street food. Meant to be shared, dishes are delivered as they are prepared. Skewers of meats or Japanese sweet potatoes are cooked on a yakitori charcoal grill. There are a couple of curries and a Wagyu steak. A chilled shrimp dish is topped with a creamy, cold tom kha (Thai coconut soup) and garnished with pickled melon and peanuts.
You'll find plays on the Thai noodle dish pad see ew and the Lao meat-and-herb salad laap. Sides include a sticky coconut rice, a zingy papaya salad and thick slices of soft Japanese milk bread served with schmaltz (rendered chicken fat).
Desserts include a rice pudding with tamarind, cashew and coconut and an ube pound cake with matcha fluff and smoked strawberry.
Jon Swan thinks his customers will give the fare a try even if they aren't familiar with it. "I think we've built up trust with our other brands," he said.
The drinks
Cocktails, made with Asian spirits and flavors, are meant to complement the food.
A buh-harita, a take on a margarita, has citrussy notes from Manille Liqueur de Calamansi from the Philippines. A whisky highball is made with Kamet single malt whisky from India and enhanced by galangal, which tastes similar to ginger. A daquiri has flavors reminiscent of pad Thai.
Natural wines are sold by the bottle and glass. Bohemian pilsner from Von Trapp Brewing is served on tap and other beers are available in cans and bottles.
If you go
Leonore's is at 703 Park Ave. Parking is on the street; be prepared to walk a few blocks. It is open 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. It does not take reservations.
Accessibility: The tables in front and in back are conventional height. There's no step into the front door, but the doorway and the space is snug. The neighborhood lacks accessible parking.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Leonore's Asian restaurant opens on Park Ave. in Rochester NY
