Garbage Plates!
Gitsis Plate- before and after preparation
Garbage Plates!
Gitsis Plate- before and after preparation
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Update 12/20/02: This is the first update in a long time, so all new entries (or entries that have changed) have been marked with 
. Links to home pages have been added, click on the spider's web. Some day (or year), I plan on adding two more columns to the list of places that serve plates: one for the name of the plate, and one for the price of a cheeseburger plate. If anybody has any info on either of those, please feel free to e-mail me
See rave reviews and comments about this site!!! (click here)
A Garbage Plate is a wonderful thing! The original Garbage Plate was created at Nick Tahou's in Rochester, NY. In the meantime, there have been many imitations with many different names, such as Sloppy Plate, Trash Plate, Dumpster Plate, etc. A typical plate (see above) comes with two items piled on a plate, such as home fries, macaroni salad, beans, or french fries. Then the meat of choice, such as cheeseburgers, hamburgers, or hot dogs, are placed on top (bread is usually served on the side). Optional onions, mustard, hot sauce (the hamburger-based kind), and occasionally relish are piled on top. At Nick's, if you order a cheeseburger plate, you'll automatically get home fries and mac salad with everything on it (the best options, IMHO). There are also many different ways to eat a plate. It can be eaten like a normal meal, but my preferred way of eating plates is to cut up the cheeseburgers, add tons of ketchup and whatever red hot sauce is available, and mix everything together so that it truly looks like a garbage plate. The bread is used to scoop up the remainder of the plate, whatever that is (chemical analysis still needs to be done on it).
There are now over 50 dining establishments in the Rochester area that serve plates (and more are being discovered all the time). The following list shows all the places that I'm aware of; if any are missing, please e-mail me (
mailto:garbageplates@yahoo.com). I can't guarantee that they're all still open and still serve plates (use the "last visited" column as a guide) or what their hours are, so it might be a good idea to call ahead before going out for a plate.|
Address |
Phone |
Last Visited |
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Bathtub Billy's  |
630 West Ridge Rd. |
865-6510 |
1/10/01 |
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Bay Hots |
1773 Empire Blvd. |
787-1520 |
8/13/99 |
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Big Dog's Hots |
1921 South Ave. |
271-8070 |
10/30/02 |
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Bob's Diner |
2199 E Henrietta Rd. (Suburban Plaza) |
334-4170 |
9/26/01 |
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Buffalo Roadhouse |
3873 Buffalo Rd. |
594-8111 |
6/21/02 |
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California Brew Haus |
402 W. Ridge Rd. |
621-1480 |
5/1/02 |
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Char Broil House |
1395 Island Cottage Rd. |
663-3860 |
7/15/99 |
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Charlie Riedel's |
1843 Empire Blvd. |
671-4320 |
9/23/98 |
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Cretekos Diner |
261 W. Main St. (Victor) |
924-3779 |
2/23/00 |
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Crossroad Café |
Rochester Institute of Technology |
? |
2/8/01 |
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East Ave. Family Restaurant |
1743 East Ave. |
442-8990 |
10/9/02 |
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Empire Hots |
2209 Empire Blvd. |
787-2110 |
11/12/02 |
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Fairport Hots |
1226 Fairport Rd. |
586-4540 |
8/16/00 |
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Gitsis Texas Hots |
600 Monroe Ave. |
271-8260 |
4/3/02 |
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Glenn & Pat's |
2811 Dewey Ave. |
663-9831 |
5/19/99 |
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Gregorio's Pizza & Deli |
4369 Buffalo Rd., N. Chili |
594-5225 |
4/18/01 |
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Grill 339 |
339 Jefferson Rd. |
292-1730 |
6/20/01 |
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Happy Days |
3670 Mt. Read Blvd. |
865-6180 |
9/30/98 |
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Irondequoit Hots |
635 Titus Ave. |
266-3670 |
10/24/01 |
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James Brown's Place |
1356 Culver Rd. |
288-4250 |
2/27/02 |
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Jay's Diner (re-opened) |
2612 W. Henrietta Rd. |
424-3710 |
7/19/00 |
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Jerry's Family Restaurant |
500 Union St. (Spencerport) |
352-1511 |
11/4/98 |
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Jim & Ralph's Restaurant #1 |
2997 Buffalo Rd. |
247-7220 |
12/9/98 |
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Jox Sports Bar (closed)(another sports bar is open at the same location, don't know if they have plates) |
2246 E. River Rd. |
328-1747 |
12/12/01 |
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Klassy Cat Tavern |
3800 W. Henrietta Rd. |
359-8639 |
12/6/00 |
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Margie's |
4018 W. Henrietta Rd. |
359-2710 |
5/16/01 |
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Mark's Texas Hots |
487 Monroe Ave. |
473-1563 |
2/8/00 |
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Mt. Hope Family Diner |
1511 Mount Hope Ave. |
256-1939 |
12/17/02 |
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Nick Tahou Hots #1 |
320 W. Main St. |
436-0184 |
11/27/02 |
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Nick Tahou Hots #2 |
2260 Lyell Ave. |
429-6388 |
2/3/99 |
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Nick Tahou's @ Lilac Festival |
Highland Park |
- |
5/15/02 |
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Nick's Pizza & Subs |
1098 Chili Center Coldwater Rd. |
247-6270 |
6/5/02 |
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Parkside Texas Hots |
4671 Culver Rd. |
323-1030 |
5/3/00 |
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Peach's Place |
1440 Scottsville Rd. |
436-9030 |
8/7/02 |
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Penfield Hots |
1794 Penfield Rd. |
586-4979 |
7/17/02 |
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Peppermint's * |
4870 W. Henrietta Rd. |
359-9169 |
12/22/00 |
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Perinton Hots |
687 Moseley Rd. |
223-4820 |
2/11/02 |
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Petrillo Bakery & Deli |
780 Fetzner Rd. |
720-1720 |
11/30/01 |
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Sal's Birdland |
400 Airpark Dr. |
328-1620 |
10/4/00 |
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Schaller's |
2747 W. Henrietta Rd. |
427-7810 |
3/28/01 |
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Silk O'Loughlin's |
5980 St. Paul Blvd. |
266-7047 |
7/25/01 |
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Slices Pizza & Subs |
10 N. Main St. (Honeoye Falls) |
624-4930 |
8/21/02 |
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Sullivan's Charbroil |
4712 W. Ridge Rd. |
352-5860 |
4/19/00 |
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TC Hooligans |
134 Greece Ridge Center Dr. (Greece Ridge Center) |
225-7180 |
9/18/02 |
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The Country Store |
1319 Lake Rd. |
265-3512 |
9/4/02 |
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The Empty Mug |
3685 W. Henrietta Rd. |
334-8970 |
11/14/01 |
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Tip Top Restaurant |
1595 Mt. Hope Ave. |
442-1319 |
11/1/00 |
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Tony's Birdland |
3800 Dewey Ave. |
621-3277 |
10/18/00 |
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Two Roses Café |
1308 Buffalo Rd. |
235-4440 |
7/11/01 |
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Woody's II |
W. Henrietta Rd. |
424-6440 |
3/13/02 |
*
not a real plate at Peppermint's, though one item on the menu contains all the ingredients necessary to assemble your own; the cheeseburger comes on a roll and the mac salad comes on the side
The following places have been reported to have plates but we haven't visited them yet (they're next in line):
|
Address |
Phone |
|
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Abe's Restaurant |
5232 W. Ridge Rd. |
352-9420 |
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Akropolis Family Restaurant |
4025 Route 5 And 20, Canadaigua |
394-8721 |
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Akropolis Family Restaurant |
Palmyra |
? |
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Al's Green Pizzeria |
1160 N. Goodman St. |
288-1850 |
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Al's Meadows (not sure about this one- they were once called Al's Meadows Lounge and had plates, but then closed and re-opened) |
4200 W. Henrietta Rd. |
334-1641 |
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Brandon's Pizza & Pasta Creations |
145 N. Main St. (Fairport) |
377-9400 |
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Brockport Diner |
11 Erie St., Brockport |
637-4060 |
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Charlie Riedel's |
Canandaigua |
? |
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Chicken Mom's/Tom's (take-out only) |
1159 N. Goodman St. |
482-8239 |
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E R Hots |
144 W. Commercial St. (East Rochester) |
383-0810 |
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East Ridge Family Restaurant |
1925 E. Ridge Rd. |
338-7900 |
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ESL Sports Centre (note: as of 10/26/00 no longer run by Bathtub Billy's and may no longer serve plates, though the new menu is supposed to be similar) |
2700 Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Rd. |
424-4625 |
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Frontier Field |
1 Morrie Silver Way |
454-0285 |
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Geneseo Family Restaurant |
Main St. Geneseo |
? |
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Jim & Ralph's Restaurant |
Farmington |
742-2440 |
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Jimmy Jambones |
4625 S. Lake Rd. (Brockport) |
637-0360 |
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Krony's Pizza |
Churchville, Hamlin, Hilton, Spencerport |
? |
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Little Venice Pizzeria |
697 South Ave. |
473-6710 |
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Magoo's (note sure about this one, the former occupant had a plate) |
3208 Latta Rd. |
720-5332 |
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Mark's Texas Hots |
48 Lake Ave. |
325-4770 |
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Otter Lodge |
1776 Monroe Ave. |
442-8790 |
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Pittsford Pub |
60 N. Main Street (Pittsford) |
586-4650 |
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Pudgies Pizza |
1753 N. Goodman St. |
266-6605 |
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Sal's Birdland |
309 E. Ridge Rd. |
544-4171 |
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Schaller's |
559 E Ridge Rd. |
544-2097 |
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Union Hill Country Store |
1891 Ridge Rd. (Webster) |
265-4443 |
|
Vic's Dog House |
8282 Park Rd. (Batavia) |
343-6953 |
|
Wyatt's |
143 Wadsworth St. (Geneva) |
? |
For many years, it was always thought that Nick Tahou's is the be all and end all of garbage plates... but is it? A bunch of co-workers and myself decided to find out. Who has the best garbage plate in Rochester? Every Wednesday (well, not quite every Wednesday; we couldn't make it every week and once in a while we do need a break from plates, recently it's been every 2-3 weeks) we have been going to a different place that serves garbage plates, and have been rating them. The ratings encompass many things, like ambience, quantity and quality of food, how good the hot sauce is, service, what type of red hot sauce is at the table, price, etc. Everybody rating the plates probably had a different weighting system, but for the most part, the best tasting plates will get the best rating. Sometimes a really bad thing, like raw home fries (yuck) at Don & Bob's (now closed, maybe that's why), will drastically bring down the score of an otherwise good plate. Note that we're doing this during our lunch break, so all of these plates are being tested completely sober, which of course is not the ideal setting for a plate (2:15am on weekends at Nick's is much better). Actually, change that to was much better, as Nick's on Main Street is no longer open late nights, but Nick's on Lyell Ave. is. Nick's on Main Street was always known for the interesting characters and situations present, whereas at Nick's on Lyell you were more likely to see uninteresting people starting fights for no reason. Anyway, here are the ratings, from best to worst...
|
rating |
# votes |
|
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Jim & Ralph's Restaurant #2 (closed) |
94.5 |
2 |
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Irondequoit Hots |
93.4 |
15 |
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California Brew Haus |
92.5 |
2 |
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Empire Hots |
92.0 |
9 |
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Penfield Hots |
91.8 |
4 |
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Bathtub Billy's |
91.5 |
2 |
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Two Roses Café |
89.8 |
4 |
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The Empty Mug |
89.7 |
6 |
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Mt. Hope Family Diner |
88.5 |
2 |
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Parkside Texas Hots |
88.3 |
4 |
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Bay Hots |
88.1 |
8 |
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East Ave. Family Restaurant |
87.9 |
10 |
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Char Broil House |
87.4 |
8 |
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James Brown's Place |
86.8 |
4 |
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Woody's II |
86.7 |
7 |
|
Jerry's Family Restaurant |
86.0 |
2 |
|
Margie's |
85.6 |
9 |
|
Perinton Hots |
85.5 |
2 |
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Slices Pizza & Subs |
85.5 |
2 |
|
TC Hooligans |
85.5 |
2 |
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The Country Store |
85.5 |
2 |
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Bob's Diner |
85.0 |
2 |
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Buffalo Roadhouse |
85.0 |
1 |
|
Gitsis Texas Hots |
84.8 |
4 |
|
Mark's Texas Hots |
84.8 |
8 |
|
Jim & Ralph's Restaurant #1 |
84.5 |
2 |
|
Cretekos Diner |
84.0 |
2 |
|
Jay's Diner |
83.8 |
6 |
|
Nick's Pizza & Subs |
83.5 |
2 |
|
Petrillo Bakery & Deli |
83.5 |
2 |
|
Crossroads Café |
83.0 |
3 |
|
Peach's Place |
82.7 |
6 |
|
Grill 339 |
82.5 |
2 |
|
Jox Sports Bar (closed) |
82.5 |
2 |
|
Sullivan's Charbroil |
82.5 |
2 |
|
Tip Top Restaurant |
82.5 |
2 |
|
Klassy Kat Tavern |
82.0 |
1 |
|
Nick Tahou's #1 |
82.0 |
17 |
|
Sal's Birdland |
82.0 |
2 |
|
Schaller's |
81.8 |
4 |
|
Charlie Riedel's |
80.8 |
5 |
|
Peppermint's |
80.5 |
2 |
|
Nick Tahou's @ Lilac Festival |
80.2 |
6 |
|
Nick Tahou's #2 |
78.5 |
2 |
|
Fairport Hots |
78.0 |
2 |
|
Glenn & Pat's |
78.0 |
1 |
|
Gregorio's |
78.0 |
2 |
|
Happy Days |
77.5 |
2 |
|
Tony's Birdland |
76.5 |
2 |
|
Presto Pizza Subs & Wings (closed) |
76.3 |
4 |
|
GT Rocks (closed) |
73.4 |
5 |
|
Al's Meadows Lounge (closed) |
70.0 |
4 |
|
Big Dog's Hots |
70.0 |
1 |
|
Silk O'Loughlin's |
70.0 |
2 |
|
Don & Bob's (closed) |
65.0 |
3 |
† Two Roses Café: biggest plate award
Note #1: the ratings are based on average ratings, sometimes over multiple visits; that will be changed in the future, as some places have recently served excellent plates but the higher ratings got averaged in with previous lower ratings (Nick's #1 and Gitsis are two examples of plates that should be rated higher because of that).
Note #2: most of the scores actually started out as letter grades, but were converted to numbers for easier averaging
Note #3: a failing grade (below 60) is reserved for trips to the hospital or morgue
Note #4: note that most of the places with the lowest rated plates are now closed… coincidence or not?
Disclaimer: the ratings are purely subjective and should not be viewed as an endorsement (or anti-endorsement) of any dining establishment. Some of the ratings may be influenced by various factors, including how hungry the reviewers were when eating a plate or how busy the dining establishment was at the time. Also, some of the bad scores may be a factor of a one-time occurrence, e.g. it could be that the only time Don and Bob's has ever served raw home fries happened to coincide with our visit there (however, I've been told that it's happened at least one other time). Also, Big Dog's Hots got a low rating because the hot sauce was more of a gravy and it overpowered the whole plate, though that has been reportedly improved. Silk O'Loughlin's got the low rating mostly because of the massive chunks of tuna in the mac salad (the burgers weren't too good either). Bottom line: try out the different plates for yourself!
Do you have comments, complaints, or suggestions of other places to try?
Send me e-mail:
mailto:garbageplates@yahoo.com
How to eat a garbage plate:
ambrosiasw.com/Ambrosia_Times/November_97/4.6HowTo.htmlHow to make a garbage plate:
www.nyctshirts.com/omega/nicktahou.htmlAbout Nick Tahou's:
www.oocities.org/Colosseum/Loge/5981/Tahou.htmAlso about Nick's:
erinjones.org/oldsite/nicks.htmlOde to Nick Tahou's:
www.rit.edu/~rjg8971/tahous.htmlBreakfast at Tahou's:
http://www.379.com/jason/tahou/Fictional map of Old Nick Tahou's:
www.rit.edu/~abc8518/revelations/tahousmap.htmlSuebee's Tribute to the Garbage Plate:
www.oocities.org/suebee277/roch/tahou.htmlNick Tahou's Tribute and Dietary Information (and another recipe):
www.people.cornell.edu/pages/sjs16/nicks.html
Last Revised: 12/20/2002
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