Don’t let the name fool you; this is the farthest thing from gross. There is just something about two cheeseburgers on a bed of home fries and mac salad, covered in meat hot sauce that makes my heart skip a beat. All Rochester natives can tell you, this is their favorite thing about our sometimes-boring hometown (tied for first with Wegmans, of course). For all of you Long Islanders and non-New Yorkers, you probably think I’ve gone crazy. But, I can assure you this is the best thing you will ever taste. Since 1918, this unusual dish has helped make Rochester unique.
It all started with Alexander Tahou who developed this idea, and his son who ended up opening various locations of his restaurant named after himself, “Nick Tahou Hots.” All over Rochester in all of the small towns, you can find their own “Hots” location. Webster, Fairport, Penfield, Henrietta, Greece and so many more, are home to this amazing feast.
Now I know what you’re thinking; it looks disgusting. You’re sadly mistaken. It is a beautiful mix of so many amazing flavors. Also, if traditional isn’t your style, or you’re feeling risky and want to mix it up, there are many options.
First, you pick the two components that make up the bed of this dish. The choices are french-fries, home fries, mac salad and baked beans.
Then, you pick your meat from the options of cheeseburger, hamburger, or hotdog. But don’t forget about the grilled cheese option. Yep. GRILLED CHEESE on top of all of that instead of meat for our vegetarians or grilled cheese connoisseurs.
Don’t even get me started on the toppings. Ketchup, mustard, onions, or the traditional hot meat sauce, it’s up to you to decide. If you don’t think you can stomach two cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, or grilled cheese sandwiches, you can always go for the 'Junior Plate' that only has one. But I promise you, as a 115-pound girl, I have no problem putting down all that food. It’s way too good to resist!
If you’ve never had one of these, I don’t think you’ve even lived yet! I may be biased because I grew up loving them, but they are unlike anything else. It’s definitely one of the many things that makes me appreciate calling Rochester, 'home' and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you’re interested in sending your taste buds on the greatest journey known to man, take a little trip to Nick Tahou’s so you can stop giving dirty looks to my fellow Rochestarians. This is definitely one of the most important cases where I love to say, “Don’t knock it until you try it” and once you do, you’ll be happy you did.
