The Garbage Plate is an American dish consisting of hot dog or hamburger meat, hot meat sauce, and other condiments , piled atop a variety of side dishes, typically including macaroni salad and home fries . It is usually served with a side of buttered bread.
26-543: A trademark of the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, New York , which originated the dish in 1918, the Garbage Plate has become the signature dish of Rochester, now served by numerous restaurants under modified names such as Rochester plate , trash plate , or simply plate . The Garbage Plate was originated by restaurateur Alexander Tahou, a Greek immigrant who founded the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots under
52-465: A "must have" for Bradley Cooper 's character Avery when he travels through Rochester, New York . In 2017, Youtuber Jenna Marbles (who grew up in Rochester) mentioned Garbage Plates as her favorite food and in "My Boyfriend Cooks My Favorite Meal" got her boyfriend, Julien Solomita, to make her a vegan version. Another YouTuber and Rochester native, Andrew Rea of Binging with Babish , recreated
78-577: A day. There was also a short-lived Nick Tahou's operation in Oswego, New York , that opened in September 1995 adjacent to the SUNY Oswego campus. On August 3, 2010, a second location opened at 3070 West Henrietta Road (NYS Route 15), in the town of Henrietta, New York . It closed in early 2014. Nick's has been featured on Food Network 's Unwrapped episode titled "Funny Foods" as well as
104-562: Is an American dish consisting of hot dog or hamburger meat, hot meat sauce, and other condiments , piled atop a variety of side dishes, typically including macaroni salad and home fries . It is usually served with a side of buttered bread. A trademark of the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, New York , which originated the dish in 1918, the Garbage Plate has become the signature dish of Rochester, now served by numerous restaurants under modified names such as Rochester plate , trash plate , or simply plate . The Garbage Plate
130-464: Is sponsored by the University of Rochester 's Sigma Phi Epsilon . Held annually in the spring, this three-man race begins at the U of R River Campus. The first of the team members run 2.2 miles through the city to Nick Tahou's. Once they arrive, the second teammate eats a Garbage Plate as quickly as they are able, then the final teammate runs back to campus to complete the race. In a race titled
156-682: The City in a Box Monopoly -based board game showcasing famous Rochester locales. The Garbage Plate was also highlighted in the July 2007 issue of the US Airways inflight magazine. On the November 16, 2009, episode of The Daily Show , host Jon Stewart told the people of Rochester to "get their heads out of their Garbage Plates." On February 23, 2011, the Food Network filmed a segment for
182-549: The "Ironman", one-man teams attempt to complete all three tasks alone. The Mount Hope Family Center is the recipient of all proceeds collected during the event, including sponsor funds and contestant's entry fees. In the mid-1950s, Nick Tahou's hot dog stand was located in a smaller building just to the east, which is shown in the picture on this page, of its longtime location. From 1979 to 2007, there were two Nick Tahou Hots restaurants in Rochester: one in downtown Rochester in
208-474: The "Rochester Plates" moniker in 2018, assuming the name at every Thursday home game, and unveiled a Garbage Plate–themed mascot named Mac in 2019. Nick Tahou Hots 43°09′13″N 77°37′16″W / 43.1537°N 77.6212°W / 43.1537; -77.6212 Nick Tahou Hots is a restaurant in Rochester, New York , best known for a dish called the Garbage Plate . The restaurant
234-463: The Garbage Plate as an essential symbol of Rochester. Jim Memmott of the Democrat and Chronicle called the Garbage Plate "Rochester's signature thing," arguing that it even eclipses the prominence of Rochester institution Kodak . Meghan O'Dea of Eater wrote that "Rochester's plate is so essentially a part of this place that they almost can't be disconnected," adding that, "like Rochester itself,
260-408: The Garbage Plate as an essential symbol of Rochester. Jim Memmott of the Democrat and Chronicle called the Garbage Plate "Rochester's signature thing," arguing that it even eclipses the prominence of Rochester institution Kodak . Meghan O'Dea of Eater wrote that "Rochester's plate is so essentially a part of this place that they almost can't be disconnected," adding that, "like Rochester itself,
286-656: The Garbage Plate as early as the 1980s, when college students would come to Nick Tahou Hots and ask for "that plate with all the garbage on it". After the Tahou family initially resisted the name because "it's food; it doesn’t sound good", the restaurant filed a United States trademark for the name Garbage Plate in 1991, preventing other restaurants from selling the dish under the same name. To avoid trademark infringement against Nick Tahou Hots, many restaurants in Rochester and surrounding areas offer "copycat" dishes similar to
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#1732772466661312-666: The Garbage Plate but under modified names, such as Rochester plates, junkyard plates, trash plates, hot plates, rubbish plates, sloppy plates, or messy plates. The Rochester restaurant The Red Fern offers a vegan variant on the Garbage Plate called the Compost Plate. Restaurants offering variants on the Garbage Plate have spread beyond the Rochester metropolitan area , also appearing in New York City , Pittsburgh , Raleigh, and Denver , among other cities. With its iconic status, multiple news outlets have described
338-532: The Garbage Plate but under modified names, such as Rochester plates, junkyard plates, trash plates, hot plates, rubbish plates, sloppy plates, or messy plates. The Rochester restaurant The Red Fern offers a vegan variant on the Garbage Plate called the Compost Plate. Restaurants offering variants on the Garbage Plate have spread beyond the Rochester metropolitan area , also appearing in New York City , Pittsburgh , Raleigh, and Denver , among other cities. With its iconic status, multiple news outlets have described
364-501: The Garbage Plate has a little bit of everything." The Garbage Plate has also been widely touted as a hangover remedy . In August 2017, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Garbage Plate, the Rochester Red Wings of Minor League Baseball briefly changed their name to the "Rochester Plates", with a special promotion offering variants on the Garbage Plate including one called the "Home Plate". The team renewed
390-427: The Garbage Plate has a little bit of everything." The Garbage Plate has also been widely touted as a hangover remedy . In August 2017, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Garbage Plate, the Rochester Red Wings of Minor League Baseball briefly changed their name to the "Rochester Plates", with a special promotion offering variants on the Garbage Plate including one called the "Home Plate". The team renewed
416-602: The Garbage Plate in one of his weekly episodes, inspired by the mention of the dish in The Place Beyond the Pines . In 2020, comedian Jim Gaffigan , while on tour in Rochester, stopped by Nick Tahou Hots and enjoyed a Garbage Plate. He subsequently talked about his experience on Conan . The dish has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times , Saveur , HuffPost , and Food & Wine . Garbage Plate The Garbage Plate
442-640: The customer's choice. The dish can be garnished with mustard, chopped onions, ketchup and the venue's signature hot sauce , and is served with bread and butter. The Garbage Plate is typically mixed together by the diner before being eaten. Tahou first created the dish as two hamburger patties with a selection of side dishes. The dish has spawned several imitators with similar names in the Greater Rochester area , including Fairport Hots' "The Hot Plate", Tom Wahl's "55 Junker Plate" and Mark's Texas Hots' "Sloppy Plate". A charitable Garbage Plate Run
468-710: The former Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway station on West Main Street, to the west of the I-490 overpass and a satellite restaurant on Lyell Avenue (NY Route 31) in Gates . In 2007, Steve Tahou and his sister Joanne Tahou-Demkou, the children of Ike Tahou (Nick's brother), assumed full ownership of the Lyell Avenue location and renamed it Steve T. Hots and Potatoes. Steve Tahou returned to using Rochester-based Zweigle's hot dogs and Italian sausages, which were used in
494-418: The garbage on it". After the Tahou family initially resisted the name because "it's food; it doesn’t sound good", the restaurant filed a United States trademark for the name Garbage Plate in 1991, preventing other restaurants from selling the dish under the same name. To avoid trademark infringement against Nick Tahou Hots, many restaurants in Rochester and surrounding areas offer "copycat" dishes similar to
520-471: The name West Main Texas Hots in Rochester, New York , in 1918. In its original form, the dish consisted of "hots"—either standard hot dogs , or Rochester-style white hots —served with potatoes , cold beans, and Italian bread with butter . The dish evolved over time after Tahou's son Nick assumed ownership of the restaurant in the 1940s and changed the restaurant's name to Nick Tahou Hots. Over time,
546-500: The original garbage plates at Nick's. The original West Main Street location continues to use the trademarked "Nick Tahou" and "Garbage Plate" names, and continues to use the Nick Tahou Hot Dog branded dogs in their plates. While previously open all night, the downtown restaurant began closing at 8 p.m. in 1998 in voluntary compliance with the city's effort to reduce troublesome night spots. Steve T.'s remains open 24 hours
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#1732772466661572-471: The restaurant began offering plates with hamburger meat instead of hots, added other topping options including macaroni salad , and introduced their signature chili -like hot meat sauce, which came from a family recipe of a Mexican friend of Alexander Tahou's and became an integral topping for the dish. The dish only came to be known as the Garbage Plate as early as the 1980s, when college students would come to Nick Tahou Hots and ask for "that plate with all
598-441: The restaurant in the 1940s and changed the restaurant's name to Nick Tahou Hots. Over time, the restaurant began offering plates with hamburger meat instead of hots, added other topping options including macaroni salad , and introduced their signature chili -like hot meat sauce, which came from a family recipe of a Mexican friend of Alexander Tahou's and became an integral topping for the dish. The dish only came to be known as
624-555: The show The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the recommendation of pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini . Nick Tahou's was also featured on the Travel Channel series Chowdown Countdown , where it ranked No. 81 out of 101 locations. In 2011 it was featured on a Rochester episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food Nation , starring Adam Richman . In the 2012 film The Place Beyond the Pines , Garbage Plates are mentioned as
650-494: Was founded in 1918 by Alex Tahou, the grandfather of the 21st-century owner (also named Alex Tahou), and named for Nick Tahou, the founder's son, who operated the establishment until his death in 1997. While there are other Upstate New York variants, Nick Tahou's is the originator of the trademarked Garbage Plate. Nick Tahou Hots's best known dish is the Garbage Plate , which consists of a selection of home fries , macaroni salad , baked beans and French fries topped with meats of
676-439: Was originated by restaurateur Alexander Tahou, a Greek immigrant who founded the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots under the name West Main Texas Hots in Rochester, New York , in 1918. In its original form, the dish consisted of "hots"—either standard hot dogs , or Rochester-style white hots —served with potatoes , cold beans, and Italian bread with butter . The dish evolved over time after Tahou's son Nick assumed ownership of
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