Date Night In Rochester 🍽️💖
Ferona

Welcome to a new series of posts about vegan food in and around Rochester, New York! Date Night with a vegan and a non-vegan…

I had stumbled upon Ferona somehow, learning they had a vegan paella dish. And since, it has been high on my list. The beautiful restaurant in Canandaigua, New York serves Spanish tapas and craft cocktails. We took the short drive excited for a great meal.

Upon arrival we saw the place was almost empty, despite the reservation slots being almost all spoken for online. Though there were a few vegan bites, the majority of the menu–much like Spanish cuisine–was not vegan.

But I knew what I wanted before I even sat down… The Winter Quiescence Paella–seasonal vegetables cooked like a traditional paella with saffron and bomba rice. My guy, across the table, got thee most unvegan dish on the menu, but helped me enjoy my dish that was meant to feed 2-3 people.

But first, a cocktail… I was looking forward to a well executed cocktail. And the Dark Cherry Mule, with vodka, cherry liqueur, ginger liqueur, lime juice, ginger beer, seemed to be perfect on paper. However, it was a lackluster. Note to high-end restaurants… if you are going to charge $15 for a drink, it better be damn good. It kind of sets you up for questioning the quality of the meal you are waiting for.

Crispy Chickpeas for a starter. The spice blend was a bit one note, but the bites with the green onion were tasty. I wouldn’t get again, but I’d try the Patatas Bravas.

The Winter Quiescence Paella has arrived!

I couldn’t wait to dive in, though the presentation would have improved with more colorful vegetables. Some parsnip maybe?

It was very delicious dish, especially the browned bits on the cast iron.

I would return for this… or for a Spring version!

Overall, it was a good date night meal, but perhaps not the best value in the end.