It was a Monday night, so naturally I had a hot date. I decided to take my girlfriend to the big city—Avon—for a high quality dining experience. First, we went to the Avondale Pub—it was closed. Then, we went to the Village Restaurant—also closed. Finally, we ended up at Peppermints Family Restaurant—which was open. It was a really good thing that the first two were closed.
The restaurant felt like a larger Geneseo Family Restaurant. We were greeted by the owner and escorted to our booth with menus and a list of specials. To start, we ordered Bang Bang Shrimp to split. The menu described this appetizer as “crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy chili sauce.” Although my girlfriend was skeptical, the shrimp delivered. They were fried to perfection and the sauce was creamy with an optimum kick—not too spicy, just enough to add some flavor. The shrimp were gone a few minutes after they had arrived at our table.
For my entree, I ordered what the menu described as “a must have favorite:” jambalaya. Peppermints’ version of this classic dish was made with shrimp, chicken and Andouille sausage simmered with tomatoes, peppers and a mix of spices all over white rice. In short, this jambalaya was delicious. The meats and vegetables balanced each other nicely and no one ingredient dominated the dish. It had a kick to it, but it wasn’t overpowering and added to the overall flavor nicely.
Choosing what to order for dessert was an easy task. As we first walked in, a big chalkboard advertised a strawberry cheesecake wrapped in a tortilla and fried. Our server explained to us that the owners found a recipe on the social media website Pinterest and decided to recreate it. She hyped the dessert up and we bought the hype—and I’m glad we did. The tortilla was light and the strawberry cheesecake filling was smooth, creamy and sweet. The whole thing was served over a strawberry syrup—a perfect addition to the sweet treat.
With our dessert, I decided I wanted a milkshake. I initially ordered a peanut butter milkshake, but the server said that they were out of vanilla ice cream. As I contemplated whether or not I wanted a chocolate milkshake, she suggested that I try a “Reese’s” milkshake—something that wasn’t on the menu. She came back with a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake with broken Reese’s Pieces and whipped cream on top. The sugary drink was a perfect ending to a fantastic meal.
From a food standpoint, our meal at Peppermints was delicious and well worth the drive up to Avon. As far as the overall experience goes, Peppermints blew me out of the water. Service was unbelievably fast; we never waited more than 10 or 15 minutes for any one dish. Our server was incredibly kind and helpful and I will definitely be going back. This was an excellent date spot too; we were able to talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company without having a million distractions around us.
As students at Geneseo, we can easily get stuck thinking that there are only a handful of restaurants to enjoy. This is simply not true. Gems like Peppermints can be found in towns all around us. Everyone should try and go to as many of these places as possible while in school.