Two distinguished Rochester chefs are taking their menus underground

Paul Berglund, the James Beard winning chef who arrived in town earlier this year, and Annie Balow, the culinary maestro behind the piquant ThaiPop concept, are taking their talents to Marrow, a speakeasy-esque space located directly below Grand Rounds Brewing in Rochester.

Berglund will be the chef in residence on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays beginning December 5. His micro-restaurant concept, dubbed Fat Noodle, will feature a rotating menu of pasta dishes that showcase the region’s “rich seasonal bounty,” according to a news release.

Prior to arriving here as a trailing spouse of a Mayo Clinic fellow, Berglund headed up the kitchen at the acclaimed Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis.

As for ThaiPop — which has gained a strong local following through its periodic pop-ups at Forager Brewery — its schedule will include Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Marrow. Balow’s cooking focuses on taking ancient Thai recipes and putting a modern spin on them.

During their hours of operation, each chef will oversee all aspects of their restaurant concept, from menu and staffing to reservations and hours.

Marrow started last year as a collaboration between Chef Jeff Schwenker and restaurateur Tessa Leung. The intimate dining space allows chefs to experiment with their concepts without taking on the high risk that comes with opening a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.

"This opportunity is a great learning experience for a small business owner and restaurant entrepreneur,” said Balow. “To be able to start something like this without all the initial expenses and overhead is absolutely amazing.” 

Smoak close to opening

A taste of Texas is coming to northwest Rochester.

Rocket Restaurant Group, the restaurateurs behind The Loop and Five West, are close to opening an original barbecue concept, to be known as Smoak.

The 6,500-square-foot restaurant will be located inside a brand new building at 2291 Commerce Drive Northwest, near Costco.

Jonathan Buck, a partner in the business, said Smoak reflects a vision they have wanted to execute on for a while. Prior to developing the menu, the group toured barbecue restaurants in places like Kansas City and Texas, where they able to learn best practices for cooking quality barbecue.

One of their big takeaways, Buck said, was the importance of firing up the restaurant’s two large smokers with the right wood. With that in mind, they were able to line up a supply of white oak indigenous to the area.

“It gives everything such great flavor,” Buck said by phone Monday.

The menu will feature a number of smoked meats prepared in-house, including pulled pork, St. Louis-style ribs, and a prime brisket that, Buck said when done properly, is the “most delicious cut of of meat.”

For every pound of the brisket sold, the restaurant says it will donate $1 to the Hope Lodge, a nonprofit supporting patients with cancer.

Smoak’s opening is tentatively scheduled for the first week of December.

New food operator for RST

A North Carolina company has been given the green light to begin managing food operations at Rochester International Airport.

This week the Rochester City Council approved a 10-year lease agreement between the airport and Tailwind Concessions. As part of the deal, Tailwind plans to make an initial investment of $500,000 for facility improvements.

The upgrades will include a new restaurant, bar, and gift shop.

In addition to standard food offerings, the company has pledged to provide ”health conscious selections and address dietary and cultural food needs.”

Tailwind currently operates in about two dozen small- to mid- sized airports in cities like Kalamazoo, Mich., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Lincoln, Neb.

Its contract with RST calls for paying the airport $63,000 in year one. In the years that follow, 10 percent of gross sales will also go to the airport.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.