Downtown's Penny Black Reinvents Its Menu

on 4th Street is under restructured ownership and their first order of business was creating an all-new, made-from-scratch menu.

"We really wanted to create a restaurant where you can hang your hat on the food," said general manager and co-owner Missy Markevics. "We approached it with a completely scratch kitchen. Everything, down to the salad dressings, is homemade."

Markevics and co-owner Jeff DeGrieck spent six weeks revamping the menu to define a different vision for the restaurant.

"People had a hard time figuring out what we were. Were we Mexican? BBQ? There was almost too much diversity," said Markevics. 

Now it's simple — Penny Black is Southern-bistro-style restaurant.

What's new on the menu

Nearly the entire menu is new, and the items that stayed have been improved. 

"The ribs are still on the menu," DeGrieck said, "but the rub and smoking process have changed."

Two new smoked choices have been added: turkey and salmon. The smoked turkey is used in the white bean turkey chili and on my new favorite, the BBQ Cobb Salad

Derek Murray, formerly of Fortesa, is Penny Black's new executive chef. "We've got a beautiful smoker!" he said, explaining why the brisket is his favorite menu item.

Markevics had a harder time pinpointing just one favorite.

"The fried green tomato BLT is a great starter — we even make our own mayo," she said. "The sweet potato brule is an amazing side with chopped pecans and brown sugar. And for an entree I'd recommend the smoked turkey leg. It always gets a great reaction."

More meat 

When it came time for the basics, Penny Black made sure to get them right.

"We spent a lot of time on the burger, with several tastings," Markevics said. "We wanted to go top-notch and we did. Made with Certified Angus Prime beef, it's like eating a steak."

Speaking of steaks, there's only one on the menu, but Markevics said they made sure it's really good. It's a New York strip with a Cabernet butter melted on top. It's served with mushroom and spinach saute.

It's not all meat

"We get a lot of vegetarian requests from customers," Markevics said. 

To meet these needs, Penny Black offers a grilled vegetable polenta, grilled vegetable salad, vegetarian fajitas and three fish dishes, including catfish and salmon.

"We can also substitute with portabella mushrooms and our seasonal soup choice will always be vegetarian," Markevics said.

What stayed the same

Rochester loves Penny Black's Texas Tots and so this local favorite can be found on the new Happy Hour/Late Night menu.

"The tots were kept due to popular demand," said Markevics, "And because we have late hours, our kitchen now does, too."

The late night menu can be ordered from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day.

The fajitas are still on the menu but can now be ordered with the option of pulled pork.

Also sticking around is the caddy of sauces delivered to your table with your meal. The big difference is each sauce is now made in-house.

Sauce options are Sweet, Carolina, Spicy Ale (this one is made with infused beer) and the intriguing Pepper Vinegar.

My husband put the pepper vinegar on his fries — thin cut with red pepper, basil and cotija cheese — and gave it thumbs up.

Local connections

As part of their new vision, Penny Black tapped into other elements of Rochester's greatness. 

All bread served at Penny Black comes from — from the Italian garlic roll the burger is served on to all the sandwiches.

Penny Black also partnered with for its wine list. The list is user-friendly with ratings in three categories — body, sweetness and oak intensity — to help diners make their selections. Servers are also trained in how to pair the wine.

Fresh produce comes seasonally from local farmers and all poultry is from Peacock Poultry Farm.

"You can really taste the difference," Markevics said.

And about that DJ

The final element to Penny Black's new vision is to offer a strong presence in the community. "We want to attract all ages," Markevics said.

Back in July, Penny Black added live music to the entertainment lineup; the reception has been good. 

Gone is the DJ; instead, live music will take the stage every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Weekly karaoke starts next Tuesday, and look for dueling pianos to be coming soon.

"I've always had a love for food," Markevics said. "I'm in my dream job and not many people get to do that. I feel very fortunate."