Mayday! Musings (Blog)

Imagine Nox as a coffee shop with booze. Better yet, think of it as that friend’s house where, when you were a twentysomething—before you even thought the word “career”—everyone got together to hang. Informal, a cozy joint, like that friend exported his living room to a location outside of his house. Sometimes just the core of your crew; often there were new people,too—another friend to make, an acquaintance who might point you toward your next job, the friend of a friend who raised your eyebrows and prompted you to tell your host, “Introduce me, please.” Just like that, with better food & drinks.

Our menu is provides the sort of meals you might get if you hit up mom’s on Sunday, but each one with a twist—like when you were a kid, staying for dinner at a friend’s place, and you found out that his mom made casserole with a thick layer of onion crunchies on top. Our Mac & Cheese is elbows in Asiago & Oaxaca cheeses, crusted with Cheez-Its & Bacon.

Our cocktails are literally singular. An extensive process of throwing things at the wall to see what stuck, so to speak, allowed us to discover outrageously unlikely but delicious combos: the Yellow Wallpaper is quite the menagerie—Saffron Gin, Green Chartreuse, St. Germain, Fresh Lemon, Lavender & Beet Syrup, and Q Tonic (real tonic, not the high-fructose junk from a gun). The 3PO combines Johnnie Walker, Goldschläger, Frangelico, Punt e Mes Sweet Vermouth, Ginger Ale, & Alder-Smoked Salt—six ingredients that shouldn’t even be in the same sentence, much less the same glass—in such a way that is not only not abominable, but delicious.

So come on in. Chat & chill. Handcrafted cocktails, comfort food, no pretension.

Salena’s began in 1998 and has remained a local, family owned business since. In 2011, Salena’s was purchased by the current owners and long-time employees- a family which began through meeting while employed at Salena’s! Our focus remains to provide both exceptional freshly made recipes and outstanding service.

Staff is the basis of our longevity. They come in and give their all to make your experience the best we can offer. The kitchen staff spends all day preparing recipes fresh, and our service staff are constantly coming up with ways to improve on the experience guests have in the dining room. We couldn’t be where we are without their expertise and commitment. Most of the staff have been with Salena’s for years- many for over a decade!

Salena’s current objective is to expand on the guests’ experiences by offering tequila classes, private paint classes, and local beer pairing dinners- all allowing our staff to show off what they do best! More information can be found on our website salenas.com.

Salena’s remains integrated into the Neighborhood of the Arts community and is constantly on the lookout for promotions that benefit the City of Rochester. We believe that our success is directly tied to the success of the surrounding area, and that it is important to keep our actions beneficial. Please feel free to contact us with ideas to help the community throughout the year.

Just in time for your last minute handmade gift-giving needs, we’ll be set up at the German House (315 Gregory St) in Rochester from 11am-4pm. Admission and parking are free, and we’ll have 30 vendors serving up awesome handmade art, jewelry, bath + body, plush, decor, photography, clothes, and much more! Here’s a sampling of what you’ll see today: