Eden Cafe & BakeShop will be closing its Main Street site on Feb. 1, but don’t worry, manager Nicole Dellapenna says. 

The vegan restaurant and bakery is only moving less than a mile away. Owner Judith Hysek and Dellapenna, who is also head chef, are planning for a re-opening in early spring. The new site will be at 242 Ellicott St., at the corner of Ellicott and Liberty streets. 

“We’re relaunching over there as soon as possible. We’re waiting for contractors and permits,” Dellapenna said to The Batavian on Friday. “It’s fun, it’s exciting.”

The new location is “definitely bigger” than the current one inside Eli Fish Brewery, she said. Renovations of removing walls, painting and other tasks will set it up to accommodate 25 people and host special gatherings, Dellapenna said. 

Eden’s “old classics” — including breaded and baked cauli (flower) wings and crunch wraps — will be moving with the business as some new offerings will be added. There will be a “grab and go” case with sandwiches and meal bowls already prepared for a quick lunch or convenient dinner. 

Dellapenna came on board shortly after the debut of Eden Cafe 3 1/2 years ago. The plant-based menu options have been popular with local patrons, she said.

“It’s just a misconception of veganism; it's eating normal food," she said. "We strive for freshness. We’ve worked so hard to keep everything fresh and consistent.”

Current hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The cafe is closed Sundays and Mondays. For more information, call 585-815-4487.

Top photo: Eden Cafe's new home will provide a bigger space and new offerings at 242 Ellicott St., Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens. 

 

Marisol Leon, left, who owns El Rincon Colombiano with her husband, Guillermo, is pictured at the Batavia restaurant with waitresses Melinda Amaro, center, and Elena Vega.

Marisol Leon grew up in Colombia, and is happy to share its flavors with Batavia diners.

She and her husband Guillermo opened El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant on Nov. 1 in Valu Plaza.

It’s a second Batavia restaurant for the Leons, who opened their Mexican restaurant, Rancho Viejo, four years ago on Ellicott Street.

Marisol Leon promises “a new experience” for local diners who are not familiar with the South American nation’s food.

“They can try different flavors and learn a little more about another country,” she said.

Marisol and Guillermo — who is from Mexico — originally opened the Valu Plaza location earlier this year as El Burrito Loco. 

The switch from “El Burrito” to “El Rincon,” proves necessity is the mother of invention. After a good start, Marisol said, they had trouble finding a talented Mexican cook.

The solution? “Try Colombian,” Marisol said.

And hire Alberto Rincon, who brings both his name and talents as chef to El Rincon.

Rincon, like Marisol Leon, is a native of Bucaramanga, a city in Colombia’s northeast. He has moved to Batavia with his wife, Anamilde, who is responsible for El Rincon’s homemade baked goods. 

The menu will seem familiar to anyone who enjoys Mexican food. But Mexican and Colombian cooking developed from different regions and traditions — like cousins who have a family resemblance, but very different personalities.

While far from being bland, Colombian food is not as spicy as Mexican, Marisol explained. You also won’t find tortillas or much salsa, and beans are not as prominently featured.

“A lot of steak and seafood,” is how Marisol describes El Rincon’s menu.

Colombian cuisine also features a lot of soups. (“Every day for lunch,” Marisol said.) In addition to a soup of the day, El Rincon serves cazuela de langosta (lobster) and cazuela de mariscos (seafood), creamy soups served with rice, salad and fried plantain slices.

Bandeja paisa, is one of Colombia’s most popular — and most generous — dishes. It includes rice, red beans and ground beef “cooked Colombian style,” along with egg, chorizo (pork sausage), avocado, plantain, arepa (flatbread) and chicharon (fried pork).

“It’s a lot of food,” Marisol said.

El Rincon has a children’s menu, and an “American” menu that includes cheeseburgers and roast beef sandwiches. Take-out is also available.

Marisol said they hope to have a liquor license in place within a month or so, after which the restaurant will serve aguardiente, a sugar cane liqueur; Ron Caldas, a Colombian rum; and Club Colombia beer.

The “flavors” of Colombia, extend also to El Rincon’s ambiance. That includes both the decor and the wait staff, which is outfitted in yellow Colombia National Soccer Team jerseys.

One wall has been painted white, and decorated with bright green and orange shutters and doors. It’s a reflection of the stucco walls and tile roofs of the “Pueblito Paisa,” a popular tourist attraction in Medellin, Colombia.

Marisol said it’s an opportunity to take a trip, without having to travel.

“People don’t need to go to Columbia,” she said. “They can find it here.”

El Rincon Colombiano is located at 4125 W. Main St. (Valu Plaza), Batavia. Winter hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays.

During summer, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Fridays.

El Rincon is closed Saturdays. For information call (585) 201-7602.

Batavia's El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant features Colombian decor, including a hammock and espadrilles -- a kind of slipper. The restaurant opened Nov. 1 in Valu Plaza.

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We walked in and its was empty but for a few tables.  We came in after the the morning rush and had our choice of seats.  The waitress came right over and handed us menus and took our drink order.  The drinks were at our table in under 2 minutes (which was great because I was still very thirsty from hockey earlier that morning).

Chelsea ordered a ham and cheese omelette with home fries and white toast, and an apple juice.  I had french toast and two eggs, over hard, with an orange juice. The food was terrific.  But the surprising thing was how fast it came out.  It couldn't have taken more than 7 minutes.  I know what we ordered doesn't take long to cook but it was still surprisingly fast.  The french toast was cooked to perfectly.  It was not the best I've had but it was very good.  The eggs (though admittedly hard to screw up) we also cooked perfect.  Chelsea's omelette looked very good and I know that her home fries were.  Her toast came out toasted.  I know that sounds dumb but I have had lots of experience eating slightly browned.  Miss Batavia's toast was fully toasted but not burned, just the way it should be.

The service we received was among the best we have ever had.  Sometimes when I got into a restaurant and am as thirsty as I was on Saturday, I have a drained glass on the table longer then a glass with amount of fluid in it.  That did not occur.  My glass was empty for maybe a minute before it was filled again.

The check came soon after we were finished (as the lunch customers came in).  it came to $16 and change.  I was surprised at how low the price was.  Both our plates were covered in food.  It certainly seemed well worth the price for what we got.

The first thing I noticed was the inviting atmosphere. The building Delavan's is in was once a home - and it still feels that way. Great local artwork is displayed that makes you want to get up and look around. The lighting is soft and even the music was great, a nice variety of acoustic versions of popular songs from years past and even today. The tables were covered with red checked tablecloths, perfect for an Italian place.

The menu although small did have a nice selection. I chose the eggplant parmesan while my dining partner selected the seafood fra diavlo. Our dinners were accompanied by a choice of soup or salad and excellent Italian bread which was served warm (a requirement for me to believe a restaurant knows what they are doing). My only complaint was that my eggplant could have used a touch more seasoning. The fra diavlo was fantastic, the seafood was fresh the sauce having just the right amount of kick. Another pleasant surprise was the wine selection - quite good for a small local restaurant. Unfortunately we were too full from dinner to enjoy any dessert so I'll have to judge that the next time we go.

Many people commented on our local movie theater. Some claimed it was outdated while other's main concern was the type of movies offered. It would be interesting to hear more on this topic, ideally from the owner of the movie theater. Could more movies be shown (perhaps a kids movie during the day and a more mature movie at night). Or perhaps the movie theater is doing quite well and those of us looking for different types of movies just need to get our fix elsewhere.

The second item that was mentioned frequently was the lack of entertainment/nightlife in Batavia. Many felt that the only thing to do in Batavia at night was to go to a bar - some suggested bringing back a pool hall or having a place to see bands play. Those with younger children would like to see a community center, Chuck E. Cheese or Bounce it Out type establishment. An expanded movie theater would also likely help to fill this void.

Finally, many expressed a desire for more ethnic restaurants. Although there are many small communities without a great deal of ethnic restaurants, it might work in Batavia. The reason is that many of us travel to Buffalo and Rochester for work and are exposed to these types of restaurants and therefore would like to have one locally for dinner or to go to on the weekend. I know some with argue that if we work in Rochester we can just go out to eat in Rochester after work - but many of us have a significant other who might work locally, or perhaps I work in Rochester and my SO works in Buffalo - coming home to Batavia and being able to go out to eat in our hometown would be preferable to coming home then driving back to Buffalo or Rochester.

The goal of my original post was to encourage those out there looking for a business to start to get some feedback from residents of Batavia instead of taking a stab in the dark.

But, after many decades of being a meeting place for friends and a place for social groups to gather, St. Nick's will be closing its doors for good on Monday.

Rimmer expressed concern but said the club was trying its best to stay open in a June 5 story on The Batavian. He talked about how the poor economy has hurt many local businesses.

The rumors that have been passed around for many months are finally becoming true, adding yet another sad chapter that is the current state of Batavia.

St. Nick's will stay open for Monday night's Lions Club meeting and then will be shutting down. The Lions have been meeting at the club for many years and are searching for a new meeting place.