Tracy Schuhmacher

@RahChaChow

Phillip Casaceli could be a character right out of Seinfeld.

The Gates native owns Daddy-O, a neighborhood bar in the West Village that Grubstreet.com and Time Out New York have lauded as being among the best whiskey bars in New York City. The bar at 44 Bedford St. also does well with both classic and creative cocktails; its herbaceous mojito was featured in a segment of the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Casaceli is an engaging, likable guy, but he has a stubborn streak when it comes to one item on his menu: The Plate, a homage to the Garbage Plate from Nick Tahou's. (He says he called Nick Tahou's years ago to tell them of his plans to serve a plate in the Big Apple, and was told that it was fine as long as he didn't use the trademarked name.)

True to the original, The Plate has a bed of home fries and homemade mac salad and is topped with hots or burgers. It is smothered with his dad's recipe for meat hot sauce, called Norm’s Beef Hot Sauce, and adorned with mustard and onions. And no substitutions are allowed.

"I’m not changing anything at all,” he said. "There’s no mixing and matching.”

People have requested Tater Tots instead of home fries, and was told that it's not authentic that way. The burgers are topped with American cheese, never Cheddar. The addition of jalapeños has been requested and denied.

One reason for his intransigence: among his regular customers are people who used to live in the Rochester area. Groups of alumni from Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester have had gatherings there to eat plates, and in the case of RIT, watch hockey games.

"I didn’t realize there were so many expats here from Rochester," he said. "It’s unbelievable. It’s unreal, it really is.”

And when it comes to plates, they are tough customers.

"They are going to scrutinize it to no end,” he said. His ultimate compliment is when he is told that it's better than the original. That is likely because he uses premium ingredients, such as beef, pork and poultry butchered daily by Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. Bread and buns are baked daily by Blue Ribbon Bakery, a couple of blocks away on Bedford Street.

Their praises are echoed by the esteemed foodie website Serious Eats.

"The Daddy-O version is probably far superior to the original (though, admittedly, I have not eaten a Garbage Plate in more than twenty years)," wrote Serious Eats founder Ed Levine. "It may sound like a silly, kitchen-sink kind of hodgepodge, but it's a mighty tasty and filling plate of food."

Casaceli's menu also includes Zweigle's red and white hots, shipped to him via Calabrasella’s New York Style Deli.

“I love hot dogs. I love all kinds of hot dogs," Casaceli said. "The Zweigle's is the best hot dog you’ll ever eat.”

Casaceli has hands-on experience when it comes to Rochester fare. He grew up in Gates, down the street from what used to be a Nick Tahou's on Lyell Avenue (it is now Steve T. Hots and Potatoes). He graduated from Spencerport High School. His dad owned Dora-Lee, a pizzeria and frozen custard place in Spencerport. He worked as a short-order cook at Gitsis Texas Hots while going to college.

Video: Check out the Garbage Ball

His next project is opening Phil and Ann’s Good Time Lounge in Brooklyn. His partner is Anne Burrell, known as the spiky-haired blond chef on several Food Network shows including Secrets of a Restaurant Chef​ and Worst Cooks in America. The two have been friends for 11 years, Casaceli said, noting that she is from Cazenovia.

Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge was originally slated to open in September at 196 Smith St. in Brooklyn; Casaceli is now hoping it will be ready within the month. The initial publicity indicated that it will have a funky environment, complete with metallic orange wallpaper and illustrations of vintage guitars.

"We want it to be a fun atmosphere," he said. "We don’t want to take it too seriously.”

The joint will serve fare with Italian influences, but it may also include a taste of Rochester: the plans are to use Zweigle's cocktail wieners in pigs in a blanket.

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TRACYS@Gannett.com