The Newest Spot in Brockport, New York: Zonies

Its been a long time since something completely new has opened in the quaint college town of Brockport, New York. This summer, however, a brand new eatery came to town: Zonies. Zonies caters almost exclusively to the calzone crowd - having well 35 types of calzones, and the option to 'make your own'! Zonies also offers chicken wings and chicken fingers as possibilities.

The location, set in a small plaza just north of the main section of town, is not the best for college students, but still walkable from the campus of SUNY Brockport. Not much more than a mile away, Zonies delivers to the surrounding area, so in all actuality, the location in relation to the dorms of SUNY Brockport is not too much of a problem, nor if you are a resident of the area, craving a calzone. It is cheap - to this date that I am writing, it only costs $6.00 per 'Zonie'. The food is respectable, goes down and sits well.

The store is large enough to seat a few people, and although it is probably intended for deliveries, mostly, the owners were kind enough to provide old style arcade games for customers to amuse themselves while they wait. Each calzone is made to order - and so, your order might take a half an hour to come out, but when it does, it is fresh and hot and ready for your mouth.

The variety is overwhelming. Just by glancing at their menu - you never even dreamed calzones like these! The Buffalo Zonie, my favorite, has chicken, cheese, and hot sauce with blue cheese packed into its crust. Other zonies include an Apple Zonie, a "Steak and Egg" Zonie, BBQ zonies, and traditional Zonies such as pepperoni, sausage, etc. The fun names for the Zonies provide an entertaining twist on normal food.

In terms of my experience there, both times I have eaten Zonies, I have gotten the "Buffalo Zonie". The Buffalo Zonie is a calzone that has cheese, a hot sauce, and chicken chunks. It is probably one of the greasier choices, and comes with a dip of blue cheese on the side. There is just something about the taste of buffalo sauce, with chicken and cheese in fried bread that makes my mouth water as I type this. The calzones are large, and for me at least, I made two meals out of the one calzone I ordered. Unlike most pizza, the calzone reheated fine, and was just as delicious when it was cold.

The staff was friendly on entering, and even on delivery, were very polite. Though not someplace you would hold a banquet at, Zonies is a great, cheap eat for anyone looking for a little change in their diet. On a scale of 10, I would definitely rate it at least a 7 in its class of laid back, grill and pizzeria spots. Enjoy!