In just the past two years, the small, brightly colored building at 89 State Street has been home to three restaurants: Tijuana Tokyo's, Cafe 89, and now, since mid-May, CJ's Southern Soul Food. Despite the location's checkered past, owner CJ Grimes is not too worried about the future of his new restaurant.

"Yeah, there have been several restaurants through here in just a few short years," says Grimes. "But I did my research on the number of soul-food restaurants in the downtown area and I just didn't see them. We're providing something different, and it also feels good to take part in the revitalization of downtown."

The menu at CJ's Southern Soul Food definitely caters to downtown lunchers with its $6.50 lunch special, which includes a choice of meat and two sides. Meat options include roast pork shoulder, fried or barbequed dark-meat chicken, or jumbo party wings, while sides include choices like mac and cheese, collard greens, Cajun cabbage, yams, red beans and rice, dirty rice, and jambalaya.

In addition to the standard choices, CJ's offers a specialty item each day that can also be selected as part of the lunch special: lasagna on Tuesdays, ox tail or meatloaf on Wednesdays, barbeque ribs on Thursdays, and a fish fry on Fridays and Saturdays. If you're stopping by in the evening, CJ's offers the same selections as a dinner special with larger portions for $8.50.

"The foods I serve are all my favorites," says Grimes. "These are the foods I grew up on, since both my parents came from South Carolina. They're comfort foods that are filling and can be prepared quickly. I never see a full plate when people leave."

CJ's Southern Soul Food is located at 89 State St. It is open Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit cjssouthernsoul.com or call 454-3885.

To find CJ's Southern Soul Food in City Newspaper's online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.

Chipotle takes two

Rochester is now home to two locations for the Mexican chain Chipotle Mexican Grill. The first opened last year at 640 Jefferson Road, and the second, which will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, June 16, is located at 1360 Mt Hope Ave. The popular chain offers burritos, burritos bowls (a cross between a burrito and a salad), tacos (soft or crispy), and salads, all of which can be customized by diners with a wide variety of fillings and toppings. Considering the lines that often stretch outside the door of the Jefferson Road location, this second location should be a welcome addition to the area.

To find Chipotle in City Newspaper's online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.

In order to celebrate the grand opening, the new Chipotle will be giving away t-shirts and gifts cards to the first 300 customers after 3 p.m. Chipotle is open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information, visit chipotle.com or call 473-3611.

Wine and fleas

The Cayuga Wine Trail is celebrating its fifth annual Greyhound Wine Tour and Friends event from Thursday, June 24, through Sunday, June 27. The 16 wineries that make up the trail will welcome wine lovers and their greyhounds (or other large dogs) for the four-day event, which will include wine tastings, food (including a barbeque at Montezuma Winery and breakfast at American Winery), live music, and a silent auction. Participants will receive a commemorative wine glass as well as goodie bags for their four-legged friend. Part of the proceeds from the event will benefit Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption as well as other New York state humane societies.

Advance tickets cost $28 (good for all four days) or $33 at the door; designated driver tickets are also available for $23. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit cayugawinetrail.com or call 800-684-5217. Tickets can also be purchased at Wegmans Food Markets.

Inhale your food

Taking part in a yoga class to is a healthy activity to add to your routine, but making healthy choices when it comes to food shopping and cooking can sometimes be a bit more difficult. Pittsford yoga parlor/spa/juice bar Breathe aims to remedy that with a variety of classes meant to educate and remove the stress out of cooking, shopping, and eating.

Some upcoming classes include "Supermarket Shopping Tour" on Wednesday, June 23, 6-7 p.m., where participants will join a dietician who will help simplify the shopping experience from buying local and seasonal foods, when to choose organic foods, how to read food labels, and where to find whole food and superfood ingredients ($20); "Healthy Kids 101," on Wednesday, June 30, 7-8 p.m., where parents will learn how many servings their child needs for optimal health and growth ($20); "Gluten-Free Nutrition" on Wednesday, July 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m., where students will learn what foods to include and what foods to avoid in a gluten-free diet ($20).

Also, on Wednesday, July 28, 6-7:30 p.m., Art Rogers from Lento will teach a hands-on demonstration on how to make the most of the local abundance of heirloom tomatoes. He will focus on three applications that will help aspiring chefs keep their presentation simple yet delicious ($40).

Breathe is located at 19 S Main St. in Pittsford. For more information, visit breatheyoga.com. To reserve a space in one of the above classes call 248-9070.

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