Rochester - anything great?

Question

We will be spending a few nights in Rochester in June, and are wondering if there are any terrific dining venues in this city. We like all food...except we avoid Asian cuisines when traveling because we have great Asian food at home.

Answer

I would add Mario's and The King And I to the list. The King and I is Thai that you probably will not find in Cali. Warfield's is good too. Hope you get time to drive to the finger lakes for some wine tours.

Answer

When visiting our son at RIT, we like to go to the Dinosaur. As others have said, it's an experience. We've been to the one at Syracuse too, but the view of the falls from the Rochester one adds to the charm. It's really unfair for me to compare though, because the night we visited Syracuse and went to the Dinosaur was freezing cold, and we had to wait over an hour. It was impossible to wait outside so it was very crowded waiting inside. In Rochester, there wasn't as long of a wait, and there was more room for us to wait inside, plus the weather was lovely. You said you avoid Asian when traveling, but we do also like Wok With You at Park Point, near the RIT campus. They have sushi, Thai, and Chinese and are near the Barnes & Noble, so if you're in that area, you may want to check them out, or the pub TC Riley's nearby. The college students go often to Buffalo Wild Wings, and if you're into chain-type fast-food type joints, this location is pretty good.

Answer

I'd just like to throw in another two thumbs up for the Dinosaur. It is much less formal than you seem to want, but it's a worthwhile trip. They have a full bar and make generous drinks. Whatever meat you try will be beyond good. Ribs, chicken, brisket or a steak. I guarantee you will NEVER find a barbeque restaurant in L.A. even remotely close to the Dino. California does many things well. Barbeque is not one of them. This small chain is so good that George Soros bought in as a major player.

Answer

Josephnl, I hope your time in Rochester allows a visit to Wegman's in Pittsford. There is nothing in Cali that compares and it is worth the visit!

Answer

Rochester Hounds, I could use your help, please! My (NYC-eating) boss is headed up there for a meeting and wants to take our clients to dinner--on a Monday night. Sadly, all of the recs on this thread that sound perfect (Lento, Warfields, Good Luck) are closed on Mondays. Any ideas of where I could send her? Dinosaur BBQ is out, unfortunately--just a tad too casual for this dinner.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Curlz (in Northern NJ)

ETA: A good business breakfast rec would also be appreciated!

Answer

A follow-up! As it turned out, we only had one free night to dine out on our own. We had planned on dining at Lento, but passed Good Luck on our way to the restaurant. It was buzzing and looked terrific. We were quite early and not wanting to be "no-shows" at Lento, we walked around the corner to look in on Lento. The restaurant was essentially empty, the air conditioning was barely working (it was 98 degrees out!) and it was not at all inviting. We walked back to Good Luck where no reservations were available, but they were able to seat us at the bar. I cancelled our reservation at Lento (using Open Table on my iPhone) and indeed felt guilty about doing so at the late hour...but am certain that we did not prevent anyone else from getting a reservation there (it was empty). We had a wonderful meal at Good Luck. The bartender/server (Emily) took terrific care of us. The food was interesting and delicious and overall it was a terrific meal. The one downside to Good Luck is that it is quite noisy, something we really do not like. We fortunately were seated in quieter spot at the back of the bar, and sitting next to one another, conversation was not a problem.

Answer

Just wanted to report back that my boss ended up at Black & Blue, as that’s where the clients wanted to go. She said "It was nice – the place had a good vibe; we went early enough to avoid noise; my food (salmon) was excellent and ample. If I hadn’t been with clients (and staying in a hotel), I would have boxed it up and brought it home."

Thanks for the assist, NY 'hounds!

Answer

This is too late for josephnl's visit to Rochester, but for a great summer daytime (especially) experience, try Tony D's (address: Corn Hill Landing, 288 Exchange Blvd., Rochester). Great Italian food on the river front in a trendy downtown neighborhood. Open 7 days but just evenings on weekends. Loved their rice balls!!

Answer

Instead of Rochester proper, any suggestions for restaurants in Greece NY?

Answer

Now I can't wait for my next trip to Rochester - thanks to your question, josephnl - and especially to TheDegustationAsian and Indy67!

Answer

We've been back several times since this op, and must say that fine dining in Rochester is pretty hard to come by. As of our most recent visit 4 months ago, our best meals have been at:

Good Luck
Tournedos Steakhouse at the Inn on Broadway
Erie Grill in the Del Monte Lodge, Pittsford (where we always stay) - not great, but always pretty dependably decent.

During our last visit after hearing such good things about Warfield's, we drove out to Clifton Springs. It was very disappointing.

For lunch, or just for fun, the Wegman's on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford, is a must!

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Rochester - anything great?

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