Going to Rochester next week; where should I eat?
I want to know what's good and local. Not interested in Rochester's best French restaurant. Also, what shouldn't I miss at the public market?
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24 Comments:
this might help - http://www.americantowns.com/ny/rochester-local-food
lexophile at 11:50AM on 01/12/08
actually ignore that one, this is better. the top 5 local places. keep in mind good + local in rochester is usually going to mean a dive/greasy spoon. doesn't mean it isn't good, it just isn't super healthy.
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurants/SearchResults.aspx?st=restaurants&ps=1&s=NY&c=rochester&kw=&pkw=&ob=restaurantname
lexophile at 11:57AM on 01/12/08
Whatever you do, make sure you grab a garbage plate at Nick's. Don't accept any imitations! Nick's has the original and the best. Also, Rochester has a really nice little downtown area; if you get an evening to poke around, you'll find some great restaurants and bars. Just be sure you bring a very warm coat, scarf and gloves! :)
sheeats at 1:55PM on 01/12/08
Goodness, lexophile, whatever gave you impression that I'm interested in superhealthy? ;-) Seriously, thanks for your help! And you, too, sheeats.
Barbara Hanson at 4:57PM on 01/12/08
If you've never been to a Wegmans store, I think you MUST go while you're up there--that's where they're based!
Curlz at 5:38PM on 01/12/08
Curlz, can you tell me about Wegmans and why I should go? Unfamiliar to me. Thanks.
Barbara Hanson at 5:53PM on 01/12/08
wegman's is an experience. i was visiting a friend in suburban maryland and she made a point to take me grocery shopping at wegman's as a treat.
cybercita at 7:49PM on 01/12/08
I agree with several that Wegmans is worth the trip. Nick Tahoes is an original and should be visited late at night. L& H Charpit that is reference in Roadfood link above is a must stop. I always have one red hot and one white hot there. Make sure to add all the accompaniments on the side table. There are other better restaurants in the city, but to find something local and unique go to Charpit, Tahoes, and Wegmans.
vbm at 8:15PM on 01/12/08
vbm and all others who posted, thanks for understanding what I wanted. I don't want so-called better restaurants, I could do that in my neighborhood (LES), if so inclined. But I'm not. For example, tonight's dinner (weekends, the cook--me--is off at least one night) was a perfect Cuban sandwich and tostones with garlic sauce. Nothing better.
Barbara Hanson at 10:16PM on 01/12/08
Salt potatoes, just that- salt potatoes. Every time my friend from Rochester comes to visit, she brings salt potatoes! And I think they are from Wegmans.
cucinacecilia at 1:04AM on 01/13/08
BaHa, knowing that you live in NYC is, imo, one more reason for you to visit Wegmans. I've never been to their stores in NY state, but if you appreciate a great grocery store, you just Have. To. Go! Then you'll be trying to figure out how to get to their NJ outposts when you return (closest to the city is probably Woodbridge, just off the NJ Tpk).
Their food is high quality (fresh as well as prepared), customer service amazing, and it's an experience (not like Stew Leonard's). It just seems like anyone who cares enough about food to be on SE shouldn't go to the store's home turf without taking a walk through. I swear, it's the first thing I thought of when I read Rochester and I've never been up there! In my brain, Rochester=Wegmans, I guess! :-)
Curlz at 9:37AM on 01/13/08
Got it. If I can get to a Wegman's without a car...
Barbara Hanson at 11:53AM on 01/13/08
I know it's a 45 minute or so trip ( I am from Buffalo) but if you happen to go to Buffalo for any reason, you MUST go to Mighty Taco.
http://www.mightytaco.com/locs.html
It's the BEST ever in upstate dining. Otherwise, I would check out Wegmans. I miss Wegmans almost as much as my family.
midgepingleton at 4:08PM on 01/14/08
If you don't have a car available and are staying in downtown Rochester then your options will be far more limited than with a car - to say the least. The Nick Tahoe's in downtown Rochester is no longer open late at night but their suburban location is. As for Wegman's - if you visit there (which is worth the trip if you're into food) - you'll want to go to the flagship store in the suburbs (I think it may be in Pittsford). The original very first Wegman's location is still in operation and relatively easy to access from downtown but it's a fairly small and ordinary store - not a huge foodie destination like the new stores.
There is a very good and longstanding ongoing thread in the NY forums on eGullet that covers "Upstate Dining". It has some very detailed Rochester dining discussion that covers the moderately priced ethnic offerings as well as the progressive upscale dining choices available. It's the best compendium I'm aware of at present that covers that scene and is up to date.
It really really REALLY helps to have a car in cities like Rochester (even more so than in Syracuse where I live). Parking downtown is about $3 per DAY and there's abundant free street parking available everywhere in the evening. If you drive then rent a car and get one with a GPS - Rochester has a somewhat screwy "Inner Loop" and "Outer Loop" system that is confusing if you're new to the area.
phaelon56 at 9:32AM on 01/16/08
Nick Tahou's and Wegmans.
At Wegman's get some:
http://www.zweigles.com/
and
http://stores.bosssauce.com/StoreFront.bok
to bring home!
bobbob at 10:17AM on 01/16/08
if you want to catch an independent movie, go to "the little" on east ave. it's one of the best independent theaters i've ever been to, and it's been around since the 1920s. the cafe at the theater is interesting, too, and they serve wine and beer. just down the street is spot coffee - housed in an old car showroom, it's a must-see if you're a coffee lover. enjoy the terrible, depressing weather, too! ;-)
altosaxchica at 10:27AM on 01/16/08
I also recommend this place.
http://www.tonysbirdlandandpizzeria.com/menu.html
Order wings with Tony's sweet and sour sauce(its also hot) not regular buffalo wings. The decor used to be a little run down but those are some great wings.
bobbob at 10:27AM on 01/16/08
The suburban "Nick Tahoe's" has split from the original downtown location due to a family dispute. It is now called Steve T's. It's on Lyell Avenue. Try to make it there for a Cheeseburger Plate with everything.
Other favorites - Don's Original, Sal's Birdland, Country Sweet Chicken and Ribs. Abbott's Frozen Custard
randyzip at 1:06PM on 01/16/08
Sorry. Carried away ex-Rochesterian...
What a great url:
http://www.garbageplate.com/
bobbob at 1:24PM on 01/16/08
http://www.donsoriginal.com
http://www.salsbirdland.com
http://www.abbottscustard.com/
http://rocwiki.org/Country_Sweet
randyzip at 11:33AM on 01/17/08
I'll third the recommendation for Sal's Birdland or if you go to Wegman's just pick up a bottle of the greenish-yellow "Sal's Sassy Sauce". It's a truly unique sauce - hint of sweetness and tang and also a hint of hot. Incredibly good on fried chicken btu you coudl use it on just about anything.
phaelon56 at 2:29PM on 01/17/08
Dinosaur Barbeque is good. If you can get to Tom Wahl's I'd do that too. The cult of the Nick Tahou Garbage Plate has always been lost on me-- maybe it's a self-esteem issue, but I've never been comfortable eating something that bills itself as garbage.
outsidecounsel at 4:43PM on 01/17/08
Every local BBQ or berger joint here seems to have there own hot sauce recipe and many are now selling the sauces in the local supermarkets.
Some local brands are
Sweet/Hot Chicken Sauces
Boss Sauce
Country Sweet
Snuffy's
Sal's
Meat Based Hamburger Sauces
Bill Gray's
Coach Tony's
Zweigle's
Don's Original
Steve T's
Some are available for shipping around the country, along with many other local food products, at http://www.nystyledeli.com
randyzip at 3:01PM on 01/18/08
One place - Food at Fisher's Station. Spectacular! I almost hesitate to tell people about this place. I don't want more people there on a Saturday morning when I may have to wait to get seated. I HAVE NEVER LEFT THE LINE BECAUSE THE WAIT WOULD BE TOO LONG, HOWEVER. The food is worth almost any wait. Rick and his wife own the place. Rick is a gourmet chef who decided he didn't want the gourmet chef hours so he opened his own place in Fishers (near Eastview Mall, Victor). Everything there is fresh, cooked to order and ...perfect. They have a menu, but skip it look at the Specials Board and order off that. The wait staff is not chatty, as they are busy...but you will not be there to chat, you will be there to thoroughly enjoy yourself.
glenwood at 5:16PM on 02/26/09